Soccer: Champions Waitakere switch their focus to O-League challenge

Waitakere player Benjamin Totori (front) celebrates with teammates after his side's 3-1 win over Canterbury. Photo / Dean Purcell

Still clutching the New Zealand Football Championship trophy, victorious Waitakere United captain Jake Butler was already sizing up an even bigger prize this coming weekend.

Waitakere beat Canterbury United 3-1 in the Grand Final of the NZFC at Fred Taylor Park on Saturday.

They return to their home ground this Sunday to try to overcome a 3-0 deficit against Hekari United of Papua-New Guinea in the O-League final that is a passport to the lucrative Fifa World Club Cup.

"One down, one to go," said Butler. "This is a real boost to our confidence for next weekend. We came back from 1-0 down today and we've done that so many times this season.

"It shows our fighting spirit and hopefully we can show it again against Hekari next week."

Waitakere were on the back foot in the final after six minutes when Canterbury striker Russell Kamo, who had shattered Auckland City's hopes in the semifinals, made the most of a long clearance from goalkeeper Tom Batty and laid on a pass for the diminutive Tom Lancaster to score.

Waitakere might have had a higher mountain to climb if Aaron Clapham hadn't shot straight at goalie Danny Robinson in the eighth minute and if Robinson hadn't reacted well to save a header from Paul Dirou in the 16th.

At the other end, Roy Krishna, capitalising on some magic from Benji Totori, twice hit the post before Totori did the job himself with a clinical finish for the equaliser in the 34th minute.

The final's decisive moment came three minutes later when a high-foot tackle by Dirou on Jason Rowley earned a red card from referee Jamie Cross and reduced Canterbury to 10 men for the rest of the game.

They fought valiantly but with Waitakere's pace up front, the defence was stretched to breaking point.

Allan Pearce, later named as man of the final for his exploits on the right flank, scored the go-ahead goal with a lethal finish from just inside the penalty area in the 57th minute.

Totori sealed the issue in the closing stages with some individual brilliance for the 3-1 scoreline.

Canterbury coach Keith Braithwaite was full of praise for his side's courage under fire.

"A decision of the ref made it very hard for us to win, and at the end of the day Waitakere's pace paid dividends. But I can't praise my team enough. They worked their socks off to the last whistle and they all deserve credit."

Neil Emblen, the Waitakere player-coach, singled out his attacking players for their contribution. "I thought Allan Pearce was great. The goal gave him confidence and he was fantastic for us in the last half- hour."

All White coach Ricki Herbert was impressed and emphasised he hadn't yet closed the door on his World Cup selections.

One worry for Waitakere before Sunday's game is the fitness of Krishna, who was carried off with 10 minutes to go after a tackle that on another day might have earned a penalty. He hobbled to the prize-giving on a crutch, favouring his left leg.

So another NZFC season ends. Auckland City were minor champions and Waitakere took the major crown. Both qualify for next season's O-League.

But outside the perennial front-runners, encouraging signs came from Wellington, who were within seconds of making the final, and Canterbury and Otago, with a South Island revival.

It was good to see a vocal contingent of red and black fans at the Fred with something to cheer about again after last season's last-place finish.

Next season's NZFC has yet to be confirmed. Franchises have until the end of the month to apply. The current eight are believed to be starters, and interest has surfaced elsewhere in what could be a 10-team league.

There has been talk of some sort of Wellington Phoenix affiliate joining the fray, but how that could be achieved is not clear.