Fightback earns Junior Navy Blues a point
AUCKLAND, New Zealand – The Junior Navy Blues fought back from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Wellington Phoenix U-17s in the National Youth League at Crum Park in Titirangi on Saturday.
After a goalless first half, Ben Waine slammed the ball past Cameron Brown in the 48th minute to put the visitors in front and a rocket from captain William Ebbinge put a bit of daylight between the two teams ten minutes later.
The tide turned in the 64th minute when a break in play due to an injury to Dalton Wilkins allowed the Junior Navy Blues to regroup and then draw level in a manic two minutes spell that got them well and truly back in the contest.
First, Thomas Golding halved the deficit in the 65th minute and two minutes later Justin Bailey fired past Zac Jones to draw the Junior Navy Blues level.
Earlier, Jones had been outstanding in the Phoenix goal as the home side created the majority of the opportunities only to be thwarted by the young stopper.
The Phoenix had a number of first-half chances themselves with the best falling to Ebbinge who was only denied by a fantastic acrobatic save from Brown.
Both teams had chances to win in the dying minutes but they were ultimately unsuccessful the teams having to settle for a share of the spoils.
Junior Navy Blues coach Aaron McFarland lamented a string of missed opportunities in the opening ten minutes but paid tribute to the fight shown by his players and also the quality of football offered by the visitors.
“Coming back from 2-0 is great credit to the players. That shows a really good mentality to be able to come back like that," said McFarland.
"We played a really good side and we aspire to play in that fashion but we’re not there yet and we acknowledge that.
"Having said that, we could’ve scored three or four goals early and the game as a contest but in terms of playing style we’re really pleased to come up against a team like the Young Phoenix and be tested in that fashion because they play of lovely style of football."
The Junior Navy Blues are next in action on Sunday 26th November when they face Hawke’s Bay United. A venue for the match is yet to be confirmed but it is likely to be transferred away from Kiwitea Street to protect the surface.
Ends
Match Result
National Youth League
Saturday 18 November 2017
Auckland City FC 2 (Thomas Golding 65’, Justin Bailey 67’)
Wellington Phoenix U-17 2 (Ben Waine 46’, William Ebbinge 59’)
HT: 0-0
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Table
| Position | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | AC | 9 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 27 | 8 | 24 |
| 2 |  | WS | 9 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 28 | 10 | 24 |
| 3 |  | BU | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 23 | 10 | 22 |
| 4 |  | ES | 9 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 18 | 11 | 18 |
| 5 |  | AU | 9 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 18 | 11 | 15 |
| 6 |  | BO | 9 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 19 | 18 | 15 |
| 7 |  | MN | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 22 | 17 | 13 |
| 8 |  | TC | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 21 | 23 | 13 |
| 9 |  | WR | 9 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 12 | 24 | 5 |
| 10 |  | EB | 9 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 19 | 3 |
| 11 |  | MU | 9 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 10 | 36 | 3 |
| 12 |  | HW | 9 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 12 | 29 | 2 |
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