Auckland City 2
Hawkes Bay 1
Nail-biting odd-goal victories got Waitakere United and Auckland City home in testing seventh-round New Zealand Football Championship games yesterday to leave the arch rivals comfortably at the top of the table.
Auckland City's class saw them home at Kiwitea St, despite their visitors from Hawkes Bay having the better of the second half.
Waitakere were rocked in the opening minute at Ngaruawahia's Centennial Park when Michael Gwyther needed just 37 seconds to give Waikato FC a stunning 1-0 lead.
The visitors recovered and hit back to take a 3-1 lead - the first time this season they have scored more than twice in an NZFC game - but there was still much drama to come.
Substitute Mauri Wasi trimmed the lead to 3-2 a minute into stoppage time. Two minutes later Benjamin Totori was controversially sent off, but Waitakere held on.
There was not the same drama at Kiwitea St.
City coach Paul Posa, happy enough to claim the points, admitted a draw would have been a fairer result.
"There have been more convincing performances, for sure," said Posa. "Physically and mentally the players were tired. Three points was all it was about today. They pushed us all the way. We weren't able to get the second goal I thought we deserved in the first half even if we played some nice football."
City, through Jason Hayne, had the ball in the Bay net within five minutes, but his strike was ruled out by the linesman's offside flag.
Ten minutes later the City faithful had something to cheer about when Hayne did score following a determined James Pritchett run on the right and a super ball played in.
The visitors, led by strong games from Joachim Rande and Leon Birnie and some resolute work from gritty defenders Jonathon Taylor, Marama Thompson and Stuart Ferguson, dominated the second half and were desperately unlucky to fall 0-2 behind in the 86th minute.
Daniel Kopricvic provided the final pass and substitute Grant Young the finish for a goal against the run of play.
Down, but far from out, the visitors hit back to deservedly snatch one back within a minute when substitute Fergus Neil provided the telling ball and Birnie the clinical finish.
"I thought we deserved a draw," said Bay coach Matt Chandler. "We had a chat at halftime about being more positive. We were and even without a couple of key players I was happy with what they showed me."
Stung by Gwyther's early strike for Waikato, Waitakere hit back 15 minutes later when Roy Krishna blasted a half-volley home.
Fourteen minutes into the second spell Totori, set up by a fabulous ball from Jeremy Christie, increased the lead which Brent Fisher stretched to 3-1 in the 71st minute with a deft header.
Tagging referee Wayne Scott's decision to send Totori off in stoppage time a disgrace, Waitakere coach Neil Emblen said his team had two spells in which they dominated. "We did enough to deserve our win. In the end we were unlucky not to get five."
