Auckland City extended their lead at the top of football's ASB Premiership to seven points today after Canterbury and Wellington both drew and Waitakere came back into O-League contention.
A 6-0 demolition of YoungHeart Manawatu in Palmerston North all but rubber-stamped Auckland City's minor premiership crown, with only one winrequired from their final three games to guarantee top spot.
The race for second remains a three way affair with Canterbury and Wellington's 1-1 draw enough for Waitakere to leapfrog the capital men into third place, following their comfortable 4-0 victory over Waikato FC. Only two points separate the three teams with three matches left and a coveted O-League lifeline the prize for runners-up.
Hawkes Bay kept alive their own faint playoff hopes after a thrilling come-from-behind 4-2 win over Otago in Napier. Hawkes Bay now must win their last three and hope teams above them drop points in the run-in, while defeat means Otago's playoff dreams are over for another season.
The match began brightly for Otago with striker Ant Hancock grabbing a brace to give his side a 2-0 lead at the break. But an own goal and a close-range finish from Hamish Watson within the space of a minute drew the hosts level, before Leon Birnie and substitute Stu Wilson completed the comeback with 11 minutes left.
In Wellington, Canterbury nosed in front when former Phoenix defender James Musa gave away a penalty which Aaron Clapham calmly chipped in. But a late rally saw Wellington lay siege to the visitors' goal, and they were rewarded with six minutes left when Louis Fenton headed home at the far post to claim a share of the spoils.
Waitakere United showed a ruthless streak in sweeping aside Waikato at Whenuapai, with goals from Ryan de Vries, Chris Bale, Allan Pearce and Jake Butler more than enough to secure the points.
YoungHeart Manawatu look destined to finish this season without a win after yet another pummelling by a top four side. Down 6-0 at halftime thanks to a rapid fire hat-trick by Chad Coombes and goals to Andrew Milne, Adam Dickinson and a superb Alex Feneridis free kick, Manawatu kept the visitors scoreless in the second half.
