Claudelands Rovers dismantled a disappointing Waitakere City combination 5-0 in the only Lotto Northern Premier Women's League encounter played on 3 August, their accomplished display fully befitting of a team which now finds itself in fourth spot on the standings as a result of this victory. Playing on what, given the recent inclement weather, was a Fred Taylor Park pitch in splendid order, Rovers wasted little time in setting out their stall, and opened the scoring in the eighth minute. Kate Loye, who was commanding in midfield throughout, pinged a ball through for Jackie Pretswell to chase. Maia Jackman was always favourite to win it, but the advancing Bianca Mori put the defender in two minds, which played perfectly into Pretswell's hands. The striker took full advantage, and managed to lay the ball back to Loye, who was following up. Her strike brought a parried save from Mori, but the ball landed straight at the feet of Sarah McLaughlin - 1-0. Five minutes later, the Young Ferns' goalscoring star struck again to crown a neatly worked move which began with goalkeeper Kelly Aitken. She cleared the ball to Loye, who controlled and turned before picking out Pretswell. Her precise through ball rewarded McLaughlin's angled run, and the striker held off the challenge of Annie Lydon before picking her spot unerringly beyond Mori. Waitakere were rocked by this, and while they continued to play soundly when in possession, the vast majority of their hard work was undone by through balls which were hit more in hope than with purpose and accuracy. Rovers, in contrast, were far more polished, the technical qualities of McLaughlin, Loye, the rock-solid Kylie Jens and classy left-winger Katherine Robinson the most noteworthy attribute of a display which City, at this stage of their development as a combination, are some twelve to eighteen months away from matching. The home team were undone again in the 22nd minute by another McLaughlin-inspired move. This time, the striker deftly controlled a Tiffany Kawana-Waugh ball forward and turned it into the path of the rampaging Brogan Mathieson, who buccaneered down the right before drilling an angled cross-shot narrowly past the far post. Two minutes later, City squandered a glorious chance to get back into the contest. Jackman's free-kick picked out Hannah George, who outmuscled Rachel Porteous before cutting the ball back for the completely unmarked figure of Sarah Hadwin. With the goal at her mercy, and just Aitken to beat, the hardy campaigner somehow contrived to steer the ball straight at the goalkeeper - a huge let-off for Rovers, whose attempts to capitalise on it before the interval largely foundered on City's well-worked offside trap. Efforts from Robinson and Pretswell sailed harmlessly round Mori's goal, but the custodian's attentions were certainly captured in the 43rd minute, after Pretswell held off Jackman and squared the ball into McLaughlin's path. The striker took the ball in her stride and, even though she slipped on shooting, managed to direct her fifteen-yard shot inches past the 'keeper's left-hand upright. Any hopes City held of getting back into the contest were dashed within seven minutes of the second half's resumption. Beforehand, Mori gobbled up a fifteen-yarder from Loye, after the midfielder had dispossessed Tania Oldfield and combined with Robinson and Pretswell to create the 49th minute opportunity. Three minutes later, however, the death knell began to toll for Waitakere City. McLaughlin's pass wide allowed Robinson to race round Nikau Hindin and whip in a cross. It was deflected out to Alex Shadbolt, who brought Mathieson into play. Her low cross into the goalmouth found Jackman trying in vain to martial her team-mates to step up, as she sought to employ City's offside trap once more. Through strode Pretswell, and into the bottom far corner the ball duly arrowed - 3-0.

A few heads began to drop among City's ranks, and Mori was soon in action once more, saving from Pretswell after Robinson and McLaughlin had prised open City's rearguard. Waitakere coach Jill Fromont reshuffled the pack on the hour, and the re-jig gave their attack a much-needed injection of pace. Rhea Murray joined George in chasing down lost causes, and the pair's efforts saw the latter catch Kawana-Waugh in possession just outside Rovers' penalty area in the 65th minute. Hadwin was unable to take advantage of the opening, however. Three minutes later, her header from a corner - earned by George's pursuit of another seemingly lost cause - gave Aitken little cause for concern. In between times, Rovers had produced another accomplished move deserving of better fate. Jens stormed out of defence before linking with Loye, who swiftly brought McLaughlin and Pretswell into action. The last-mentioned laid the ball back into Jens' path, and the fullback's clever curling effort arced over the angle of bar and post, dipping too late to trouble Mori. The goalkeeper was far more involved in the action in the 71st minute, as she gave Jackman a pass which the defender, with two Rovers' players bearing down on her, simply wasn't expecting. McLaughlin pounced, and promptly played Pretswell in, only to be denied by a fine flying save from Mori, which somewhat made up for her misdemeanour. The final fifteen minutes saw Rovers striving to bolster their advantage on the scoreboard, as too many players in City's ranks called it a day well before the final whistle permitted them to. Jens and Loye linked for Robinson to fire over a teasing cross-shot which hit the outside of the near post twelve minutes from time, while Mori plucked a twenty-yarder from Loye two minutes later, just seconds prior to McLaughlin unleashing a twenty-five yarder which sizzled past the far post by a very narrow margin. In the 83rd minute, Loye was on the rampage again, surging through to take on the jockeying figure of Jackman. The midfielder cheekily played a one-two off the unsuspecting New Zealand international's legs, which created the space for the Young Ferns' prospect to crack a shot goalwards from the edge of the penalty area. Mori was right behind it, and looked on as Anne Allen and Lydon both denied Pretswell with despairing tackles within seconds of each other two minutes later. But Claudelands weren't to be denied, and two goals in as many minutes late in the match secured their nap hand in style. One had to feel sorry for Jackman in the 86th minute, as Hadwin crowned a day she would rather forget by selling the New Zealand star short with a, frankly, awful pass! Jens was bearing down on proceedings at a great rate of knots, and duly swooped on the ball before sweeping a first-time low cross to the far post. Right on cue, Pretswell slid in - 4-0. Make that 5-0 two minutes later. McLaughlin had dropped back to central midfield to accommodate the introduction of Holly Patterson twenty minutes from time, and it was from there that one of the principle architects of this emphatic Rovers romp engineered the pass of the match, a sumptuous defence-splitting delivery fully thirty yards in length which sent Robinson rampaging through with just Mori to beat. She did so superbly, holding off the despairing challenge of Lydon while luring the goalkeeper out of her zone, then coolly slipping the ball past her - a fitting finale on which to conclude a classy Claudelands display, one to which Waitakere simply had no answers. Waitakere:     Mori; Hindin (Lainchbury, 59), Jackman, Lydon, Allen; Murray, Oldfield, Tutai (Derrick, 69), Hadwin; George, Aalbers (McKinlay, 59) Claudelands:     Aitken; S. O'Donnell, Kawana-Waugh, Porteous (Patterson, 69), Jens; Mathieson (K. O'Donnell, 75), Loye, Shadbolt, Robinson; McLaughlin, Pretswell Referee:     Hengo Sioneloto