Wellington Olympic vs Christchurch United

Wellington Olympic have been the form team throughout this National League... but an unlucky loss to Auckland City in week one and a very late penalty concession leading to a draw against the Wellington Phoenix Reserves last week means that they’re only top on goal difference heading into this penultimate round. Their goal difference is pretty commanding, though in past years the NL has gone with a head to head tiebreaker in which case City would take it regardless. Not that it matters because they’ve already announced that the grand final will be hosted at Mount Smart Stadium in Auckland.

We were at Petone Memorial Park for this game on the turf where the WeeNix often play. Funky thing about Olympic’s season is that they haven’t actually had their home ground of Wakefield Park available to them since the Natty League began – they’ve mostly been playing at Endeavour Park. They did hang up some Greek flags to make it more homely in Petone though. A nice touch.

This was also a meeting between the Central League and Southern League champions, just so you know. Not much going on line-ups wise. Big news for Olympic was that Jack-Henry Sinclair was back after missing last week. Tam Dimairo also returned to the back three (with Justin Gulley on the bench). Meanwhile Christchurch United brought in Noah Billingsley for Joe Hoole in midfield and that was that. Otherwise the same as the blokes who lost 3-2 to Auckland City last time.

Great pace to this game from the very beginning. United immediately wanted to push forward at speed and Olympic responded to the call with the first proper chance as Gianni Bouzoukis rustled the side-netting from a tight angle. Then Jesse Randall burst in behind onto a quick-fire ball from Kailan Gould on the turn - so good from Gould, taking a touch to hold off his marker then immediately firing that through ball - but Randall couldn’t beat Scott Morris in goal.

No worries for Randall, because within a matter of minutes he’d scored an easier one. Jonty Roubos drifted in from the left before shooting low. Morris saved it on the dive outstretched. Randall was then there for the tap-in. Claims of offside but looked alright on the replay.

Eddie Wilkinson also avoided the flag as he got down the left for Chch Utd trying to hit back. His cross missed everybody and then after Billingsley kept it alive, Rabuka’s attempt was blocked. Problem was that every time United attacked, Olympic absorbed that energy then spat it back at them with twice the force. It was only a brilliant save by Morris on his goal-line that prevented Bouzoukis from doubling the lead on the end of a Gould cross.

That second goal wasn’t long in arriving. Good tackle by Tor Davenport-Petersen to win the ball off Matt Todd-Smith in the midfield, then Randall pretty much just turned and blitzed it before Riley Grover bumped him over in the box. Bouzoukis went and grabbed the ball but Ben Mata wandered up there with purpose and pulled rank. Mata then scored a lovely penalty down the middle. 2-0 to Olympic inside 15 minutes.

Having said that, Christchurch United did get themselves straight back into it with a goal of their own. Sho Mathieson sparked it by feeding Daniel MacLennan into the box. Maybe a hint of offside about that one too but more to the point was that Alex Palezevic couldn’t cut the pass out when he had the chance and MacLennan therefore slotted the thing past Scott Basalaj for 2-1.

Not to alarm anyone... but it was all downhill from there for the visitors. Olympic restored that two goal margin in a hurry following a sustained spell of possession. Moving it around pleasantly before Randall picked out Sinclair peeling right and JHS’s cross found Bouzoukis at the back post to bunt number three over the line. Not sure how many goals those two have combined for this season but at an estimate: lots.

Bouzoukis had another chance soon after but Morris did well to prevent him. Sinclair hit Bouzoukis with a long ball over the top but Blake Weston got back to get a foot in. Likewise there was a super slide in from Palezevic to stop Wilkinson getting through... but then back to normal transmissions as Sinclair hit Randall with a cross that JR nodded wide. Then a crazy one as Gould fed Bouzoukis on the run and GB’s boot flew off in the process however he still carried on towards a shot that Morris gathered up across his body. Hard to get full power on a shot when your feet are at different altitudes.

MacLennan did have a couple other snapshots for United, who couldn’t do much to halt the progress of the Greeks (much like the ancient Persians when Alexander the Great rolled into town) but they were definitely capable of mustering a few shots themselves. Wilkinson had one blocked as well. Elsewhere Jack-Henry Sinclair copped one right to the groin, the Hans Moleman Special, which was so nasty it required the ice pack...

Same old story: as soon as Chch showed them any threat they return the danger with interest. 40th minute of the game and they scored their fourth, the best one yet beginning with Basalaj’s long throw to Roubos on the move. Randall collected the ball infield... and found Bouzoukis dashing past with a clever bit of movement across the back three. No dramas from there. Bouzoukis with another. That’s seven for the season for GB, doing his best to claw back Garbhan Coughlan’s lead at the top (GC had 8 prior to this week).

