It was an interesting but boring game. Auckland won 4-0 but Manawatu had 3, clear cut chances (and the only 3 they had) and they would have been put away by 99% of the other teams in the world except Manawatu.
Lets not dress it up to be anything other than a crap Manawatu team that was dominated by ACFC that never got out of 1st gear because they were allowed to play football with ease.
Matt Borren is a class keeper but his 2 CBs (one of which was Cooksley) were just rank awful. Chuck in a waste of space Matt Kennedy, a midget in Tyson Brandt who would struggle at u11 level such is his stature to ability ratio, a striker with 2 left feet that uses neither, Dale Higham who never looked up once and always ran out of space or into 2 defenders and away from his options, a LB that could not mark a his own shadow and just some inept tactics, and that pretty much sums up Manawatu. Cowan had a 1v1 that should have been put away, Solumon did all the work in beating everyone and blazed over with just Pritchett on the goal line and another where they just seems to want to smack the shit out of it, right at a defender. This team deserves to be rightfully bottom. They are that bad.
Auckland didn't need to try (and didn't) because Manawatu offered nothing. The best of them was Bale and the 3 subs Corrales, Hicks and Browne. MOM should go to Ramon for not picking the Japanese boy. Also Tade got his full 90 and drifted out of the game for most of it. Don't say I didn't tell you so.