Third straight loss for Dragons

Canterbury United’s disappointing season ended with another home defeat as Team Wellington booked a home semifinal in the national football premiership playoffs.

The Dragons crashed to a 3-1 loss at English Park in the Stirling Sport Premiership on Sunday with only a last-gasp penalty goal by captain Aaron Clapham to spare their blushes.

Clapham’s 12th goal of the season – most of them dead-ball efforts – came after a clumsy foul on Canterbury substitute Nick Haworth just seconds in the fourth minute of injury time.

Canterbury slumped to their third consecutive defeat and Clapham conceded it had been a disappointing campaign after the Dragons made the semifinals this year.

‘‘The first half performance summed up our season,’’ he told Sky Sport. ‘‘We had periods of dominance and created chances, but we didn’t take them.’’

He said Wellington had one ‘‘half-chance’’ in the first spell, but Joel Stevens lashed it home for a 1-0 halftime lead.

‘‘Fair play to Wellington, they were very good in the second half and deserved the three points,’’ Clapham said.

Any chance of a Canterbury comeback was quashed when Wellington’s Ben Harris caught the defence napping and slid home the second goal just after the restart.

Down 2-0, the Dragons fought back to create some promising opportunities but failed to apply the final touch with some crosses going astray. Clapham went close, 17-year-old Jack Anderson had an air shot after a fine ball by Matt Wiesenfarth and Wellington keeper Scott Basalaj scrambled across his area to tip away a longrange left-footed effort by Gary Ogilvie.

Basalaj made a smart save to deny Sean Morris – one of the Dragons’ better performers in his defensive midfield role – after a freekick move with Clapham.

But Team Wellington played with far more fluidity and coach Jose Figueira used his bench to telling effect.

Substitute Niko Kirwan narrowly failed to finish a flowing Team Wellington move involving midfield playmaker Andy Bevin and Stevens, who was lively on the left flank.

Kirwan shot straight at Canterbury keeper Danny Knight, who also blocked another effort by the league’s leading scorer Tom Jackson.

Kirwan – son of ex-All Black great John Kirwan – atoned later by setting up Wellington’s third goal. He showed plenty of composure to thread a perfectly weighted pass in behind a static Dragons’ defence for fellow substitute Nathaniel Hailemariam to roll into the far corner.

Team Wellington only needed a draw to clinch a home semifinal against Waitakere United.