Waitakere win with ease

Waitakere United continued their rich vein of form and goals in an easy two nil victory over Waikato in round eight of the New Zealand Football Championship yesterday.

But in truth it should have been more in a performance that didn’t overly please Coach Chris Milicich albeit he had worked his side hard on return from the Christmas break.

“The second half wasn’t great today but the first 30 minutes were superb and I thought just needed a third goal to really send us on our way. But the boys have worked hard with a lot of running this week and it perhaps showed in the second half performance. But we will take a 2-0 win every week, especially coming off a break so overall I have to be happy.”

Today’s goals make it fourteen in their last four NZFC outings for just the two conceded and continue a seven match unbeaten run since their opening round loss to Team Wellington.

Waitakere opened the scoring in the 13th minute but in truth it should have come from the move that led to the corner from which Allan Pearce nodded home at the near post.

Benji Totori was put clear down the right and he slipped his marker with ease but couldn’t do the same with the advancing Dan Robinson who tipped his low shot beyond the near post when it was easier to score. Moments later Pearce ensured Totori didn’t have too long to rue his missed chance when he headed home Neil Sykes corner.

From then the first half was largely one way traffic with the threat of Pearce and Totori’s pace always a danger, in particular down the right side of Waitakere’s attack.

Waikato contributed a few good moments of their own - usually on the counter attack but at no time did they force Simon Eaddy beyond his comfort zone in the Waitakere goal.

Totori doubled the lead in the 33rd minute when he easily went round Hone Fowler inside the penalty area before a small deflection on his shot saw it wrong foot Robinson in the Waikato goal. It was no less than a dominant home side deserved.

There were numerous other chances to Totori and a few customary long range efforts from Chris Bale in a match that was about as one sided as the tennis final played earlier in the day in Auckland but Waitakere couldn’t kill the game and the opposition of with a third before the break.

The second half started in much the same fashion as the first had been played out with Totori quickly making an impression, stopped only by the desperate tackle from Jeff Sole in the 49th minute.

The depth in the home side was illustrated when just after the hour mark, Milicich withdrew the fleet footed Totori for former age group international Jason Hayne.

The match seemed to lose its pace with the Solomon Islands striker and meandered to an inevitable conclusion without further addition to the score.

Waitakere United: 22 Simon Eaddy, 2 Jonathan Perry, 5 Danny Hay (c), 6 Darren Bazeley (20 Jason Rowley 67th), 8 Commins Menapi (16 Neil Emblen 82nd), 9 Benjamin Totori (7 Jason Hayne 64th), 10 Allan Pearce, 11 Neil Sykes, 15 Chris Bale, 17 Jake Butler, 21 Graham Pearce,



Goals

Waitakere United

A Pearce 13th, B Totori 33rd,