Auckland Football overcame an extremely stern National Women's League test from Southern United at McLennan Park on 6 October, prevailing 4-2 in a ding-dong go which could just as easily have seen the points heading south. They certainly weren't heading that way after 75 seconds, however, Auckland taking the lead with the game's first attack. Britney Cunningham-Lee powered past two opponents down the right before whipping in a cross which Kirsty Hayr cleared as far as Maisy Dewell. Her close-range drive slammed against the crossbar, off which the ball rebounded to Steph Skilton, back playing in her preferred role as a striker. The sphere got stuck between her feet, but Auckland's captain managed to redirect the ball to Cunningham-Lee, who steered home the opener from ten yards. Stunned by this setback, Southern had trouble coming to terms with Auckland's pressing over the course of the next twenty minutes, and their cause wasn't aided by the premature departure from the fray of Emily Morison, who was left seeing stars after copping a Liz Anton clearance flush in the face at point-blank range in the tenth minute. Southern gradually got their game together, however, and after Renee Bacon had been denied by Alisha Perry after Auckland's goalkeeper directed a clearance straight to the midfielder, the visitors turned up the tempo to produce an enchanting spell of pressure. Captain Mikaela Hunt pinged a free-kick forward from half-way which Auckland's defence allowed to bounce. Anticipating this, Chelsea Whittaker darted in behind the home team's rearguard to meet the bouncing ball with a header which she directed narrowly wide of Perry's right-hand post in the 24th minute. Three minutes later, more enterprising play by Whittaker - you won't see a better turn this month! - culminated in Shontelle Smith delivering a deliciously weighted cross towards the far post, where Amy Hislop was flying in to meet it. Her header flashed over the crossbar - she should really have hit the target from four yards out. But Southern didn't have long to wait for their equaliser. Smith's 29th minute corner arced right into the zone, and the pint-sized - but powerfully performed - Ruby Anderson stole in amongst the gathered throngs to direct a close-range header home to the delight of her team-mates. And no one can say it wasn't a deserved goal - United were well on top at this point in proceedings. Auckland sought to redress that from the kick-off. They hadn't been aiding their cause to this point with a combination of stray and under-hit passes - if you're going to give a ball, give a quality ball, otherwise live on it! Southern continued to hold the upper hand, however, and but for Maisy Dewell's timely intervention six minutes before half-time would surely have taken the lead as Anderson and Whittaker worked a one-two in the penalty area. The action in the minutes immediately before half-time was frenetic, with chances at both ends of the ground. Jade Parris caught Hannah Mackay-Wright in possession - they had a terrific tussle, with the striker taking quite a pummelling from the defender throughout proceedings - before feeding Dewell, whose twenty-five yarder sizzled over the bar. Seconds later, Skilton battled back well to win possession and present Lucy Carter with the chance to send Cunningham-Lee careering down the right, a sight at which Southern's defenders visibly flinched - the prospect of the powerfully built youngster bearing down on you is not one which any defender would relish, and Kelsey Kennard will certainly subscribe to that school of thought after this experience! Cunningham-Lee's wicked whipped cross was well pawed out by Jane Middleditch to Hunt, who sparked a super counter-attack which was inspired by Smith's through ball into the stride of Hislop. The lanky striker proved a real handful for Auckland's defenders - Anton particularly - throughout proceedings. On this occasion, Hislop's slick turn engineered an opening for her to let fly on goal, only for Perry to tip the shot onto the inside of the far post, off which the ball rebounded back into the goalmouth and the grateful gloves of a rather relieved goalkeeper. Perry's relief was evident again seconds later when no one in blue followed in a Whittaker shot which the 'keeper could only parry, Hayr, Anderson and Smith having combined to create the opening. That failure on Southern's part was to prove critical seconds later. Having regathered the ball, Perry launched an Auckland attack which had Skilton as its attacking fulcrum. The striker held the ball up well before taking on the United defence and, from twenty-five yards, unleashing a storming strike which soared over