Bouzoukis nearly scored again straight after courtesy of more sharp movement to get on the end of a Randall delivery... alas Morris closed him down just enough (and might’ve even got a touch on it) to take away the angle. Speaking of good keeping, Basalaj made an outrageous one-hander in stoppage time to keep Weston out. Sinclair then put his body on the line again (turning his back this time, smartly) to block Wilkinson on the rebound.

Wilkinson stole in between Mata and Basalaj to begin the second spell but couldn’t find a teammate to help him out. Todd-Smith also smacked a free kick slightly past the post. Wilkinson powered a lot shot through traffic that Basalaj saved amongst all that. Very good start to the half for United anchored by a few set pieces. But you know how that goes. Gould sent a long ball to Bouzoukis already in motion... and some last-ditch defending from Riley Grover to save a fifth concession. False alarm. Except then Basalaj rolled the arm over to find Sinclair this time, who lifted in behind for Randall, and JR only needed one touch to beat Morris and make it 5-1 after 55 mins. Not a false alarm. Just another wonderful goal.

It was relentless. Five minutes later Jesse Randall had his hat-trick dispatching this beauty into the top corner...

Gould had a couple long shots that went straight at Morris. Sinclair was also denied by the United keeper. Christchurch kept on trying to attack themselves though the game was long since gone at this point. Each team made a double sub – Theo Ettema and Sam Mitrakas on for Olympic, Jordan Spain and Daniel Meyn on for United (Meyn the son of club president/chief financial backer Slava Meyn, Daniel made his Natty League debut last week off the bench).

And predictably things eased up from there onwards. The release valve had been loosened on the intensity. Connor Gaul put the ball in the net but he was clearly offside, carry on. At least Jesse Randall wasn’t done as he slipped inside his marker and onto a really smart ball over from Kailan Gould. Randall took a touch then finished with confidence. Goal. Jesse Randall has been delivering assists all term but only had two goals coming into this match. Here he scored four. Righto then.

Gianni Bouzoukis was still chasing his hat-trick... and the goal that’d send him equal top of the Golden Boot ranks. He thought he had it soon after Randall’s one, beating Morris on the spin but ruled to have handballed it. Wee bit harsh. Seven would have to do. 7-1 to Wellington Olympic. A brilliant and ruthless victory full of attacking football with scintillating goals, a real treat for the home fans to enjoy. Particularly these two who managed to snag some primo seats for the latter stages of the match...

Classic NZ National League areas, love it. You could see them on the livestream too…

Jesse Randall was the main man with four goals... and don’t forget the two assists either. Outrageous stat padding from #34. Add in a double for Gianni Bouzoukis who was typically great. Jack-Henry Sinclair and Jonty Roubos chipped in with a pair of assists each. This was the biggest win of the season by any team and an emphatic way to respond to dropped points a week ago. Extra shout out to Scott Basalaj and his long throws which sparked two of those goals.

Christchurch United did threaten throughout, don’t overlook that. Dan MacLennan scored his third goal in the last four games and there were plenty more moments where they either didn’t quite capitalise or there were simply too many defensive bodies in the way. This wasn’t a complete rollover. They simply couldn’t handle what Olympic threw at them coming back the other way. So it goes. This was United’s final away game and there wasn’t much to be gained from it. Next week they close things out on Friday night with the Christchurch Derby against Cashmere Technical and they’re bound to be well up for that one.

Birkenhead United vs Auckland United

Yeah, alright. Here we go. Third and fourth on the ladder, United entering the week two points behind the top pair and Birkenhead three points further back. Put simply: both of them had to win. Anything else and don’t even worry about that grand final. Book those holiday flights to Rarotonga for next week instead. Even the team that won would still be left begging their chosen deity/deities for an Auckland City/Wellington Olympic slip up but they still had to win this for that to have any relevance.

Birkenhead hosted at Shepherd’s Park and they were boosted to see the return of Dane Schnell and Sam Burfoot. Each missed the 1-1 draw with Napier, each could well have been the difference in that match. But Burfoot was overseas for a wedding and Schnelly was busy winning the Registered Master Builders 2022 Apprentice of the Year award. You can build your attack around him or he can build your house for you. How about that? Dylan Hobson and Everton O’Leary also returned to the starting team for Birko. All Auckland United did was swap Will Middleton out and Will Mendoza in. One young Will M for another.

United were fast out of the blocks as Reggie Murati crossed for Josh Redfearn whose ducking header only narrowly flew wide. But almost as early Kurtis Mogg landed badly competing for a header. He was quite obviously in masses of pain and had to be helped off the park, an awful blow for one of the premier defenders in the country. Can only hope it’s not as bad as it looks. Ignacio Machuca was brought on to replace him after only three minutes, meaning that Michael Den Heijer dropped into centre-back. One of Machuca’s first contributions was to sling a shot past Silvio Rodic’s post.

