AUCKLAND – YoungHeart Manawatu continued their perfect start to the 2008-09 New Zealand Football Championship on Sunday, notching a come-from-behind 3-2 win over Otago United in Dunedin on a day when all three away teams returned home with maximum points.
Team Wellington got their first points of the season with a 2-1 win over Hawke’s Bay United in Napier while 10-man Waikato FC edged Canterbury United 1-0 in Christchurch to leave the red and blacks as the only winless team after three rounds.
In the absence of Auckland City and Waitakere United, whose crunch derby match takes place on Wednesday due to Waitakere’s 3-0 O-League win over Port Vila on Saturday, Manawatu move to nine points – three clear of Auckland, who have a game in hand.
In third place – and with two games in hand – Waitakere lead a logjam of five teams on three points with just two being able to squeeze into the four team playoffs at the end of the 14-round season.
In Dunedin, Otago led high-flying Manawatu at halftime through Robbie Deeley’s 30 metre drive in the 26th minute, and it while took YoungHeart almost 50 minutes to restore parity through Cory Chettleburgh’s 72nd minute equaliser, they needed just three more for Jason Hayne to shoot them into the lead.
Irishman Colin Falvey headed Otago level with 11 minutes remaining and with the game opening up as both team pressed for maximum points, Jason Hayne’s fifth goal of the season – a back post header past replacement keeper Callum Flaws – five minutes from time capped YoungHeart’s comeback and a perfect three-from-three start to the season.
In Napier, a second-half Luis Corrales double guided Team Wellington to a 2-1 win over Hawke’s Bay and off the foot of the table.
The Costa Rican scored for last season’s beaten Grand Finalists in the 52nd and 60th minutes and while Graham Fyfe pulled one back for the home side from the penalty spot, the visitors always looked comfortable in victory. Wellington still lie seventh on the table, but only inferior goal difference is keeping them out of the top four.
Waikato FC move up to sixth place on the table with their first win of the season, despite losing Craig Wylie to a second yellow card just eight minutes into the second half.
Wylie though, had already played the role of hero though, scoring the only goal of the game from close range in the 26th minute after early periods of sustained Waikato dominance.
Canterbury had a potential Gareth Turnbull equaliser ruled offside late in the second half and despite looking much more lively with a man advantage they could not make it pay, and prop up the table without a point.
Next Saturday, YoungHeart can maintain their playoff charge at home to Hawke’s Bay in the central derby, while Waitakere host Canterbury in their final game before taking leave for FIFA Club World Cup preparations.
Also on Saturday, Team Wellington welcome Auckland City to Newtown Park in the game of the round, while a place in the top four is on offer for the winner of Otago and Waikato’s clash in Ngaruawahia on Sunday.
NEW ZEALAND FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Round 3 – Results
Auckland
November 23, 2008
RESULTS
Sunday:
Canterbury United 0
Waikato FC 1 (Craig Wylie 26)
Hafltime: 0-1
Hawke’s Bay United 1 (Graham Fyfe 62)
Team Wellington 2 (Luis Corrales 52, 60)
Halftime: 0-0
Otago United 2 (Robbie Deeley 29, Colin Falvey 79)
YoungHeart Manawatu 3 (Cory Chettleburgh 72, Jason Hayne 75, 85)
Halftime: 1-0
STANDINGS:
|
Name |
P |
W |
D |
L |
For |
Ag |
GD |
Pts |
| YoungHeart Manawatu |
3 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
2 |
5 |
9 |
| 2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
1 |
4 |
6 |
|
| Waitakere United |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
| Hawke’s Bay United |
2 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
| Otago United |
3 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
4 |
6 |
-2 |
3 |
| 3 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
3 |
5 |
-2 |
3 |
|
| Team |
3 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
4 |
8 |
-4 |
3 |
| 3 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
4 |
-3 |
0 |
Story and photo courtesy of NZF Media. For more visit www.nzsoccer.com