United complete Second Half Comeback at Tulett Park - Nomads United 1-2 CUFC

After being knocked out of the Chatham Cup by Nomads just a few weeks ago, that memory sat clearly in the minds of Christchurch United on Saturday, who got revenge with a victory at Tulett Park.

Head Coach Ryan Edwards was forced to name a makeshift starting XI after Kaleb De Groot-Green was called up for the Samoan National Team, and Matthew Brazier suffered an ankle injury last weekend. The most notable change was seeing David Yoo, who started the season as a right winger, playing in the central defensive midfield position.

In a fairly uneventful first 45 minutes, The Rams were the side putting on the pressure. Joel Stevens came painfully close to opening the scoring with a venomous volley crashing against the crossbar. The half ended goalless, but Christchurch United would have been happy to see themselves match Nomads in the physical duels, a quality that was lacking in their Chatham Cup clash.

However, it was the home side that stole the lead early in the second half. The muddy turf eventually took its toll. As The Rams looked to play out from the back, keeper Steven Van Dijk slipped at the vital moment, allowing Josh Holland to blast the ball home into an empty net.

However, Edwards' side responded with real might. Waisea Henry was subbed of around the hour mark for US forward Brendan Koplin, making his Southern League debut after a first half of the season complicated by injury. Koplin made his opportunity count, running onto Daniel Meyn's through ball and coolly slotting home the equalizer.

The Rams continued to push and it would pay off. After some top performances off the bench in recent weeks, Eric Imachi was given the start in midfield. The former NZ U17s international made his chance count. Joel Stevens played Imachi through down the left hand side, who dinked it to the far post where Jackson Cole ruthlessly fired the ball past Frame in net to score what would be the winner!

This victory for The Rams piles the pressure on fellow National League challengers Cashmere Technical and Coastal Spirit, who face off against each other in a few weeks time. United face Ferrymead Bays on Thursday night.