Football: Challenge Shield gets another new home

Mosgiel's Rahan Ali executes an overhead kick in front of team-mate James McGarry and Roslyn...
Mosgiel's Rahan Ali executes an overhead kick in front of team-mate James McGarry and Roslyn-Wakari captain Aajay Cunningham during a Football South Premiership match at Ellis Park in Dunedin yesterday. Mosgiel won 3-1. Photo by Rab Smith.
Jubilant Mosgiel supporters flooded on to Ellis Park yesterday to celebrate their team's 3-1 win over Roslyn-Wakari, near doubling the team's points tally in the Football South Premiership and wrenching the Blair Davidson Challenge Shield from the home side.

The Challenge Cup is aptly named, since three clubs - Dunedin Technical, Roslyn-Wakari, and now Mosgiel - have had their names engraved within three weeks.

''That's what it's all about. They have all been top games,'' Davidson, who attended yesterday's game, said.

Mosgiel coach Andrew Brook admitted Mosgiel's dearth of goals actually had him advertising this week for a striker.

''But I really knew that the lads had it in them. We were playing well, just struggling to get the ball in the net,'' he said.

Brook did not need to worry on the scoring front against Roslyn.

''All of the goals were achieved through top technique, and gave the Roslyn keeper [Mike Rae] no chance at all.''

Even in the scoreless first half, both sides might have scored a few, and Roslyn coach Colin Thom looked back to some goal-mouth incidents when his side had the ball just metres from crossing Mosgiel's goal line.

Blair Davidson.
Blair Davidson.
However, he sportingly said: ''Mosgiel did deserve the win and the shield. They wanted it more than we did, and it was a disappointing, flat performance after the quality our lads showed to beat Technical on Saturday.''

The first goal came from a left-wing corner, and with players congregated in Roslyn's goal mouth, Brook roared to his son, Cody, to push forward.

The ball was played to the fullback in space, and he had time to lace a near-perfect shot into the top left of Rae's goal.

Roslyn struck back with a series of corners, giving Mosgiel keeper Tom Stevens a chance to show courage and agility as he was put under siege with raking crosses.

However, Roslyn's Achilles heel remains the lack of a true striker, and despite a parade of chances, Mosgiel's goal remained intact.

Mosgiel went further ahead in the 54th minute, when a left wing attack produced a looping cross, which Tim Dunn flicked across goal and, timing his run superbly, Riley Anderton arrived to smash the ball in, for a 2-0 scoreline.

Roslyn retaliated with more pressure and more corners, and at last gained some reward when Jacob Schneider climbed high to head his side back into contention at 2-1.

Mosgiel's final goal was another family affair, as a host of Kellys roared approval when Matt Kelly showed skills reminiscent of his striker father Phil, with a darting couple of step-overs that made space for an angled shot at goal.

Despite the angle, Kelly's shot hit the roof of Roslyn's net for 3-1 and amid the crowd, grandfather Frank danced an Irish jig of delight.

Elsewhere, Caversham slipped to a 1-1 draw with Green Island, University beat Queenstown 2-1 and Dunedin Technical beat Northern 8-0.

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