2024 Men’s National League – Week 9
Cashmere Technical vs Birkenhead United
Well, here we are. Week nine and the end of the line. Five teams were already out of grand final contention heading into this last round but four others were not and Birkenhead United were the first of them to kickoff in this decisive set of fixtures. Top of the table. Highest scoring team in the MNL. They’d lost to Auckland City in week one but were undefeated since then and if they could win against Cashmere Technical at Nga Puna Wai in Christchurch then there was nothing left to prevent them from wandering out at North Harbour Stadium – practically a home game for them as the only club north of the Harbour Bridge – for the Men’s National League grand final. However, a loss or a draw and they’d be leaving things up to fate.
Only one change to the Birko side that won 2-1 against Coastal Spirit last time out (courtesy of that desperately late Monty Patterson penalty) and it was regular starter Andrew Cromb returning to the back three. They’ve had a very settled line-up over the past five or six weeks which has been working for them. No reason to tweak the formula for such a consequential game. Cashmere Technical made three changes from the 1-0 win over Eastern Suburbs (which snapped a six-game winless run). No Danny Kane, the Irishman who has been so good at the back this term, but Tom Schwarz was back so it balances out. Alex Ballard was also in the eleven after a rotational spot off the bench in the previous match. Also, Lyle Matthysen returned after missing the past two weeks. In this final game of the season, Cashy Tech finally got that dream attacking quartet of Lyle Matthysen, Yuya Taguchi, Jack Hallahan, and Garbhan Coughlan together in the same starting line-up.
The main consequence here was Birkenhead trying to make the grand final, sure, but we also had a B-story going on with three of the leading goal-scorers involved. Garbhan Coughlan and Monty Patterson were each on seven goals. Daniel Bunch of Birko also had six goals entering the match. Then, for good measure, there was the additional C-story where Cashy Tech could still potentially finish ahead of their Southern League rivals Coastal Spirit if they could grab the three points.
Cashmere Tech had the first serious chance, as Matthysen crossed early from the left and met Coughlan on the stretch about eight yards out. His touch dribbled wide thanks to some close defensive attention. Same again soon afterwards when Botica stood tall in front of a Coughlan effort from the edge of the box. And there was a spectacular team move that began with Declan Tyndall skipping through the press from right-back, working a one-two with Coughlan who returned it to him with a delicious heel-flick, but yeah nothing much on the end of that.
Monty Patterson did fizz one across goal after ten minutes to give Birko something to latch onto but this was a wobbly start from the league-leaders. Then again, most of their goals come in second halves anyway. They always start with huge energy but that’s only because they play the whole game with huge energy. Nevertheless, the match started to settle into more expected territory from there with Birkenhead having more ball and Cashmere Tech pivoting towards counter-attacks. One such move almost led to gold but Matthysen couldn’t quite reach GC’s cross to the back post. We also had both goalies showing good form in the air, both being large humans so that makes sense (although Silvio Rodic did have a collision with Coughlan that looked painful). And Dylan Connolly upset the home support with consecutive fouls on Matthysen and Coughlan.
Jaylen Rodwell produced an absolutely remarkable goal-line clearance for Birko after 36 mins. Rodic had his pockets picked by Tyndall, who’d carried on his run in Rodic’s blind-spot, and it genuinely looked like an open goal in the making until Rodwell came bounding across from outta nowhere. Huge moment. Cashmere Tech were handling the press very well though they did look more vulnerable out wide where Haris Zeb and especially Dylan Connolly were getting into good positions, albeit without yet being able to pick out a teammate with those crosses. Zeb then got booked for sliding on Taguchi. Lots of bruises in this one. Schwarz glancing a header wide from the free kick.
Then, right before half-time, Birkenhead got the breakthrough. Almost felt like it happened against the grain, even though Birko had shown good intentions the whole way. It wasn’t Monty Patterson this time... it was Daniel Bunch, collecting a pass into the area from Jorgensen and then swivelling and shooting and scoring. Expertly done. Spun past Brittain to get it done down low. Pesky time for Cashy Tech to concede but their sighs will have been tiny wimpers compared to those in Napier, Western Springs, and Sandringham at the sight of that goal.
The lead gave Birkenhead all the encouragement they needed to set up camp outside the Cashmere penalty box as the second half got going. Dino Botica had a strong header blocked within that sustained pressure. Daniel Bunch had his whole team roaring when he slammed in another great low finish only for the referee to say he’d used a hand in controlling it. Very nearly, very nearly. But then the jubilation that became frustration became trepidation when Cashmere Tech went directly up the other end and equalised. Garbhan Coughlan was the man. He usually is. Picked up the ball from Alex Ballard on the left edge of the area and then did that thing where he shimmies and shoots. In off the far post. Coughlan with number eight, putting himself clear of his nemeses Patterson and Bunch. 52 minutes gone.
Remember a draw did not guarantee Birko in the top two. They had to get back on the horse, which they pretty much did... although the nerves were clear when Andrew Cromb tripped up Matthysen to stop a counter, copping a very blatant yellow card. Rodwell also got booked for a foul on Taguchi. Birko play their best when they’re in frantic mode but this was different. These were fouls committed with the bigger picture in mind. Coughlan and Ballard also picked up yellows (while Zeb had gotten one in the first half). Tension was in the air at Nga Puna Wai.
