MENS FIRST TEAM, ROUND 8 MATCH REPORT

Tauranga City. 1.  ECBAFC. 2.

It wasn’t raining in Tauranga but the wind was cold and the ball bobbled a bit on the pitch, making passing tricky.

Tauranga took the game to Bays from the opening minutes, forcing a corner, which was wasted. At the other end, Nicolai Berry had a shot blocked.

Jordan Toy went on a good run that was halted by Nick Forrester and a Dylan Stansfield strike was cleared off the line as play surged from end to end.  Tauranga’s free-kick was blocked by the wall, while a Berry corner was saved by keeper Tom Pamment.

Once again good work was undone by poor passing, some attributable to ground conditions, others the result of sloppy ball control.

Bays should have taken the lead in the 34th minute when a Stansfield pass found Berry unmarked in front of goal but somehow he was unable to make the slightest contact, which would have seen the ball cross the line and the chance went begging.

Six minutes later Tauranga missed a chance from right in front but with two minutes remaining in the half, they took the lead. The first foray was blocked but the ball not cleared and Liam Molloy was on hand to sweep the ball into the net.

Half time:  Tauranga 1 Bays 0

Could Bays come back from a goal down?  Callum Simmonds had a chance but hit wide and Freddie Martin was called upon to save from Molloy. On the hour the ball was pushed wide to Berry, his cross found the head of Kieran McMinn and Bays had equalized.

Five minutes later a similar move but this time a pass from Berry to McMinn and it was 2-1 to Bays.

Tauranga refused to lie down and took the game to Bays and it required some great defending to keep them at bay.  Forrester and Daewook Kim were staunch at the back, ably supported by Michael Gaze and Michael Kolston. The long ball came more into play and put Tauranga under pressure.

As the clock wound down, Tauranga had a free-kick blocked by the wall and Toy saw his strike just clear the crossbar.

The game moved into stoppage time and a Jay Silcock strike hit the inside of the post with the defence beaten, trickled along the goal line before crossing for a goal kick. Hearts in mouths for what seemed like an eternity, but as this was the end where Bays missed a sitter in the first half, perhaps there is something about this end.

The final whistle followed and Bays had the points and a happy bus ride home.

Great defending in the second half and three well-won points.

Team: Martin, Simmonds, Forrester, Kim, Gaze (Lehan 88), Sweeney (Scott 76), Ireland, Taylor (Kolston 65),  Berry, McMinn, Stansfield

Goals:  McMinn  60, 65