Southern Steel Windows Old Boys AFC were unlucky to not secure at least one point when they took on Level One Queens Park at the ILT turf on Saturday.
The Waverley Park side held the league leaders right up until the 84th minute when Spencer Cunliffe went down on the edge of the area to earn a rather soft penalty, which was duly dispatched by Park captain Joel Murray to give the visitors the lead.
Park had arguably created the better chances, but Old Boys held up well. While they perhaps rode their luck at times, they could have easily taken all three points as they also created chances in search of the win.
Even after Park took the lead, they couldn’t sit back as Old Boys were capable of an equaliser, but the clock was against them, and Park managed to see out the win by the narrowest of margins.
It was an ugly win for Park and Old Boys wouldn’t be blamed for feeling a bit aggrieved not to have at least got a point from the game, but there were highlights on both sides.
Both sides had young keepers between the sticks; Jayden McWilliam for Old Boys and debutant Ben Birch for Park, with both acquitting themselves well and McWilliams only beaten by a penalty.
Birch made some crucial stops for Park in the first half and certainly didn’t look out of place at this level.
In the other league fixture, Gore beat Waihopai 12-0 to keep themselves in the running and the Hyde Park men could still play a crucial role in deciding where the trophy ends up.
They are capable of taking points off both Thistle and Park, as they have already done this season, and their form has improved since.
While a point for Park at the weekend would have opened things up, there is still a long way to go and there is time for Gore to upset the apple cart.
Waihopai welcome Queens Park this Saturday at Surrey Park, kick-off 12.30pm while Thistle entertain Gore at Turnbull Thomson Park, kick-off 3pm.
In the SPL, Park went down 2-1 to University, with head coach Paddy Murphy unhappy with the performance.
"We deserved to get beaten," Murphy said in his post-match interview, lamenting the number of shots his side had been able to muster in the 90 minutes.
Looking at the stats, Murphy has a point, three shots on target, but with one hitting the net courtesy of a Tom Kent 35-yarder.
If Park had created more, odds on they would have translated to goals.
Park entertain Queenstown at the ILT Turf on Saturday, kick-off 2.45pm.
In contrast the Park women recorded an emphatic 6-0 result against Roslyn Wakari in their SPL tie to sit three points off the top spot in the league.
They take on Dunedin City Royals this weekend at the ILT Turf, kick-off 12.30pm.
- By Chris Montgomery