Birkenhead were going closer than Cashmere Tech were. Patterson was dropping and into pockets and trying to set everyone up, though he did have one big chance all for himself with an excellent header that drew a similarly good save from Pieter-Taco Bierema. Heaps of Birko corner kicks too. Plenty of Connolly crosses. All they needed was that one clear moment... and it arrived in the 78th minute. Connolly won the ball on the right and fed Patterson drifting outwards. Monty flung the ball towards the back post where Curtis Hughes was lurking. Nudge back to Bunch. Thump. Goal. Danny Bunch with his second of the arvo, sending him level with Coughlan for the Golden Boot but, more importantly, putting his team 12 minutes plus stoppage time away from the final. All they had to do was hang on.
That task would have been in grave danger had the ref considered Rodwell’s shoulder on Taguchi in the box to be as bad as the home crowd thought. It wasn’t though, and he didn’t. Zander Edwards and Aidan Barbour-Ryan were chucked on for Cashmere Tech who’d already sent Yusuf Van Dam into the arena. Three at the back for Tech, commendably keen to go for it in the last few minutes of their season. Paul Hobson then did something very rare for his Birko team: he made a consolidating substitution by replacing Bunch with defender Semi Nabenu.
It’s quite hard to break down a team that’s sitting stacked at the back – and Cashmere know this because it’s a trick that’s worked in their favour many times. They shuffled the deck even more as we entered added time, subbing Gabriel Gallaway on for Schwarz. But, truth be told, they never managed another decent shot. Birkenhead two, Cashmere Technical one. Birkenhead United will finish first and the rest of the round was all to figure out who they’d face in the final.
For the third time in four weeks, Birkenhead United won a match with a 2-1 scoreline. At least this week they scored in the 78th minute rather than waiting until the 90+5th like they did against Coastal a week prior. Monty Patterson was the hero that day, Daniel Bunch got the flowers and the standing ovation this time. Two beautifully taken goals from the Englishman to lift Birkenhead United to within sight of the promised land. Patterson was still really good though, if he’d not been limited through injury in the first month then he’d be close to a lock for Most Valuable Player... he might still get it anyway. Leon van den Hoven was great in the midfield. The wing-backs were typically dangerous. Jaylen Rodwell pulled out a few important defensive stops. This is such a well-rounded and enjoyable team to watch, one which never quits, one which has won the minor premiership (or whatever we call it) despite not keeping a single clean sheet. Deserving finalists and it’s now on them to go one further. This club did win the 2016 and 2018 Chatham Cup finals. Luke Jorgensen’s the only bloke left from that 2018 squad but perhaps he can be the medium to channel those spirits again.
Bummer of an ending for Cashmere Technical who in contrast have lost three of their past four games by a single goal. Garbhan Coughlan scored 8/16 of Tech’s goals and assisted two others which is probably a little too much to ask from one person. More consistent attacking selections around him would have helped, as would Danny Kane’s presence at the back here, but these things cannot be avoided. Tech’s two wins came against the bottom two teams. Those were also their two clean sheets. On the plus side, they’ve uncovered two fantastic young midfielders in Finn Caughey and Alex Ballard (AB did play last year but this was his breakthrough campaign).
Cashmere Technical 1-2 Birkenhead United
45+3’ | BU | 0-1 | Bunch (Jorgensen)
52’ | CT | 1-1 | Coughlan (Ballard)
78’ | BU | 1-2 | Bunch (Hughes)
Wellington Olympic vs Napier City Rovers
Right around the same time that the Cashmere-Birkenhead game reached it’s midpoint, this one was kicking off. Last year’s champions Wellington Olympic were at their Martin Luckie Park home trying to finish the season on a high (a two-goal win and they would leapfrog Napier City on the table to guarantee a top-half effort) following the disappointment of getting popped last week by a WeeNix side that didn’t even have any outfield first-teamers involved. Meanwhile, Napier City Rovers still had hope of winning the trophy that Olympic are about to surrender. A last-gasp defeat against Auckland City in round eight kinda wrecked their trajectory but a win here would maintain a pulse for their chances. All they’d need would be for two of the three teams above them to drop points (it had to be a loss for Birko, though the other two they could catch with draws). Wasn’t looking great on that count when Birkenhead scored to take the lead in Christchurch a few mins before Napier City kicked off in Wellington. But, like anything, you’ve just gotta control what you can control.
As part of that quest for control, NCR brought Ben Stanley into the side as wing-back while Kieran Richards got another go in midfield. Otherwise it was the usual suspects. Couple of sneaky ones for Wellington Olympic with Joseph Hopper, Gianni Bouzoukis, and Jack-Henry Sinclair all named on the bench. That allowed Dan McKay, Gavin Hoy, and Jonty Roubos to jump into the walk-on eleven while Adam Supyk retained his spot. Scott Basalaj returned with the gloves having skipped last week’s defeat. The teams were set, the grass was green, the Gazebo Tarverna was in business, and we were ready for some football at MLP.
Napier City were the team with everything to play for so Napier City were the team that started like a house on fire with Richards winning a crunching tackle then Jordan Annear asking Basalaj to make a massive fingertip save after a mere forty seconds of action. Annear asked and Basalaj answered. Oscar Faulds also blasted a free kick over the top before Annear almost snuck in at the near post for a Max Chretien square ball only for Aaron O’Driscoll to get in the way. Rovers were fired up. But then a fast game is a good game for Wellington Olympic so they themselves had Gavin Hoy getting into some good positions, including a shot fizzed wide from twenty yards, and they also had Hamish Watson bumping over William Tønning who needed a minute to compose himself again afterwards. As you would under those circumstances.
