Matthew Garbett (left) celebrates his goal with Alexander Clayton as a dejected Wanderers players Ben Foxall (left), Kurtis Maney and Che Jesson-Bentley walk away. Photo/Duncan Brown
The three points were never in doubt and it's safe to say Western Suburbs have already booked their berth in round three of the Chatham Cup campaign on Queen's Birthday Monday the following week after a commanding display in Hastings today.
The Advanced Electrical-sponsored Wellington side crushed Building King Havelock North Wanderers 9-0 at Guthrie Park in their round nine Ultra Football Central League encounter this afternoon.
The visitors took the game by the scruff of its neck in the 3pm kick off and shook it until goals rained down at will, threatening to push the result into double figures against the last-placed villagers.
Read more: Football: All-girls Hawke's Bay comps make giant strides
Football: Rovers wary of Wairarapa United who have added O-League players to equation
Football: Blues import Martin Bueno keeps goals coming
It wasn't a poor reflection on the Chris Greatholder-coached hosts because, after all, it was always going to be lesson against a well-drilled Suburbs, under the tutelage of Declan Edge, who have established a standard and brand of football that every club in the country should aspire to from an early age.
It wasn't about individual brilliance either, which the Suburbs reflected in their academy schooling, or the yawning result. Neither was it about how they train just about every day of the week nor any other material comforts.
No it was about the simple art of acquiring the ball and the moving it around the park with the fluidity of artists moving their brushes on a piece of canvas, the strokes (passes) seldom defying gravity even though rain had had an impact.
Of course, that isn't something captain Owen Parker-Price and his fellow youthful team members have acquired overnight but attributes that were instilled from an impressionable age.
Again, it was a timely reminder for Wanderers captain Ethan Dent and his wounded men what they'll have to be after they have won the battle to remain in the elite winter league next season.
"We have got to better than that, there's no doubt about it," said Greatholder after Suburbs went into halftime 4-0 ahead. "We were comfortably beaten by a really, really good footballing team."
He was disappointed his players had strayed from the game plan although it became obvious from the opening whistle they were content to sit back and let the defending champions dictate terms.
"I had watched a lot of footage on how they play and, yeah, at the end of the day it was a good standard of football that our players are trying to adapt to."
Greatholder said it was tough but they didn't want to lose sight of the big picture because they were admittedly not in a position to beat the likes of Western Suburbs yet.
"If we can win another game or two this season we can stay up there and then next year and the year after that maybe we can play close to a brand of football I want to play."
For now, he said the Wanderers were scratching around to patch up gaps to incrementally grow stringer every week.
"It's really hard because you can be as low as snake's belly and then like the result we got last week, we can be on cloud nine again," he said after Havelock North beat Wellington Olympic 2-1 away for their second win of the season.
He predicted Suburbs and leaders Thirsty Whale Napier City Rovers would have a good ding-dong battle for the league honours now.
Suburbs' quality, he said, was reflected in the naming of Callum McCowatt and Parker-Price in the All Whites squad this week.
For Havelock North, winning another two to three games will make it a "fantastic season", especially if the stave off relegation.
Today, you could on one hand, in both halves, the number of times the villagers had got themselves into the position to test Western Suburbs' defenders, never mind have shots on target.
A hoarse Havelock North goalkeeper, Shaun Peta, marshalled and thwarted shots but striker Matthew Garbett broke the deadlock in the 19th minute, after Mohammed Awad had dribbled the ball past Havelock North leftback Che Jesson-Bentley along the goal line before cutting it back.
The intensity of activity was taking its toll on the Havelock North defenders after Stefan Kitching-Nicholson and Kenny Willox ran on to replace him at centreback in the 30th minute.
In the couple of times that the hosts got the ball they squandered possession with unforced errors and misdirected passes.
Edge was perched calmly on his seat but got up for the first time in the 35th minute to clap and encourage his players for endeavour in the 35th minute.
Elijah Just responded, almost instantaneously, from a throw-in passage of play to increase the lead 2-0.
The villagers looked rattled. The visitors picked up on it and Garbett made it 3-0 in the 37th minute despite a defender getting his foot in the path of the ball.
Jesson-Bentley raised fears of concussion in the 39th minute, groggily succumbing to the ground after defender Suburbs Ben Sippola's thunderous clearance caught him square in the face. He kept on playing after a brief stoppage to help him recover.
Wanderers' Solomon Island import, Ian Paia, received a yellow card from referee Antony Riley in the 42nd minute for his first offence although it didn't seem any worse than a rash of other challenges earlier.
Awad, having a unselfish game, deservedly made it 4-0 a minute before halftime when he pounced on a Peta fumble following a drive from Garbett from about 22m out.
When play resumed, Suburbs picked up where they had left off with Awad again the go-to man and provider who left Havelock North defender Ben Foxall stranded before causally tapping the ball in past Peta to extend the lead to 5-0 in the 48th minute.
Awad was a thorn again two minutes later but a screaming Peta thwarted that wave of attack before Edge pulled out McCowatt and replaced him with Xavier Green in the 53rd minute.
The hosts had their first menacing shot at goal in the 58th with Edge again going to his bench to substitute Just with Sean Bright in the engine room.
centre-mid Dent, who had needed attention to his right knee in the 56th minute, made way for Guy Reeves for the villagers in the 68th minute.
However, the visitors weren't done, this time Parker-Price making good the ball worked in from the left flank with Alexander Clayton and Awad contributing to an acute angled cross on the top edge of the 18m box for a crisp finish to go ahead 6-0.
Greatholder yanked off Paia and injected James Barclay at rightback for a reshuffle at the coal face in the 72nd minute but two minutes later Awad claimed his hattrick (7-0) after Garbett worked the ball into the 5m box.
Clayton created another opportunity on the right flank before Awad crossed to Garbett for an elementary finish for a brace and an 8-0 margin in the 81st minute.
Winger Dalton Wilkins, receiving a caution from Riley early in the second half, put the final nail in the coffin, 9-0, in the 85th minute from a penalty kick after Foxall had tripped him as he tried to back heel the ball in the 18m box.
Centre-mid Parker-Price said they had overcome the trying trip from the capital city to put up a good performance before the cup clash.
"Today [Declan] didn't say much and left us to just move the ball. All he said was if you lose the ball then go get it back so we knew we just had to turn up today and work hard," he said, revealing that's what they did daily at training "in keeping the ball with a purpose".
Parker-Price, whose team are the only ones to beat Rovers this season approaching the halfway mark, said they wanted to be on the top of the table but there were still nine games to play and the belief was still there to retain their Central League crown.
Havelock North now host Stop Out Sports Club in a 1pm kick off on Saturday in round 10 while Suburbs travel to Fraser Park Turf to face Lower Hutt City AFC.
The move comes after Burling and Team New Zealand parted ways earlier this year.