Thirsty Whale Napier City Rovers outstanding away form continued when they beat old foes Miramar Rangers 3-1 in the Capital on Saturday. The win sees Napier hold on to that fourth spot position and keep alive the prospect of a second consecutive National League campaign later in the year.

Played on one of those rare but beautiful Wellington days on a good surface at Dave Farrington Park, Napier coach Bill Robertson again reverted to a back three, with Christian Leopard coming into the side in place of JC Mack III.

“The Blues” – playing in their away red strip - were quickly into their work, playing with confidence and movement, but it was the hosts that had the first two decent chances. Firstly, veteran striker Sam Mason- Smith hit the woodwork from the edge of the box and then fellow forward Connor Gillespie had his deflected shot turned around the post by Napier keeper Oscar Mason. Napier had a couple of half chances of their own, including the rejuvenated Cam Emerson picking out the run of Stefan Karajovanovic only to see his well hit shot turned away by Miramar keeper Jack de Groot for a corner.

Napier were dealt a blow after 25 minutes when standout defender Fergus Neil pulled up with a hamstring strain resulting in a positional shuffle of the back three and the introduction of Alex Mort into a wing back role. The change certainly didn’t have any initial dire effects, in fact, quite the opposite, as two minutes later the lively Jonny McNamara won possession wide on the right, drove forward and delivered a perfect cross for Karajovanovic to slot home. McNamara is a fantastic asset to his side with his industry, commitment, and strength and quality on the ball, and the rush to congratulate him for his assist demonstrated what he means to his teammates.

Miramar have suffered a bit of a form slump over the past few weeks, but on this showing, it hadn’t dented their confidence too much. Mason was called into action again soon after that opening goal, again to swat away a dangerous free kick for a corner. From the resulting set play, Miramar defender Liam Wood was able to rise highest at the back post to nod home his side’s equaliser, and at that point it was no more than they deserved.

Napier got off to a flyer in the second half and put themselves back in front only three minutes in. Emerson took advantage of a lucky ricochet and broke down the wing at pace. He evaded one defender before his cross was defected back towards the touch line. Alex Mort was in support and lofted in a cross towards Karajovanovic and Deri Corfe waiting in the penalty area. Karajovanovic’s first touch was exquisite as he cushioned the ball under his control, his second saw him evade his marker before his third saw the ball nestle in the back of the net. It was a remarkable piece of composed skill from the Canadian for his eighth of the season.

There were two pivotal moments around the hour mark that could have changed the direction of the game. Firstly, Oscar Mason made a decent reaction save from a shot from Connor Gillespie before gathering the rebound. His quickly released kick dropped perfectly into the path of Deri Corfe 15 yards inside the Miramar half. He jinked inside Harry Chote and drifted a lovely cross to the back post where McNamara had made a lung busting run to get on the end of. His run was well timed, but his header was only slightly misdirected over the cross bar for what would have been a brilliant counter attacking goal.

The second moment came shortly after when de Groot’s clearance was misjudged by Napier defender, Jack Albertini. Kaeden Atkins was doing what good defenders do, sweeping in behind Albertini and about to hook his clearance away when Connor Gillespie nipped in front of him. Atkins collected both the ball and Gillespie. The latter rolled around holding his head – when the connection showed to be with his chest. The referee conferred with his assistant and between them decided it was a sending off offence, much to the bewilderment of the Rovers team and supporters, but the decision was finite and Atkins made his way for an early shower. It was a blow to the Blues that might have derailed a team with less heart and commitment, but they dug in, and despite some hair-raising moments, particularly with young Seb Barton-Ginger’s pace, quick feet and balance down the Miramar left side, they hung on.

With only added time to play, Christian Leopard sent a clearance for Corfe to chase around the halfway line. Miramar’s Harry Chote set off in pursuit only to pull up with a hamstring, and Corfe set off to take advantage of his fortunate break, jinking inside two other retreating defenders to bury his team’s third and his 17th of the season. On the balance, having lost the experienced Neil in the first 20 minutes and Atkins after an hour, it was just reward for the Blues and a vital three points against a side they hadn’t beaten since 2020.

For the Blues, Mason had another excellent game making several key saves, Hoyle was a calm and composed figure at the back, and Emerson goes from strength to strength in his midfield role alongside the ever-reliable Ta Eh Doe. Karajovanovic showed his class and quality with his two strikes, and McNamara was central to everything good in Napier’s attacks. Leopard worked hard and was a threat when he got forward, and Corfe, although quiet for much of the game, is always a menace on the ball.

This win takes the Blues away record to four wins from six on the road, and they will be looking to continue that impressive form next week when they head to Karori Park to face Waterside Karori. Three points against a genuine challenger for that top four spot would be very welcome indeed.

Article added: Wednesday 19 July 2023