Stephen Hoyle’s been loving it at the back lately, roughing things up for Rovers, but his old striker days glimpsed through when he stepped into the midfield and then just kept going, ripping a shot off the post after a dozen minutes. You won’t ever catch Hamish Watson lingering in defence but he did use a couple of defenders for deflection purposes for a pair of early shots. One of them was on target but Tønning was able to adjust and make the save. The other went wide. Goals were looking likely for both teams, just a matter of who’d strike first. The answer: Oscar Faulds. Mint cross driven in from Ben Stanley on the left and Ben Mata stumbled trying to get to it. That gave Faulds the room to take a touch and pick his spot from eight yards. Ain’t gotta worry about that.
That earlier sentence said that goals were “looking likely for both teams”. So straight away the Greeks went up the other end and levelled from the penalty spot. Ben Mata was cool and composed from twelve yards after Adam Hewson had fouled Isa Prins. As you were... except for a few more crunchy tackles because it was getting very feisty out there. Plenty of chirping from the respective benches. Those tackles meant that most of the good chances for the rest of the half came from free kicks, with Hamish Watson getting an unconvincing (but effective) save out of Tønning before Hoy nearly curled one top corner. Hoy also swung a corner in deep to where Ben Mata stuck a leg out and touched it off the post.
Lots of good Olympic stuff in there but, two minutes into stoppage time, it was Kieran Richards who put NCR in front when he collected a short corner from Adam Hewson, faked a cross, chopped back and shot from the right edge of the box. The shot flew through the crowd at searing pace. Napier City needed to win and they were leading at the break... thanks in large part to a great save from Tønning staying big to deny a thumper from Hamish Watson at the back post.
No reason to think that anything would slow down from there. Olympic almost forged a chance within ten seconds of the resumption, then two minutes later Chretien smashed an effort off the outside of the post for NCR. Some of the links between the Rovers forwards, usually involving Faulds, were delightful. Both teams showed some slick counters with those cross-field switches serving their intended pitch-stretching purposes. The Greeks had weaponry on the bench so they threw on Jack-Henry Sinclair and Gianni Bouzoukis after an hour. Jack Albertini joined the action for Napier at the same time.
Basalaj pulled off a magical one-handed save when Faulds launched his boot through a bouncing ball, great hit but an even better save. Justin Gulley stung the palms of Tønning up the other end. Annear blasted wide overlapping for NCR. Stephen Hoyle made a remarkable sliding block to deny Watto who’d been played in on the left by JHS, although the flag did go up for offside. On came Sam Lack for Rovers and Joseph Hopper and Kaelin Nguyen for Olympic. The action continued. Chretien drilled yet another shot narrowly off target then seconds later burst through in transition and squeezed the ball onto the post this time. Lots of woodwork wobbles in this one. Finally, in the 77th minute, Hamish Watson was teed up by Isa Prins in the penalty area. Similar spot to his previous chance except there was no offside flag this time. Watto with the smooth finish. Wellington Olympic with the equaliser. Napier City with 13 minutes and change left with which to find a winner to keep their season alive.
The Greeks were on the march after that Watson goal. Jones had to stay brave to block a Sinclair chance and Sinclair also sent a tasty cross towards Watson who couldn’t reach his head onto it. Bouzoukis had a shot deflected wide. Watson wasn’t too far away trying to lob one over Tønning from inside his own half... we’ve seen him do it before from a similar distance. But then Faulds should probably have flipped the script for Napier when he struck a snapshot over the top from six yards. Faulds would later glance a header onto the post from a corner before Lack drove wide from the second effort. Count that as four times that Rovers had struck the frame.
As had been the case all afternoon there was a feeling of an imminent goal yet no clue which team would get it. Watson was denied by a last-ditch tackle by Albertini, while Prins couldn’t quite catch Nguyen with a ball across the six-yard box. Up the other end, Ben Stanley had an open header from deep... straight at Basalaj. Desperation. Perspiration. Agitation. Napier City needed a goal. And you know what? They got one when Ben Stanley lifted the ball across, Jordan Annear nodded it back, and Oscar Faulds did what he’s done so many times for Napier City Rovers this year and slammed it into the back of the net. Fauldsy’s 29th goal for NCR across all competitions in 2024. Who else was it going to be?
In another timeline, that might have gone down as one of the great Napier City Rovers moments. It’s still a pretty good one, NCR grabbing a stoppage time winner against the four-time reigning Central League champs. Alas, Western Springs were comfortably ahead in their game by this point and were soon to complete a victory over the WeeNix that eliminated Napier City Rovers regardless of their own win. But what a win it was. Fascinating game with constant action in both directions. Could have gone either way. Stephen Hoyle and Matthew Jones anchored a brave defensive outing for Rovers. Ben Mata and Aaron O’Driscoll did the same for Olympic. Hamish Watson and Oscar Faulds each lived up to the expectations of being the main men up front. Chances are this is the last we’ll see of Oscar Faulds in Aotearoa, at least for a wee while, with a January transfer window coming up and he having already come so close to a professional deal a few months ago. If so, it’s been a joy to watch him, especially with his NZ links having been reinforced. If he cracks on in Europe then don’t forget that he’s All Whites eligible.
