MELVILLE MAGIC 2022 | 17
6 NOVEMBER 2022
MATCH DAY PARTNER
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Chairman's Welcome Today we welcome Birkenhead United to Gower Park for the second time this season. On their first visit, back on July 2, they won 2-0 to end Melville’s four-match winning run of midwinter and avenge our 1-0 win against them at Shepherds Park on April 15, which seems a lifetime ago when you think we still have another three weeks to go after today. Indeed, I was chatting with club historian Ron Anorak the other day and he reflected on how the quest to find a workable national league format has this year possibly given us the longest amateur season on record. Back in 1990 when the national league was a 14-team winter league (including our predecessor club Waikato United) and then had a top 5 “premier series” built in on top of that, a competition which began on March 11 finally wrapped up on October 7, seven months later - to a general consensus the season was far too long. By contrast, our first competitive match this season was on March 26, away to Auckland City, and assuming we don’t make the final, our season will end on November 26, away to Auckland City exactly eight months later. Of course it could be even longer for Birkenhead, who are still in the frame for the grand final early next month after a 5-3 win over Cashmere Technical last week. It was very heartening to beat Christchurch United 5-2 away last Sunday in trying circumstances, with a number of players out, on an artificial turf, and with a delayed flight, to notch out first win of the national league component of the season. It’s indicative of how our squad have had plenty of opportunity to build team spirit through overcoming adversity on their travels. And team spirit can often become a defining feature of our football memories. I was reminded of that fact by a matchday reunion of sorts this weekend of our 2003 Chatham Cup final team, of which I was proud to be a member, as part of the club’s 50th birthday celebrations. It’s been great to see so many old team mates who have still got the football skills and fire in their belly, and while we only played another Melville team, it would have been fascinating to see how we might have shaped up against the Uni-Mt Wellington class of 2003 all these years later. Finally Melville’s AGM has been set for 2pm, Sunday November 20 at Gower Park, where I will present a positive annual report. All club members are encouraged to attend. Batesy
Sam Says A big sigh of relief after last weeks win! While the message to the players has been about focusing on the next session and letting the results take care of themselves, I’d be lying if I said the search for our first three points hadn’t been playing on everyone's mind. In tricky conditions away at Christchurch, the work rate and togetherness of the lads was excellent and it was great to see us get a bit of our swagger back in front of goal. Next target… a home win! Once again we seemed to get the rough end of New Zealand Football’s travel arrangements last week. A delayed flight from Hamilton resulted in us only arriving at the ground 55 minutes before kick off. We went through a similar experience away at the Wellington Phoenix three weeks ago. In an era where U14 matches are required to have roped off pitches, dugouts for subs and every match filmed…it baffles me how our flagship senior men’s competition can involve such haphazard travel arrangements.
The club celebrates its 50th Jubilee this weekend. It has grown tremendously over this period and I only need to think back to my own playing days here in early 2000’s to see how far the club has come. First Team training sessions would involve sharing the one floodlit pitch with 2-3 other teams and Northern League games were often moved off pitch No. 1 due to its hazardous state. I believe the club is in a really strong position at the moment, with a thriving Academy programme, consistent development of facilities and a strong base of committed and passionate club members. Here’s to another 50 years! Welcome to Paul Hobson and his Birkenhead team. Birkenhead are a side we know well from our battles in the Northern League. It’s no surprise that they’ve made a tremendous start to the National League, today will be a battle as it always is against Birkenhead but we will look forward to this challenge. Hopefully, we can top off a great weekend with a home win! Enjoy the game! Wilky
1. Max TOMMY (GK) 2. Braeden QUILTER-PHIPPS 3. Aaron SCOTT (c) 4. Luke SEARLE 5. Campbell BROWN 6. Joey OMOTANI 7. Harry CHRISTENSEN-ROSE 8. Liam HAYES 9. Ryen LAWRENCE 10. Jerson LAGOS 11. Quinton KIPARA 12. Oliver COLLOTY 13. Dylan WILLIAMS 14. Sean LIDDICOAT 15. Stafford DOWLING 16. Jakob ENGLAND 17. Josh GALLETLY 18. John OAKMAN 19. Raheem HUNTER 20. Conor JAMIESON (GK) 21. Sean LEADLEY 22. Lemuel LE HANE
1. Silvio RODIC (GK) 2. Everton O'LEARY 3. Jackson WOODS 4. Dino BOTICA 5. Andrew CROMB 6. Miles PALMER 7. Alex CONNOR-MCLEAN 8. Luke JORGENSEN 9. Dane SCHNELL 10. Sam BURFOOT (c) 11. Levi WILSON 13. Codey PHOENIX 14. 15. 16. Dylan HOBSON 17. Corban PIPER 18. Chase TAYLOR 19. Zak EDWARDS (GK) 20. Cameron MCKENZIE 23. Curtis HUGHES 24. Jason KAY 25. Nick FORRESTER
Coach: Sam WILKINSON Assistant Coach: Harry TRETHOWAN GK Coach: Neil MOUNCHER Operations: Seamus MARTEN Physio: James YOUNG Manager: Danny MILNER