Andrew Blake also had an injury scare but he was all good to carry on. Jose Figueira must have been genuinely panicking before getting the thumbs up there. Meanwhile Luke Jorgensen delivered Birkenhead’s first shot of the game finding space just outside the box but it was a simple catch for Mack Waite fielding at mid-on. Jorgo’s next effort was more challenging. Slamming low off an Alex Connor-McClean byline cross, though Waite was equal to the task sticking his foot out for the near post save.

Curiously Birko also made an early defensive change. 22 minutes gone and Nick Forrester walked off with Andrew Cromb taking his spot. Must have been an injury thing but if it was then it wasn’t clear quite what. Anyway, this game was getting very physical. Birko love the niggle whereas United always keep it tight with their locked-in defence. Free kicks were a regular occurrence. Plus there was a bit of brouhaha up the sideline as Corban Piper ran full speed ahead into a sturdy Mike Den Heijer and the rattling of bones that ensued must have been audible back in Mount Roskill. That led to some push and shove but nothing serious. Just a couple competitors giving the fans something to get excited about. And also the benches given it happened right in front of them.

Actually that moment was the highlight of the game to that point.

Blake stuck a mean cross into the zone but Redfearn couldn’t divert it on target. Birko were also looking for every opportunity to get the ball into the area and free kicks were giving them plenty of chances. Dylan Hobson happens to take a mad free kick, if you didn’t know. And if you didn’t know, now you do...

Get that into ya. What a goal (pity about the slight stutter on the clip but that was Sky/NZF’s fault – streaming dramas all over the show this week). But yeah mate, how good.

Waite then denied Jorgensen at his near post. Thumper of a shot from LJ but without much room to aim at. Piper also swatted a volley (way) over after a corner came his way. Birkenhead were buzzing. Blake did have a chance to respond with a free kick but his tantalising cross was well defended. United hadn’t really gotten much going in attack since conceding but a Murati cross in stoppage time threatened to change that. Murati also blasted a shot high. 1-0 at the break. United with a fast start and a decent finish but the bits in between weren’t great hence they found themselves trailing.

One major issue was not having MDH’s defensive midfield presence after he’d had to drop into the backline. So on came Will Stephen at the break with Harshae Raniga sliding into CB instead. Had to be done. Oliver Fay then angled in and shot on target to get things going again, albeit from far out for an easy save. But the day got even better for Birkenhead in the 50th minute when Hobson won a free kick and lifted it long into the area himself. Waite came out but couldn’t claim it. The ball appeared to hit Murati and Stephen couldn’t stop it crossing the line. Corban Piper claimed the touch and was credited with the goal. Sweet as.

Ross Haviland came up big to block Burfoot as Birko attacked with numbers in transition. Jorgensen’s volley caught the heel of MDH to fling wide. Dangerous minutes for AU, who got back on the offensive through Fay working into the area but Dino Botica cut that one out. Woods then did the same to a Redfearn pass. Botica was having one of those dominant days with that familiar no-nonsense all-in Birkenhead style of defending on full display.

Auckland United were walking on a wire trying to stay in the grand final race. Burfoot went close with a curler over the bar. Botica blocked Fay again. On came Guy-Frank Essome-Penda and Will Middleton for AU in search of something. Machuca was one of the blokes replaced meaning that he’d been subbed on and off in the same game... granted he was subbed on after three minutes so he might as well have started.

There were so many fouls. Really hard for either team to get a flow going with all the stoppages but the difference was that Birko had managed to score from a pair of set pieces. Woods charged down Essome-Penda. Haviland banged a fantastic effort on target but Rodic slapped it to safety. Then Redfearn beat a bloke to get into the area only to see three Birko jerseys in his face saying: nah bro. It was like that. MDH and Zambrano combined smoothly only for Rodic to deny Zambrano at the end of it. Five minutes to go. Three minutes. One minute. Into stoppage time.

It was within that stoppage time that Corban Piper used up the last of his final warnings. Second yellow given after tripping Murati – nothing dirty, all about accumulation. It does mean he’ll be suspended for next week’s season finale though.

2-0 to Birkenhead was the way it ended. Set pieces were the difference and Dylan Hobson happens to strike a dead ball as well as anyone. Dino Botica was immense at the back. Silvio Rodic was flawless on the way to a clean sheet. Spoiler alert: results elsewhere means that Birko still won’t make the final... but if they beat the WeeNix in round nine then third place will be theirs. Best of the rest. Can’t complain about that.

Might’ve been different had Kurtis Mogg not gotten hurt for AU but those things do happen, unfortunately. United’s decision to move MDH to CB in that first half is one they probably regret. Ah well. Two defeats in their last three games for Auckland United having been the final remaining undefeated team in the competition. Biggest issue is that they simply don’t score enough goals. This was the first time they’ve been held scoreless yet they’ve only got 11 goals all combined – the win over Auckland City being the only occasion on which they’ve scored more than twice. To be fair, that game alone probably makes this season a success.