Napier City finish fourth in the MNL after being ninth and eighth in the previous two seasons. They won three games combined in 2022 and 2023, with 13 points. In 2024 they won five games and ended with 17 points. They must have passed Wellington Olympic on their way up because the Greeks were champs last season going undefeated through the championship phase scoring 34 goals in nine matches. This year they scored 16 goals in nine matches. It ain’t the same.
Wellington Olympic 2-3 Napier City Rovers
21’ | NCR | 0-1 | Faulds (Stanley)
24’ | WO | 1-1 | Mata [p] (Prins)
45+2’ | NCR | 1-2 | K.Richards (Hewson)
77’ | WO | 2-2 | Watson (Prins)
90+4’ | NCR | 2-3 | Faulds (Annear)
Western Springs vs Wellington Phoenix Reserves
Kicking off fifteen minutes after the Napier City game was this fixture at Seddon Fields where a win for home side Western Springs would confirm them to finish ahead of NCR regardless of what happened in that match. The Birkenhead game was still ongoing at this point in time, it would have been around 15-20 minutes into its second half when this one kicked off, so there was a chance that Springs could launch all the way to the top with the right results elsewhere. As it happens, we know that Birkenhead United went on to victory. Western Springs may well have known that themselves once they dug into the half-time oranges... in which case, with Auckland City playing on Sunday, either Springs or Rovers would be out of the running with the blast of the final whistle here.
This was never going to be a straightforward contest for Western Springs. They may have been rocking up with a three-game winning streak in the pocket but then so were the Phoenix Reserves. And while Springs have won those three games with an unchanged eleven, the WeeNix just managed to beat Auckland City and Wellington Olympic in consecutive weeks despite making eight changes. Arguably the two form sides in the competition... well, aside from Birkenhead. There was one rare change for Western Springs but it was a familiar one with Riley Manuel elevated to start in the ten role after scoring off the bench last match. Speaking of familiarity, Riley and Jackson Manuel are both former WeeNix players, while Kurtis Mogg was once captain of the Nix Reserves and on the bench the Swans had Ben Wallace as a fourth ex-Nixer. Jackson Manuel even played a bit of A-League in his time, while Kurtis Mogg played Aussie Cup for the first team.
Who would we see for the WeeNix? That’s always a funky question and this being the last game of the reserve season meant it was also the last chance to offer game-time to any fringe A-Leaguers who need the minutes. Not sure if David Ball falls into that category though... because he lined up for his fourth appearance of the MNL campaign here and that basically makes him a regular. Ball’s gotten more reserve games than Corban Piper or Luke Brooke-Smith. Four appearances is as many as Fin Roa Conchie, Oskar van Hattum, and Jayden Smith all put together. Probably not where David Ball wants to be... but each time he’s played he’s brought an encouraging, educating, experienced presence to the side – like a bonus coach out on the pitch. Gotta respect a dude willing to put the ego aside like that, he’s been a huge asset in what’s turned out to be a pretty decent Nix Reserves campaign.
Ball captained the side and, having been used out wide in previous games, this time he was unleashed as a striker. Ball was joined by Luke Supyk up front. Gabriel Sloane-Rodrigues also started on the left-wing while Dublin Boon returned in goal. There was an unchanged CB combo (Dylan Gardiner and Seth Karunaratne) and an unchanged CM combo (Hayden Thomas and Fergus Gillion – making FG the only bloke to start all nine games for the WeeNix). But there were further changes outside them with Lachlan Candy (RW) and Daniel Makowem (LB) returning to the side. Six alterations in total from the Wellington Olympic win. Also six players in common with the Auckland City win.
Having said all that, David Ball wasn’t even the most notable import striker with a professional background who was playing in this fixture. That honour instead goes to Emiliano Tade, the National League legend that he is, who announced during the week that this will be his final season at this level. It doesn’t need to be. He’s had a whole new lease of life since joining Western Springs this year... but don’t forget he missed a few games earlier on while he was overseas working on his coaching badges. A different career seemingly beckons for the great man.
These are two teams that enjoy a bit of build-up possession... and also two teams with the mobile forwards to press against that build-up stuff. Perhaps to be expected, it was Western Springs who embodied the possession bit and the WeeNix who settled into the pressing persona. Lots of patient passing around the back from the Swans... and as the first half dragged on they started to see more and more reward for it. Reid Drake teed up Matthew Ellis on the perimeter but he hooked it wide. Tade pushed one past the far post. Patrick Tobin got up for a header from a Reid Drake corner, the defender looking for yet another MNL goal, but Hayden Thomas was there on the post to clear it away. Shortly after that, Gardiner got himself in the way of a snapshot from Tade, who also asked Boon to make a diving save from a low curler. Boon then made a much tougher one against a pinger of a Reid Drake shot that was dipping under his crossbar at pace, Boony throwing a hand up to tip it over.
Western Springs were counter-pressing brilliantly and the exciting front four for the Nix was barely even involved. The best that the WeeNix had mustered in response was a Luke Supyk shot from distance after a rare Springs turnover... a shot that rolled gently towards Oscar Mason with minimal threat. However, the WeeNix did get a couple things going later in the half. Mogg needed to make a superb sliding block on Supyk while Ball curled high from slightly outside the box and Sloane-Rodrigues struck one straight at Mason. Nothing substantial but enough to ease the pressure and take things into the break at 0-0.
