Profligate finishing proved costly for Mainland Pride at Tulett Park on October 28, and they were made to pay for it as Auckland came to town and prevailed 3-1 in their top-of-the-table Lion Foundation National Women's League clash to open up a six-point break on the chasing pack. The “A Team” should have been two goals down inside the opening eleven minutes of the match, which was dominated by Mainland in the early stages. Annabelle Bramwell robbed Annalie Longo on half-way and steered the ball to Clare Warner, who sent Roseanne Cox racing through with just Yvonne Vale to beat. The Three Kings United flyer - like Bramwell and fellow Mainlander, Jane Simpson, she plies her trade in the Northern Premier Women's League, but all three have been drafted in to play for the South Island outfit in this competition - sent the ball blazing wide of the target, when a cool, composed finish was called for. Two minutes later, Georgia Goulding rampaged down the right and checked inside Abby Erceg before firing over a cross which Bramwell was mere inches away from getting on the end of. Auckland Football's National Women's League team struck back in the manner they know best, even though their seventeenth minute strike came very much against the run of play. Ria Percival's corner wasn't cleared, allowing Rebecca Tegg to power through the crowd and thrash the ball home on the volley into the far corner of the net. The “A Team”'s first attack had yielded a goal, but Mainland were instantly on the attack in response. Petria Rennie cannoned a clearance off Bramwell two minutes after the goal, the ricochet sailing straight into the gloves of Vale. Seconds later, Warner whipped in a wicked free-kick from the left with which Auckland failed to deal. Bramwell, with the goal at her mercy, scooped the ball over the bar from inside the six-yard box - another gilt-edged opening gone begging. Auckland rampaged downfield, with Annalie Longo and Rennie linking with Percival to open up Mainland's left flank. The last-mentioned cross picked out Emma Kete, who shot tamely at Megan Andrew. Mainland's keeper was about to get busier, as Auckland began to gain the ascendancy, Betsy Hassett, in particular, catching the eye in this regard. She gave seasoned campaigner Kelly Jarden a real problem throughout proceedings, as the older player attempted to contain an uninhibited free spirit, of which there were several on show in this encounter, liberally sprinkled throughout both teams whose first objective was to play open, attacking football. Not even the departure of Kete, a victim of a recurrence of a hamstring twinge on the half-hour, could disrupt the “A Team”'s period of ascendancy. Her replacement, Merissa Smith, was straight into the thick of the action, seeing the ball plucked off her head by Andrew in the 32nd minute, after Sarah Gibbs, Longo and Grace Vincent had linked on the left. Andrew then gave herself some additional work by clearing the ball poorly. Hassett pounced on the loose ball and promptly threaded it through to Tegg, who looked to slip Vincent in through the inside-left channel. Only the fine covering run of Alice Pilgrim prevented Auckland from taking full advantage of the situation. Pilgrim's endeavours were such that she turned defence into attack with her interception, as she promptly released Warner down the right to the by-line. Her beautifully weighted cross found the head of the unmarked figure of Cox, but from ten yards, Mainland's new striker sent the ball soaring over the crossbar with a wayward header. After Tegg and Hassett had combined to present Smith with a shooting chance from twenty yards - over the bar the ball flew, Goulding responded with a twenty-yard drive which stung the gloves of Vale, who promptly sparked a right-flank raid. It culminated in Percival playing a splendid reverse pass down that flank to Tegg, who turned the ball into Longo's path. New Zealand's youngest-ever international ran at Mainland's retreating rearguard before reaching the edge of the penalty area. Andrew was right behind her effort, and instantly ignited a Mainland counter-attack which brought about a parity the home team richly deserved - indeed, the home team should well have been in charge on the scoreboard, so clear-cut had been the chances they created. This was another, with Warner its architect. She scampered down the right and clipped in a gorgeous cross which the flailing arms of Vale failed to gather in. What happened next wasn't clear, with some angles suggesting Bramwell got the final touch to the ball, while others indicated the ball hit the back of the net via the knee of the retreating figure of Rennie. Mainland's Auckland-based midfielder initially claimed it, but a quiet word afterwards determined that Rennie's had been the decisive touch, albeit one about which the hard-working defender knew little. Back came Auckland, with Hassett robbing

