Torrential rain sees match abandoned
DUNEDIN, New Zealand - Auckland City FC's match with Southern United was abandoned just after halftime following a torrential downpour that left the Caledonian Ground waterlogged.
Coach Ramon Tribulietx was left frustrated by the outcome but believes referee Cory Mills got the decision right.
The Navy Blues had the best chance of the first half when an Alfie Rogers effort was cleared off the line while goalkeeper Enaut Zubikarai pulled off a good save to prevent Danny Ledwith scoring for Southern United.
But with the rain falling hard the players returned to the pitch after the halftime break to be met with a pitch mostly under water.
"It was a hard game and it rained throughout the first half. The pitch was very quick so it was good for us in some respects but we didn't quite know how to break down their block set up in a 4-1-4-1 formation.
"At times it made it difficult for us. With the pitch under so much water it was not in any condition to be played but looking at it now perhaps if we had waited for 20 minutes or so
"Sometimes you make a decision and it may or may not be the right one but I think at the time the referee got it right because the pitch was unplayable in that moment.
#ISPSHandaPrem - Well, its all done in Dunedin, so now it's off to see what's happening elsewhere in the New Zealand top flight. Kay. Bye.
— Auckland City FC (@AucklandCity_FC) October 28, 2018
#SUvAC 0-0 (match abandoned 47 mins)
#ISPSHandaPrem pic.twitter.com/Vgc6rmRw37
New Zealand Football will announce the dates and times of a rescheduled fixture in the near future while match appearances will be nullified meaning Reid Drake's 50-match milestone will have to wait for at least another week.
"Reid has been with us for four years and came to us when he was a very young boy of just 18 years of age an d he's someone with a lot of good qualities about him.
"Reid has a lot of positives in his game and he looks to me as if he's matured this season. Reid's attitude is fantastic.
"Sometimes he hasn't played as much as he wanted to but he's persevered and he's understood that it can take a long time to make yourself a spot in the team.
"He strikes me as a good player with a great attitude and again I see a more mature person and it's great to see him within touching distance of the 50-match milestone.
"I am sure Reid has a lot more coming his way," Tribulietx told www.aucklandcityfc.com.
Auckland City FC's next match is on Sunday 4 November 2018 at Kiwitea Street when they play host to Hawke's Bay United.
Ends
Match Result
ISPS Handa Premiership
Sunday 28 October 2018
Southern United 0
Auckland City FC 0
HT: 0-0
*Match abandoned after 47 minutes due to waterlogged pitch
AC: 1. Enaut ZUBIKARAI (GK), 4. Mario BILEN, 5. Angel BERLANGA (c), 7. Cam HOWIESON, 9. Javier LOPEZ, 10. Micah LEA'ALAFA, 13. Alfie ROGERS, 14. Jordan VALE, 15. Dan MORGAN, 17. Reid DRAKE, 20. Te Atawhai HUDSON-WIHONGI.
SUBS NOT USED: 24. Cameron BROWN (GK), 3, Takuya IWATA, 6. Brian KALTAK, 16. Yousif ALI, 21. Maro BONSU-MARO.
COACH: Ramon TRIBULIETX
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Player Profiles
Table
| Position | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | AC | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 3 | 15 |
| 2 |  | WS | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 12 |
| 3 |  | BU | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 9 |
| 4 |  | BO | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 9 |
| 5 |  | MN | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 5 | 7 |
| 6 |  | AU | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 6 |
| 7 |  | ES | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 6 |
| 8 |  | TC | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 11 | 3 |
| 9 |  | MU | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 16 | 3 |
| 10 |  | WR | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 2 |
| 11 |  | HW | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 12 | 1 |
| 12 |  | EB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 0 |
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