A shock result was in the offing but not too many fans would have picked what transpired at the weekend.
It would have been sunshine in the gloomy weather in Hawke's Bay had both teams won their round 10 Ultra Football Central League matches but, alas, they came away with nothing.
League leaders Thirsty Whale Napier City Rovers collapsed to an unlikely 3-1 loss to promoted Integrated Works Waterside Karori in Wellington while Building King Havelock North Wanderers succumbed 2-1 to second-placed Stop Out Sports Club but were in a position to at least salvage a point after going into halftime 1-0 up.
"We knew they [Karori] were a top team and should be around about where they are on the table but as the Central League tends to show, on any given day any team can beat any other team in a very competitive league," said Rovers player/coach Bill Robertson as they retained their top-rung perch, albeit by a slimmer two points.
Conversely the villagers will sweat on the outcomes now as Waterside Karori have established a three-point buffer at the bottom of the table, as the race to stave off relegation after their debut season intensifies just past the halfway stage of the premier winter league in the Capital and Central Football regions.