All the talk was about Hawke's Bay United starting with a hiss and roar to draw first blood but that didn't eventuate in Dunedin yesterday.
Instead, Southern United sunk their teeth into the visitors' flesh even before the ASB Premiership game was a minute old at the covered Forsyth Barr Stadium.
"In some respects it's no different because it's the 11th time from 14 games that we've found ourselves behind," Bay United coach Brett Angell said yesterday not long after arriving in Napier following their 2-1 victory over the southerners.
"It's a horrible habit we keep getting into and we just can't put our finger on why we start so slowly," he said, emphasising captain Ross Haviland and his men didn't reach for the panic button.
Nine minutes after the first goal from Andrew Ridden, Croat import left wing Viktor Lekaj levelled terms for Bay United sporting the away strip of Manchester City's colours.