Late win cruelly denies Hawke's Bay United play-off spot

History it certainly was last night, but not in the wildest imagination of Hawke's Bay United footballers.
Instead, it will long be remembered as the day Bluewater Stadium was frozen numb on a balmy afternoon.
As the Matt Chandler-coached players trained on their No 1 field, the sound of Jonathon Gould's live commentary from an Auckland radio station filtered through the crisp autumn air via a loudspeaker.
"I'm really sorry boys, Canterbury have scored," former Bay franchise coach Gould said after substitute Ryan Faichnie floated a cross from the right flank to fellow super-sub teenager Ken Yamamoto to power Canterbury United to a 1-0 victory in the 88th minute over hosts Auckland City at Kiwitea Street.
The Bay players froze about 6.30pm, some slumping to the ground in desperation as their body language spoke volumes of their agony and despair in not making the play-offs for the first time in the seven-year history of the elite summer league.
Canterbury will now, as fourth qualifiers of the 2010-11 ASB Premiership, return to Auckland in the home-and-away semifinal play-offs against leaders Waitakere United, while Auckland City will travel away to the capital city to face Team Wellington in the other first-leg semifinal.
Canterbury's home semifinal has been deferred to April 3 to enable them to find a venue in earthquake-ravaged Christchurch.
Myriad emotions took hold of the players who had been training this week to await the result of last night's game postponed because of the quake.
The Bay's inability to beat a fired-up Waikato United at home in the 1-1 draw last Sunday created all the tension amid a quiet resignation that favourites Auckland should prevail over the people's choice because of the fatal quake on February 22.
"It was real tough and a strange situation as we trained on the No1 field," a dejected Chandler said last night.
"Everyone fell to the floor and we immediately finished our session," he said, adding player David Gearey was following the live scoring on the premiership website too.
"We were two minutes away from qualifying but that's football and we have to take it sometimes."
Chandler and captain Jonathan Taylor then spoke to the players who quietly left for the changing rooms.
"We've been through some real highs and a few lows," Chandler said, proud to have gambled with some young talent and Bay players throughout the season.
Finishing two places better than last season's seventh position, he said a solitary point "stitched us again".
While pleased Canterbury, of all teams, had qualified, Chandler didn't think the draw against nothing-to-gain Waikato last Sunday was their undoing.
"You could say we shouldn't have won away against Waitakere or Wellington, so there's a lot of maybes, but also positives," said Chandler, who will coach the New Zealand futsal team to Suva, Fiji, in May. The futsal side will bid to win the Oceania qualifiers against champions Solomon Islands in an attempt to book a trip to the World Cup in Thailand in June next year.
After four premiership seasons, veteran midfielder Chris Greatholder said the scene that unfolded during training last night was "all a bit surreal".
"I can't say I've experienced it before. We had five minutes left to qualifying, we got the news and some of the lads almost collapsed to the ground," Greatholder said, describing the feeling as unpleasant.
"JT [Taylor] called them in for a chat and they just sat around stunned by it all.
"It went back to last weekend and the points we arguably should have got," he lamented, adding the Bay were the third/fourth best side in the league and definitely better than Team Wellington.
"But the scoreboard doesn't lie. Last year we weren't good enough but this year we were, so that's why it's tougher to take."
Few, if any, words were spoken as the players and coaching staff shook hands in the changing rooms at Park Island before quietly dispersing for home.
"We have trained for five times a week and played for five to six months. That camaraderie has come to an end and who knows, we may see each other in winter football, but it's a funny end to those times," Greatholder said of the winter league that kicks off next month with his Maycenvale United premier team making their debut in the elite Central League competition after gaining promotion last winter.
Bay United manager Tim Kilkolly was more blunt in his assessment of the tense atmosphere last night.
"It was like being at a funeral," Kilkolly said.
He believed the whole exercise was a "pretty unfair way of doing things".
"The Crusaders [rugby franchise] can play on a Friday night [against the Waratahs] away from home at Nelson, but Canterbury United couldn't do it on Sunday.
"It's not like Canterbury United couldn't do it. After all, they were travelling away to Auckland," Kilkolly said.
Auckland City are also playing O-League matches.