Roy fires Waitakere to final league win March 16, 2010
Fiji striker Roy Krishna scored a hat-trick as Waitakere United finished their regular season with a 4-2 victory over a feisty Waikato team at Fred Taylor Park.
The win keeps the West Aucklanders a point clear of Auckland City at the top of the NZFC and assured of a semi-final place. But Auckland would have to lose their last two games to concede the title to their cross-town rivals.
After something of a goal-scoring famine early in the season, Waitakere strikers have been feasting in recent games.
It took more than half an hour for them to break the deadlock with Waikato, who had the better of the opening quarter and forced a series of corners that could easily have produced goals.
But a double strike within a couple of minutes changed the balance of the game and they were never seriously in contention after that.
First Benjamin Totori floated a perfectly weighted cross from the right across the Waikato goal and Krishna timed his run well to head his first goal in the 34th minute.
Almost immediately on the restart careless defending left Allan Pearce unmarked to capitalise on a loose ball.
A two-nil deficit at the break didn't look insurmountable for the visitors. But four minutes from the restart Jack Pelter lasered a pinpoint pass from deep in defence to provide Krishna with his second.
It was 4-0 in the 55th minute in somewhat controversial circumstances. Referee Matt Conger awarded Waitakere a penalty. Krishna took the spot kick but goalie Scott Robinson dived to his left to make a brilliant save.
Sadly for Robinson, the referee ordered the kick to be retaken for incursion and Krishna made no mistake given a second chance to complete his hat-trick.
Waikato deserved better than a 4-0 defeat and they had late consolation, first from a penalty by Michael Gwyther in the 78th minute and then an 87th minute goal for Maurie Wasi when Liam Little in the Waitakere spilled a ball in the goalmouth and he won the race to get the final touch.
Waitakere player-coach Neil Emblen, who stayed on the bench, was delighted to see his team again rack up four goals.
"Some of our attacking play was really good," he told the NZFC site.
"We stepped off the gas a bit when the game became a little bit easy. But you have to excuse that at this stage of the season.
"Every game now is a cup final for us and the players don't want to miss anything by getting injured."
" Roy really enjoyed himself but I thought our clear player-of -the-day was Allan Pearce, who played super. He kept it simple and his work-rate was exceptional."
Great player. He was found by carlos whom dr sahu khan fired. The problem is sahu khan did not play soccer so he does not know it takes time to make a good team. Some times it take 5 years to do that but sahu khan wants every thing in 2 years.
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