Plains Rangers AFC
June 29th 2002 v Greerton
A supreme display of possession football gave Plains Rangers a comfortable win in BOP division two on Saturday.
Rangers were at home on a muddy Edgecumbe Domain to Greerton, with whom they had drawn in their last encounter. The game began with both teams having an even share of the play. The visiting team forced a number of corners and put pressure on Rangers. However, it wasn't long before the strength of the Rangers midfield began to assert itself. The Overdevest brothers, Bas and Sjoerd, gained the upper hand in the centre of their field, allowing plenty of space for the wide men Brendan Cusack and Ashley Hawkes. Midway through the first half, an excellent chip from Bas Overdevest found Ryan Wilson running into the Greerton penalty area. He controlled the greasy ball superbly and belted it past the keeper. By now Rangers were playing as a unit, with the defence and midfield using some slick passing to keep possession and try to set up chances for their heavily marked strike duo of Wilson and Josh Van Veen. At half time the score was 1 - 0 to the home team.
The second half brought no let up for Greerton. After ten minutes, a sublime ball from Ashley Hawkes found Bas Overdevest on the edge of the Greerton area. He turned through the defenders and slipped the ball past the keeper with aplomb. Increasingly, the Rangers team began to enjoy their controlled possession, with defenders venturing well into the Greerton half to support the attacks. Their visitors relied on long balls out, to try to catch the Rangers defence on the hop, however, with keeper Matt Aberhart timing his runs off the line precisely, these were mopped up comfortably. Ranger killed the game off midway through the half when a powerful shot brought an excellent parried save from the Greerton keeper, only for player of the day Josh Van Veen to follow up and score from a tight angle. The final score was Plains Rangers 3, Greerton 0.
The home team would be very pleased with the quality of soccer they played, especially considering the conditions. This Saturday Rangers have a local derby against Kawerau, at Stoneham Park Kawerau.
Forward to BOP Div Two points table