One guy we didn’t see much of in that first half was Matthew Ellis. So within minutes, that bloke was dashing up the right wing onto a delightful flick from Reid Drake. Shot on target but saved by Boon. The WeeNix could have really shaken things up if Lachlan Candy had been able to get his effort within the frame after Supyk had hustled along the byline to set him up. Next thing it was back to Ellis again, whipping a volley at Boon after Tade flicked it over the defensive line. This was more like it from Western Springs... and sure enough they took the lead on 54’ when Matt Ellis went searing into the area and delivered a sharp finish across Boon.
That goal opened the floodgates. Reid Drake went close with a couple of banging efforts while Tade headed wide from a Tobin cross. There was a half-decent spell of WeeNix pressure which followed those chances... but then the Swans picked up where they left off and the second goal was a special one. It was Oscar Browne who scored it, slamming home as the ball fell his way in the box following some intricate stuff from the other forwards. The reason it was special: Browne was the only outfield starter who hadn’t previously scored during this MNL campaign. They’d only used 13 starters in total but all the others, except for goalie Oscar Mason, had at least one goal to their name. Now Oscar Browne got to join the party. Would’ve been an awkward one if he hadn’t scored.
Minutes later, Browne set up Jackson Manuel to make it 3-0. Clever passing around the perimeter to give J.Manuel a deserved goal against his old cohorts for another sentimental goal. The next dose of sentiment surely had to be an Emiliano Tade goal, right? Too bad. He didn’t get one. However, it was his magnificent free kick that was tapped across by Tobin then poked in by Aidan Carey on 82’. Then Tade worked a tremendous one-two with Oscar Ramsay to allow that bloke to slide in a fifth on 86’. That’ll do it. 0-0 at half-time, 5-0 at full-time. With that, Western Springs eliminated Napier City Rovers and gave themselves hope going into the final day of the regular season.
This was the WeeNix’s biggest defeat of the term so that three game winning streak really went down in a blaze. They defended pretty well for large stretches and Dylan Gardiner was again heavily involved in all that. Dublin Boon had a strong game despite the concessions. Fergus Gillion covered heaps of turf in midfield. But they weren’t able to get their forwards moving as Western Springs pressed them high and disrupted the outlets. Four wins, four defeats, and one draw for the WeeNix this year. They had to rely on their automatic spot to get her after only finishing fifth in the Central League but despite how this last game went they were hugely competitive throughout... finishing fifth in the National League.
Western Springs did everything they could. Five second half goals for a triumphant win, sparked by Matthew Ellis and his speediness with plenty of great assistance from Emiliano Tade and Reid Drake. Oscar Browne got that overdue goal. Jackson Manuel was excellent in midfield while the back three was unbothered by whatever the Nix threw at them. Oscar Mason with his third clean sheet as well. They were on top without reward in the first forty-five and they didn’t panic or alter the course. Then suddenly all the prizes came at once.
That’s four wins in a row for Springs... they were up-and-down in the first month but have been superb ever since the galvanising late win against Auckland City. They’ve ended up as the top scoring team with 25 goals from nine matches. 12 different goal-scorers. Will be curious to see if they can retain Kurtis Mogg next year after he joined as a guest player. They’ll need to replace the legend Emiliano Tade too as he moves into his coaching career (Tade’s presence in the starting eleven was one of the main instigators in Springs finding full form). A couple of things to ponder moving forwards... but this squad is built to compete well beyond this National League and they’ve been great fun to watch, especially during this win streak.
Western Springs 5-0 Wellington Phoenix Reserves
54’ | WS | 1-0 | Ellis (J.Manuel)
67’ | WS | 2-0 | Browne
70’ | WS | 3-0 | J.Manuel (Browne)
82’ | WS | 4-0 | Carey (Tobin)
86’ | WS | 5-0 | Ramsay (Tade)
Auckland City vs Coastal Spirit
One week ago, Auckland City were about to see their grand final contention falling out of their own hands when Stipe Ukich scored a 90th minute winner to beat Napier City. Trust ACFC to find the big moment when they needed one. They were the last of the contenders to play in week nine so they knew what everyone else had gotten up to... but it didn’t matter because the task was the same either way. Birkenhead Utd’s win meant that Auckland City could only finish second. However, second still means a grand final place. Win and they were in. Simple as that. It would need to be a win though, because a draw would have favoured Western Springs thus meaning that ACFC would fail to progress to the knockouts of a National League/Premiership for the first time... ever.
Albert Riera is a tough man to please because Stipe Ukich remained on the bench for the third straight game despite his timely heroics. Perhaps they’re trying not to run him into the ground ahead of a possible January transfer, that’d make sense. It’s not like they don’t have stacks of attacking options at their disposal. Ryan De Vries and Angus Kilkolly were also only on the bench for this match with Riera preferring an unchanged eleven from the team that played against Napier City. On the other side, Coastal Spirit didn’t have the suspended Dan MacLennan so it was Jack Mitchell’s turn to get that secondary striker start. Weston Bell was also back in the eleven in a more advanced wide role having mostly been a fullback during these Nats. Good strong, consistent side from Coastal who were trying to cap off a brilliant overall year by avoiding a third consecutive defeat at the end of it.
