Match Report: Round 04 vs Western Springs AFC
Northern League Round 04 Match Report: East Coast Bays vs Western Springs, Bay City Park, Saturday 6th April 2024.
Injury time goals rob Bays of crucial first point of the season
East Coast Bays were back at home after two narrow defeats over the Easter weekend. Injuries & illness made for a number of changes to the starting line up with Moses lining up beside Logan in central defence and Bailey coming in for James who has a long-term injury. Hwi Seong Chang made is EC Bays debut in midfield and Billy Jones was on the bench ready for his 1st team debut.
Bays started off brightly and for the first fifteen minutes of the game they had the better of the game. A great ball down the left wing by Nathan found Liam but he was crowded out when he was bearing down on goal. Bailey then made a great intercept when Springs looked dangerous on attack. Springs made a great break down the left but the cross by Carey was well overhit. A Bays break down the left saw Liam win possession and he played in Hwi. His left foot shot across the face of goal went wide. Logan then played a great diagonal ball to Liam, but his cross was just a fraction too high for Hwi to reach.
Springs gradually got into the game and then dominated possession of the ball. Bailey lost possession of the ball and when the ball was played through Logan made a great covering tackle. Louie saved a snapshot from Tade and then a goalmouth scramble saw the ball cleared just before Drake could shoot. A cheeky back heel by Nick saw Hwi through but he was tackled by Carey. Down the other end Gatkek hit a shot straight into a defender and then the danger was cleared. A Springs corner travelled to the back post and a firm header straight into the ground by Lorenz was taken easily by Louie. The next corner by Tade had some wicked curl and landed on the roof of the net.
The first goal almost came after thirty minutes when Tade played the ball up to Drake. He turned smartly and hit a left footed curler that Louie brilliantly palmed around the post. Western Springs had upped their attacking ante and a cross from the left was cleared to just outside the box. J Manuel hit a low powerful shot that Louie was comfortably behind. A long diagonal ball by Moses found Thomson on the right wing. His cross in almost found Nick but he was crowded out by the Springs defence. Another ball down the left found Hwi and he passed inside to Liam. Unfortunately, Liam overran the ball and the attack died.
Bays continued their attacks and at times the Springs defenders were quite physical with niggly fouls and the odd shoulder charge that didn’t get picked up by the referee. A Bays corner on the left-hand side by Callum just cleared Liam at the near post. Nathan then had a shot blocked from outside the box and then Callum had a shot that cannoned off a defender and spun out for a corner. Shortly after the referee blew his whistle for half time on what had been a very good half of football. Plenty of chances created by both sides but at half time the score was EC Bays 0 Western Springs 0.
Springs had to make a change at half time with Iwata replacing left back Carey who had taken a bad knock in the first half. Springs had a very early chance in the second when Ellis played the ball into J Manuel, but he was disposed of the ball as he was about to shoot. In the build up in this play Bailey had taken a knock to his ankle and could not continue. He was replaced by Billy Jones who was making his EC Bays debut. Ellis was coming into the match more & more down the left had wing with his runs at the Bays defence. A cross from Ellis from the left was headed behind by Moses. Thomson lost possession in midfield, and this led to a shot by Tade that was blocked before Louie collected.
Bays made a quick counterattack that saw Nick in the box before he was shoulder charged off the ball by Tobin. Again, nothing was given by the referee. Thomson had taken a couple of hits as well. The second of these meant he could not continue, and he was replaced by Orlando after 61 minutes. A dangerous Springs cross into the middle was headed just wide by Drake. By now Springs dominated the possession stakes and Bays were defending for their lives. In a rare break Hwi had a shot that went well over the goal. At the other end Tade had a shot that was blocked by Billy. Ellis made a break down the left and after a couple of dummies he shot across the face of the Bays goal but wide of the goal. Springs then changed tactics with a ball straight down the middle, but Louie was quickly out to retrieve ahead of Ellis. Another Bays diagonal ball to the left-hand side saw the Springs keeper out smartly to clear just in front of Hwi. Iwata then made a break down the left side, and he passed to Tade. His right footed drive was saved by a full-length dive by Louie.
The first moment of controversy came in the 75th minute when Nathan was trying to chase the ball and was sandwiched between two Springs players. Instead of giving a free kick to Bays for a blatant foul the referee surprised the whole crowd by showing Nathan a yellow card for diving. Bays made two more changes with Mikey K & Oscar coming on for Liam & Hwi (who had a bright & promising debut). Springs made a change with McGavin replacing Thomas and a minute later Ramsay replaced R Manuel. Tade hit a free kick around the wall, and it hit the outside of the post of Louie’s goal. And then Ramsay hit a shot straight at Louie.
The next moment of controversy came in the 81st minute when one of the Springs players turned Moses in the box and was tripped. Yes, it was a penalty but instead of giving Moses a yellow card the Referee brandished a straight red card to the crowd’s astonishment. Moses wasn’t the last line of defence, and it was not a dangerous or reckless tackle so how on earth could it be a red card. Springs substitute Ramsay stepped up to take the penalty. He hit it straight down the middle and Loie saved the shot with his feet before the ball was cleared to safety. The game was getting a bit feisty, and Oscar was shown a yellow card for a late tackle on Tobin. Orlando was next in the book for a late tackle.
Springs continued to turn up the heat with the numerical advantage. Ellis was through again on the left-hand side and his left foot drive was punched over the bar by Louie. Bays were hanging on for dear life at this point. A Springs corner on the right saw Tade blaze over from close range. Just when it looked like Bays might secure a battling point Springs struck in the 92nd minute. Ellis again broke into the box and his powerful shot was saved low down by Louie. Unfortunately, the rebound found Tade, and he tucked the ball home. EC Bays 0 Western Springs 1. The game kept going for what seemed an age of injury time and then another moment of controversy when the ball was driven into Billy’s arm in the box. It wasn’t deliberate hand ball, and he didn’t move his arm towards the ball to block the shot, but the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot for another penalty. Tade stepped up and placed his penalty low down to Louie’s left to score again.
Shortly after the referee blew the whistle for full time with the score reading EC Bays 0 Western Springs 2. A great battling display by Bays but no points in the end thanks to two late goals in injury time. Well done lads on a great display despite the result. Bays player of the day was Nick Gaze and Springs player of the day was Wan Gatkek. We go again this Saturday with a home game against Hamilton Wanderers. See you all there.
Final Score: East Coast Bays 0 v Western Springs 2
EC Bays: L Caunter, N Maisey, R Ishibashi, B Stevenson (B Jones 48), C Simmonds, M Akimana, N Gaze, T Nkoy (O Thorpe 61), H Seong Chang (O Garcia 75), L Andersen (M Kolston 75), L Archer
Western Springs: O Mason, P Tobin, A Carey (T Iwata 46), M Thomas (C McGavin 78), J Manuel, W Gatkek, R Drake, E Tade, M Ellis, R Manuel (O Ramsay 79), M Lorenz
Unofficial Attendance: 49,999