Soccer: Emblen strike seals Waitakere's display of quality

Waitakere United's Neil Emblen (top) contests a high ball against Otago's Stu Kelly during their match yesterday. Photo / Greg Bowker

It was a round for the ages. Goals to three players closer to their 40th than 30th birthdays were telling factors as Auckland City and Waitakere United yesterday moved further away from the chasing New Zealand Football Championship pack.

Staring at their first loss of the season as unfancied Waikato FC claimed a 1-0 lead early in the second half at Centennial Park, City rallied and strikes from 35-year-old Ki-Hyung Lee and later Grant Young, 38, nine minutes from time, got the Aucklanders home 2-1.

Waitakere player/coach Neil Emblen, also 38 (although, as he points out, a few weeks younger than Young), joined the party.

His first goal of the season, also nine minutes from time, was not so vital but as the last of Waitakere's goals in their 4-0 win over Otago United at Fred Taylor Park it meant West Aucklanders had scored four in a match for the first time this season.

Waitakere took an early lead when captain Jake Butler headed home from a ninth-minute corner - the first of 14 they forced - to claim his second goal of the season. The visitors stormed back and with a little more luck could have at least equalised or even taken the lead as Dave Dugdale and Ben Light created some terrific scoring chances but squandered both.

Normal transmission resumed in the second half of the match when Roy Krishna doubled Waitakere's lead but they needed another 25 minutes to make it safe when Benjamin Totori charged on to a good through ball from Tim Myers and whipped it home. Emblen iced the cake two minutes later.

While it was a satisfactory result for the home team, there was, again, the feeling that Waitakere's strikeforce - arguably the most potent in the competition - have yet to sing from the same songsheet.

Totori, Krishna, Allan Pearce and Brent Fisher should rip rival defences apart, but too often their attacks are disjointed and lacking real conviction.

"Again, we missed gilt-edged chances," said Emblen. "But, this is the first time we have scored four and hopefully will kick-start us into doing it every week."

Otago coach Malcolm Fleming felt his side's first-half effort deserved reward, but conceded they let themselves down later in the match.

"We had two or three chances in the first half, but couldn't take them," he said.

"But in the second I was disappointed, we let ourselves down. Today we were a 0-4 team unlike the game against Auckland City when we were undeserved 5-0 losers.

"Waitakere are a team who could kill anybody especially if you give the ball away like we did. We got what we deserved."

But, with other results going their way, they remain in third place and have two of their last three games at home.

In a boilover at English Park, Canterbury United, who not too long ago beat Waitakere 4-0, thumped YoungHeart Manawatu 6-0 scoring three in each half to move into fourth place and keep alive their top-four playoff hopes.

Team Wellington's championship hopes took a dive when beaten 1-0 at home by Hawkes Bay United.