It was a comfortable day in the Saturday sunshine for Christchurch United as they ran out 4-0 winners over Nelson Suburbs.
Suburbs had struggled to keep the ball out of their net in recent weeks, conceding 10 goals against their last three Southern League opponents. The story was no different here.
United put the pressure on the away side early on, with both Joel Stevens and David Yoo coming close to opening the scoring. It was Matthew Brazier who scored The Rams' first of the afternoon. After a lovely passing move involving Joel Stevens and Thomas Chao, David Yoo played a measured through ball down the left hand side to Brazier, who coolly slotted it past Van Hattum in net.
Ten minutes later, United scored another two in quick succession. Yoo found Brazier with a sublime pass out to the left flank. Brazier played Stevens through on goal, who calmly placed it in the bottom right corner. Just a minute after Stevens slotted home, Brazier had put home his second and United's third of the game.
The Rams got their fourth in the final play of the first half as they got in behind down the left flank yet again through Thomas Chao, who played it across for David Yoo, who stretched out a leg and tucked it away. Yoo has now scored in each of his last five appearances.
The second half petered out somewhat, with United's only attempt on goal coming from Yoo's audacious volley from about 25 yards out, a sign of his confidence in front of goal at the moment.
United's victory keeps them within a point of current league leaders Cashmere Technical, who just about escaped with all three points after a first half scare from Ferrymead Bays. The top two face each other in the next round of the Southern League.