Melville United vs Napier City Rovers

The way that Melville figured out this whole National League thing so suddenly has been pure madness. Two goals scored in four games with one draw and three defeats. Then they went ballistic with a 5-2 win over Christchurch Utd and from that point onwards... three wins in a row scoring 10 goals. They’d have been confident of making that four dubs on the trot hosting NCR at Gower Park. Only one change from the side that won 3-2 vs Miramar and that was Jerson Lagos starting at wing-back.

Napier City held Birkenhead to a draw after defending as well as they have for weeks. Naturally there was no need for any drastic changes for them either – the only switch being Cam Emerson in for Sam Lack. Might have been a slight tweak to the shape but again nothing too substantial. Both teams operating with trios at the back. Coach Bill Robertson was able to leave himself off the teamsheet entirely... though he did include old mate Richard Gillespie as backup keeper. The principal of Te Pohue School. 41 years young these days. Good yarns.

Like most games this week, there were streaming problems. Bad enough that the live vision wasn’t able to go to air properly. It would really be nice if Sky Sports/Next/NZF gave an impression that they actually cared about the National League footy they broadcast, instead it’s streaming dramas and dodgy/sluggish commentary (with a few notable exceptions), and general production inconsistencies (if I had a dollar for every time I’ve seen a player’s name spelled wrong on the graphics then I wouldn’t need to ask youz folks to get amongst our Patreon to support the mahi). Thankfully NZF did throw up the full replay on their own channel. A blessed relief... especially since this game was an absolute banger.

Also, Melville’s Twitter account is a lot of fun if you’re not already on that buzz. One of the better ones to keep up to date with if you can’t watch the game live. They shan’t have been too stoked with how this one began though. A tidy start had seen Liam Hayes fizz a half-volley on target from a couple metres beyond the penalty area. Great save by Oscar Mason to divert it away for a corner. But then Rovers punted the ball deep from the keeper and a flick-on by Leaford Allen was further nudged along by Cam Emerson to find Christian Leopard... and the former Central Districts all-rounder drove that sucker into the bottom corner in only the fourth minute of the match.

That lead only lasted five minutes. Melville perked back up with some sharp possession weaving in and out and winning a couple of corner kicks. One of those corners was swung in by Josh Galletly at about shoulder height and Oli Colloty intersected it perfectly at the near post to guide it past Mason for the equaliser. Alrighty.

The Waikato River kept flowing and Melville kept on attacking. Lagos was finding plenty of room in behind his opposing wing-back and Colloty smacked another shot on target from out on the left. Although so did Emerson aiming at the other goal after squeezing past Raheem Hunter (Max Tommy had it covered). Mere seconds later the home side took the lead as Stafford Dowling cut back from the right side of the byline and Joshua Galletly’s shot from the perimeter deflected off a defender to give Mason no chance. Into the bottom corner. 2-1 to Melville. There was a sizzling dose of skill from Dowling to create room for the cross... but he misses out on the assist because it went down officially as a Fergus Neil own goal. Not sure about that one, chief.

Rovers found a few inklings via the direct stuff, with that physically powerful Melville defence finally finding a worthy match in Leaford Allen (aka the strongest man in the National League). Melville continued to move the ball swiftly. A long ball from Tommy bounced all the way into the opposite penalty box where NZ U19s teammates Colloty and Mason collided. Colloty took the brunt of it yet was also whistled for the foul. Melville argued that it might’ve gone the other way for a spot kick. The fact that neither of them actually won the ball makes it hard to judge who fouled whom. Luckily both dudes were able to continue mostly unscathed. In fact Colloty got straight back into the hunt, linking with Galletly before the ball was poked away by a defender... but only as far as Stafford Dowling who dispatched it for a third Melville goal.

Hold up, not so fast, because then Rovers won a corner which was part-cleared in the direction of Sho Goto hovering on the edge of the area. He had enough room to take a touch before lashing that sucker into the net with such force that it slingshotted back out again (and probably fooled a few fans in attendance). What. A. Hit.

If you’ve lost count already, that made it 3-2 to Melville after 26 minutes. Kaeden Atkins had to be plugged up after a knock that drew some blood. Colloty couldn’t get a shot away on the turn from eight yards, getting into a great position after some slick work from Ryen Lawrence and Galletly. The same bloke then ducked to get under a header from another JG corner but pushed it wide of the far post. Galletly, if you haven’t already been alerted, is something of a set piece king. Hence when Melville won a cheeky handball free kick just outside the area it was danger zone for NCR. This is what he did...

Phwoar, how about that one? Galletly didn’t make the cut for the U19 Oceania Champs squad but with form like this it’s not too late to make a push for the U20 World Cup next year. Start working on that application form, son. Here’s another angle...

