Picking a Central League winner this season is proving quite a difficult assignment.
Just two points separate the top four sides as previous leaders Team Taranaki and Stop Out both lost, while Palmerston North Marist picked up their first point of the season by holding defending champions Olympic to a 1–1 draw.
The competitive nature of the league was on full display during Sunday’s clash at Endeavour Park as Western Suburbs edged Lower Hutt City 2–1.
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Wests pinned Lower Hutt deep in their half for most of the first 45 minutes as Noah Billingsley proved a constant threat, but they had just Xavier Green’s goal after 17 minutes to show for their possession dominance.
The visitors came out strongly to start the second half, with two goals correctly ruled out for offside, before Jared Cunniff had a penalty saved by former Lower Hutt goalkeeper Reed Collingwood.
Callum McCowatt made him pay for that miss when putting his side up by two with 28 minutes to go, but Cunniff scored with nine minutes remaining to make for what Wests coach Declan Edge said was “an uncomfortable final 10 minutes”.
“We almost sat on the bench and said we hope this doesn’t go to 2–1, because it will be difficult for us and it did go to 2–1 and it did get difficult in the last 10 minutes. I think we weren’t going to lose, it was just a matter of if we could keep them out.
We don’t talk about results too much, but that’s three points and the Central League is looking interesting with some of the results over the weekend.”
Lower Hutt coach Steve Coleman agreed with that sentiment, saying any team could get a result on their day against any opposition.
He was left to rue the missed chances early in the second half, vut didn’t use that as an excuse for the loss.
“That’s football. What ifs and maybes, two goals disallowed for offside and a penalty miss is a chance to win the game perhaps, but I think they’ll go away much happier.
“We’re obviously disappointed, but it’s not unlucky, we should do better really in those facets of the game. If you don’t take your chances you don’t win games at the end of the day.”
AT A GLANCE
Central League round five
Miramar 4 – 0 Stop Out
Wellington Olympic 1 – 1 Palmerston North Marist
Wairarapa United 5 – 1 Team Taranaki
Western Suburbs 2 – 1 Lower Hutt City
Wellington United 6 – 2 Napier City Rovers
Standings
Wairarapa 12, Stop Out 10, Wests 10, Taranaki 10, Wellington United 7, Miramar 6, Olympic 6, Lower Hutt 4, Napier 4, Palmerston North 1
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