Waiuku miss out on chance to take third

In started as early as the 30th second when the referee awarded Mt Albert a very soft penalty when Jamie Pegg took the ball off the Mt Albert attacker Simon Day. However Day hit the floor and the referee pointed to the spot. Mt Albert top goalscorer Jared Colligan made no mistake from the spot. Soon Mt Albert went 2-0 up when a cross cannoned off Jerry Hubbard into Day's path and he gave Phil van den Broek no chance. Waiuku pegged one back when Shane Godden got a cross in from the right and Pegg slammed the ball into the far corner from out left. Waiuku nearly drew level twice when Wayne Trout had a goal disallowed from a close offside call and again when Trout got free but the keeper tipped round the post. Colligan made Waiuku pay when a long ball was sent forward. Van den Broek came and never collected and Colligan chipped the goalkeeper as he rushed to get back into goal. However Waiuku got one back just before half time when a Cody Ralph corner was headed home by Hubbard in a near replica of last weeks goal.

Waiuku felt they were close to equalising and Trout pushed one narrowly wide but then Mt Albert delivered the killer blow. Nick Farac stole in at the far post when van den Broek and Andrew Millynn failed to clear the danger. Again Waiuku pegged one back through a Ralph penalty but Jon McGrinder was given too much time and hit a soft shot which rolled into the corner.

Waiuku coach Jim Evans was disappointed "I could sense how this game was going to go with the soft penalty at the start and we spent the whole day trying to catch up. We never really got going and it now puts us back into sixth place. The game next week against Matamata is now crucial for us and we have to get back on track. Jamie Pegg was man of the match today."