One of the weirdest parts of Auckland City’s wobble is that they’ve only taken four points from four games at Kiwitea Street this season. Something felt different this time though. A team whose previous nine goals had all come in second halves were showing serious intent from the outset, getting those passes to stick in the attacking third, and it only took 19 minutes for Myer Bevan to smack in the opening goal after a Dylan Manickum dribble had been diverted in his direction. Roughly sixty seconds later, Bevan rushed the backwards pass from the kickoff, won the tackle, then hurled in a magnificent goal from long distance. Incredible strike. But he wasn’t done there because very soon Bevan ran onto a chip into the channel from Nathan Lobo and whipped that thing through the hands of Ellis Hare-Reid to make it 3-0.
Yes, folks, Myer Bevan scored a three-minute hat-trick. Less than three minutes, even. There were 151 seconds between the first and third goals and most of that was celebrations and kickoffs. Coincidentally, David Yoo scored a five-minute hat-trick for Coastal Spirit in round three as part of a 5-0 win against Western Suburbs... but if that was some kind of record then that record just got broken by the main man Myer. By the way, this also took Bevan up to seven goals, only one behind the two Golden Boot leaders (Garbhan Coughlan and Daniel Bunch).
No doubt this was torturous viewing for Western Springs people because we were barely twenty minutes into the match and it was already going to require a miracle comeback from Coastal Spirit to keep Auckland City out of the championship decider. And it was a miracle that got more and more distant as the game continued because Auckland City weren’t easing up. Adam Mitchell swivelled a volley wide after getting forward for set piece time. Lagos had a couple of decent shots. Kailan Gould stung a pass to the near post where Bevan flicked it on target but EHR made a sharp reaction save. Coastal finally got to do some attacking, only for Yuki Aizo and Nathan Lobo to both make hectic blocks inside the six-yard box. Then it was back to regular service as Gould lashed an attempt over the bar. Later, Gould thought for sure he’d scored after some magic from Manickum but Hare-Reid threw in another wonderful save. Gerard Garriga headed wide at the far post as well. With that it was half-time.
David Yoo was the last hope for Coastal and Springs and he showed some of his flashiness by hitting an overlapping runner (couldn’t see who) within seconds of the resumption, the ball across goal not quite then meeting Bell at the back stick. Spirit had subbed on Kenshin Hayashi and Satsumi Hirano at the break, then Liam Cotter followed ten minutes later, so they were at least going to have a crack at it with nothing left to lose. Coastal toiled away then toiled away some more and yes they did get a goal in the 63rd minute when David Yoo threw in a couple stepovers then flashed a low cross into the danger zone where Kenshin Hayashi took a stab at it. Hayashi’s effort may have been travelling wide but the ball hit Adam Mitchell and went in for what’s been credited as an own goal.
But any lingering miraculous vibrations were squashed three minutes later when Dylan Manickum got his long overdue first goal of the MNL. He’s started every game and played very well in most of them so dunno how it took this long. Anyway, it was a lefty finish low into the near post off of Jerson Lagos’ square ball from the left wing. Myer Bevan was lurking ahead of Manickum but he’d already eaten so gotta be fair about it and pass the ladle around.
Manickum was replaced by Ukich immediately after that goal, with Ukich’s first involvement being to set up Kentaro Ozaki (on for Gould ten mins earlier) for a header which EHR acrobatically saved. Ozaki then scored from the corner kick when he drilled in a low shot after Coastal failed to clear. Bang, bottom corner. 5-1 to Auckland City. We’ll be seeing them in the final at North Harbour Stadium next Sunday. Albert Riera emptied his bench for the last fifteen - for some teams that means throwing on the youngsters but for Auckland City it means sending on the combined goal-scoring eminence of Angus Kilkolly and Ryan De Vries... and also one youngster in the form of backup keeper Nathan Garrow. And that was that (apart from a decent Ukich shout for a penalty and a Kilkolly shot off the post at the end of a sumptuous team move).
Coastal Spirit made three trips to Auckland this year and they resulted in a 6-2 loss to Western Springs, a 2-1 loss to Birkenhead United, and a 5-1 loss to Auckland City. At least they beat Eastern Suburbs when they played them at home. Pity to see them end on a three-game losing streak but they’re not the first to go to Kiwitea Street and get pumped, it’s happened to most clubs at some stage - hence why ACFC losing consecutively at home to Western Springs and the WeeNix was so astounding. Ellis Hare-Reid made a mess of Bevan’s third but otherwise produced some monster saves in this match while Danny Boys yet again defied his 39 years with some proud defensive mahi. Only got hints of David Yoo but damn that guy is good. Presumably he’ll be back with Christchurch United next year but he did find a perfect role with this Coastal side so you never know. Same thing’s true of Riley Grover. Coastal Spirit finished second in the Southern League, made the semis of the Chatham Cup, won the English Cup, and finished above Cashmere Tech in the National League standings. This was the club’s greatest year of men’s football. A tired ending doesn’t change that.
