Papamoa slip to first home defeat

Photos: Bob Ricketts.

Papamoa lost their unbeaten home record at Gordon Spratt Reserve on Saturday, and not for the first time this season, it was Bay rivals Otumoetai that left them feeling frustrated.

Just as they had in the reverse fixture back in April, when the two sides played out a goalless draw at Fergusson Park, Otumoetai held firm against Duncan Lowry's men – and this time came away with a 2-1 victory.

In seasonably cold conditions, Scott Reid was once again a thorn in Papamoa's side and proved a vital member of Otumoetai's compact defence despite swapping his goalkeeping gloves for a place in the centre of the back four.

Ross Johnson's team, fresh from beating Taupo seven days earlier, looked in no mood to let their recent good form slip, and took a first-half lead via a Nick Barnes set-piece.

And though Fawwaz Ali's snap-shot saw the scores level at the break, too many high balls and an uncharacteristic lack of creative passing saw Lowry read the riot act during half-time interval.

The warning signs of the first 45-minutes, however, went unheeded, and the fixture's familiar pattern lead to a bizarre Otumoetai winner.

Following a swift break, the danger seemed to have passed for Papamoa following a goal-line clearance. But with the ball still in play, the officials had their heads turned by vociferous protests from the visitors.

After consulting with his linesman, the referee then awarded a goal, which was later credited to Jordi Langton.

The scoreline could have been worse for the home side when Otumoetai were awarded a penalty, but the resulting spot-kick was blazed over the crossbar (above).

After the game, Lowry said: 'It was a deserved win for Otumoetai, who have taken four points from our two meetings this season.

'Other results were kind to us today, and although this is a setback, we're still in a great position to push on and consolidate our place at the top end of the table.

'Ross Johnson out-thought me today and his team did the rest, so all credit must go to Otumoetai.

'We will go back to the drawing board this week and get to work on our playing strategy for the second-half of the season.”

Papamoa FC (3-4-3): Ryan Foord; Campbell Higgins (captain), Phillip Fletcher, Campbell Attwood; Cole Peverley, Dean Styles, Fawwaz Ali, Dave Molloy; Mitchell Hales, Andrew Cooper, Logan Crawford. Substitutes: Mathew De Bono, Harris Enlin (GK), Top Khamwanthong, Alex Wilson, Liam Molly.

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