KEY POINTS:
There is an ironic twist or two to Sunday's New Zealand Football Championship grand final.
In the season-opening game on November 3, Waitakere United hosted Team Wellington, a match-up that will be repeated in the season-ending match.
In the first instance, a late goal gave the visitors a 2-1 win and left Waitakere at the bottom of the table alongside Canterbury United, Otago United and YoungHeart Manawatu - the teams who eventually filled the bottom three slots.
The only change on Sunday for the teams who played that season opener is the switch from Fred Taylor Park to the rejuvenated Trusts Stadium.
From that nervy opening, Waitakere, under new coach Chris Milicich, returning to the job he lost to Steve Cain after year one, fashioned a second-to-none record.
In 20 further league outings, four O-League games and the Fifa Club World Cup in Japan, they lost only twice - 3-2 to Manawatu in a controversial away game and 3-1 to Iranian champions Sepahan in Japan.
Included in their 16 NZFC wins were two away wins over Team Wellington - 5-1 (in December on the back of an Allan Pearce hat-trick) result and 1-0 in January.
In clinching the title with a 1-1 away draw with Otago, Waitakere became the only team to notch 50 goals and 50 points.
While the efforts of Pearce, Benjamin Totori and Commins Menapi - 29 goals between them - were key, the defensive effort was second to none.
In 21 games Waitakere gave up just 14 goals, easily the best in NZFC history. The only other occasions when fewer than 20 goals were conceded came in the inaugural season when Waitakere, second to City, let in 19, and this season when City conceded 16.
It is little surprise Waitakere have been so well-served defensively.
Opting for just three at the back, the defence has been well organised and led by former English top-flight player and current international captain Danny Hay. He often had standout Jonathan Perry and Neil Emblen as his lieutenants in a rearguard which was rarely embarrassed.
Perry played 20 of the 21 games, while Hay and Emblen turned out 15 times. The defensive width was provided by Darren Bazeley (17 games) and former Auckland City captain Neil Sykes (18 appearances).
In front of the defence, newcomer Chris Bale turned in a workmanlike effort and joined Pearce as the only Waitakere players to play all 21 matches.
Wellington too were well served especially in goal where Phil Imray played all 22 games, a run that included a record 581 minutes (including six consecutive clean sheets) without conceding.
The other ironic touch comes with the absence - for the first time - of Auckland City in the season's showpiece.
While City, three-from-three in finals including two 3-2 wins over Waitakere, came up short in last week's preliminary final against Wellington. They can still claim the second O-League spot, but only if Waitakere complete the double.
Being forced to cheer for their cross-city rivals will be a bitter pill for the City players/supporters, but Waitakere success is something they must accept if they are to have another chance on the big stage.
They can take some solace from the Waitakere approach however. The club has made it clear there is no thought of anything but going all out for the win even if it will mean yet another round of matches with the old foe.
It all adds to what promises to be a fitting end to the season.
