KEY POINTS:
NZFC
Waitakere United 2
Hawke's Bay United 0
Waitakere United just failed to make it a 50-50 double but still took a giant step towards a second successive New Zealand Football Championship title with a scratchy 2-0 win over Hawke's Bay United at Trusts Stadium yesterday.
Sadly, the result was again overshadowed by a couple of dubious calls by referee Nick Waldron which left both teams a man short and two coaches scratching their heads.
In scoring their 16th win of the season, United took a three-point lead over Auckland City and with it a healthy plus-37 goal differential - comfortably clear of City (plus 27) and Team Wellington (plus 29) who play Otago United at Newtown Park this afternoon.
The win had added significance for the home side. Their three points took them to 50 - the first team in the four years of the championship to achieve that - with the chance to add another three in Dunedin next Sunday.
In muffing two late chances, Commons Menapi and Allan Pearce cost their team their 50th goal of the season.
As a dress rehearsal for Wednesday's O-League decider against Auckland City at the same ground, Waitakere will be looking for something better than their insipid first-half effort against a battling Bay side.
The first half, of very ordinary fare, produced little. No cards, half a dozen corners, even fewer shots in anger and two half chances that smacked on to the posts and scrambled clear.
The halftime break transformed things. Red cards, a couple of goals, a hotly disputed penalty and some more half chances. The visitors, who again showed enough to justify their place in the top-four finish, were hit hard as the patrons settled for the second spell.
Close to halfway, Ian Hogg threw himself into a tackle, well clear of any opposing players.
The referee, from some distance, raced in, ruled studs up and sent the Bay left back packing.
From the restart, the ball was played to Pearce and on to Menapi who fired a close-range shot, saved superbly by keeper Mitch O'Brien.
But he could not repeat seconds later when Neil Sykes fired over from the resultant corner and Menapi headed home.
"That sending-off cost us any chance," said disappointed Bay coach Jonathan Gould later.
It certainly led to a reshuffle but, led by strong games from O'Brien and Cole Peverley, they stayed in the game until Menapi delivered the killer strike in the 70th minute after again combining with Pearce before firing home from the rebound after an O'Brien save.
The visitors were handed a chance with 13 minutes to play when the referee found it necessary to point to the spot - but only after he sent off United acting captain/assistant coach Neil Emblen.
Initially it was thought the dismissal was for dissent following a goalmouth clash between goalkeeper Richard Gillespie and Bay substitute Stuart Hogg. But Emblen later explained Waldron had ruled he had brought down Graham Fyfe and, as the last defender, had to take the trek.
Justice was seen to be done, however, when Gillespie anticipated and dived to his left to snuff out Fyfe's shot from the spot.
United coach Chris Milicich described it as a nervy performance. Few would argue with that.
"We have a big game on Wednesday and no doubt there were players thinking about that," said Milicich. "In the end, we got out with a win even if there was a decided lack of focus at times."
Waikato FC play YoungHeart Manawatu at Links Ave in Mt Maunganui today.
