In action elsewhere involving Kiwis, the Wellington Phoenix rose to second on the A-League ladder with the All White contingent to the fore once more, while Shane Smeltz’s personal duel with Archie Thompson for the all-time scoring record heated up with the former bagging another goal for the on-fire Perth Glory.
Asia/Oceania
Canberra United clinched their first W-League title with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Brisbane. The win ensured the capital side completed a remarkable undefeated season. Canberra led 2-1 at the interval and extended their lead after 64 minutes before the Roar pulled one back to set up a grandstand finish.
Late season signing Emma Kete again saw match time in lodging 21 minutes off the bench. It was her second title of the season after she also claimed the Finnish double with PK-35 late last year. Longtime Football Fern back-up goalkeeper Aroon Clansey was an unused substitute but picked up a winners’ medal.
In the A-League, the Phoenix climbed to second on the table with an emphatic 3-1 win over Melbourne Heart at home in front of over 13,000 fans.
The hosts, wearing a one-off all black strip which will be auctioned for charity Cure Kids, got off to the perfect start, taking the lead inside three minutes as talisman Paul Ifill fired home after a delightful cross from All Whites defender Tony Lochhead.
The match marked Lochhead’s century for the club, following hot on the heels of international teammate Tim Brown and Brazilian-born Daniel.
Heart hit back against the run of play, slotting past national custodian Mark Paston, to send the match level at halftime. Another superb assist shortly after the interval, this time by Leo Bertos, set up Englishman Chris Greenacre to put the ‘Nix back in front.
Ifill added a third but the news was not all good for Wellington as Bertos was later carried off in the second half with an ankle injury.
Ben Sigmund continued his good run of form at the heart of the Wellington defence, while off the pitch news around the potential availability for the All Whites of unused substitute and Australian youth international Vince Lia dominated local newspapers.
The Phoenix trail runaway leaders Central Coast Mariners by ten points after their match with Gold Coast United was postponed due to concerns over spectator safety following heavy rain in Queensland.
Shane Smeltz’s recent run of form has drawn him to within two goals of the all-time leading goal scorer Archie Thompson of the Melbourne Victory. The Kiwi hitman has scored four goals in his last three matches for the in-form Perth Glory to take his career tally to 58.
Smeltz’s latest goal in the 3-0 away win over Adelaide United was a typically clinical finish. The All White dispossessed Adelaide defender Daniel Mullen before twisting and turning in possession, and slotting past Eugene Galekovic from just inside the penalty area.
The win pushed Perth up to fourth on the ladder and extended their unbeaten run to seven matches.
Jeremy Brockie was relegated to the reserve bench in the Newcastle Jets 1-0 win in Brisbane over the Roar. The All Whites utility did see 24 minutes of action after replacing former England international Francis Jeffers.
Marco Rojas’ run in the Melbourne Victory first team was short-lived with the winger a second-half substitute in the 2-2 draw with Sydney FC last Thursday. Rojas had a chance six minutes before the end but he volleyed a tough opportunity over.
In Asia, Michael Fitzgerald has been loaned to V-Varen Nagasaki from Albirex Niigata for the upcoming season. Nagasaki plays in the Japan Football League which is the third tier of the Japanese system.
Fitzgerald played the 2010 and 2011 seasons on loan at fellow JFL club Zweigen Kanazawa and will look to help Nagasaki in their promotion quest to J-League Division 2.
On the sub-continent, Kayne Vincent’s Prayag United recorded a 2-2 draw with fellow mid-table side Sporting Clube de Goa. The result puts Prayag a win outside of third place in the I-League.
Europe
An FA Cup weekend meant only Chris Wood was in action in the Championship and the striker played a full part in Bristol City’s 1-0 loss away at Reading. City started brightly and Australian goalkeeper Adam Federici had to be alert to tip a Wood header over the bar in the third minute.
Continuing the cup theme, Greg Draper was again on the scoresheet to help The New Saints into the quarter-finals of the Welsh FA Cup. The Saints scored a 4-0 win over Newport County, who accepted an invitation from the Welsh FA to make their first appearance in the cup since 1992.
In the Scottish Premier League, Aberdeen moved into sixth position off the back of a 1-0 win over Dunfermline Athletic. Unfortunately for All White hero Rory Fallon, he was the only change to the starting line-up, making way for returning skipper Andrew Considine.
Still in Scotland, Rangers are rumoured to be interested in U-17 international goalkeeper Scott Basalaj. The Team Wellington custodian recently spent a couple of weeks training with the Scottish powerhouse and has impressed enough to warrant a return visit to Glasgow.
Basalaj’s international teammate Tim Payne made his debut for the Blackburn Rovers U-18s in a hard-fought 2-1 victory over West Bromwich Albion. Payne started strongly, heading narrowly wide, before Rovers clinched the win with a pair of late strikes.
West Brom will face another member of the Young All Whites alumni next week in the FA Youth Cup with the midlands side drawn to face Burnley in the fifth round. Cameron Howieson has featured regularly for Burnley U-18s this season but missed the fourth round tie with Ipswich Town due to chicken pox.
USA
Bad news for Ali Riley and her Kiwi coach Aaran Lines at the Western New York Flash as the Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) announced that its board of governors has voted to suspend the 2012 season to permit the league to focus on the resolution of certain pending legal issues.
WPS has established its plans to return to play in 2013 and all five owners of the league’s existing teams – Atlanta Beat, Boston Breakers, Philadelphia Independence, Sky Blue FC and Western New York Flash – will remain active with the CEO, Jennifer O’Sullivan, in the governance of WPS throughout the current year.
In the MLS, Andrew Boyens signed with the Los Angeles Galaxy before Christmas and has recently started pre-season training with the defending champions.
The All Whites defender joins former Junior All White Dan Keat at the franchise and will link up with global stars David Beckham, Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane at pre-season training when they return from their current European sojourn.
Boyens may be in line for serious game time as Omar Gonzalez, the Galaxy’s MLS defender of the year, is sidelined with a torn ACL.
Story courtesy of New Zealand Football.
For more on New Zealand football go to www.nzfootball.co.nz

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