Eastern Suburbs won a hard fought battle against a physical Papakura side in a tense premier league match on Sunday. The Lilywhites were missing a number of players through NZ development squad duty and they also lost two of their key players during this match to injury, but they showed great character and resilience to grind out a win.

Conditions were perfect for football as warm sunshine shone down on a very well prepared Madills Farm number 1 pitch. Eastern Suburbs were the first to settle into their rhythm, playing some nice first touch football with crisp passes and good movement off the ball. This was rewarded after 12 minutes when the pressure on Papakura’s back line lead to a corner. This was well delivered into the danger area by Leah Mettam and, as both teams fought to get a head to the ball, it glanced off a Papakura defender, leaving the goalkeeper unable to reach it.

The own goal seemed to shock the visitors into action and from then on the first half was much more evenly contested as Papakura started to assert their physical style of play and began winning many of the midfield battles. Kate Carlton left the pitch with a leg injury mid way through the first half and suburbs were forced to defend deeper and deeper. Papakura created a number of chances including a superb strike from 25 yards out which was heading for the top right of the net until Corina Brown tipped it past the post with an excellent diving save. This was Browns first game back in goal since breaking her wrist in the first game of the season and she made it look like she had never been away, with some great diving stretches and some brave goal mouth scrambles.

The second half started in similar fashion to the first with Eastern Suburbs playing some nice football, creating some good chances but just lacking the final ball. Unfortunately, suburbs central defender and skipper, Rebekah von Dort was forced to leave the field with a leg injury within a few minutes but the rest of the team adjusted to this set back well and they all stepped up to match Papakuras’ physicality. 20 minutes after the break they were awarded a free kick in a dangerous position on the left. The free kick was whipped in by Jade Parris and met well by Molly Bryans to claim her first goal of the season for suburbs.

Eastern suburbs continued to press the opposition and in the 69th minute Jade Paris played a through ball for Hannah Pilley. The Papkura goalkeeper took the opportunity to rush out of her penalty area and attempt to clear but Pilley had continued her run and managed to block the keepers clearance, the ball ricocheting into the goal to put suburbs 3-0 up.

All credit to Papakura for not letting their heads go down at this stage. In fact they came out fighting and found a second wind. They again began to dominate the midfield and eventually found some space wide on the right. A firm cross from the right was finished nicely from close range by Chloe Marthe to give the visitors some hope with 15 minutes still to play. The momentum was with Papakura and they produced an almost identical move a few minutes later , this time the cross from the right wing forcing a own goal.

This lead to a very tense last 10 minutes with Papakura determined to get something out of the match and forcing some further saves from Brown and her defenders as suburbs scrambled to keep the ball out.
As the clock ran down to full time, suburbs had a chance to make it 4 from another well struck free kick by Jade Paris but the Papakura goal keeper made a great save.

Suburbs breathed a sigh of relief as the final whistle blew and they certainly knew they had been in a hard fought match.

These two teams will battle it out again next Saturday in the Kate Shepherd Cup. Judging by this match it should be an exciting contest.