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Waikato FC went to the top of the New Zealand Football Championship (NZFC) table when they beat Wellington 2-0 in Ngaruawahia on Sunday.
After lack of funds in the pre-season almost saw the club fold, Waikato's fourth win in a row sees tham go into the three-week summer break with 12 points from six matches.
Reigning champions Waitakere United wasted no time in storming back into title contention after O-League and FIFA Club World Cup duty.
A 3-0 win over Manawatu moves them into second place with 10 points with two games in hand.
Auckland City missed their chance to lead the table after losing 1-2 away to Canterbury United and now sit in third, ahead of Hawke's Bay who came from behind to beat 10-man Otago 3-1 in Dunedin, and Manawatu. All three teams are on nine points.
Within striking distance of the top four on eight points are Canterbury, now unbeaten in four games, and Wellington while Otago find themselves four points adrift at the bottom.
Waikato took advantage of a flat Wellington and took the lead through Shaun van Rooyen just before the break and doubled it midway through the second period through in-form 17-year-old Marco Rojas, making his first start in the NZFC.
At Christchurch, Canterbury upset Auckland 2-1 after coming from behind.
Keryn Jordan opened the scoring for Auckland in the 17th minute but Canterbury replied in the 74th and 79th minutes through Tom Lancaster and Gareth Turnbull respectively.
At Auckland's Douglas Field, Waitakere United made it three wins from four with their win over Manawatu.
Daniel Koprivcic latched on to Roy Krishna's cross to open the scoring five minutes before halftime and then returned the favour for Krishna in the 68th minute to complete the scoring after Paul Seaman had extended the lead seven minutes after halftime.
Hawke's Bay moved into playoff contention after their win over over Otago in Dunedin.
Despite going in one down at the interval after Stu Kelly's opener, Hawke's Bay turned the tables in the second half.
Three goals in five minutes around the hour mark were enough to move Hawke's Bay into a semifinal spot and leave Otago firmly rooted to the bottom of the table.
Former All White Che Bunce got the ball rolling with a goal in the 59th minute, before two Graham Fyfe penalties sealed the victory for the Bay.
Otago's misery was compounded when forward John Chisholm was sent off for the foul which led to the second penalty.
Around the league, players wore black armbands to mark the death of Team Wellington general manager David Farrington and observed a minute's silence before kickoff. Farrington died from cancer on Wednesday morning, aged 60.
The NZFC resumes on January 10 and 11.
- NZPA WGT pm