Generation gap - Annalie Longo (Auckland, 9), shows Kelly Jarden and Shelly McDowall (Mainland, 14 and 11) a clean pair of heels as she dashes past them Rebecca Tegg (Auckland) and Alana Ainsworth (Mainland) Anna Green (Auckland) Megan Shea (Mainland) Petria Rennie (Auckland) Betsy Hassett (Auckland) and Annabelle Bramwell (Mainland)

Goulding on half-way before surging into Mainland's half and letting fly. Her shot was blocked, but the rebound fell to Rennie, whose twenty-five yarder fizzed over the bar. Mainland responded with another free-kick, Simpson's delivery picked out the unmarked figure of Jarden. Her header flew over the bar, seconds before a free-kick from Erceg, taken on the half-way line, changed the nature of the half-time team-talks in both dressing rooms. Erceg's delivery, in the 44th minute, enticed Andrew off her line, as the ball dropped into the penalty area near the spot. The `keeper failed to take the ball cleanly, and paid the price. For Percival was lurking with intent, and gleefully turned the ball home into an empty net to restore the “A Team”'s lead. Mainland came out intent on equalising again, but Auckland simply kept on coming like the proverbial train, and in the 54th minute, they silenced the goodly Mainland crowd in attendance with a classy goal from Tegg. Jarden's attempt to head clear a Gibbs cross saw the ball fall kindly for Tegg, who surged into the penalty area. Simpson dived in, but her groan was audible as she realised her mistake. For Tegg deftly side-stepped her challenge then, with her less prolific right foot, completely wrong-footed Andrew with a lashed near post finish, when the goalkeeper was anticipating a low cross. That goal effectively killed off Mainland's challenge - a pity, because they had made a real game of it, and given Auckland a fair few headaches with the attack-minded approach they had applied to the match. But the visitors, with Erceg imperious in defence, weren't intent on easing off, now that they had the game by the scruff of the neck. On the hour mark, Smith rattled the side-netting after Vincent had done well to hold off the challenges of Jarden and Alana Ainsworth. Three minutes later, Percival scythed inside before setting up Vincent, who evaded a challenge before stinging the gloves of Andrew. She held onto this effort, then saved well at the feet of Smith seconds later, after Gibbs and Tegg had teamed up on the left. Longo was next to lead the charge towards Mainland's goal, in the 66th minute. Substitute Anna Green received her pass, and skipped round Simpson before crossing to Smith, who opted not to shoot on the turn but held the ball up before setting up Percival, who directed her effort past the post. Auckland were relentless now, with Smith slipping Tegg in on the right. From a tight angle, she hammered the ball towards the target, and Andrew parried it before grabbing the rebound as Hassett came hurtling in looking to turn home the loose ball. Fifteen minutes from time, Andrew's distribution was found wanting once more, with Tegg and Smith linking to good effect again. Percival was sent racing to the by-line, from where she unleashed a driven cross which Andrew parried against the angle of her near post and crossbar before grabbing the rebound. Within seconds, Green was in possession, and sent the ball forward to Longo, who gave both Simpson and Jarden the slip - the younger players showed their elders little respect throughout this encounter. Longo then put Tegg in on goal with the chance to complete her hat-trick, but she opted to pass when scoring seemed the easier option. Tegg's attempt to make amends, two minutes later, saw Andrew saving bravely at her feet, while Tegg was again at the heart of an Auckland raid eight minutes from time. Gibbs picked her out with a fine ball forward, which the league's leading goalscorer turned into the path of Smith. She set up Hassett for a shot on the run, which careered into the side-netting. After Andrew had denied a Hassett shot at the second attempt, Auckland's star turn - once again - robbed Jarden on half-way and stormed downfield before slipping Smith through the inside left channel. She checked inside past three defenders and unleashed a curling twenty-yarder which grazed the far post, the last act of a match in which the visitors welcomed back long-term injury absentee Melissa Ray, who entered the fray fourteen minutes from time to mark her recovery from the ACL injury she suffered when playing for New Zealand against Australia in Canberra on Waitangi Day. The outcome of this table-topping encounter leaves Mainland in a share of second place with Capital Football. Both lie six points behind Auckland, whose impressive display today - their most comprehensive performance of the entire NWL campaign thus far - has almost certainly confirmed their place in the competition's Grand Final, which will take place in Wellington on December 1. Mainland:     Andrew; Simpson, Vink, Shea; Pilgrim, Goulding (McDowall, 71), Jarden, Ainsworth, Bramwell; Warner (Phillips, 64), Cox Auckland:     Vale; Rennie (Ray, 76), Hill, Erceg, Gibbs; Percival, Hassett, Longo, Vincent (Green, 64); Kete (Smith, 29), Tegg Referee:     Michael Lindsay