AUCKLAND – Auckland City’s grip on the New Zealand Football Championship trophy loosened on Sunday as Waitakere United confirmed the shift in domestic football power up the north-western motorway.

A 19th minute Allan Pearce goal proved the difference on Waitakere’s return to their impressively remodeled Trusts Stadium home in Henderson.

The 1-0 win was Waitakere’s third over three-time defending champions Auckland in four matches this season (including an O-League triumph last month) and saw the West Auckland club overtake Auckland on goal difference atop the NZFC table.

Crucially Waitakere have a game in hand over Auckland who will be furthered hampered after their inspirational skipper Ben Sigmund received his sixth booking of the season just before halftime on Sunday.

The yellow card means Sigmund will be suspended for Auckland’s final two round robin matches against Waikato FC and Team Wellington. The latter match could yet decide who finishes second and earns the all important home advantage for the 2 v 3 semifinal – providing Waitakere keep their end of the bargain by sealing successive minor premierships.

Waitakere face YoungHeart Manawatu and Otago United away either side of a home match against Hawke’s Bay United in their final three matches knowing the prospect of a home final in late April is theirs to lose.

Pearce was the best player on the plush Trusts Stadium pitch for much of Sunday’s round 18 fixture and was rewarded with his 10th goal of the campaign when he calmly slotted past advancing Auckland goalkeeper Tamati Williams after out-pacing Sigmund following Neil Sykes excellent through-ball.

Auckland battled their way into the game after halftime but Waitakere’s calm heads at the back – Jonathan Perry, Danny Hay, Neil Emblen and Darren Bazeley –  keep Auckland scoreless for the third time this season. It was a close run thing though with Emblen called on to make a goal-line clearance with 10 seconds of the three stoppage time minutes remaining.

Wellington beat 10-man Hawke’s Bay United 3-1 on Saturday. Stu Jacobs men are now three points behind Waitakere and Auckland on 41 points but also have a game in hand over Auckland and a superior goal differential of +27 to +25.

Elsewhere, bottom of the table Canterbury earned just their sixth point of the season with a 1-1 draw against Waikato FC at Links Aveunue in Tauranga in Sunday’s other match.

Otago United scored their first goal in 629 minutes of trying to record just their third win of the season, 1-0 over visiting YoungHeart Manawatu on Saturday.

Aaron Burgess’ 54th minute free-kick proved the difference at Carisbrook in Dunedin as Otago handed their decorated player-coach Terry Phelan – who turned 41 on Sunday – “the best birthday present I’ve ever received”.

Hawke’s Bay were left wondering how they were beaten so comprehensively by visiting Wellington after producing much of the best football at Park Island in Napier on Saturday.

Golden boot leader Graham Little scored his 12 of the campaign to give Wellington the lead four minutes after halftime before a Jonathan Taylor own goal saw Jacobs’ side double their advantage just before the hour. Things went from bad to down right miserable for Hawke’s Bay when the impressive Chris Davies was sent off in the 67th minute for a second bookable offence before substitute Peter Halstead completed the scoring with a goal two minutes into stoppage time.

Meanwhile, Waitakere United came back from a goal down four times to beat Team Wellington 5-4 in their National Youth League semifinal at Trusts Stadium on Sunday.

Waitakere will face Canterbury United in next weekend’s final after Canterbury beat Auckland-Manukau 3-1 on Saturday.

The time and venue for the final will be confirmed by New Zealand Football early this week.

Story Courtesy of NZ Football. For Full Story and more information visit www.nzsoccer.com