Match Report: Round 2 vs Birkenhead Utd

Dettol Northern League Round 2 Match Report: East Coast Bays vs Birkenhead Utd, Bay City Park, Saturday 28th March 2026.

Marius to the rescue with last kick of the game earning a last gasp draw

The first home game of the Northern League season saw Bays, at Bay City Park, playing in a local derby against Birkenhead Utd. After a battling 0-0 draw down at Tauranga in the opening round, Bays were looking to add more points to the one they got at Links Avenue. Home debuts for Jackson Jarvie, Marius Zabarauskas and Louis Wicks, as well as a welcome back to the club to Ihaia Delaney and Gogo was promoted from the Under 23’s to the senior squad. Welcome to the club to all the new players. Unfortunately, another new signing Harry Mason missed out playing, after his straight red card down at Tauranga.

Signs looked good for Bays in the first quarter of an hour of the game. Good link up play saw Billy play a ball forward to Guy. He linked up with Marius and his return ball saw Guy shoot left footed past the post. Birkenhead made their game plan fairly obvious playing long balls forward for their two tall forwards. When the ball did stay on the ground most of the play came from Connor-Mclean down the right wing. One of his runs saw his cross come off Liam for a corner. The corner was headed wide by Laing-McConnell. Bays took an early lead in the sixth minute when Louis made a break down the right wing, and his pinpoint cross was headed home by Marius for his first Bays goal. After 6 minutes the score read East Coast Bays 1 Birkenhead Utd 0.

Bays continued their assault on the Birko goal. Marius chipped through for Liam to put a cross in from the left wing, but it sailed over everyone to the back post. A shirt pull by Jackson led to a Birko free kick that former Bays player Miles Palmer clipped in for Louie to take a clean catch. Cam made a bit of a hash of a clearance and ended up tripping over the ball in the box. The ball was collected by Louie and deemed a back pass, and an indirect free kick was awarded to Birko inside the box. The ball was touched to Palmer and Louie anticipated well to run out & block the shot. Some good build up play by Orlando saw the ball forward to Ihaia and he had a right foot shot blocked for a corner. Orlando’s corner to the back post was volleyed by Billy into a defender before being cleared.

With about 15-20 minutes gone Birkenhead suddenly changed tactics by closing down the Bays players a lot quicker which meant smothering tactics and giving the Bays players a lot less time on the ball. A diagonal ball from right to left by Connor-McClean was headed down by Laing-McConnell and shot wide by Redfearn. A collision between Liam & Laing-Mconnell led to a free kick for Birko that Palmer sent around the wall but straight to Louie. Another cross in from the right saw Connor-McClean collide with Louie as the ball went out for a goal kick. A Bays corner by Orlando was cleared to just outside the box where Moses had a drive blocked and Billy’s cross was a bit too heavy. Dymond was the first player to be shown a yellow card for a tackle from behind on Guy.

Liam was continuing to make forays forward down the left wing and his cross found Ihaia. He tried to turn in the box but was eventually closed down and the ball cleared. Another cross in from Louis from the right-hand side was punched away with Guy right in attendance next to him. Laing-McConnell showed a clean pair of heals to Cam who put the ball out for a corner. The first corner was headed over via a deflection and the second corner was eventually cleared by Guy. The half time whistle went, and the score read East Coast Bays 1 Birkenhead 0. After a bright & breezy start Bays were pegged back by Birko and under the cosh for a good deal of the remainder of the first half.

Birkenhead made a change at half time with Bidwell coming on for Dymond. Birko were immediately on attack with Nair crossing from the left wing and Jackson clearing for a corner. The corner was cleared to outside the box and met with an exceptionally good drive by Palmer. The shot was looking like it was heading for the top corner but a fine fingertip save by Louie saw the ball head over the crossbar. The next corner from the right-hand side was firmly planted past Louie by Birko captain Dino Botica. After 50 minutes the scores were even with it reading East Coast Bays 1 Birkenhead Utd 1. Birkenhead upped the ante and a cross in from Newman was just headed wide by Laing-McConnell. From the goal kick Laing-McConnell was shown a yellow card for a poor foul on Jackson.

