MATCH REPORT: Round 13 vs Fencibles Utd AFC
NRFL Men's First Team Round 13 Match Report: East Coast Bays vs Fencibles United AFC, Bay City Park, Saturday 1st July 2023.
Festival atmosphere backdrop to hard fought Bays win
After a tough loss on the road to Ngaruawhaia the previous Saturday Bays returned home to play their last match at Bay City Park for around 6 weeks with the USA Women’s National team using the training grounds at the club. With it being close to July 4th, a USA theme was in place with a number of supporters dressing up in American themed costumes. With a number of players out injured a number of the younger players started and there was a rare start for Josh Coe.
Bays started quickly with Dylan linking with Moses & Josh down the left wing. The eventual cross was blocked for a throw in. Moses played a great through ball right down the middle that found Dylan. In turn, he played Josh through. Unfortunately, the ball was miscontrolled when a first time shot was probably the best option. This gave the Fencibles keeper time to shut down Josh’s second effort with a smart block. Bays took the lead in the seventh minute when Thomson played in Dylan. His first shot was blocked but Bays top scorer comfortably tucked away the rebound. EC Bays 1 Fencibles 0. Fencibles fought back. First Moses charged a shot by Walker down. Nicolai then played in Walker who had his shot blocked by Thomson for a corner. From that corner, the ball made its way to the back post where Garofalakis had a soft shot go straight to Louie. Lonergen then had a long range left footer go straight to Louie.
Nicolai crossed from the right wing and Dylan had a side foot shot saved low down by the keeper. Hough was then yellow carded in the 17th minute for a follow through slide tackle on Moses. James played a great long ball down the left to Moses and his cross was cleared from the middle of the goal. Thomson linked again with Dylan that led to two shots by Josh being saved at point blank range. Josh was brought down outside the area as he tried to turn and Dylan’s free kick went just wide of the top left corner. Dylan played Nicolai through on the right but he slightly delayed his shot that was blocked before being cleared. A cross from the right by Nicolai cleared the tallest player on the field in Nick Gaze!!!! before being headed behind for a corner. From Callum’s corner, Josh tried a flicked header that went just wide. Nicolai went on one of his mazy runs and glided right through the defence before toe poking a shot past the keeper that was cleared on the line.
The half time whistle went and EC Bays lead 1-0 at the break. Apart from a patch just after Bays scored when Fencibles tried hard to get back in the game Bays were in control for most of the first half and probably should have led by more than the solitary goal. Half time shenanigans carried on in the clubrooms as Todd Gibbs managed to beat Gordy in the hot dog eating competition. Straight after half time, Thomson set up Nicolai for a shot that was saved for a corner. The second half was like a game of chess with both sides trying to get used to the swirling wind and bumpy pitch. Nick played a long ball forward that Nicolai tried to get to but it looked like he may have overstretched and was replaced in the 54th minute by Yun Sung Chang. Two minutes later Fencibles made a change with Fuller coming on.
Fencibles had the better of the game over the next ten minutes and their attacking play was rewarded in the 65th minute when Garofalakis was allowed so much time to dribble right through the Bays defence with a neat one-two followed by a chip over Louie for the equalising goal. EC Bays 1 Fencibles 1. Dylan was clean through but just as he was about to pull the trigger the Fencibles keeper blocked the shot with his feet. Moses played in Dylan on the left and his cross to the middle was cleared for a corner in the 70th minute. Callum’s corner was expertly delivered and Moses met the cross with a fantastic glancing header to make the score EC Bays 2 Fencibles 1. Before the next kick off Fencibles replaced Garofalakis with Alfayad. Two minutes later Bays replaced Callum & Josh with Bailey and Logan. Papa tried playing the ball out of defence but ended up slipping over. Thomson was in but his shot was straight at the keeper. Fencibles then had a fast counter attack and Nick blocked their cross for a corner. In the 84th minute Fencibles brought on Hong for Hough. Dylan linked up with Bailey with the help of a handball but the shot that went in was ruled out because of an offside.
Bays then had a very lucky break when Walker was clean through. He slid the ball under Louie’s dive but unluckily for Walker it hit the outside of the right post and went out for a goal kick. The game could have easily been tied up at 2-2. Dylan was unlucky not to have a double of his own when his curling left footer was pushed around the post by the busy Fencibles keeper. Then a quick break by Moses, Bailey & Yun led to another Bays corner. The corner missed all the Bays attackers and ended up in the grateful keepers arms. Fencibles had another clear chance when Walker crossed for Moosbally who headed wide at the far post. The goal that settled the game came in injury time when Dylan played a through ball to Thomson. Thomo stepped forward and calmly placed his crisp shot into the bottom right corner to make the score EC Bays 3 Fencibles 1. There was still time for yet another battle between the two number 18’s as Papa fouled Dylan in another aerial duel. Dylan took the free kick himself but after clearing the defensive wall, it went straight into the keepers arms. Shortly after, the final whistle went and Bays had won a good battle of a game.
The final score was EC Bays 3 Fencibles 1 and with some of the other results going Bays way the lead at the top of the table had been extended to 3 points. Moses was player of the day and the USA theme continued after the game. All you could hear was pass the sauce as the hot dogs & chips did the rounds. No game on next weekend because the rearranged fixtures have left Bays without a game. Therefore, the next game is another home game on July 15th at North Harbour #4 pitch against Metro. See you all there.
Final Score: East Coast Bays 3 vs Fencibles Utd AFC 1
East Coast Bays: L Caunter, J Edgeler, C Simmonds (L Archer 74), M Akimana, N Berry (Y S Chang 54), J Coe (B Stevenson 73), T Kim, N Gaze, M Kolston, T Nkoy, D Stansfield
Fencibles: T Lewis, K Nicol, S Lonergen, J Grubjesic, R Dsouza, P Garofalakis, J Moosbally, B Priestly, N Walker, D Hough, M Papa
Subs: J Fuller 56, H Alfayad 71, J Hong 84
Goals: EC Bays: D Stansfield 7, M Akimana 70, T Nkoy 92
Fencibles: P Garofalakis 65
Official Attendance: 112,875 plus Gordy Ross & 100+ hotdogs