Wanganui Athletic goalscorer Divnesh Dayal rises to head the ball in Saturday's Federation League clash with Hokowhitu FC at Wembley Park. Photo / Lewis Gardner
Wanganui Athletic goalscorer Divnesh Dayal rises to head the ball in Saturday's Federation League clash with Hokowhitu FC at Wembley Park. Photo / Lewis Gardner
GJ Gardner Wanganui Athletic will head into this weekend's Wembley Park derby on a run of good form after cruising past Hokowhitu FC to claim back-to-back wins for the second time this season.
After recording just one victory in the opening six games of the Lotto Federation League, Athletic havenow won four from their last five, as they jockey with rivals Versatile Wanganui City for fifth spot on the ladder.
Saturday's 3-1 win over second-to-bottom Hokowhitu comes a week after they tipped up defending champions Palmerston North Marist (third) and was another pleasing performance for coach Jason King.
"The first half I think showed the sort of football that we can play," King said.
"There was some real champagne football moments out there. Just the way we moved the ball and broke them down. It was really pleasing to watch."
Athletic dominated the first half, kept Hokowhitu quiet and most importantly had two goals to show for their efforts.
Divnesh Dayal put the hosts in front in the eighth minute – scoring from a Jude Hiri cross which he pulled back nicely after taking the ball to the byline.
The second goal came on the back of the "champagne football" King described, with Athletic running rings around the Hokowhitu defenders with short, sharp passing in the box which ended at the feet of Scott Burney to tuck home.
By King's standards, Athletic were not as sharp in the second spell but still managed to add to their goal tally through Peter Czerwonka.
The regular defender came on as a substitute on his return from injury, but this time into an attacking position in place of Burney.
And he delivered, pouncing on a ball which sat up in the box in 80th minute to give his side a 3-0 lead after what King joked was "an inspired substitution".
"I like my players to be quite versatile and play anywhere on the pitch if I ask them to," he said.
Wanganui Athletic's Scott Burney get to the ball ahead of Hokowhitu keeper Robert Hoek in Saturday's Federation League match. Photo / Lewis Gardner
"As not only president of the club and very much a club man, for him to show that if the gaffer says "jump on here", and for him to go and do the job is great, and he did it well."
The only blemish for Athletic was conceding an injury time penalty from Hokowhitu's Mark Manson after Joeb Cadman was brought down in the box.
"That's great to see players like [Divnesh] step up and do the job and young Karan [Holland] in the middle, standing next to Shaan [Stuart]," King said.
The result seals the double for Athletic over Hokowhitu in the League and gives them full revenge after the Palmerston North side knocked them out of the Federation Cup earlier in the year.
Athletic now turn to Saturday's Wembley Park derby against City and King is expecting nothing like their previous dour opening round goal-less draw.
"It's going to be a good game of football next weekend," he said.
"City have had some good form and they're a good solid squad."
Athletic have not lost to City during King's two-and-a-half seasons at the helm but City have been knocking on the door in the last two derbies, which was this year's draw and a loss on penalties in last season's Charity Cup final.
Drew Gaskin on the ball for Hokowhitu. Photo / Lewis Gardner
However Athletic will still be confident.
"We're starting to score some goals, we're getting a bit of a settled line up now, players know what they've got to do, much the same as them," King said.
"I mean, they're unfortunate they've lost the likes of [Anthony Bell], but they'll come out, they'll be up for it, it's a derby match, everybody gets up for that.
"At the end of the day if we can keep playing the way we're playing and just keep stepping up each time, each week as we've tried to do I think that'll keep us in good stead and we should be looking forward to walking away with the result that we're after."
In other results, Havelock North Wanders beat Palmerston North Marist 4-1, Massey University upset North End AFC 3-2 and Napier Marist beat Red Sox Manawatu 6-2.
Wanganui City played New Plymouth Rangers in New Plymouth this afternoon.