Middleditch's flailing fingertips and into the roof of the net - 2-1 Auckland. Straight from the kick-off, Smith looked to catch Perry off her line, but her effort drifted past the post to bring to an end a compelling first half of action, with more guaranteed from the moment referee Anna-Marie Keighley blew her whistle to resume play. Rugged challenges were de rigeur in the early stages of the second spell, and the sound of Hunt quietly admonishing those by Auckland which went unpunished made for interesting listening … So did her delight as the visitors levelled the scores again on the hour. Smith's superbly flighted free-kick from twenty-five yards put Perry in all sorts of bother, with the 'keeper only able to tip the ball onto the bar. Down it dropped, and Hayr couldn't miss from that range - 2-2. Miffed at being pegged back a second time, Auckland looked to restore their lead once more. And after Parris had thrashed a near post effort narrowly over the bar after a Skilton shot had been blocked, the ever-elusive Tessa Leong and promising youngster Chloe Marthe were introduced to the fray, a double substitution which ultimately brought about Southern's downfall. Within four minutes, the newcomer was putting herself about, forcing Middleditch to save under pressure at the second attempt after Marthe had worked a one-two with Cunningham-Lee before unleashing a shot which United's custodian initially spilled. Fifteen minutes from time, Smith was inches away with a rising twenty yarder after substitute Erin Roxburgh had worked an opening with Hislop on the right. But two goals in the next three minutes were body blows from which the visitors couldn't recover. The first of them, in the 76th minute, was sparked by Leong outmuscling Roxburgh on half-way. As the United player caught her breath, Emma Leaming broke clear down the left and delivered a cross which was only cleared as far as Cunningham-Lee. Her shot was on target, and should have been saved by the diving figure of Middleditch. But to Southern's horror, the ball struck a divot and reared up over the prone goalkeeper and into the net behind her. The visitors' heads dropped, and before they had the chance to muster another comeback they were undone by a quite superbly executed team goal which oozed patience, precision and quality. Parris, with Mackay-Wright on her back once more, received the ball on half-way before working a couple of one-twos with Skilton. The captain then picked out Marthe's run beyond the striker, and the substitute's sizzling side-step completely wrong-footed her opponent and engineered the room in which to deliver a sumptuous inch-perfect through ball. Making an angled run across the Southern defence to meet it was Leong, whose off-the-ball movement was as pivotal to the move as Marthe's perfectly weighted pass through the inside left channel. The striker took one touch to control the ball, and with her next, angled it across Middleditch and in by the far post - 4-2, with Southern's defeat confirmed by a goal of the highest calibre. Not that it came in the last minute, mind. There were still twelve minutes remaining when Leong struck, but the visitors, despite engineering potential opportunities to halve the deficit in the time remaining, only truly threatened via a rising Bacon piledriver following a cleared Smith corner six minutes from time. Despite this loss, be in no doubt that Southern will be well in contention for the title this season - long gone are the days when they were the National Women's League's easy-beats! Smith, Whittaker, Anderson, Hislop and the deep-lying Hayr offer an attacking edge which will always provide a threat, and once they stiffen their defence - relocating Hunt to the heart of their rearguard would significantly reduce that problem - they will likely prove a hard nut to crack. Auckland know they were in a battle in this match, and it was their bench strength which was pivotal in clinching victory for them, an attribute which should serve them well as they bid to clinch just their second National Women's League title this decade, and a record eighth overall. Auckland:     Perry; Ryan, Anton, Van Dort, Leaming (Dyer, 81); Carter, Bradley (Marthe, 66), Dewell (Leong, 66); Cunningham-Lee, Skilton, Parris (Russ, 81) Southern:     Middleditch; Hunt, Mackay-Wright, Kennard; Anderson (De Ronde, 81), Hayr, Smith, Whittaker, Bacon; Hislop (Baldwin, 89), Morison (Roxburgh, 12 (Roome, 79)) Referee:     Anna-Marie Keighley