Soccer: Auckland and Wellington pick up narrow victories

Auckland City got back on track in the national league with a 2-1 win over Manawatu in Palmerston North last night.

After recent defeats Auckland had the better of the first half, with striker Paul Urlovic putting his side in front when he nipped in front of Manawatu goalkeeper Richard Gillespie and kneed the ball into an empty net.

Just before the break Auckland were down to 10 men when defender Riki Van Steeden was sent off for elbowing Manawatu striker Peter Halstead.

At the beginning of the second spell Manawatu got back in the game when Josh Smith easily beat his marker on the left and his cross found midfielder Daniel Aliaga, who scored with a good first-time shot.

Manawatu controlled the game for the next 20 minutes, but missed three clear chances.

One shot crept by the post with no one in the goal, and Auckland immediately made Manawatu pay by scoring a well-taken goal from Chad Coombes after good lead up work by Urlovic.

In Wellington, the home side were at their schizophrenic best but finished smiling after finally breaking their league duck on their own soil last night.

Mick Waitt's men were sublime before halftime and painful after it in a 2-1 win over playoff contenders Canterbury United.

Wellington's third victory in 14 matches temporarily lifted the franchise to sixth in the eight-team league and kept their faint top-three playoff hopes alive.

It was also payback for many of the 1000-strong crowd who have sat through Wellington's six previous, frustrating false starts at Newtown Park.

Wellington produced some of their best soccer in the first spell to lead 2-0 courtesy of Graham Little's first goal in six matches and a bizarre David Johnston cross that dribbled untouched across Canterbury's goalmouth and into the left-hand netting.

They could easily have doubled their lead by halftime, with Rupert Ryan, recalled to the starting XI in the absence of injured midfielder Bryan Little, twice nodding on to the crossbar.

But Wellington's utter dominance ended as soon as they returned from their dressing room, with Canterbury the best team in the second spell.

James Reichwein gave Canterbury a sniff of a comeback when Wellington goalkeeper Sacha Nathu watched in horror as the substitute's weak 61st-minute header slipped through his fingers.

Canterbury produced few chances after Nathu's howler, although the goalkeeper did ensure a nerve-tingling end by flapping at two late crosses.

Ryan had the chance to put the result beyond doubt eight minutes from fulltime, only to fire a close-range shot directly at Canterbury's substitute goalkeeper, Jordan Buchanan.

Johnston, the best of Wellington's first-half performers, was relieved to have finally broken the home drought.

"Finally a win at home," the pacy right-winger said after producing his second goal in four starts since returning to Wellington from Denmark's fourth division.

"I certainly think in the last two or three games we've played fairly well, and especially the first half tonight. We weren't quite as flash in the second half, but we're off the bottom of the table now, so it's a start.

"We've just got to push on and hopefully a few other teams will slip up to give us a chance of reaching the playoffs."

Teenage midfielder Dan Keat challenged Johnston for man-of-the-match honours in an energetic 90-minute display.

- NZPA