Coach: Paul HOBSON Assistant Coach: Shafiek DU TOIT GK Coach: Robert KONYA Manager: Graham ROUTLEDGE Physio: Ben SIMS Sports Science: Aidan WIVELL
Referee: Luke GARDNER | AR1: Ben NORMAN | AR2: Jacob PORTER | 4th: Andres CASTRO
High five for Melville in Christchurch Melville made light of trying circumstances to notch their first win of the 2022 national league campaign with a stirring 5-2 away victory over southern league champions Christchurch United. The recipe for success was an unexpected one, with Melville travelling south without Luke Searle, Sean Liddicoat and Campbell Brown, with flight issues then causing a delayed kick-off on an unfamiliar artificial turn in hot weather. (And for the record, they also travelled south without assistant to the manager, Danny Milner.) Between deep breaths and sighs, Melville coach Sam Wilkinson said the logistics (facilitated by NZ Football) for a long-distance away trip were once again completely nightmarish, with flights running 75 minutes late and no wriggle room left at the other end for a late start. “I said on the way down, we would either be expecting the worst or be pleasantly surprised,” Wilkinson said. “It was a very rushed preparation before kick-off which just presented more evidence that pre-match team talks are a complete waste of time.” The win was arguably more impressive than Melville’s emphatic 4-0 Chatham Cup quarterfinal triumph over Christchurch United in 2019, the previous time the club’s met. The result lifted Melville to eighth on the table ahead of today's home game against Birkenhead United – 5-3 winners over Cashmere. While Melville came under early pressure, Ryen Lawrence quickly gave the Unicorns a margin of comfort with two cultured goals. For the first, the 19-year-old striker collected a through ball down the left, cut inside and steered the ball into the corner after seven minutes. Then in the 30th minute he did even better. Quilter-Phipps, playing in the less familiar role of left back, made a great run forward and slipped the ball inside to Lawrence who drilled it home with a right-footer from outside the area. It was Lawrence’s ninth goal of the season, an impressive return when you consider that for 13 of his first 15 appearances for Melville this year he started on the bench. Wilkinson was delighted with this start. “Ryen’s goals were outstanding. We are now seeing him not just working hard, but his input having a major effect on match outcomes. This was the first time in the national league that we have been in the lead, and not chasing the game is huge.
“It is amazing what a couple of early goals can do for young player confidence, and it should not be overlooked that we started with six U-20 players.” And it only got better as Raheem Hunter headed home from a corner in the 36th minute and then three minutes before half time Oli Colloty seized on a goalkeeping error to squeeze the ball home on the tightest of angles against his old club for number four. Then eight minutes into the second half Josh Galletly slammed home a thunderbolt free kick from just outside the area for his first goal since July 23. “This was the best Josh has played since his illness,” Wilkinson said of Galletly’s wider midfield performance. Christchurch did pull two goals back and hit the crossbar a couple of times, while Max Tommy made two excellent saves. Liam Hayes returned from illness and gave a composed and disciplined display in midfield, while there were no bookings for Melville. John Oakman made his first start for Melville, and Wilkinson was blown away by his contribution, later naming him player of the day. “John has had to be really patient this year and I have even got after him a bit and given him a tough time, but when he got his chance he really took it and was superb at right back, playing back in his hometown.”
Dylan Williams, Joey Omotani, Harry Rose and Stafford Dowling came off the bench. Melville historian Ron Anorak said it was the club’s first win at national league level since a 5-2 home win against Nelson Suburbs on March 29, 1998. And it was the clubs biggest national league away win since beating Mt Maunganui 61 on February 2, 1997 (with a hat trick from Greg Larsen and other goals from Mark Cossey, Rod Cooper and Gordon Jon Thompson). The Christchurch win was also Melville’s equal biggest winning margin in the South Island, matching a 3-0 win over Woolston in 1997. Anorak said this was the sixth time this year Melville have had four different scorers in a match but was the first of those occasions where the goals scored had included both one from a headed corner and a free kick, and goals by a striker, midfielder and defender. Wilkinson said team manager Seamus Marten also deserved a shout-out after working well under pressure. “To be at Christchurch airport 20 minutes after the final whistle and have everything under control was a very good warm up for being the new All Whites manager, as the rumour mill has it." Christchurch United 2 (MacLennan 57'; Todd-Smith 80') Melville United 5 (Lawrence 7', 30'; Hunter 36'; Colloty 42'; Galletly 53') Melville United: 1. Max Tommy (GK), 2. Braedan Quilter-Phipps (6. Joey Omotani 80'), 3. Aaron Scott (c), 8. Liam Hayes, 9. Ryen Lawrence (13. Dylan Williams 76'), 10. Jerson Lagos (15. Stafford Dowling 80'), 11. Quinton Kipara (7. Harry Rose 74'), 12. Oliver Colloty, 17. Josh Galletley, 18. John Oakman, 19. Raheem Hunter Sub not used: 20 Conor Jamieson (GK)
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