Defence fuels 5-0 victory

CLEAN SWEEP: Wairarapa United's Magno Viera looks to escape the attentions of a Western Suburbs defender. PHOTOS /CHRIS KILFORD

The tightness of their defence was the catalyst to Wairarapa United's stunning 5-0 win over Western Suburbs in their Central League football match played at Memorial Park, Masterton on Saturday.

Western Suburbs went into the game as favourites, after having already beaten Wairarapa United twice this season, including a 7-2 thumping in a Chatham Cup knockout match. On each of those occasions, the attacking qualities of their side had been showcased through their ability to provide ample space for their talented front runners.

Not so in this game, though. Right from the outset, Wairarapa United concentrated hard on cutting down their time on the ball and the plan worked to perfection, with Western Suburbs getting little flow into their play.

What made Wairarapa United even more impressive was that, despite this focus on defence, they were also able to make a huge impact on attack. Several times during the course of the 90 minutes, they exposed gaping holes in the Western Suburbs defence through the slickness and accuracy of their passing and the efficiency of their support play.

Wairarapa United were up 2-0 at halftime.Their first goal came after Magno Viera laid off a lovely pass to Sam Mason-Smith, who finished in style, and their second was from the penalty spot, with player-coach Paul Ifill making no mistake.

There were three more goals from Wairarapa United in the second half. Ifill again scored from the penalty spot, before Viera provided the room for Adam Cowan to slot one home and, with time almost up, Sam Mason-Smith chalked up number five.

The no-nonsense approach of Nathan Cooksley on defence made him a standout player for Wairarapa United. He clearly unsettled the young Western Suburbs forwards with the sureness of his tackling and his assertiveness in any one-on-one situation. Ollie Rowland, Liam Hare, Aaron Spierling and goalkeeper Matt Borren all won full marks for their defensive work as well.

Viera, who leads the league's Golden Boot award stakes, might not have got his name on the scoresheet in this game but, as mentioned previously, he had a big say in two of his team's goals and was always a threat on or around the ball, and much the same could be said about Mason-Smith and Ifill, who made a dangerous combination up front.

Saturday's win means Wairarapa United are guaranteed the runners-up spot behind Napier City Rovers in the Central League if they beat Wellington Olympic in the last of their competition matches this coming weekend. A loss there would, however, give third-placed Western Suburbs a chance of overhauling them, although they would need to pull off wins against both Napier City Rovers and Stop Out in their last two games - one of which was deferred earlier in the season - for that to happen.