Early goals proved key as Albury United beat Albury Hotspurs 2-1 in the stifling Sunday afternoon heat. Alex Howard struck inside five minutes when a left-wing corner was allowed to run through the six-yard box, before Ramesh Basnet latched onto Melkie Woldemichael's neat through-ball and rounded Spurs keeper Zachery Bonetti. Woldemichael's touch and pirouette in the lead-up to the second goal was pure class but much of the game was a war of attrition in such oppressive conditions. "You can't step away from the fact it was 36C when we kicked off, so immediately there was an impact on the game," United coach Matt Campbell said. "Five or 10 minutes in, it became a bit of a grind for both sides but it's much easier to lead in these conditions. ALSO IN SPORT "You just want to be ahead and then you can control the game." United were coasting until Hotspurs were awarded a penalty midway through the second half when Jay Barker caught Jack McGiffen with his arm attempting to gather a deep Harrison Heath cross. The referee originally gave a free-kick to United but reversed the decision after consulting with his assistant. McGiffen, making his league debut after arriving from Scotland, beat Barker from the spot but the hosts didn't have enough in the tank to force an equaliser. United are joined at the top on six points by Wangaratta, who beat Albury City 3-1 with goals from Dan Kelly (2) and Stoycho Ivanov. English import Kieran O'Donnell grabbed five goals in a 7-1 win for Cobram against St Pats, with Jake Kalz also on target. It finished 3-3 in a topsy-turvy encounter between Wodonga Diamonds and Myrtleford. Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: