Three Kings United edged ever closer to a first Lotto Northern Premier Women's League title in nine years at Madills Farm on July 3, eclipsing Eastern Suburbs 5-0 to extend their advantage at the top of the table to thirteen points with six rounds remaining. It was United's greater experience which ultimately proved highly influential in their victory, with all but one player in their starting eleven having represented New Zealand at either senior or age-grade level in recent years. Yet things could have been decidedly different had a visibly ring-rusty Aimee Phillips not lashed her twenty-yarder over the bar forty-five seconds into the contest, after Jade Parris had secured possession in the middle of United's half of the pitch and set up the chance. Phillips is one of a number of players who've been denied the opportunity to play regularly for their chosen club by the requirements of NZ Football's player management programme, even though she's the type of player who most requires regular game-time and the associated match sharpness it brings to maximise her potential and make her case for Olympics squad selection as strong as possible. Her performance was as lively and dynamic as has come to be expected of Phillips, and she gives Suburbs' attack an extra dimension when she's available to play. But the match sharpness you can only gain from regularly playing in competitive fixtures wasn't quite there, and was undoubtedly a factor in that early miss. A scrappy opening period followed, the only other highlight inside the first ten minutes being a delightful piece of target-man play by Martine Puketapu, who received the ball, shielded it then turned her marker before accelerating clear on the left and fizzing in a low cross which Corina Brown fumbled. No one in teal shirt was following in to capitalise. The visitors stepped things up in the tenth minute, Claudia Crasborn's ball forward being neatly controlled by Puketapu, who again turned Lizzie Ellis before breaking clear and picking out Paige Satchell at the near post. The speedster sent her snatched effort soaring over the angle of upright and crossbar. Two minutes later, Alosi Bloomfield won the ball well in midfield and fed Satchell, who turned an opponent before linking with Puketapu. She stumbled as she entered the penalty area but still unleashed a shot which Brown blocked well, with Puketapu's attempt to turn home the rebound deflected to comparative safety. Nadia Pearl's resulting corner was pawed out by Brown. The ball was promptly driven back into the goalmouth, where Isabella Richards' glancing header was hooked off the line by Ellis, who was well placed guarding the far upright. Still United pressed, Satchell taking on all-comers down the right before linking with Puketapu, whose twenty yard snapshot was soundly saved by Brown - she made it look far easier than it was in reality. After Brown had smothered a Bloomfield twenty-yarder low to her right, Satchell scampered down the right once more, and managed to escape a block tackle from Rebekah Van Dort - another solid defensive display - before presenting Richards with a chance. The midfielder's shot from the edge of the penalty area was always rising, unlike that which finally unhinged Suburbs in the 25th minute. Pearl's ball over the top sent Satchell away once more, Leah Mettam having been lured in-field on this occasion. The most recently capped Football Fern got the better of Van Dort this time and played the ball inside to Richards, whose first-time drive into the goalmouth was gleefully turned home at close range by Blake to give the visitors the lead. That goal had been coming, and the chance to double the lead came four minutes later. Puketapu's skill as the attacking spearhead and target was again to the fore - surely she will be Amber Hearn's long-term successor in that role at international level - as she controlled the ball well, turned Ellis then scooted clear before thrashing a shot on the run over the bar. After this threat, Suburbs began to probe United's rearguard via a string of probing through balls, both on the deck and over the top. Leah Mettam and Kate Seatter were particularly prominent in the distribution role, while Phillips and Jacqui Hand were the duo charged with maximising the opportunities presented. On a few occasions, they were thwarted from doing so by the offside flag - and there were certainly a couple of very close calls on that score! At other times, Kristy Hill, Hannah Wall and Caitlin Pritchard dominated in the air, while there was the odd occasion when Rebecca Rolls had to dash off her line and fulfil the duties of the "sweeper-'keeper". Generally, however, the Football Ferns custodian was little troubled by Suburbs' threats, in large part due to those immediately in front of her. Hill, in particular, was right on her game, and marshalled the troops superbly throughout, while her timely intervention prevented Deven Jackson from levelling the scores with a low drive in stoppage time, after Leah Mettam had picked out the midfielder with a deep cross. The second half was just five minutes old when United doubled their advantage. Wall - such a clever