Ah but how about them Navy Blues? Last week they were on the brink and Ukich scored a 90th minute winner. This week they simply needed to win and Myer Bevan got it done with a machine gun hat-trick. They always find a way. Bevan didn’t get that eighth goal so book those Golden Boots in for Monty Patterson and Daniel Bunch – the third year in a row that Coughlan has won the trophy and the third year in a row that he’s had to share it (it was Gianni Bouzoukis on the previous two occasions). Bevan was still the definitive force in this game though, a wonderful performance building off his strong work last week which was let down by some sloppy finishing. Couldn’t say that this week – an ominous sign heading into the final. Dylan Manickum and Kailan Gould, in their own contrasting ways, were hugely influential in ACFC’s imposing footy. Some nice stuff from Nathan Lobo in there too, given a bit more attacking licence with this match-up. They didn’t even need the phenom Ukich this time... but no stress because there’s one more date on the calendar before these fellas head off on holiday and it’s a date that they know very well.
Auckland City 5-1 Coastal Spirit
19’ | AC | 1-0 | Bevan
20’ | AC | 2-0 | Bevan
21’ | AC | 3-0 | Bevan (Lobo)
63’ | CS | 3-1 | Own Goal (Hayashi)
66’ | AC | 4-1 | Manickum (Lagos)
70’ | AC | 5-1 | Ozaki
Eastern Suburbs vs Western Suburbs
Ah yes, the long awaited Battle of the Suburbs. Madills Farm was the venue as Eastern Suburbs of Auckland took on Western Suburbs of Wellington. This fixture would have been a lot more exciting earlier in the season because, by the time it finally swung around, the two clubs were last and second-to-last on the table with the fewest goals scored of anyone. So few goals that if you added their tallies together they had the same amount as the next lowest-scoring team when the last round got underway. At least Eastern Suburbs have a decent defensive record. Can’t say that about a Wests side allowing 3.5 goals per game.
Eastern Suburbs mixed it up for their last game, with backup keeper Ernest Wong handed a start. There was also no Kelvin Kalua after he got injured last week which meant Daniel Atkinson dropping deeper on the right edge. James Mitchell got a run from the start... as did Dylan Laing-McConnell who was finally rewarded for his good efforts off the bench all term. Western Suburbs welcomed Quillan Roberts back after another international break with Guyana... where he got to do something he hadn’t yet done in the NZ National League: win a game. In fact, he won two. Guyana beat Barbados 4-1 and 5-3 over consecutive Concacaf Nations League matches for a healthy aggregate triumph. Sweet as. In addition, Caleb Hunt was given his first MNL start of the year while Jamie Wildash-Chan, who’s spent most of the time as a wing-back, was let loose up top.
Two minutes into this game, Campbell Strong lunged in on Wildash-Chan and conceded a penalty. Finn Diamond was the surprise nominee to take the spot kick, the big centre-back (who’d had to face a penalty as stand-in goalie against Auckland City back in round four), and maybe that wasn’t the best idea because he cannoned that thing over the top. Damn. This was the third penalty that Wests have missed this season... and Eastern Suburbs couldn’t laugh because they’ve missed two themselves. Difference is that Wests have had three different takers miss theirs (Malcolm Young in week one, Noah Tipene-Clegg in week eight, and now Finn Diamond in week nine) whereas it was Jake Mechell on both occasions for the Lilywhites.
That penalty incident was out of place within an otherwise slow beginning. There were a few Eastern Suburbs searching long balls but mostly it was limited action... until Laing-McConnell threaded Jackson Jarvie in on goal, JJ making that infield run from left-back, but the angle wasn’t ideal and Quillan Roberts saved the shot. Soon it was JJ returning serve to DLC with a low cross that Laing-McConnell laid back to Jake Mechell who hacked it wide with his left peg. Mechell and Ralph Rutherford linked up sweetly to create space but Rutherford didn’t give the return ball and Diamond was able to close him down. Strong was more alert to his surroundings when he fed DCL but that shot got saved as well. As did a swirling volley from Dan Atkinson at the back post. Where would Western Suburbs be without Quillan Roberts, aye? Still last obviously... but presumably with worse goal difference.
That slow start had evolved into a strong Eastern Suburbs performance with glimpses of some fantastic combinations moving at speed through that Wests defence. Nobody could get on the end of a dangerous Atkinson ball across the six-yard box though. And Roberts was quick to react with another reaching save against Jarvie. More great work from the Guyana goalie, enough to take his team into half-time with the scoreline all even.
Wests subbed on Dakota Brady at the break to give them a different option in midfield. They’d begun to find some coherence in the last ten minutes of the previous half and having that window to reassess seemed to take them further because a quick start to the second soon led to a quick goal. Yeah it did. Lewis Miller pushed a pass towards Cameron Mackenzie stretching into the area. The first touch from CM was heavy but it ended up throwing the keeper and defender off the scent and allowed Mackenzie to squeeze a shot through for 1-0. Just the third game out of nine in which Wests have had a lead. They drew 3-3 with Birko after being up 2-0 and 3-1. They lost 4-1 to Wellington Olympic after being up 1-0. Third time lucky?
A second goal would help that cause, and Mackenzie might’ve gotten it if he’d shot first time on 51’. Wildash-Chan then whipped one on target from the same move. Meanwhile, Roberts was alert once more when Noah Karunaratne tried to beat him from 18 yards and it was the same deal with Rutherford from a longer free kick. Tempers got heated when Rutherford was perceived to have gotten away with a couple of fouls so Seb Barton-Ginger took matters into his own hands by chopping him down. Then they got even more heated when Jackson Jarvie went sprinting onto a ball up the line. Looked like a great attack was brewing... until he tripped over the ball. One of the Wests defenders, might have been Cameron Brown, must have let him know about it because JJ got up and shoved him over. That led to Diamond rushing in to shove Jarvie in response. Diamond got a yellow. Jarvie got a red. Seemed a bit excessive but there may have been more to it than the camera was able to capture because nobody was arguing.
