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Waitakere United bounced back from their only loss of the season to claim the New Zealand Football Championship minor premiership but only after some anxious moments at Park Island yesterday.
Needing the victory to seal a second successive NZFC title, it was not until the 90th minute that livewire Fijian striker Roy Krishna, in his one magical moment of the game, scored the goal that sunk Hawkes Bay United 1-0.
In the other NZFC game of the weekend, YoungHeart Manawatu beat 10-man Waikato FC 1-0 to hold third place and take another step towards a top four playoff spot.
The only goal in that match at Memorial Park came nine minutes into the second half when Gustavo Saralegui finished a good move involving Raf de Gregorio and Adam Cowan.
It came four minutes after Waikato's Paul Stewart had been sent off for a tackle on Saralegui.
Waitakere, Auckland City and Manawatu now hold the top three places but Hawkes Bay, Waikato and possibly Team Wellington can spoil their party in what shapes as a frantic late-season flurry.
Waitakere, beaten a week earlier by Waikato, again dominated for much of yesterday's away game but their good work in all but the attacking third again counted for little until Krishna broke on the right before angling into the penalty area from where he hit home the winner. Immediately, the fourth official signalled the addition of three minutes of stoppage time.
In changes to their starting line-up, Daniel Kopricvic came in for the injured Benjamin Totori while Danny Robinson replaced Richard Gillespie in goal. Both turned in encouraging efforts.
"We did create chances but their goalkeeper kept them in it," said Waitakere captain Neil Emblen. "I felt we were always more likely to score ...
"It is nice to get the first one out of the way. Now I feel we have to try to win our remaining two games to be fair to the other teams still chasing places in the playoffs."
The NZFC clubs will now have to wait until an Oceania Football Confederation meeting in May to learn whether one or two New Zealand teams will play in the next O-League. A decision was expected on Saturday but has been delayed.
Auckland City have put the pressure back on Waitakere United in this season's O-League following their 8-1 romp over Vanuatu's Port Vila Sharks at Kiwitea St on Saturday.
Led by a Chad Coombes hat-trick and with two each from Paul Urlovic and Milos Nikolic, City, ahead 3-1 at halftime, cruised home and to the top of their group with seven points - three more than Waitakere who have to play Port Vila away and then their home decider against City.