Meanwhile Rovers whipped together a few things including a great strike from Jonny McNamara which Tommy saved expertly by tipping it onto the post. Then came a cross from Emerson which apparently caught the arm of Liam Hayes and earned Napier a spottie in injury time. Fergus Neil took that fella and stroked it slickly into the bottom corner as Max Tommy dove the wrong way. Add ‘em all up and it was 4-3 to Melville at half-time.

Chaotic footballing activities... and there was plenty more to come. The second half got underway with Emerson glancing a header off the post from a delicious deep free kick served up by Goto. McNamara soon smashed a shot that Tommy parried away slightly awkwardly. Atkins won a back-stick header that missed the target from the corner. Next thing a rapid move from Ta Eh Doe to McNamara to Allen in a little zigzag passing formation led to Allen being dragged down by Aaron Scott just outside the area. Or... maybe not outside. Because the ref gave a penalty, determining that the contact had continued on into the box. Not impossible for that to have been the case. Didn’t look like it but dunno. Thing is, it didn’t matter because Max Tommy saved the attempt from Fergus Neil.

Still no end to the chaos. Melville won a couple corner kicks to steady themselves. Hayes had a shot deflected over while Colloty missed his first touch to prevent him getting a shot away from a tasty position. Elsewhere McNamara wanted a third NCR penalty for a tackle by Galletly but it looked clean, no whistle. Luke Searle did get yellow carded for charging down a kick out of the keeper’s hands though. Also a smooth run by Lagos led to a cut-back for Colloty whose strike was blocked by Atkins, while Leopard swished one across the face of the goal at the other end.

Melville threw on Sean Liddicoat at the back and he was very swiftly clattered by Leaford Allen, leading to a yellow card for the Canadian. Liddicoat battled on as the foul counts continued to rise. Two hard units, the only clubs in the league from outside the Auckland/Wellington/Christchurch major cities, and not a backwards step was ever taken. As you’d expect to be the case... particularly given the history here as Napier City Rovers once beat Melville 3-2 in the 2019 Chatham Cup final. Each team had four starters in common between that day and this day.

Searle might’ve gotten away with one when he left a bruise on Jim Hoyle whilst already on a yellow. Then Liddicoat went down again and that was the end of his afternoon. Subbed on after 61 minutes, subbed off after 77 minutes. Colloty also stayed down for a spell after Fetuao Belcher bowled him over... but that was different. OC had controlled the ball on his knee and then kept controlling the ball on his knee. Did about five juggles heading towards the sideline and we all know that three is the limit before you can expect a defender to crunch you. OC wasn’t arguing. All the fouls had a habit of taking time out of the game with Melville still nursing that 4-3 lead. Searle then got caught by GK Mason as they both attacked the ball from Galletly’s free kick, recovering enough to slug it out to the finish.

By which stage both Melville and Napier were battered and bruised and absolutely exhausted. Seven goals were scored in the first half but none in the second. 4-3 was the final score as Melville made it four wins in a row. They were the better team overall though it could’ve been a different story had Tommy not saved that penalty. Utterly wild game of football.

Melville got the goods from Josh Galletly. A goal and two assists for that man... who apparently is now heading away to trial with the Melbourne City youth team (via Melville’s website). Best of luck to JG after a massively impressive Natty League campaign, always room for more kiwis with those Aussie A-League clubs. The heavyweight duel between Aaron Scott and Leaford Allen was a funky one. Scott did just enough to edge it. Gotta hype up Tommy once more for the penalty save and also Oli Colloty produced another busy display as he took his season goal tally to six - Colloty has scored in every game of their Melville win streak. The task next week is to try and make it five in a row... away against Auckland City.

Meanwhile Rovers finish their season away against Auckland United so not quite as difficult but still a tricky one. A couple of superb strikes kept them in this game which is something they haven’t always been able to muster. Good to see. Sho Goto was top quality. Kaeden Atkins at the back as well. However after winning game one against the WeeNix they’ve not won again since and you don’t need to be Nostradamus to realise that’s not how they were hoping this National League would pan out.

Auckland City vs Miramar Rangers

Moving onto the Sunday slate and Auckland City woke up knowing that a win against the bottom-placed team would book their spot in the grand final. As with a few other games this weekend, men’s and women’s, the weather was an absolute bastard. The rain spared the kickoff but it soon came back in full force to be a defining aspect of the match. First though, Auckland City kept the same back four for the fourth match in a row. Reid Drake made another start in midfield with Mario Ilich still absent. And Emiliano Tade and Ryan De Vries again began on the bench while Joe Lee missed his first Natty League game. Front three of Liam Gillion, Angus Kilkolly, and Dylan Manickum.

On the flipside there were three changes for Miramar Rangers who had absolutely nothing to play for hence they leaned even further into their youth. Hamish Watson wasn’t part of the travelling squad. Michael Kennedy took his place up front for his first National League start. Likewise for Hunter Wilson at centre-back who had only previously featured twice off the bench. One other change from the loss to Melville and that was Harry Chote getting the left-back start so that Jorge Akers could play further forward ahead of him.

