Soccer: Auckland City fight back to maintain home record

Ivan Vicelich (Auckland City FC) leads Russell Kamo (Canterbury United) at Kiwitea St yesterday. Photo / Steven McNicholl

Domestic soccer is alive and well as Auckland City and Canterbury United showed in 90 absorbing minutes at Kiwitea St yesterday.

Defending an unbeaten record on New Zealand soil stretching back to last season, City came from behind - with a 74th-minute trademark rocket from Korean midfielder Ki-Hyung Lee - to snatch a 1-1 draw and, for the first time this season, take a clear New Zealand Football Championship lead.

The other two games, between Otago United and Waikato FC and Hawkes Bay United, in the abbreviated round ended 2-2 to leave the status quo as the business end of the season approaches.

Led by the mercurial Aaron Clapham - a player who will be lost to Canterbury United in the next few days if coach Keith Braithwaite's plea to Ricki Herbert to consider the outstanding attacking midfielder for the Wellington Phoenix falls on deaf ears - the visitors had the better of the first half and took a deserved lead to the break.

After soaking up early City pressure, United found their feet and played some of the best soccer seen at the ground this season.

It was not until the last half minute of the first half Canterbury got the goal they had chased relentlessly and fully deserved.

A long ball from impressive left back Nick Wortelboer picked out the diminutive Tom Lancaster who ran deep and touched to Clapham who hit home a stunning first-timer for 1-0.

City played themselves back into the game early in the second half and were justly rewarded with Lee's stunning equaliser.

Encouraged by that, the home side continued to make the play but apart from Jason Hayne's attempt to dink the ball over Canterbury goalkeeper Tom Batty, which would have succeeded but for Wortelboer's desperation clearance, there were no other even half chances in the dying minutes.

"It was a good battle," said City coach Paul Posa. "It is the first time we have played them this season. It will be another battle down there [in a month's time]."

Posa, happy not to see his season-long unbeaten run continue, conceded Chad Coombes' absence [through suspension] had disrupted City's normal game plan.

"But, in the end, I was happy not to lose," said Posa. "The last game we lost in New Zealand was against YoungHeart Manawatu in the NZFC semifinals last season."

Ironically, the Palmerston North-based side are next on City's radar. They meet at Memorial Park on Sunday.

Braithwaite, resigned to losing Clapham to a State League side in Victoria this week, labelled yesterday's first half "a great game of football".

Few would disagree as the players, not given a much-needed drink's break by rookie referee Keith Scott (who struggled), turned in some enterprising stuff and, in the end, got the right result.

Otago held their third place after taking a 2-0 lead - with goals from Ben Light and Nathan Knox - over Waikato FC in the opening 18 minutes but then conceding two as Michael Gwyther scored in the 32nd and 38th minutes for 2-2 and complete the scoring.

It was a similar story at Park Island, as home side Hawkes Bay went ahead when Leon Birnie scored his seventh goal of the season after 21 minutes.

Golden boot leader Seule Soromon netted a penalty just before halftime (his ninth goal of the season) for 1-1. Matt Hastings re-established the home team's lead early in the second half.

But they failed to turn the screws after Soromon was sent off in the 54th minute and Campbell Banks grabbed a 73rd-minute equaliser.

With a possible 10 games to play, Waitakere United coach Neil Emblen, smarting from the 4-3 New Zealand Football Championship loss to Team Wellington last week called his players together.

* The equation was simple, "win the rest of our games this season and the NZFC grand final and the O-League title will be ours".

On Saturday at Fred Taylor Park, and not without some more anxiety, Emblen was able to tick off the first of those hoped-for victories.

In coming from behind - a goal down before six minutes had ticked by - to beat New Caledonian champions AS Magenta 4-1, Waitakere showed some of the bottle which had deserted them too often this season.

It was still far from a complete performance - the visitors dominated the opening half hour - but in getting up so comprehensively Emblen was able to smile.

Magenta coach Alain Moizan later acknowledged Waitakere as deserved winners but, rightly, said the "final score did not reflect the game".

A lack in concentration, which twice led to Waitakere goals in double-quick time, had, he admitted, cost his side.

* Also on Saturday and despite a vastly improved showing from the Football Ferns, a clinical Australian women's team wrapped up the two-test series with New Zealand at Bill McKinlay Park with a second 3-0 win.