Southern United conceded its 11th penalty of the season and that was a game changer in its 2-1 loss to WaiBOP at Cambridge on Saturday.
Southern United was ahead at the break and had some good patches but it could not keep out the home team, aided by a somewhat soft penalty.
The loss confines the team to the bottom of the league ladder in a season which started with some promise but then died away.
Southern coach Mike Fridge rued the penalty given away in Cambridge.
''Those penalties have cost us dearly. I think there had been ten before Saturday's game. The one awarded to WaiBOP took it to 11 spotkicks this season and clearly brought them back into the game at 1-1,'' he said.
Yet Southern started well, despite the long air journey and two-hour bus drive to John Kerkhoff Park in the Waikato.
While WaiBOP focused on containing top scorer Tom Jackson, it was Tim McLennan who darted in to launch an early header that beat keeper Danyon Drake but landed on the roof of WaiBOP's net.
Shortly afterwards, it was McLennan again, who cut in from the left and bent in a classy left-foot shot to give Southern a 38th-minute, 1-0 lead, and he might have scored again just on the halftime whistleBut if Southern dominated the first half, WaiBOP played better in the second half, especially after Robbie Greenhalgh was fouled in the box and the WaiBOP midfielder made no mistake from the resulting 62nd-minute spot kick.
Southern's Tom Batty performed well through some torrid attacking sessions by WaiBOP, and in one frenetic spell the keeper made multiple saves from Chad Coombes, Federico Marquez and Mark Jones.
WaiBOP eventually hit the winner, after Marquez set up Jarrod Young in the 74th minuteThroughout the game, Jackson hurled in his trademark missile long throws, which earned several corners, and substitute Taylor McCormack almost snatched a draw as he rounded the keeper, and hit a low cross.
The win pushes WaiBOP into fifth place just two points adrift of fourth-placed Hawkes Bay.
Fridge was philosophic about the defeat.
''Actually, I thought the penalty was a bit soft, and just before their winner, we should have had a free kick. During the whole season we have never had the rub of the green, no luck at all.''
The Southern United players now have a rest before the Otago Daily Times Football South premiership starts on Good Friday, April 3, with a full round of matches.
ASB Premiership scores
WaiBop United 2 Robbie Greenhalgh pen 62, Jarrod Young 74
Southern United 1 Tim McLennan 38
Halftime: 1-0 Southern