Joe Knowles had to get his kit damp very quickly diving into the sopping earth to make a save after Kilkolly had worked a shot with his left foot. Manickum did similar cutting in from the left but it was straight into the bread basket for Knowles. Bright start from City but Miramar had that sturdy 4-4-2 defensive shape this week. Yet another different formation as they mix things up, this time very much in light of their opposition (whom Hales has coached against many times). And ACFC do have a tendency to avoid playing with risk when dominating possession against such teams. Having said that, there was a lovely chip into the area from Gillion and a strong header from Kilkolly that whizzed slightly over the top... just as the rain began to plummet.

The home side played some silky stuff moving from side to side but the central areas were much harder to access. Liam Wood in particular with a couple chunky efforts. Josh Rogerson then needed some assistance with a sore elbow and as that was happening the rain got even heavier. It eased again soon after but by then it had still dispatched plenty of surface water, affecting the way the ball travelled even on what’s usually a carpet at Kiwitea Street. Needless to say the game got messy... though Liam Gillion did continue to find space on the right wing, once pinging a shot into Knowles’ grasp and another time dinking across to Kilkolly who headed wide.

Rangers didn’t waste a chance to lift a set piece into the area. Sam Mason-Smith also took a cheeky pop from 45 metres out after the whistle had already gone, testing out his range in light of a few banger finishes in recent weeks. Meanwhile Liam Gillion again he found space on the right and again his drilled shot was saved confidently by Joseph Knowles. More than half an hour gone. Incisive moments were limited and goals were absent entirely.

So City tried a different tactic. Cam Howieson started looking for cutting passes through the middle. A few offsides interfered with that ploy though Manickum did pick up a Gerard Garriga pass on the move only to drag his shot past the post, not quite bruh.

Ah but right before the half-time break they found what they were looking for. Sustained possession in the Rangers half eventually paid dividends, although the goal itself was spawned from a situation as basic as it gets: a quick free kick punted long on the diagonal from Reid Drake inside his own half. The first touch from Liam Gillion was excellent. The low driven volley into the far bottom corner was even better. Gillion had been the main man for City all half and there was his reward. No time for kickoff before the whistle sounded for half-time. 1-0 to Auckland City.

Half-time gave the pitch a chance to drain slightly, meaning that the slide tackles came out of the bag as soon as the game resumed. Miramar had a couple decent periods of play taking heart from their first half of defence and trying to expand that further upfield... but then City got back into the possession stuff. Kilkolly almost doubled the lead only for Liam Wood to get across and take the sting out of his shot. Both teams went to their benches with Takuya Iwata (AC) and Wilson Souphanthavong (MR) entering the contest... and no sooner had they done that than another downpour greeted them. Thankfully it didn’t last too long.

Conor Tracey did well to get out and punch a few aerial balls into the AC area so as to not let things develop any further. Crucial goalkeeping interventions. Then up the other end Reid Drake was slipped in behind by Manickum yet as Drake poked the ball past the keeper across came Harry Chote to hack it away. Clever defending. On came Emiliano Tade in place of first half hero Gillion.

And... within minutes Tade had scored. A penalty following a sliding challenge by Chote on Howieson. City had just appealed for a handball against Chote, no dice there, then Chote threw himself across the grass to take the ball off the feet of Howieson who’d charged back onto it. Only issue was that he very clearly won the ball. Maybe a little bit of contact sliding through but no way should that have been a penalty kick. Really rough one against Miramar there. Tade was never gonna miss from the spot.

That was not the end of it. We still had another twist in this tale as Adam Mitchell played a pass back infield under pressure not spotting Sam Mason-Smith, who took a touch then casually lifted it over Conor Tracey from about 35 metres out. Another one of those outrageous long distance finishes from SMS... seems like he scores one of these every second week. That was in the 77th minute (and just after Gerard Garriga had gone off after a knock). Still time for Rangers to muster an unlikely comeback.

Miramar switched to a back three in order to give it a crack. It was Auckland City who initially got back into the attacking zones. Nothing doing there and then, because of course it did, the rain returned with a vengeance to make sure there wasn’t anybody left in attendance not completely soaked to the bone.

Rangers didn’t hate it. The rain only made things more frantic and that played into their hands. Christopher Stenersen fizzed an effort on target from outside the box. Tracey plucked it out of the air, no easy feat given the weather. Knowles then made an even better save diving to stop Ryan De Vries. Back the other way and Mason-Smith thumped a header wide (which landed in a puddle). Then an incredible chance in the closing stages as Mason-Smith ran onto an Akers cross and took two touches to get around Iwata at pace but Tracey launched himself at his feet and gathered up the ball like a hungry hippo. Could easily have spilled that or committed a foul or anything. But Tracey owned the moment and Auckland City survived with a 2-1 victory to book their place in the grand final.

Exhausting finale. In the end Auckland City got the job done with what people tend to refer to as a ‘professional performance’, usually meaning that they didn’t play well but were still the better team. Which was true. True to the cliche, the weather was a leveller and prevented City from getting into their full stride. However they still created a number of chances, particularly in the first half, and while the penalty was more than dodgy they were still the deserved victors.

Liam Gillion was at the heart of a lot of their best work as he stakes a claim for further minutes. Conor Tracey could have gotten away with carrying an umbrella in the first half yet came up clutch when they needed him late on. Sam Brotherton had a tidy game, particularly his passing which is always a treat. City did what they had to do in tough circumstances and now they’re going to the final.

Nothing to worry about for Miramar Rangers. Despite being stretched to their limits as a squad they served up a battling, committed effort that, coupled with the storms, gave their pedigreed opponents plenty to ponder. Liam Wood was a behemoth leading by example at the back. Sam Mason-Smith dished up another screamer of a goal. And they might’ve even had something to take back to Wellywood were it not for that rando penalty decision. Chuck in a heap of positive experience for some of the emerging blokes and despite the result it was a productive day at the office.

Cashmere Technical vs Wellington Phoenix Reserves

Last game of the round and the Cashmere Tech litmus test may have run its race. The Techies have been the team by which to judge other teams, beating lower half sides and losing to top half sides and usually by a couple spare goals either way. But the WeeNix were stacked beyond regular proportions here. The A-League team is on a break so everybody was free to go. Obviously Chris Greenacre and Ufuk Talay didn’t get silly with that... but several dudes in need of game time were made available. Litmus test irrelevant.

Alex Paulsen started in goal. His second NL appearance of the season having also started in week one. Finn Surman has played a couple of times for the reserves and he was back once more, alongside NZ U19s teammate Isaac Hughes at CB. Left back Lucas Mauragis made his fifth start in a row for the ressies and he’s been an exciting one to watch recently. Then we also had Oskar van Hattum up front and Nico Pennington in midfield, each making appearance tahi of the term. Noah Karunaratne is a reserves player but he’s been on the bench once for the senior team. This was a mad line-up. The WeeNix stepped off the plane in Christchurch with intentions to have some fun.

Cashmere Technical’s mitigating relief was having Garbhan Coughlan fit and available and hoping to extend his lead at the top of the Golden Boot standings. He’d gone off hurt with CT up 1-0 against Auckland United a week earlier – a game that they went on to lose 2-1. Other than that... nothing to mention apart from in defence where Jacob Richards got a go at right back, Andrew Storer returned from suspension at CB, and Harrison Rowe deputised in goal for the absent Danny Knight.

Pennington didn’t waste any time in trying to lift the ball over the top for the bro Van Hattum a couple times. Didn’t latch onto either. Penny also learned a National League lesson when he was clipped on the heel and reached back to take the free kick quickly only to be whistled for a handball as no foul had been called. Sorry, bruv.

However this game was mostly about defensive structure initially, something that has been a focus for the WeeNix for most of the season and which has been paying dividends lately. Against a deeper-set team like Technical that meant setting that front four flat for the selective press. A couple times Coughlan’s clever passing pierced a hole in the shape. Also Lachie McIsaac drilled a shot into Paulsen’s grasp after stealing the ball from van Hattum outside the Nix penalty box. Otherwise a pretty tame opening ten minutes though.

Van Hattum finally got onto a Pennington long ball at the third attempt and lifted it over keeper Rowe but it didn’t drop in time for a goal. The Nix found some further joy accessing those wide areas thanks to Dan McKay switches. For the home side, it was all about Coughlan as he almost slipped in Aidan Barbour-Ryan (Mauragis with the burst of speed to get there first) and also stabbed one on target from a tight angle which Paulsen slightly fumbled but to no consequence.

Hughes made a great challenge to stop the waters from parting for Coughlan on the move. Yet the action was largely down the other end, where the WeeNix were moving the ball with purpose only those big Tech defenders had a knack for breaking things up at the last moment. Lots of touches for Karunaratne and Mauragis down the left. Pennington had a crack from range but it needed some more sauce on it. He must’ve gotten his orders in at the tuck shop because the next chance he got that thing had sauce and mustard and onions and the whole works on it...

If you thought that was good, try Ben Wallace’s effort from about two minutes later...

A couple of moments of class and a positive start had been converted into a commanding lead. Curiously, Finn Surman was subbed off straight afterwards, taking away one of those pros, which was probably a pre-planned thirty minute cameo. Half an hour’s work and then put the feet up. Lukas Kelly-Heald replaced him.

Harrison Rowe won’t have loved the sight of that OVH shot sailing into his top corner but he made a top save to keep van Hattum out a little later. Staying big and charging down a hard-hit volley. Cashmere then steadied things with a spell of possession, restricting the Nix to counter attacks, but they needed chances of their own and there weren’t too many hints of those... until stoppage time when Barbour-Ryan’s strike from the right edge of the box beat Paulsen but hit Hughes. Lyle Matthysen got to the rebound... only for Hughes to clear that one off the line as well.

