Auckland City cruise, WeeNix strike very late
Auckland City strolled to their 10th win of the national men’s football league season yesterday, scoring five goals in the first half against Canterbury United.
They took their foot off the gas in the second half at Kiwitea St, where the visitors scored the only goal – a long-range consolation strike from former All White Aaron Clapham.
Myer Bevan scored his 14th goal of the season for City, while Emiliano Tade, Brian Kaltak, Jordan Vale and Alfie Rogers made for a busy scoresheet.
City now sit nine points clear of Team Wellington at the top of the table, but have played one game more – with the fixtures currently stagger due to the OFC Champions League.
Two matches were played on Saturday, but the two top four contenders in action – Waitakere United and Hamilton Wanderers – weren’t able to improve their chances of playing playoff football.
Hamilton Wanderers became the third team to lose to the Wellington Phoenix reserves this season, in a match played at Eden Park as an A-League curtainraiser.
Senior pro Callan Elliot gave the WeeNix the lead in the first half, neatly finishing past Matt Oliver in Wanderers’ goal, but an own goal from another senior pro, Liam McGing, levelled the scores midway through the second.
The points appeared destined to be shared, until Riley Bidois
stepped up in the 89th minute, scoring after Ben Old’s initial attempt after a neat dribble was blocked.
Southern United took an early lead against Waitakere at Logan Park thanks to Cody Brook, but conceded an equaliser midway through the first half, as Spaniard Gerard Garriga Gibert scored his second goal of the season.
Cam Mackenzie restored the hosts’ advantage nine minutes into the second half and they held on for their first win under new coach Terry Boylan – putting themselves back on the fringes of the top four hunt.
Waitakere and Wanderers now meet twice in the space of seven days, first in Hamilton on Saturday, then in Auckland a week later – a pair of matches that will go a long way to clarifying the playoff picture.