Team Taranaki wins but not according to its game plan

Team Taranaki's final pre-season football game resulted in a 3-2 win, but things didn't quite go to plan against Central League opponent Palmerston North Marist in Hawera on Saturday.

The game started badly for Taranaki, conceding a goal in the first five minutes.

A wind-assisted long clearance from Marist's goalkeeper caught the Taranaki defence napping, allowing the visiting side's centre forward to run on to it unchallenged and finish well with a low drive into the far corner.

The goal stirred Taranaki into life and the side slowly grew into the game. Midway through the half, Taranaki scored three goals in quick succession to take a commanding 3-1 halftime lead.

The first of two for Tomas Mosquera came on the 20-minute mark. He latched onto a through ball from Mark Christensen to muscle his way past the lone defender.

Mosquera doubled his tally minutes later nipping in between the last defender and the goalkeeper to stab the ball home.

James Grieves added a third, after some good approach play down the left hand side, cleverly steering the ball past an outstretched goalkeeper.

"In view of the lead, I made five changes at halftime bringing off Mosquera, Grieves, Christensen, Matt Kelbrick and Shane Garner," said Team Taranaki coach Ian McGrath. "Again, we started well, but we squandered early chances to extend the lead further."

McGrath said another individual error midway through the second half let Marist back into the game.

The home side lost the ball deep in its own half, with the Marist players pouncing on to a quick through ball. In a one-on-one, Team Taranaki goalkeeper Graham Oliver had no chance.

"The goal punctured our momentum and we struggled to regain any real fluency for the rest of the game, lacking composure and the ability to retain possession at important moments," he said.

- © Fairfax NZ News