Auckland City v. Waitakere United, 4/2/12

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City Sink Champs, Strengthen Grip On Top Spot

by Jeremy Ruane

ASB Premiership leaders Auckland City significantly strengthened their grip on top spot in the competition on February 4 by downing reigning champions Waitakere United 3-1 at Kiwitea Street to maintain their unbeaten start to the domestic season and close to within four wins of a spot in next season's OFC Champions League.

The first opening in the match came in the third minute, with James Pritchett and David Mulligan combining to send Luis Corrales careering away through the inside right channel. His first-time cross zoomed across the bows of Manel Exposito, much to the chagrin of City's leading marksman.

Waitakere responded through Roy Krishna three minutes later. He held off the challenge of Mulligan before feeding Jake Butler, who steered the ball into the stride of the overlapping Ross Haviland.

His low cross was smothered by Jacob Spoonley, who plucked a stinging top-corner-bound twenty-yarder from the skies four minutes later after Haviland let fly, Allan Pearce, with a long throw-in, having combined with Krishna and Ryan de Vries to engineer the chance.

Spoonley then thwarted Krishna with his feet after the Fijian fired goalwards on receipt of a pass from de Vries in the twelfth minute, after which the league leaders reasserted themselves over their cross-town rivals.

Andrew Milne climbed all over Pearce to win a header, guiding the ball down to Exposito on the quarter-hour. He raced away down the left before letting fly, inviting Danny Robinson to catch the ball cleanly at his near post.

That save was easy for the 'keeper - his next one was stupendous! Mulligan picked out Daniel Koprivcic with a corner which the one-time Waitakere player met with a bullet header.

Robinson was wrong-footed, but instinctively flung up his left arm while falling away, and managed to tip the ball over the bar. It really was right out of the top drawer, and not a soul in the massive crowd - Kiwitea Street was heaving with at least 2,000 fans present - failed to applaud the 'keeper's fine effort.

The resulting corner proved far less troublesome for United's custodian, Angel Berlanga directing his header of Mulligan's delivery straight at Robinson, who cleared the ball downfield and sparked a Waitakere counter-attack. De Vries dashed down the left past three before setting up Chris Bale, who stepped inside a challenge before lashing a twenty yard grasscutter narrowly past the post.

Timely interventions by Tim Myers and Berlanga in the next few minutes thwarted Corrales and Butler at opposite ends of the park, before City took the lead in the 29th minute.

Ivan Vicelich cleared the ball upfield to Chad Coombes, who flicked it on for Exposito to turn into the stride of Corrales. Hotly pursued by the hard-working Ross McKenzie, he dashed away and

lured Robinson out of goal before coolly slotting the ball past him, much to the delight of the home fans.

That goal was the trigger for a wee bit of niggle to creep into the match, which was generally well controlled by referee Mirko Benischke, although he did have his moments during the course of the ninety minutes - don't all match officials?

A couple of David Mulligan free-kicks deflected to safety off the defensive wall as City looked to press home their advantage in the minutes before the interval, and it wasn't until the second half that a revitalised Waitakere next threatened Auckland's goal.

But not before Exposito had sent a twenty-five yarder sizzling narrowly past the left-hand post of Robinson, a grateful on-looker on this occasion. The resulting goal-kick led to a McKenzie-led raid down the left, which culminated in Spoonley punching out Pearce's corner to Krishna, who rifled a twenty-five yarder past the post.

Better was to come for Waitakere in the 56th minute - the equaliser. Pearce's long throw-ins were a feature of their attacks, and this one was flicked on at the near post by De Vries, whose run to meet the ball caught the attention of the entire City defence. Which meant that when the ball flew across goal, Bale was completely unmarked with an untended net to head into - 1-1.

Red rag to a bull stuff, this, for City came storming back straight away, intent on regaining their lead. Exposito's deflected twenty-five yard free-kick landed on the roof of the net in the 58th minute, while Mulligan's resulting corner was headed out by Bale to Exposito, who instantly unleashed Corrales at the Waitakere defence.

A jink inside one defender, a surge past another, and a low drive which fizzed across the face of goal and narrowly past the far post - a low cross could well have proven more productive.

Unperturbed, City came again, a splendid move down the left in the 63rd minute featuring Mulligan, Andrew Milne, Koprivcic and Exposito, before substitute Emiliano Tade appeared on the scene and sent the ball whizzing just past the far post from twenty yards.

Waitakere responded through Bale, the goalscorer unleashing a thirty yarder which forced Spoonley into a full-stretch fingertip save to his right to divert the goalbound ball to safety.

Back came the home team, and this time their efforts paid dividends - although Lady Luck was very much on their side in the 69th minute! There have been any number of incidents of note in the 35 duels between these teams since their rivalry began in 2004, but this was unquestionably one of the more bizarre occurrences.

Corrales worked his way to the right-hand by-line, with Koprivcic in support inside him. The ball broke loose, and de Vries - what was he doing back

there? - looked to clear the danger in the time-honoured manner.

Sadly for the visitors, he drove the ball straight at Koprivcic, off whom the ball ricocheted and promptly looped over the stranded figure of Robinson into the top far corner of the net - it could have gone anywhere, but ended up where it mattered most!

When that sort of thing happens, you know it's destined not to be your day, and Waitakere's body language began to reflect that, as did some of their challenges - Pearce and Krishna both earned yellow cards from referee Benischke within three minutes of City regaining the lead.

The introduction of Sean Lovemore offered the visitors hope, but in the 81st minute, those hopes were terminated. Corrales, Koprivcic and Mulligan combined to work the ball across to Exposito, who thundered an Exocet into Robinson's top near corner which left the 'keeper beaten all ends up - there was no stopping this shot. A bona fide screamer! 3-1.

Game over? Not when these two clubs are at it! There was time aplenty for more twists and turns before the final whistle sounded, with both Spoonley - knee - and Mulligan - shoulder - departing the fray to add to Auckland's injury concerns, the latter after being thwarted by Haviland's superb covering tackle as he dashed through onto an Exposito pass.

The goalkeeper's departure meant a debut for youngster Liam Anderson, whose distribution is still a work in progress. There's nothing wrong with his courage, however, as his dive at the feet of de Vries in the first of six minutes of stoppage time proved. Substitute Gagame Feni was following up, but thundered his effort into the fencing.

It was Waitakere's last chance of the match, and this defeat, their fifth of the campaign, if one includes the ASB Charity Cup clash between these sides which got the 2011-12 season under way, leaves the reigning champions in a battle royal for second spot with Canterbury United and Team Wellington, both of whom have to head to West Auckland in the coming weeks.

City, meanwhile, are at ever-shortening odds to finish top after this win, and given four of their last five matches are against teams who are already out of play-off contention, it's hard to see the league leaders failing to confirm the first of New Zealand's two spots in next season's O-League before the month's conclusion.

Auckland: Spoonley (Anderson, 89); Pritchett, Vicelich, Berlanga (booked, 61), Milne; Koprivcic, Mulligan, Riera; Corrales (booked, 41) (Shaker, 87), Coombes (Tade, 56), Exposito

Waitakere: Robinson; Haviland (booked, 45), Rowley, Myers, McKenzie (Feni, 87); Bullock (Lovemore, 76), Bale (booked, 39), Butler (booked, 71); Pearce (booked, 72), Krishna, De Vries

Referee: Mirko Benishcke

National League