“28 Days Later” isn’t just a zombie apocalypse film; it’s also – astoundingly – the length of time since Majura FC has contested a Capital Football NPLW game. We headed to Melrose Synthetic in chilly conditions to see how they fared in their Round 9 game against the West Canberra Wanderers.
Other games from this round include:
Gungahlin United vs Canberra Olympic (full stream)
Belconnen United vs Tuggeranong United (full stream)
Canberra Croatia had the bye
For an alternate review of the round, check out the Capital Football article from Sam Watson.
The transfer window is now open, and Russ Gibbs has an unofficial list on his Facebook page.
Match of the Round: West Canberra Wanderers vs Majura FC
If there’s one saving grace to a long layoff, there’s plenty of time for injuries to heal – but also time for match fitness to decline and rustiness to set in. Majura welcomed leading goalscorer Carmel Lynch back to the team from a shoulder injury. Regular goalkeeper Ingrid Laursen was unavailable, with Grace New donning the gloves and captain’s armband.
After a tremendous start to the season, the Wanderers endured a sequence of challenging games during which goalkeeper availability and injuries had an impact on their consistency, before last week’s win against Tuggeranong United. Adelaide Cains came into the squad as starting keeper for this fixture, having come off the bench for the last ten minutes in Round 8. With no Zoe Halpin, the hard-working Audrey Ward was employed on the left wing rather than midfield, and she was busy as ever.
If the home side dominated the first half, the visitors were not without their chances. A 10th-minute curling speculative Lynch shot from outside the Wanderers’ penalty area provided a taste of what the team in blue and white have been going without in the number 9 role.
Spotting New off her line in the 12th minute, Wanderers’ midfielder Abigail Moss looked to catch the keeper out. Unsuccessful on this occasion, the thought was to bear fruit a little later.
Shots by Alex Gidis and Wanderers’ top scorer Tamara Cochrane were dealt with by New and Majura centre-back Joanna Southam minutes later, with one Cochrane effort guided onto the crossbar from an offside position.
A Cochrane lay-back to Moss in the 19th minute this time saw the shot evade New’s outstretched hand, and the Wanderers had the lead.
Majura’s defensive midfielder Alice Johansson-Cranfield’s full-blooded attacking header in the 23rd minute from Layla Barbour’s free kick near the corner post looked destined to score, but for a remarkable diving save from Cains.
In the 27th minute, Cochrane evaded a defender and drove into the Majura area, firing a low, accurate shot just inside the left post. This doubled the home side’s lead and increased Cochrane’s season tally to 13 goals.
Gidis was a constant threat down the Wanderers’ right flank, but her end product seemed to always find New rather than the net. A case in point was a delightful wall pass move on the half hour that didn’t reap the benefit it possibly deserved.
An Emma Leonard header from a Ward corner also found New shortly after, while Ward’s centred ball late in the half for Gidis in front of goal was just a little too high to comfortably score from.
In between these Wanderers moves, we enjoyed some wonderful skill from Majura wide midfielder Olivia Martiniello, who looks very comfortable on the ball and can glide by opponents.
Shots from Moss and Gidis failed to trouble New early in the second half, when a delightful cross-field Martiniello led to a Barbour shot. Cains was able to reach high to pluck the danger from the sky.
Not a minute later, a New clearance could only find Perri Nash around 20 yards out. The Wanderers midfielder’s calm first-time side-footed effort in the 51st minute took the score to 3-0.
It was one-way traffic for the Wanderers in the remainder of the half, with attacking moments for Majura few and far between as both sides emptied their benches. Martiniello and substitute Sofia Furlanetto were to have attempts on goal for the visitors, while the closest the home side got to extending their lead was New pushing Gidis’ high lob from the by-line onto her own post. Further chances fell to defender Juliana Robertson, adding spark from the back when venturing forward, as well as Cochrane, Leonard, Audrey McLaren, and Ward.
It was job done for the home side, who now have two wins from the last two games. The defences of both sides performed creditably, with the extra zip in the Wanderers’ attacking line giving it the edge in this contest. Majura coach Davide Roberto will be glad of the run for his charges after a long break and can reflect upon some bright attacking moments against a good opponent before the team ran a little out of steam.
>>> Full match timeline and team line-ups can be found here <<<
Final score:
West Canberra Wanderers 3 (Abigail Moss 19′, Tamara Cochrane 27′, Perri Nash 52′)
Majura FC 0
Around The Grounds:
Gungahlin United 2-3 Canberra Olympic
Belconnen United 20-0 Tuggeranong United
Ladder:
