What kind of a week only has one competition game? This kind of week, of course. NZ Premmy doing its best. All goods, next week we’re back at our usual rhythm with a full set of five fixtures and a whole lot of drama to be had. Auckland City face Eastern Suburbs and Canterbury United host Team Wellington – the four semi-finalists all playing each other a couple weeks early. Damn, she’s gonna be good.

First off though, there was the significant matter of Eastern Suburbs taking on Waitakere on the artificial turf of Bill McKinlay Park. It was an insane game and ultimately one that finished the way it was predicted but the journey to get there was anything but predictable. Starting with a goal within a literal minute of the kickoff, Derek Tieku intercepting a loose back pass to score after 58 seconds. Ridiculous way for Waitakere to start, this a team without a win in seven games and they’re losing before people had barely had time to find a parking spot down the road.

The Waitaks don’t look like a bad team and they don’t play like a bad team. They were expected to challenge for the semis and halfway through the season they looked like they might. Things haven’t been helped by a relatively thin squad but they’ve also continually blown it for themselves with bad finishing. Having had a little gap between games to mix things up, Chris Milicich decided to bring in a new CB partnership with Christian Gray joining Stewart MacKay – first start for Gray since getting promoted to the team in the New Year and MacKay was back after missing the last game. Julyan Collett moved to fullback with Ryan Cain playing centre forward instead of right back, so three cheers to adaptability (he’s usually a forward anyway). Might as well mix it up.

But the backline was constantly in trouble with a lack of pace against the youthful Suburbs dudes and Cain couldn’t finish a couple times. Suburbs almost made it 2-0 within three minutes and then kept up the pressure. Yet Waitakere still have pace up top themselves and very nearly won a spottie twenty mins in. Collett it was, pushing forward. Looked like there was some proper contact but the ref called play on and Suburbs went down the other end and won a penalty of their own. Collett again, this time his diving block was adjudged to have caught his arm. It might have… but it was bloody unlucky all the same.

Andre de Jong had no issue slotting it away for 2-0 in what’s expected to be his last game in the Prem before he jets off to Aussie for their winter season. Here’s hoping he’s got some European trials lined up afterwards because he’s been brilliant this season, building on a strong campaign with Canterbury last year. That lad’s got a future.

The penalty shouts at each end were such a turning point, instead of possibly making it 1-1 it was suddenly 0-2. Yet five minutes later Waitakere were back in the game thanks to Tom Shaw’s magnificent goal outta nowhere. His left-footed drive was a thing of stunning beauty. Whalloped the ball with the outside of the boot, comfortably outside the penalty area, swerving it with power back towards the goal where Lou Caunter could only get a fingertip on it. Not overstating things to say that it might be the goal of the season. Mate, it was special.

What else happened? Nothing if it’s goals you’re after. But there were chances a plenty, there were fouls and attacking subs, there was a brief bit of crowd trouble, there was all sorts. This was a pretty enjoyable game between two teams willing to go for it – one because that’s the only way they know and the other because the with form they’re in they might as well. Suburbs held on for a 2-1 win but they had to sweat for it.

Guts to the Waitaks, at least they have a couple home games to close things off and with Hawke’s Bay and Tasman dropping by they ought to be able to add another win if they can limit the dumb errors and finish some of these chances. No Keegan Linderboom against Suburbs, who’d started the last 15 games in a row. But the goals have dried up for him, two in his past eight after five in the first eight, so you can understand the changes. That and that he no longer plays for the team, of course...

Speaking of goals, Andre de Jong is clear second in the league now with 11 of them. He played all 16 games and largely as an attacking midfielder. Wonderful haul, that.

As for the rest of Danny Hay’s cohorts, they’re now tied with Canterbury for third but play the Dragons in their final game. Only two points behind Auckland City and they play them next week. Look, doubt ‘em if you want, the next month will be as difficult as it gets, but Eastern Suburbs still have a top two finish within their control and that might just mean Champions League next year if they can make it happen.

Speaking of Champions League, nothing went wrong for Team Wellington over in the Solomons. Having barely escaped with a draw in their first game (covered last week), their following two games were much cleaner. A 7-1 win over Lupe O Le Soaga of Samoa and a 5-1 win over AS Magenta of New Caledonia. Marist could only draw 1-1 with Magenta so the Tee Dubs finish top of the group and will host their single-legged quarterfinal in early April. The semis and final are two-legged, by the way.

Didn’t keep a team scoreless among the lot of them but that’s not a problem when you keep scoring goals, particularly when you’ve got Ross Allen in your team. He got a hatty against Lupe and bagged another brace against Magenta before being subbed off so that Angus Kilkolly could score another one off the bench. Hamish Watson also got his first for the club in the third game. Ross Allen, man. We knew he had a killer scoring record with Guernsey before he rolled into Wellywood but here he is with nine goals in eight games for Team Welly, across Premmy and CL games. Hell of a signing. Especially if he keeps this up into the Premmy Semis.

Not a lot else to mention about Team Wellington, who simply did the business. So how about Auckland City? Well, how about them. They did what they always do and won every game without conceding. Their first game was a 7-0 win which made it into last week’s Premmy Files. They chased that with a 5-0 win over Madang FC (from Papua New Guinea) and then a tricky 1-0 win over Fiji’s Lautoka. Top of the table without a goal against them. In all competitions that’s now an absolutely incredible nine consecutive clean sheets. NINE OF THEM!

The Madang game went as planned from the beginning. Dan Morgan and Callum McCowatt each scored within the first 20 mins to take full control of the game and then Emiliano Tade scored a double in the second half (and missed a sitter) before Dalton Wilkins scored right at the end. Wilkins came off the bench in the first two games here and scored both times, having yet to play in the Premiership. Gotta think that’ll only be a matter of time.

Then against Lautoka it was even for a lot of it, the visitors bringing a very solid defensive shape to things and frustrating ACFC (helped by former Tasman duo Cory Chettleburgh and Brian Kaltack)… but they ended up more frustrated than frustrating when Arami Manumanubai slapped Darren White in the head and drew a red card close to half-time. Dan Morgan then supplied a perfect cross to Emiliano Tade (on his 30th birthday, apparently) for the only goal with 20 minutes remaining. Really competitive game but it’s a shame about the red card, which took away Lautoka’s ability to throw players forward on the break. Ah well.

Tade scored in each of these three games with six goals in total. Not bad after he went his last four in the Premmy without one. His second against Madang was his 100th for the club and he’s cruising as ACFC’s record goal-scorer. Also notable that Owen Parker-Price got on off the bench against Lautoka. He started City’s first three games before a serious ankle injury ruled him out for several months. OPP was one of a trio of Ole Academy players who signed with City before the season, all teenagers. Callum McCowatt was one and Dalton Wilkins the other. So far so good on all those fronts.

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