Dramatic round in national league

Shock results punctuated round 10 of the national men’s football league, starting on Saturday in Blenheim.

Tasman United had only scored five on-field goals prior to Christmas, but have now added seven in the last two weeks, thumping Southern United 5-0 on the back of last weekend’s 2-0 win over Eastern Suburbs.

Southern had to make an arduous trip from Dunedin to Blenheim, flying first to Christchurch, then to Nelson, before taking a bus over the Whangamoa Saddle to their final destination, Lansdowne Park.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, they arrived at the venue just half an hour before the scheduled kickoff at 4pm, and the start was delayed by half an hour as a result.

Once they did get underway, it was one-way traffic with Tasman netting twice in the first half and three times ion the second. Tasman moved up to third overnight with the win, but finished the weekend in fourth, passed by Hamilton Wanderers who pulled of an upset of their own yesterday, beating second-placed Team Wellington.

Derek Tieku scored the lone goal in their 1-0 win at their Porritt Stadium home with Wellington unable to avoid their second loss of the season.

Defending champions Suburbs had their most impressive outing of the season, beating Canterbury United 6-1, and sit fifth, behind Tasman only on goal difference.

Elsewhere Waitakere beat Phoenix reserves 4-2 and Auckland City overcame Hawkes Bay by the same scoreline.