Bay of Plenty Surge swept aside

Words: ACFC Media

Saturday 7 November 2020

Picture: Phototek

HAMILTON, New Zealand - The Futsal Navy Blues swept aside Bay of Plenty Surge 8-1 at The Peak to end day one of the Northern Series in the national top four.

Bay of Plenty Surge started the game aggressively and took a shock lead when Michael Landeg chested the ball down beautifully before lashing home a pwoerful shot beyond Elias Bileh.

The Surge, who took a heavy defeat in their opening game with Waikato Rapids, looked determined to cause Auckland City FC big problems and did so with a combination of skill and controlled aggression.

That lead lasted only a short time before Hamish Grey equalised making him the first player in Futsal Navy Blues history to score a goal in not only the club's white away kit but also its preferred home colours of Navy Blue.

Billeh was called into action to make an important save as the clock ticked down towards halftime as the game swung end to end as the Surge lived up to their moniker.

But their foothold in the game was rocked when goalkeeper Harris Edlin made a botched decision to lunge for a header that allowed Thomas Picken to collect the loose ball and lash home into an empty net as defenders closed in.

Errors crept into Surge's game in the second half but they continued to give a good account of themselves and went close when they struck the base of Billeh's left hand upright.

AUDIO - Jess Verdon interview

Auckland City FC · Job not done for Futsal Navy Blues

Skipper Steve Ashby-Peckham reacted almost immediately when he blasted home from close range to extend the Futsal Navy Blues advantage to 3-1.

It was almost 4-1 when Billeh forced his opposite number Edlin into a good save at the other end.

The result was put beyond doubt when Grey capitalised on some sloppy distribution from the Surge defence to slot home easily while Jimmy Banks also struck the crossbar with a superb left foot effort.

It was fitting when Banks eventually netted to make it 5-1 as Bay of Plenty started to fade midway through the second half. Josh Margetts added his name to the scoresheet with a simple finish as Surge took more risks.

Banks completed a fine day for the Futsal Navy Blues chipping in with a seventh and his second.

Two wins from two means the Futsal Navy Blues will face Waikato Rapids for top honours in the Northern Series when they clash at 1.00pm NZST tomorrow at The Peak.

These victories mean Auckland City FC finish their first day of competition in the top four alongside Southern United, Waikato Rapids and Central Futsal with a game in hand.

The quirky story of the day was the Auckland City FC Japan fan club that followed every kick of the ball in Hamilton.

AUDIO - Steve Ashby-Peckham Interview

Auckland City FC · Futsal Navy Blues set standard - Ashby-Peckham

Ends

Match Result
Men's Futsal SuperLeague
Saturday 7 November, 2020
Auckland City FC 8 (Hamish GREY 2, Thomas PICKEN, Steve ASHBY-PECKHAM, Jimmy BANKS 2, Josh MARGETTS, Yousif AL-KALISY)
Bay of Plenty Surge 1 (Michael LANDEG)
HT: 2-1.

STARTERS: 12. Elias BILLEH (GK), 7. Marvin EAKINS, 8. Josh MARGETTS, 9. Steve ASHBY-PECKHAM (c), 4. Aalok PAUDEL.

BENCH: 1. Mike ANTAMANOV (GK), 4. Matthew LIESHOUT, 5. Jimmy BANKS, 6. Thomas PICKEN, 11. Hamish GREY, 13. Jake BESENYI, 16. Adam PAULSEN, 17. Yousif AL-KALISY, 18. Todd BROADHURST.

COACH: Nic DOWNES.
ASSISTANT COACH: Jess VERDON.
MANAGER: Shivy ANTHONY.
PHYSIO: Aaron COLLIN.

Northern Series
Waikato Rapids 10-0 Bay of Plenty Surge
Auckland City FC 9-2 NFF Comets

Waikato Rapids 9-1 NFF Comets
Auckland City FC 8-1 Bay of Plenty Surge

Playing Sunday 8 November
Auckland City FC v Waikato Rapids 1.00pm
Bay of Plenty Surge v NFF Comets 11.00am

National Standings
Southern United 7pts
Waikato Rapids 6pts - GD: +18
Auckland City FC 6pts - GD: +14
Central Futsal 5pts
Capital Futsal 4pts
Canterbury United 0pts - GD: -9
NFF Comets 0pts - GD: -15
Bay of Plenty Surge 0pts - GD: -18

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