Football PHOTO/FILE
Devon Homes Wanganui Athletic were in a must win situation as they travelled to play Havelock North in the Lotto Federation League on Saturday.
After a horror fixture played at Wembley in the first round, where Athletic threw away a two-goal lead in the second half, the boys in red were clearly keen to prove a point, which they did by finishing 1-0 victors and making the long bus journey home with all three competition points available tucked away in their kit bag.
"This was by far our hardest fought victory," commented player-coach Troy Smith.
"They came out and threw everything at us."
The first 10 minutes saw the Reds sitting on the defensive, as Havelock North looked to peg the visitors back and pinch something early, trying to take advantage of the three-hour bus ride required by Athletic.
"I don't think we started slow but they definitely started in a higher gear," Smith said of the home side's onslaught for the opening stanza.
With both Chris and Steven Burney out for the match with injuries, Athletic were able to show off the depth in their squad, allowing them to call on players such as Shaan Stewart, who is studying currently and playing his football in the United States college system.
It also gave an opportunity for Athletic's youth to make a great showing, especially through right back Adam Gill, who kept possession well and made plenty of attacking runs, overlapping his wide players to get forward and contribute.
Just as it was looking like the game could head into the half locked at a stalemate, Kyle Graham-Luke drove in a beautifully delivered cross, which found Troy Smith on the back post, who volleyed the ball from just outside the six yard box, sending it into the back of the net after 40 minutes.
One-nil up at halftime, the Reds were faced with a similar situation to the last time they met Havelock North.
This time, Athletic had learned their lesson though, and managed to maintain their composure for the next 45 minutes.
"The pitch was very hard under foot and was very difficult to play our style of football," Smith said.
"Havelock played to their strength, as they were looking to catch us asleep by turning our back four and hoping their pace up front would get the job done.
"It was a big team effort. Big challenges were made and bodies being put on the line reinforced the attitude of the players, which was great."
The Reds will now take the week to recuperate as they prepare for a home fixture this weekend against a youthful Palmerston North Boys' High.
Meanwhile, if football was played on paper the 5-0 loss for the Wanganui Athletic Women's side against Waterside Karori on Sunday would have easily been mistaken as just another loss for them in Central League.
But under another new head coach in Donna Kahl, spectators in the Wembley Park stands were treated to a display from a squad that have clearly found a reason to believe again.
The newly found positive attitude was apparent throughout the 90-minute match, with Athletic looking more determined to keep possession and build plays through stringing together a lot more passes than previous fixtures.
There was much less reliance on simply thumping the ball over the head of the midfield in a case of panicked defence.
For 35 minutes the home side held out the Wharfies, only to concede through an unfortunate penalty when one of the Athletic defenders brought down one of Karori's attackers inside the box.
While Sheena Kahl put in another good shift in the defensive line, Tanja Grunwald played a key role in the middle of the park, looking to control the game where she could and provide ball for solitary striker Rose Lockett.
Lockett also had a stand-out game, as she often battled through the Karori defence.
Athletic will be looking for more of this when they remain at Wembley next Sunday and host fourth-placed Wellington United.