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It is not very often a football goalkeeper becomes the side’s scorer, but one young Otago player did just that on Monday, courtesy of a howling Manawatū wind.
Otago Boys’ High School first XI had headed to Palmerston North for the national secondary schools football tournament.
On Monday — the first day of the tournament — it played Selwyn College, a top-ranked side from Auckland.
The game was dominated by the wind.
One half was a complete grind and the other was not trying to kick it too far.
Otago Boys’ goalkeeper Oliver Devereux made the most of the wind — when it was behind him.
The year 13 student kicked the ball, it bounced well on the surface and the Selwyn goalkeeper misjudged it before it eventually ended up in the net at the other end of the field.
His team-mates mobbed him. He had previously played in the outfield but wanted to have a go between the sticks this year.
He was ecstatic with the goal that put his side on the board. The game ended in a 1-1 draw.
Otago Boys’ coach Mike McGarry, who had played and coached around the world, said the wind was ridiculous.
“It was absolutely blowing. Every game was a game of two halves.
“The goalkeeper over-hit it really; I told him to take a bit off it.
“When you got the gusts coming through, you could hardly stand up. Your hat was sort of getting blown off every two seconds.”
The pitches were all good, but the wind just made the games a bit of a farce and not much fun to play in, he said.
The team had a mixed day on Tuesday, losing 1-2 to Tauranga Boys’ before bouncing back in the afternoon to beat St Pat’s Town (Wellington) 4-0.