footballer! - played the ball forward to Puketapu, who played a one-two with Bloomfield to send the striker racing through on goal. Brown careered out of her penalty area to avert the danger, her clearance rebounding off Puketapu straight to Blake, who, remarkably, miscued her shot with the goal gaping. Thankfully for United, her wayward attempt rolled into the stride of Puketapu, who gleefully poked home the fiftieth Lotto Northern Premier Women's League goal of her career to date. Straight from the kick-off, Suburbs stormed downfield, Hand leading the charge. Her cross was cleared to the edge of the area, where Parris was lurking with intent. While her attempt was wayward, Rolls' attempt to control the ball with her feet was even less impressive. Cue a rare corner for Suburbs, which Parris fizzed into the danger zone. Phillips rose to head the ball goalwards, only to see her attempt hooked off the line by the well-placed figure of Pritchard in the 52nd minute. Back came United, Wall and Puketapu combining again, this time for Richards' benefit. She turned into traffic, but the ball broke again for Puketapu, who engineered an opening which Richards fired narrowly over the bar. When the energetic midfielder next got a sight of the target, she made Suburbs pay dearly. Bloomfield was the initial inspiration, her shot being blocked before rebounding to Pearl, who spread play wide to Puketapu. The pass played the striker in on goal with just Brown to beat, but the 'keeper produced a splendid block at close quarters to thwart her rival, only to see the ball ricochet across goal where Richards was arriving on cue to guide a looping header beyond the retreating figure of Van Dort and into the untended goal - 3-0. Shell-shocked, Suburbs kicked off, and promptly lost possession, presenting Puketapu with the chance to fire home from forty yards with Brown well out of goal. Not this time, Martine. Within sixty seconds, however, United had earned a corner, and Crasborn's delivery to the far post was a gem. Flying through the gathered throngs to meet it was Pearl, whose thumping header crashed into the net from close range - there was no stopping this one. A right Pearler! (Sorry, I couldn't resist!) Three goals in seven minutes had blown Suburbs out of the water, and they were left high and dry in the 63rd minute as Three Kings went nap. Once more, it was a corner from which they struck, Pearl the deliverer this time, and the unlikely figure of Bloomfield the player on the end of it, although it was later credited as an own goal by referee Mark Fisher, whose first women's game in five years this was. It was all about pride for Suburbs now, something which Hand boasts in spades. Straight from the resumption of play, she was taking on all-comers before rattling the side-netting. Six minutes later, she was away down the left again, this time released by Jackson. Rolls came hurtling out of goal towards the striker, only for Hand to easily skip round the 'keeper, who left an untended net behind her. Scrambling United defence prevented Suburbs from capitalising on this opportunity this time round. The visitors responded once more, Bloomfield picking out Satchell, whose attempt to round the advancing figure of Brown was foiled by the 'keeper, who had also kept out another Richards effort in between Hand's breaks. On this occasion, however, Satchell was able to pick out Blake, who was prevented from netting her team's sixth goal of the game by Nicole Mettam's goal-line clearance. The home team strove to pull at least one goal back, with substitutes Grace Jale - back in action following her recent concussion - and Tayla O'Brien contributing to their efforts. But they were getting little change from a United rearguard in which Jess Philpot initially made a good impression upon entering the fray. Jackson went close in the dying minutes, before Suburbs were denied as clear-cut a penalty as you will ever see, Philpot's none-too-gentle shove from behind on O'Brien sending the substitute sprawling near the penalty spot. Remarkably, referee Fisher waved play on, then soon after awarded a free-kick just outside the area for a foul by Wall on the luckless O'Brien. Jale took the set-piece, but Rolls dealt with it confidently. The final threat was posed by United, with Bloomfield and Blake combining with Mei Morton, only for Van Dort to intervene in timely fashion and ensure that the visitors would have to settle for a nap hand victory, United's solid 5-0 win leaving them just three games shy of securing the silverware for the first time since 2007. On this performance, they look every inch champions-elect. Suburbs:     Brown; T. Hill (Jale, 59), Ellis, Van Dort, L. Mettam; N. Mettam, Seatter, Jackson; Phillips, Parris (O'Brien, 59), Hand United:     Rolls; Wall, K. Hill, Pritchard (Philpot, 66), Crasborn; Richards, Pearl, Bloomfield; Satchell, Puketapu (Morton, 66), Blake Referee:     Mark Fisher