Soccer: Never-say-die push pays off for Canterbury

Photo / Dean Purcell

Canterbury United's never-give-in attitude was rewarded with their most important goal of the ASB Premiership season at Kiwitea St last night.

Substitute Ken Yamamoto's 88th-minute effort was enough to earn United a 1-0 win over Auckland City and a lifeline into Sunday's semifinals.

Until that goal, Hawkes Bay United were preparing to host Waitakere in first-leg semifinal action.

Now, Canterbury will be back to play Waitakere at Fred Taylor Park in a hastily arranged fixture. The southerners will then have more time to prepare for the second leg, now on April 3.

United coach Keith Braithwaite was all smiles after his team's unlikely victory in a game rescheduled after the disaster in Christchurch.

"The heart and desire of the players was there to see," he said. "The players gave everything they could."

City co-coach Aaron McFarland was disappointed not so much in seeing his team's long unbeaten run ended but in the way his players performed, especially in the second half.

"They stopped playing the brand of football we have been playing and were punished for that," said McFarland. After a scoreless first half - but not without decent chances at both ends - the visitors kept scrapping and came back to snatch the priceless winner.

Canterbury goalkeeper Tom Batty played a key role with a couple of saves which in the end proved match-winners. Russell Kamo was a solid target in their attack while Ivan Vicelich was a standout for City.