The Bays goal was now under siege. Nair made a break down the right, found Connor-Mclean and from his cross Nair managed to shoot over the bar. Birko’s next corner saw Laing-McConnell volley over. A poor back pass by Louis saw Laing-McConnell slip over when he was about to shoot. A defensive mistake saw Redfearn shoot across the face of goal before Jackson cleared. A shot by Bidwell went straight down the middle to Louie. A shot by Nair deflected off Billy for a corner, The corner was headed clear by Ihaia. Bays made their first change with Peter coming on for Louis after 67 minutes gone. In a rare Bays attack Orlando’s throw saw Liam away and his cross was put wide by Marius. A ball down the left wing saw Marius away and after cutting inside his defender he saw his shot deflected wide by a hand. No penalty or free kick given. Orlando’s corner was taken cleanly by Birko keeper Keegan Smith. Smith almost had an assist after his long clearance went right down the other end for a Birko corner.

Birkenhead made four changes in the 72nd minute with Paez + Taylor + Patterson + Engle coming on for Newman + Nair + Redfearn + Laing-McConnell. Three minutes later Botica was booked for a tackle from behind on Ihaia. A counterattack at pace saw Patterson away and after cutting inside Cam he shot wide. A defensive mistake by Billy saw Patterson shoot down the left wing and his cross to the back post should have been put away. Unfortunately for Connor-McClean he completely mishit his volley wide. The next mistake in midfield saw Patterson away down the left again but his cross to the back post was deflected out by Jackson for a corner.

The passing out from the back from goal kicks was causing the watching crowd a lot of consternation and with Birkenhead’s constant press the Bays players were under severe pressure most of the times of receiving the ball. From one of the pass outs the ball was lost, a rolling shot crept along before hitting the far post and it rolled across nicely to Taylor in the box to side foot home. The scoreline after 83 minutes gone now read East Coast Bays 1 Birkenhead 2. Bays made a second change with Ben Hooper coming on for Orlando in the 86th minute. Cam’s long throw down the right wing was headed behind for a corner. The corner from Ben reached the back post were there seemed to be another hand ball but again nothing was given, and the ball was cleared away from Jackson.

After being under the cosh for the previous 75 minutes Bays gradually worked their way into the Birkenhead half (hooray at last). A ball down the right wing by Billy found Cam and his cross was put behind for a corner. In the 91st minute Gogo came on for his first team debut replacing Moses. With time almost up on the clock Liam made a break down the left before delivering a cross into the centre. Marius side stepped a defender, and his right foot shot took a deflection off a defender as well as coming down off the underside of the crossbar behind the goal line. Marius ran to the corner flag and mass celebrations took place. As the celebrations were taking place the referee blew full time, so the goal was indeed from the last kick of the game.

The final score read East Coast Bays 2 Birkenhead Utd 2. Credit to the Bays players for keeping going to the final whistle but the Birkenhead players looked shell shocked as they dominated the game for 75% of the match. Player of the day was deservedly Marius for his two goals. This weekend sees an Easter double header as Bays take on Manukau Utd at home on Easter Friday with a 3pm kick-off and then play Western Springs at Seddon Fields on Easter Monday with a 5.30pm kick off. See you all there.

Final Score: East Coast Bays 2 vs Birkenhead Utd 2

East Coast Bays: L Caunter, J Jarvie, I Delaney, O Thorpe (B Hooper 86), M Akimana (G Gjorgjevikj 91), G E Penda, B Jones, M Zabarauskas, L Andersen, C Brown, L Wicks (P Harrison 67)

Birkenhead Utd: K Smith, Z Newman (A Paez 72), D Botica, R Dymond (C Bidwell 46), A Connor-Mclean, D Laing-McConnell (R Engle 72), S Nair (J Taylor 72), S Philip, M Palmer, J Redfearn (M Patterson 72), C Rodriguez

Goals: EC Bays: M Zabarauskas 6, 96

Birkenhead: D Botica 50, J Taylor 83