The Nix couldn’t get rid of it though. Alex Ballard intercepted a pass near the centre-circle and lifted it towards Matthysen, whose flick header found Kian Donkers with room to shoot. Paulsen did brilliantly to close him down and make the save with his torso... however Coughlan collected the loosie and glided past Paulsen with a delicious fake before... well, he poked the ball over the top of the goal frame. But Hughes clattered him in the process and a penalty was awarded. Paulsen was so close to making the save but Coughlan’s take had too much power. Thus Cashmere Technical halved the deficit with the last kick of the half. 2-1 at the break. Coughlan up to nine G’s for the term.

Gotta remember that the WeeNix have been a first half team for most of this season, starting great but not always serving up a full ninety at that same level. Technical got the second half going with a couple early shots - Coughlan dragged his wide but ABR forced a save from Paulsen. Then Coughlan did similar after a nice Barbour-Ryan run across the top of the box. In other news, Pennington needed two goes dragging Sam Lapslie back by the jersey before he finally halted his progress and got the yellow card he was volunteering himself for. Nico P also did great to track back alongside Donkers and manoeuvre him into an off-balance shot when KD was otherwise gonna be 1v1 with Paulsen. Love seeing an effort play from a pro dropping down.

Some very tidy passing moves remained on display from the Nixers. Strikers dropping in and creating triangles, overlaps down the wings, passing back in order to open up new forward lines. All them things. Van Hattum then got on the end of one of those moves with the intent to drive a shot across Rowe but the keeper was up to the task. It was a precarious game as we passed the hour. That was also when Van Hattum was subbed off for Joshua Tollervey.

So ‘twas pretty helpful for the WeeNix that Tollervey then scored with one of his first touches. Getting on the end of a set piece routine that initially looked like Mauragis had messed it up with the quick square pass but nah that was all part of the plan...

That goal restored the good vibes for the Phoenix. Tollervey had a wonderful impact. Couldn’t guide his header on target from a Matt Sheridan cross while his own low square ball was cut out but he was immediately making things happen. Ben Wallace also pinged one slightly high. Pennington took his bow with fifteen to play but by then the WeeNix were in rhythm. Kept moving that ball and making sure they prevented any counter attacks. Tollervey almost scored again with a downwards header at the back stick from a mean Mauragis cross only it rose up into the underside of the crossbar and then he airswung at the rebound. Looked like there was actually a magical touch from Rowe to tip that one into the woodwork. Still not sure how it stayed out... but a genuine outstanding save.

And Rowe did it again a few mins later when Tollervey turned on Storer to get to the line and cut back for Karunaratne whose firm side-footer was flying into the roof of the net until Rowe flew across himself and stuck a hand up. If NK had placed his short towards the sides of the goal then that would’ve been a fourth of the day for the WeeNix. Instead it was another excellent save from Harrison Rowe.

There was a sharp reaction stop at the other end by Paulsen from a Coughlan flick-header off a corner. Meanwhile Charlie Beale probably needed to shoot first time when the ball fell his way after a diverted Mauragis cross. Nothing to worry about. Final score was 3-1 to the Wellington Phoenix who win their second of the campaign, the other being a 3-1 win away against Christchurch United. Something about the Canterbury region seems to agree with them. This was the strongest XI they’d put out all term and fingers crossed we see something similar in the final match against Birkenhead United because this was a lot of fun.

Nico Pennington was superb operating as that deep midfielder collecting the ball and keeping it moving. Forced a few of his forward passes but that’s all good. He was always an option, calming and assured. Plus he scored a lovely goal and most endearingly he took this joint completely seriously with some chunky defensive work too. Oskar van Hattum also came away with cheeky assist in his reserve team away trip, his lay-off leading to Wallace’s belter of a goal. Plus Isaac Hughes may have given away a penalty but he was otherwise fantastic (including the flicked heel pass to set up Tollervey’s strike). Rated a bit of Lucas Mauragis and Dan McKay amongst that. Joshua Tollervey off the bench too. That was a team performance to make not only Chris Greenacre but also Ufuk Talay pretty happy.

Cashmere Tech offered some strong defending at times but couldn’t find the same moments of class as their opponents. Garbhan Coughlan did add an important goal for his Golden Boot quest, though the midfield found themselves in a tricky spot and they couldn’t play enough of the game high enough up the park to cash in. One of them days. Didn’t play poorly, just didn’t play well enough. They’ll be encouraged by Harrison Rowe’s shot stopping in goal. Ultimately, the game that really matters for Cashmere Technical is the season-ending derby game Christchurch United on Friday night.

One more week of Men’s National League to go (plus a grand final). Like a summer holiday, it’s almost over when it feels like it’d only just begun.

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