Dragons downed

Team Wellington eased to a 2-0 win over Canterbury United in Wellington and moved level on points with Auckland City at the top of the table in the national football league yesterday

Angus Kilkolly opened the scoring in the 13th minute for Team Wellington against a Canterbury team he played for in the 2015-16 season, and recent signing Jack-Henry Sinclair then sealed the result in the 64th minute.

Auckland City and Team Wellington are leading the way, but otherwise it’s a free-for-all on the points ladder. Team Wellington are second on goal difference, and have played one game more than City, who are currently away in the United Arab Emirates for the Club World Cup, and had their round seven game against Eastern Suburbs postponed to January.

Four points separate third from eighth, after a round where the ninth-placed Wellington Phoenix reserves picked up their first win of the season and last-placed Hamilton Wanderers earned their

first point. The most surprising result came at Trafalgar Park in Nelson, where fourth-placed Tasman United lost to a Phoenix reserves side that had been winless through their first six games.

Midfielder Sarpreet Singh put them in front with just over half an hour gone, and Tasman’s chances of a comeback were dealt a blow when they were reduced to 10 men six minutes after halftime, as midfielder Yousif Al-Kalisy was shown a second yellow card. Phoenix forward Logan Rogerson then converted a penalty with just over 10 minutes to play.

It was timely for Wanderers to pick up their first point, courtesy of a 2-2 draw against Southern.