Vs Tauranga City Football Club: May 18, 2010.
MAGS ALL AT SEA
In atrocious playing conditions at Links Avenue, Tauranga City defeated Mount Albert Grammar School 4 - 1 in the second round of the Chatham Cup competition.
MAGS did not help themselves by sticking to their short passing game in what could possibly have been the worst playing conditions that the youngsters had experienced in their short careers.
Worse was to come when a number of the school eleven started running with the ball only to see it stop dead in the surface puddles that must have caused some concern to referee Mark Hester and his two assistants.
From a game that looked like an interesting duel it turned into a "football farce".
Tauranga City certainly played to the conditions they went ahead after only 4 minutes when Tom Livesy took advantage of a Patrick George mistake when he failed to clear a Sam Redwood back pass. George paid the penalty when Livesy rolled the blocked ball into the MAGS net.
Despite having a disastrous start MAGS managed to get their share of the football with Vale, Boxall and Hand competing favourably with the senior team in midfield.
The ball dominance did not produce any goalscoring chances and it took 14 minutes before Hamilton's shot trickled wide of Ben Devenney in the Tauranga goal.
This pattern continued up to half time with Tauranga finding MAGS a tough nut to crack, but apart from the odd dangerous corner that winger Connor Stoton put into the Tauranga goal mouth the senior team stood firm.
With 28 minutes gone Connor Lynch replaced full back Matt Aleman and apart from another scare in the MAGS goalmouth when goalkeeper Patrick George blocked a Tom Livesy one v one encounter the score remained the same.
Half time Tauranga City 1 MAGS 0
MAGS started the second half strongly trying to pull back the 1-0 deficit.
Then the storm arrived that had such an influence on the game. Puddles quickly formed and conditions were very dangerous for both sets of players as lightning bolts lit up the winter sky.
MAGS never adapted to mother nature and fell behind from a free kick that saw Livesy head home his second. It was a bad goal to concede with neither defenders nor goalkeeper dealing with the cross which was only five yards out MAGS were now 2-0 down on the hour.
Conditions were deteriorating by the minute when a Jordan Vale cross from the right found the head of Hamilton at the far post he glanced what was a perfect goalscoring opportunity wide.
Connor Stoton was replaced by Arus Sem in the 68th minute. Another chance was created for MAGS but Jordan Vale shot straight at Devenney in the 74th minute.
Any chance of building play had now gone and the last fifteen minutes was a comedy of errors with Tauranga booting the ball over the top to put the MAGS defenders under a lot of pressure as the ball stuck in the puddles. It was a common ploy but effective.From such a move a free kick was conceded in the 80th minute by Matt Rowland, on the edge of the area. Sean Richardson shot and a wicked deflection sped past George in the MAGS goal. 3-0 to Tauranga. Rowland also received a caution from Mark Hester the referee.
Then MAGS got on the score sheet it was a simple far post cross that Hamilton nodded home 3 - 1.
MAGS rallied and two more opportunities came their way via headers that were missed by Vale and Hamilton. It was Tauranga who had the last say in injury time again from a free kick that Jordan Culpepper hammered home past a hapless George.
The harsh reality was MAGS never adapted to the conditions on a day where referee Mark Hester should have abandoned the game.
Afterwards MAGS coach Kevin Fallon said " Once again a poor start put us on the back foot.
Then the heavens opened up. For me the game should have been abandoned. It was very dangerous for both team out there."
Final score: Tauranga City 4 MAGS 1
Team: George, Aleman, Rowland(c), Redwood, Kiddell, Hand, Boxall, Vale, Stoton, Hamilton, Pavic K.
Substitutes.
Lynch for Aleman 28th minute, Sem for Stoton 68th minute , Atherton for Kiddell 80th minute.
Referee: Mark Hester
Man of the Match: Nikko Boxall
Goalscorer: Faitalia Hamilton 84 th minute
Cautions: Matt Rowland
Dismissals: nil