Make that three in a row.
Southern United claimed its biggest scalp of the season yesterday, beating Canterbury United 3-1 at English Park in Christchurch. It is the first time the side has won three consecutive games since December 2011.
Two quick goals midway through the second half proved pivotal. Southern clawed back from 1-0 down in a dominant half, as Eric Molloy and Stephen Last found the back of the net. Meanwhile Canterbury struggled to create chances as frustration set into its game. Coach Paul O’Reilly singled out the midfield trio of Danny Ledwith, Michael Hogan and Andrew Ridden as being outstanding. It was rock solid and contained the threat of Aaron Clapham, who was dominant last time the two sides met. O’Reilly was delighted with the result, particularly after the 3-1 loss to Canterbury at home earlier in the season.
"We were expecting better results in the first half of the season, and the fact that we’ve got three wins on the bounce is great for us," he said.
"The first half was very cagey, very few chances. We probably had the better chances in the first half, but they had more possession. They got a shot in on second phase from the set piece, which we were disappointed about.
"Then we came out in the second half and dominated from start to finish. We were excellent in the second half, real tough, dogged, scored some good goals. I think we probably deserved to win the game."
Canterbury took a 1-0 lead in the 19th minute. After a corner, Clapham delivered a cross to Tom Schwarz, who headed the ball into the top corner. Southern hit back in the 57th minute through in-form striker Molloy. The Irishman unleashed from 25m out to volley the ball into the top corner.
Stephen Last gave Southern the lead seven minutes later. A free kick fell to the defender in the box, and he took the chance to put Southern in front.Canterbury tried to fight back and had a penalty shout turned down in the 85th minute. It was Southern’s day though, as Molloy put the result to bed on the counterattack with his second goal in the 89th minute.
The win takes Southern to 10 league points, seven points shy of the playoff spots. Canterbury slipped to sixth, behind Hawke’s Bay United, which upset Eastern Suburbs 6-3. A 2-1 loss to Waitakere United means Hamilton Wanderers holds just a two-points gap over Southern. Team Wellington maintained its dominance with a 3-1 win over the Wellington Phoenix under-20s. Auckland City stuttered to a 1-1 draw against Tasman United.
National Football League
The scores
Southern United 3
Eric Molloy 57’, 89’, Stephen Last 64’.
Canterbury 1
Tom Schwarz 19’.
Halftime: 0-1
