KEY POINTS:
Showing something closer to the form expected from a two-time New Zealand Football Championship winner, Auckland City turned it on yesterday.
Shrugging off the long trip, late start and a five-minute break for a hail storm which pounded the Caledonian ground in Dunedin, City walloped Otago United 5-1
to consolidate their third place and set up a classic clash with YoungHeart Manawatu at Kiwitea St on Sunday.
While City found their goal-scoring form, leaders Waitakere United continued their season-long miserly defensive effort scoring a 1-0 home win over Waikato FC at Trusts Stadium yesterday.
In eight outings, Waitakere have conceded just five goals and, with second placed Manawatu dropping points in a 1-1 home draw with Team Wellington, now enjoy a five-point lead over Shane Rufer's side with Auckland a further three points back.
"Again, it wasn't pretty," said Waitakere coach Steve Cain after his team's seventh win of the season on the back of Pedro Garcia's 36th minute strike. "But we are grinding out results and winning. That's all that counts."
Gambling on resting skipper Danny Hay, Cain admitted his side still has work to do. Cain said he wanted to play a more expansive game but had found Waikato a difficult team to break down.
Not surprisingly, given their winless season so far, the visitors were happy to defend in numbers often with 11 players behind the ball. That, in part, led to Waitakere's inability to create more than a handful of half chances.
For his part Michael Utting, leading the team from the Waitakere goal, had little to deal with.
Even though hampered by injury, Utting at least got through his assignment, unlike Otago custodian Warren Aburn who was off injured after only 12 minutes with a suspected broken arm after a 50-50 clash with City's Keryn Jordan.
Shaking that off, Jordan went on to score a hat-trick with one in the first half from close range, a penalty and a late strike after Grant Young's 83rd- minute attempt had been parried.
Jordan's hat-trick was book-ended by goals from Paul Seaman, in the 14th minute from a ball cut back by Jordan, and captain Neil Sykes who blasted home a stoppage time freekick.
Otago's solitary reply was scored on the hour by substitute Jindrich Hahn three minutes after he left the bench.
In Palmerston North, golden boot leader Benjamin Totori took his tally to 10 when he gave Manawatu their 69th-minute lead after some fancy footwork. The joy was short-lived however as Wellington bounced back within a minute when Graham Little scored his first of the season in a game played in a howling wind.
In the first game of the eighth round, Canterbury United found winning form for only the second time this season scoring a 2-1 away win over Hawkes Bay United.
Henry Faarodo scored one in each half for the visitors who played the last 43 minutes with only 10 players after Nathan Knox was sent off for a foul on Sam Jenkins and was adjudged the last defender.
The home side got one back in the 65th minute when Ian Hogg blasted home a left-foot shot.
In the other feature ninth round match, Canterbury are at home to Waitakere on Saturday.