Victor da Costa's 67th minute strike lifted Southern United to a memorable 2-1 win over highly fancied Waitakere United at Forsyth Barr Stadium on Saturday.
Southern United's first win in Dunedin in almost three years means the side is only a win away from matching last season's win total (three) after just three games.
There were a few anxious moments for Southern in the final half hour, including a couple in stoppage time, with Waitakere throwing everything at the home side in search of an equaliser.
However, led by Cam Attwood and Craig Ferguson, Southern held on for a second straight win in coach Mike Fridge's first season in charge.
''If somebody said at the start of the season, `You can have six points out of nine from three games', I would have snapped their hand off,'' Fridge said.
''But we're not getting carried away with it. It's two great results, but there is a long way to go and we are not by any means a finished article.
''There are a lot of things we need to work on. At the moment, I can't fault these guys, but we need to keep our feet on the ground.''
With defender Matt Joy, midfielder Tom Connor and forward Josh Stewart unavailable through injury, and Dunedin Technical goal-scoring machine Taylor McCormack tied up with university commitments, Fridge was pleased the squad's depth shone through.
Andrew Ridden put the home side 1-0 up in the 17th minute, when he headed a perfect corner delivery inside the far post.
It was a well-earned opener for Southern, having created a number of chances beforehand, including a gilt-edged chance to Tim McLennan, after Waitakere United keeper Danny Robinson failed to handle a long Tom Jackson throw.
With Waitakere losing the aerial battle, more chances fell to Southern United, including a couple to Chilean Eder Franchini Pasten, who fired just wide from the edge of the box.
Southern defender Ross Howard picked up a yellow card halfway through the first half after a clumsy challenge on Sean Harding, while Waitakere's Tom Biss was booked for a similar challenge.
Waitakere striker Derice Richards equalised in fortunate fashion in the 60th minute, when he rifled in a shot from range and goalkeeper Tom Batty failed to palm it over the crossbar.
The home side only had to wait seven minutes before leading again, when da Costa latched on to a McLennan cross and buried it in the back of the net.
The match-winner came just moments after Ridden came agonisingly close from long range with a curling shot, only for a fully-stretched Robinson to tip it wide.
''I was a bit concerned after they went to 1-1 that they would have a lift,'' Fridge said.
''But the good thing was, we then bounced back and scored a cracking second goal. When we scored the second goal, we got a breath of fresh air.''
Fridge was particularly pleased with his side's defence, which kept a potent Waitakere side in check for the majority of the game.
''They had a lot of half-chances. But I don't think there was any clearcut chances where you could turn around and say, `Oh my God, they should have scored there.''
'Southern United has a bye next week, before hosting the Phoenix side in Invercargill on November 30.
By Robert van Royen.
ASB Premiership
The scores
Southern United 2
Andrew Ridden, Victor da Costa
Waitakere United 1
Derice Richards
Halftime: Southern 1-0.
