Wanganui Athletic's James Oxtoby goes up for the header against Red Socks' Zac Brechey-Gradwell at Wembley Park on Saturday. Photo/Stuart Munro
It was a case of dj vu for Devon Homes Wanganui Athletic as they muddled chances in front of goal again yet still battled their way home to a 1-0 victory over Red Socks Manawatu in the Lotto Federation League on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Wanganui City blasted their way to three points with a 9-1 over the Takaro Titanz in the Western Premiership.
A beautifully-delivered cross from Athletic's James Oxtoby finding Joe Sowden's header to the back post put Athletic in front early in the first half in what would turn out to be a scrappy match of missed opportunities.
The determined Red Socks team came with a goal of stripping Athletic of a win at home.
After dominating much of the first half it was a disastrous penalty attempt from Josh Smith, which was easily denied by the keeper, which gave Red Socks a surge in belief, as the visitors applied the screws on the home team for the 15 minutes leading into the break.
A stern halftime talk sent Athletic out ready to fight.
From the defence through to the attack, Athletic looked to be in control of the game and were able to put themselves in scoring positions numerous times throughout the second half.
But to the frustration of the squad, the wobbles in front of goal had returned.
Both Josh Smith and Anthony Bell troubled the visitors defence throughout the second stanza, while Red Socks struggled to find a way to work the ball into Athletics' half, short of sending the ball long over the top of their midfield.
If Athletic were playing in the AFL they would have beaten Red Socks by a huge margin.
While the chances were frequent and several were seemingly sure things, only the trees behind the goal had something to fear as shots often were high over the bar, or limply taken.
But at the final whistle, Athletic still walked away with a much-needed win as they looked to push themselves to the top of the Federation League table.
"Another clean sheet and three points is positive, but we are asking the questions about our scoring attitude," said player-coach Troy Smith after the match, echoing the thoughts of those who surrounded Wembley Park to take in the match.
It won't be hard to figure what the focus at training will be this week, as Athletic prepare for an away trip to Havelock North next weekend to try and dispel the ghosts of the last round, in which a two goal lead was thrown away in the second half to end the match at a 2-2 draw.
Takaro came completely unprepared to Wembley, bringing only 10 men and a poor attitude to face one of the more dominant teams in the Western Premiership.
And City certainly taught them a lesson about being under prepared.
A dominant display against the visitors in the first half saw City walk into halftime with a 5-0 lead.
But the scoreline didn't reflect the battle that was occurring out on the park.
"We knew it was going to be tough, historically they're always a hard team," City coach Kelvin Francis remarked on what turned out to be a true battle on the pitch.
"It was a dirty game."
The second half saw City struggle to keep the attacking mentality, as can be the case when teams have a big lead by halftime and are facing weakened opponents, which resulted in them conceding just their second goal this season.
Keeper Jason Fergusson was caught in two minds as to whether to come or stay from a Takao cross, and ultimately made the wrong decision as the visitors scored.
But the game finished 9-1.
"It wasn't all smooth sailing, they had a couple of good chances too, and will probably feel quite aggrieved they didn't convert them," Francis said.
James Satherly and Chris Annabell both bagged a brace, while Eli Fleming, Cody Wainhouse and Jamie Lambe all contributed a goal to the tally.
But it wasn't just the seasoned heads who were showing promise at the weekend.
Kayia Teano-Mason also snatched two goals on debut for the City team, while Ruben Warburton, also on debut, had a solid 20 minutes in the middle of the park, showing that the youth development goal of City is also paying off.
The Western Premiership takes a breather next weekend, as City prepare for their Federation Cup match at Wembley Park on Monday against a solid Inglewood team.