KEY POINTS:
Grant Young may be nearer 40 than 30 but he retains the skills that have long made him one of the most potent strikers in the New Zealand Football Championship.
The South African scored one goal and created the other as Auckland City beat Wellington 2-0 at the Croatian Cultural Centre to increase their lead at the top of the championship table to three points. Their main rivals, Waitakere United, had to come from behind to earn a 1-1 draw with Otago United in Dunedin.
Young's goal in the 26th minute demonstrated his savvy and skills. One of the youngest players on the field, Adam McGeorge, fed a perfect pass through the Wellington defence and with a burst of speed Young was clear. But goalkeeper Phil Imray had charged out quickly and it needed a deft chip to elude him when lesser players might have opted to blast the ball goalwards.
Auckland's second goal in the 56th minute came courtesy of an expertly taken penalty by Paul Urlovic. But Young was again the catalyst. His speed took him clear of the defence and referee Neil Fox ruled that the challenge on him by Caue Benicio was worth a penalty.
Auckland coach Colin Tuaa was thrilled by the way his team lifted their game to meet the spirited challenge of Wellington. "We played when we had to play," he said. "And when we had to get the goals we did.
"Lots of times these games are a bit of an arm wrestle but at the moment our effort and attitude is up to the task. I thought Grant Young was outstanding. His goal was a lovely piece of skill because the goalie was coming out fast and it was easy for a shot to have been blocked."
Wellington coach Stu Jacobs was philosophical, disappointed that his team lost but not convinced they were two goals worse than Auckland.
"We lacked the cutting edge," he said. "We got in good areas, particularly in the first half, but the final ball went astray and we didn't have a quality finish.
"It wasn't a game where they overpowered us but you've got to take your chances if you want to beat Auckland. It's disappointing to lose but we've got to bounce back against Otago."
Auckland had Ben Sigmund and Chad Coombes back from suspension and they were prominent in a midfield that bustled Wellington out of their rhythm. Ki-Hyung Lee was again impressive and young McGeorge did not look out of place at this level.
On the downside stalwart defender Greg Uhlmann injured his leg and left the field after 33 minutes.
Wellington had their moments with Daniel Ellensohn, Graham Little and Raf de Gregorio all having half chances. But they encountered a defence quick to tackle back and goalkeeper Ross Nicholson commanding the penalty area.
Waitakere created plenty of chances early against Otago and Allan Pearce was twice thwarted by superb saves by Liam Little. But the opening goal in the 55th minute went to the home team when John Lang leapt to head home a corner by Andy Coburn.
In the 80th minute Waitakere drew level when Danko Koprivcic, who had come on as a substitute in the 71st minute, beat two defenders to score.
Manawatu held off a late surge to beat Canterbury 3-2 in Christchurch while Hawkes Bay and Waikato finished with a scoreless draw in Napier.