Dejuan Naidoo replaced Laing-McConnell to try and keep the balance for the Lilywhites... who did actually have some good territory despite the red. But Wests simply sat in a flat back five and soaked it up. Space was tricky to find. Although there was a bit more of it after Diamond dragged Naidoo down outside the box, earning himself a second yellow and putting the teams back to even numbers. A red card and a missed penalty in the same game for Finn Diamond... yet he actually played really well overall. His red might have been a turning point for Eastern Suburbs. It might have been had Barton-Ginger not stayed with the play after having a shot parried away by Wong, shaping up on Riley Dalziell and winning a penalty (to the dismay of Dalziell and his teammates). SBG took the spottie himself. Fifth different penalty taker for Wests this season. And... no sweat, amigo. Seb Barton-Ginger made it 2-0 in the 81st minute.
That goal broke the spirits of the home side, spirits that had been rather brittle to begin with – that’s inexperience for you. Western Suburbs had a few chances to bag a third but in the end they were stoked with a 2-0 victory. Finally on the board and also finally keeping a clean sheet. Western Suburbs won their last game and no others, Eastern Suburbs won their first game and no others. Wests still end up in last place, that was already decided, but at least they got to wrap it up in positive fashion. Shout outs also to Owen Egan, Rakshan Suresh, and Yuto Yamamoto who all made National League debuts off the bench in the final minutes. Lovely stuff. Hard to pick a standout for them, in part because it was hard to see what was happening at all on that livestream, but Cam Mackenzie deserved his goal having been an unsung hero for Western Suburbs throughout the campaign. And of course Quillan Roberts had a blinder out there.
Not much else to say about Eastern Suburbs that hasn’t been said in the wrap-ups of games all throughout this campaign. They’re stacked with young talent but game management and chance conversion have been huge issues... and given how many players they lost through the season (mostly to Auckland FC) combined with coach Kane Wintersgill leaving a couple weeks into the Nats, they were always going to be up against it. That’s fine. They’ll keep building. Might wanna do something about their composure because there were eight red cards during this MNL season and three of them went to Eastern Suburbs (and two were for physical retaliations after the play). Also, by losing 2-0 they’ve been overtaken for goals by Wests, leaving the Lilywhites as the National League’s lowest scorers. Hey but 2025 is a fresh slate.
Eastern Suburbs 0-2 Western Suburbs
48’ | WS | 0-1 | Mackenzie (Miller)
59’ | ES | RED CARD | Jarvie
75’ | WS | RED CARD | Diamond
81’ | WS | 0-2 | Barton-Ginger [p]
Standings
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birkenhead United | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 23 | 16 | 7 | 20 |
| Auckland City | 9 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 20 | 10 | 10 | 19 |
| Western Springs | 9 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 25 | 16 | 9 | 18 |
| Napier City Rovers | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 21 | 14 | 7 | 17 |
| Wellington Phoenix | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 16 | 19 | -3 | 13 |
| Wellington Olympic | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 17 | 15 | 2 | 11 |
| Coastal Spirit | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 18 | 20 | -2 | 11 |
| Cashmere Technical | 9 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 16 | 18 | -2 | 9 |
| Eastern Suburbs | 9 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 17 | -9 | 5 |
| Western Suburbs | 9 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 9 | 28 | -19 | 4 |
Top Goalscorers
| PLAYER | TEAM | GOALS |
|---|---|---|
| Garbhan Coughlan | Cashmere Technical | 8 |
| Daniel Bunch | Birkenhead United | 8 |
| Monty Patterson | Birkenhead United | 7 |
| Myer Bevan | Auckland City | 7 |
| David Yoo | Coastal Spirit | 6 |
| Alejandro Steinwascher | Coastal Spirit | 6 |
| Oscar Faulds | Napier City Rovers | 6 |
| Matthew Ellis | Western Springs | 5 |
| Adam Hewson | Napier City Rovers | 4 |
| Jake Mechell | Eastern Suburbs | 4 |
| Angus Kilkolly | Auckland City | 4 |
| Hamish Watson | Wellington Olympic | 4 |
Top Assists
| PLAYER | TEAM | ASSISTS |
|---|---|---|
| Jack-Henry Sinclair | Wellington Olympic | 5 |
| Matthew Ellis | Western Springs | 5 |
| Daniel MacLennan | Coastal Spirit | 4 |
| Dylan Connolly | Birkenhead United | 4 |
| Oscar Faulds | Napier City Rovers | 4 |
| David Yoo | Coastal Spirit | 4 |
| Haris Zeb | Birkenhead United | 4 |
| Isa Prins | Wellington Olympic | 4 |
| Alejandro Steinwascher | Coastal Spirit | 3 |
| Daniel Atkinson | Eastern Suburbs | 3 |
| Angus Kilkolly | Auckland City | 3 |
| Reid Drake | Western Springs | 3 |
| Jordan Annear | Napier City Rovers | 3 |
| Ben Stanley | Napier City Rovers | 3 |
| Emiliano Tade | Western Springs | 3 |
| Alex Ballard | Cashmere Technical | 3 |
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