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(From New Zealand Press Association)
The All Whites' loss to lowly Vanuatu in the Oceania Nations Cup turned the New Zealand soccer year into a darker shade of gloomy grey, as MARTYN WATTERSON of NZPA reports.
Wellington, Dec 29 - Conspiracy theorists within New Zealand Soccer are probably thinking someone snuck into their gear shed in January and deflated all the balls.
The ensuing on-pitch results were some of the flattest in years while the administration was rocked by off-field crises, meaning most supporters will happily kiss 2004 goodbye.
It was a bad 12 months for the round-ball game in anybody's eyes.
The eulogy for the New Zealand soccer year was composed after just six months when Vanuatu inflicted one of the All Whites' most embarrassing defeats ever.
The most unlikely powerhouse of Pacific soccer nations left the All Whites feeling exceptionally pale when a 2-4 defeat sent them packing from the Oceania Nations Cup in Australia.