The win followed swiftly on the heels of a 1-1 draw against Rewa on Friday evening and is a timely confidence boost for Waitakere as they look to prepare for the 2012 O-League, which kicks off on October 29.
Ba are returning to the Pacific’s premier club competition for the first time since their runners-up placing in 2007 and viewed the clash against Waitakere as an excellent way to prepare for the upcoming campaign as the sides have been drawn in the same group.
But their hopes of a positive result were severely hampered in just the third minute when key player Manueli Kalou was sent off for violent conduct after conceeding a penalty.
Former All White Allan Pearce slotted home the spot kick to put the Auckland-based side in control and they remained a goal in front until the halftime whistle.
Ba received a boost in the second period though when, in the spirit of the ‘friendly’ nature of the match, Waitakere agreed to let them return to the full complement of players.
The 11th man did not have the desired effect in an attacking sense however and it was instead Waitakere who found the net again, new Solomon Islands signing Gagame Feni scoring two late goals to end Ba’s hopes of taking something from the game.
The action was more even in Waitakere’s first outing of the brief Fiji tour as Rewa, who had been beaten 4-1 by the same opponents in a friendly the previous week in New Zealand, put on a strong showing at Ratu Cakobau Park in Nausori.
Indeed, the home side even went ahead seven minutes into the match when striker Sanni Issa launched a deep cross into the box from the right and Waitakere goalkeeper Danny Robinson came out to deal with it but succeeded only in forcing the ball into his own net for an own goal.
The goal delighted the 1500 fans that had turned out to support their team but, unfortunately, those spectators did not get to see New Zealand-based duo Pita Rabo and Waisake Sabutu, who were rumoured to be involved but did not end up playing. Rewa were, however, strengthened by the inclusion of Labasa duo Valerio Nawatu and Kamal Hassan while Waitakere were able to use striker Roy Krishna for 20 minutes, despite pre-match reports suggesting the Fijian international would not be available.
After taking the early lead, Rewa were forced to defend for much of the rest of the match and national side goalkeeper Simione Tamanisau made a string of fine saves to deny Waitakere.
The Rewa resistance was finally broken late on though when New Zealand U-20 international Sean Lovemore nodded home the equaliser from a corner.
Rewa president Pranil Singh was full of praise for his troops in turning things around so quickly after the earlier defeat, and said the match was ideal preparation for the side’s defence of the Courts Inter District Championship (IDC) title next month.
“After the first match in New Zealand the boys really stepped up to the mark,” Singh said. “These matches have given them some good exposure and playing against good sides has shown us the weaknesses we have to work on as we prepare for the IDC.”
Waitakere coach Neil Emblen was pleased to bring his charges to Fiji as the matches acted as a dry run for the side’s away trips in the upcoming O-League.
“It is always going to be difficult coming to the islands and playing,” he said.
“In the O-League, if you have a match in the islands and lose there is no second chance so we needed a tough match like this. This tour has given us a good chance to try out our various players and give them some game time.”
Waitakere’s first match of the 2012 O-League is against Tahiti’s AS Tefana on October 29 while Ba begin against New Caledonia side AS Mont-Dore on October 30.
For more on Fiji football go to www.fijifootball.com.fj

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