Football: Napier City Rovers spar before putting Waterside Karori down for a six-goal count

Last year's golden boot winner and this winter's front runner, Martin Bueno, celebrates his opening goal for the Rovers in the match against Waterside Karori in Napier today. Photo/Paul Taylor

When more than one player is capable of scoring a hat-trick of goals then you know there's potency in a team's strike force.

Thirsty Whale Napier City Rovers player Martin Bueno again reinforced that when he claimed three goals as the defending champions thumped Waterside Karori 6-0 at Bluewater Stadium, Park Island, in round 11 of Central League today.

The Uruguay import striker took his tally this winter to 18 for the Bill Robertson and Stu James-coached side who looked like reclaiming their second spot on the table today.

"This year it's taking us a while to know each other well on how to play ... but once we got into the game the goals start coming," said Bueno, who also showed an admirable trait in congratulating opposition centreback Cai MacLean for denying him a fourth, after some dazzling footwork, in the 81st minute.

The 27-year-old said that came form the habit of helping youngsters on the park on Saturdays and recognising youthful talent teeming in the Blues squad as well.

The first 30-odd minutes of the match saw both sides sparring with each other although Blues right wing Jamie Wilkinson had collected a yellow card in the seventh minute after returning from a five-card suspension last weekend.

Malcolm Wilson, the club booth announcer, saw the Martin Bueno goal coming even before it left his foot on the top edge of the 18m box, curling the ball around Waterside Karori goalkeeper Zachary Dean to broke the deadlock in the 35th minute.

As the Wellingtonians were still reeling from the result, last week's hat-trick hero, Jonny McNamara, made it 2-0 from almost near the penalty-kick spot two minutes later.

The youthful Waterside Karori came out with some intent in the second half but it was the hosts who went up 3-0 from another Bueno flick into the goalmouth in the 53rd minute. It came from a cornerkick that centreback Kaeden Atkins had relayed on with a header where the striker simply did what was academic.

It was more agony for the visitors when leftback Conor Butler, perhaps inadvertently, got tangled with Bueno to bring him down in the 18m box to gift the Blues a penalty kick in the 56th minute. Bueno made no mistake, taking a couple of military steps to plant the ball into the top left corner of the roof of the net and Dean diving on the wrong side for a 4-0 lead.

The body language from Waterside Karori wasn't too good as they went through the motions. Midfielder Sho Goto sensed that, drilling a shot from just inside the top of the 18m box to extend the lead to 5-0 in the 63rd minute.

It was 6-0 when MacLean scored an own goal from a Goto shot from an oblique angle from the sideline near the corner flag in the 73rd minute.

Rovers goalkeeper Joshua Hill, playing his third match today since returning from England, wasn't pushed as such.

The Blues host Seatoun in a round four Chatham Cup kick off at 2pm on Sunday next week.

Rovers goalkeeper Joshua hill tips the ball over the crossbar in the match against Waterside Karori in the Central League match at Park Island today. Photo/Paul Taylor