Nelson Suburbs has delivered a commanding 6–0 Southern Premier League win over bottom-of-the-table Wānaka AFC at Saxton Field today, closing the gap to the top four.
The result leaves Suburbs just one point behind Coastal Spirit and Northern, who sit fourth and fifth respectively.
Johnny Reynolds set the tone early with a stunning free kick from just outside the box. The strike slammed in off the right-hand post before ricocheting across goal into the left side netting. The free kick was awarded after a weaving run from Ben Polak ended with him being brought down just shy of the area.
Johnny continued to threaten and in the 40th minute produced a pinpoint cross for Jay Anderson, whose close-range header crashed on to the crossbar.
He almost added another in spectacular fashion, sending a long-range effort from near halfway that the Wānaka keeper tipped on to the crossbar.
Suburbs carried that momentum into the second half, with captain Lennon Whewell scoring minutes after the restart to make it 2–0.
Johnny was again involved soon after, floating a ball to the back post where Noah Platt finished to extend the lead to three.
Polak then got on the scoresheet himself, heading home to make it 4–0. Lennon added his second with a sharp finish, collecting a loose ball outside the box and striking off the left upright and in for five.
Labu Pan completed the scoring with a curling effort into the top right corner, sealing an emphatic performance and an important three points in the race up the table.
