Match Report: Round 10 vs Auckland City AFC
Dettol Northern League Round 10 Match Report: East Coast Bays vs Auckland City, Bay City Park # 2, Saturday 17th May 2025.
Bays denied win by controversial calls but scrap away for a valuable draw
After the narrow win against Manurewa the previous Saturday, Bays were at home again against the highflyers Auckland City, in the first night home game of the season, under the lights on the bottom field. No changes to the starting line up but it was a big welcome back to Moses, who had been injured all season and was back on the bench.
EC Bays had all the play in the first fifteen minutes of the game. Auckland City were their usual selves playing keep the ball when they had it. A good team move saw Billy on to James on to Guy and to Matt who was dispossessed just outside the box. A mistake by the City keeper saw James Elder pick up the miskick. He played it up to Matt who took long on the ball and the danger was gone. Jack played a diagonal ball from the left wing across to the right wing that saw Guy away. His cross into the middle saw a shot blocked & cleared away. James Elder won the ball and played it back to Matt, who sent Guy away. But his cross right across the face of goal didn’t find any Bays attackers.
Orlando’s corner to the back post was picked up by James Edgeler who headed the cross back across goal. But it didn’t find anyone in the middle & was cleared. Auckland City resorted to long balls forward using the pace of Harris Zeb. From one of these Zeb turned James Edgeler before his cross in was cleared away by Adam. Auckland City took the lead completely against the run of play when another long ball saw Manickum through. He rounded Louie and played the ball across to Bevan who shot down the middle. Jack was back on the line and looked like he had cleared the shot but the assistant referee from the far side flagged that the ball had crossed the line and the referee awarded the goal. After 18 minutes gone the score read EC Bays 0 Auckland City 1.
In response Bays went on the all-out attack for the next fifteen to twenty minutes. Orlando made a burst down the right wing. Guy played the ball forward to James Elder and his cross was blocked for a Bays corner. At the other end Bevan had a long-range shot go all the way along the ground for Louie to make a comfortable save. Orlando then tried a through ball right down the middle of the City defence but just a fraction too overhit and taken by the City keeper. Orlando then intercepted a poor City pass and broke down the left wing before switching the ball over to Guy. Guy broke down the right flank and set up James Elder for a fierce drive that the keeper did well to push around the post.
From the corresponding corner Bays equalised when the corner found James Edgeler at the back post, and he headed home into the bottom corner to make the score EC Bays 1 Auckland City 1 after 33 minutes. Both sides then tried to find some rhythm as the pace of the game lifted. A ball into the box by Jack was just a fraction away from James Elder. Auckland City then had a corner that saw its way into the middle before being cleared away by a combination of Jack & Adam.
The half time whistle went and in a very entertaining game the score was EC Bays 1 Auckland City 1 at the break. Unfortunately, the writer of this report had a previous engagement, so missed the second half. So, apologies for only half a report this week. My able deputies sent me some brief highlights from the second half. Jack Young came on in the 60th minute for Bays first substitution. In the 66th minute James Elder played a wonderful through ball for Orlando and his shot from just inside the area forced the City keeper into a smart save down to his left. Bays then made two more changes with Devin & Ryusei came on in the 68th minute.
Ryusei was only on the field for a couple of minutes before he scored after a great build up by the team. EC Bays 2 Auckland City 1 after 70 minutes gone. Adam then had a goal bound header saved by the keeper for a corner. Harris Zeb scored the equalizer for Auckland City in the 81st minute. Nathan & Moses came on in the 87th minute. Then the second moment of controversy came in the 92nd minute when Orlando played a sweet through ball through to Guy. He lifted the ball over the diving keeper to score but the goal was disallowed for an apparent offside. That was the last act of the game as the final whistle went and the full-time score was EC Bays 2 Auckland City 2. A very good result for Bays considering recent results against City but it could have been better if a couple of marginal calls had gone the way of the home side.
Thanks to Gordy for the abbreviated second half notes and Alan for the txt updates. This Friday Bays are away at West Coast Rangers, at Fred Taylor Park, out Whenuapai way. 7.30pm kick off, so see you all there.
Final Score: East Coast Bays 2 vs Auckland City 2
East Coast Bays: L Caunter, J Edgeler, A Huskic, J Elder, O Thorpe, D Kim, GFE Penda, B Jones, L Andersen, M Matanyayire, J Caunter
Subs: J Young 60, D Slingsby & R Ishibashi 68, N Maisey & M Akimana 87
Auckland City: N Garrow, M Ilich, A Mitchell, C Gray, M Bevan, D Manickum, J Vale, D Connolly, A Rogers, H Zeb, J Manuell
Subs: R De Vries & M Ellis 67, N Lobo & T Zhiu 77
Goals: EC Bays: J Edgeler 33, R Ishibashi 70
Auckland City: M Bevan 18, H Zeb 81
Unoffical attendance: 59,997