2025 Men’s National League – Week 10
Miramar Rangers vs Western Suburbs
It’s an incredible situation that we’ve got ourselves into where four separate teams held their grand final fates in their own hands ahead of the penultimate weekend. With Western Springs hosting Auckland City this week and Wellington Olympic vs Miramar Rangers next week, any combination of those four could end up in the top two depending on how those results went. Just two points separated them all and old mates Christchurch United weren’t entirely out of the hunt either (although their bye next week made it highly unlikely no matter what they did this round). It might not have even been time to rule Auckland United out except for the fact that their licence agreement prohibits them from playing in the grand final (the Wellington Phoenix Reserves are the same).
But first, Miramar Rangers vs Western Suburbs at David Farrington Park. Two Central League rivals who know each other very well, with a bunch of players involved who’ve played for both clubs. Heck, Rangers top scorer Martin Bueno even coached Wests fullback/midfielder George Green’s school team! Close ties throughout. Rangers made one change from the 4-1 win over Birkenhead that catapulted them into first place and that was goalkeeper Matt Oliver returning between the sticks. He and Jack de Groot have alternated throughout. Wests made two alterations: no Jonathan Robinson after his late heroics last week in the 1-0 win vs Auckland Utd so that’s where Green slotted in at left-back. Riley Marlow-Jones also got a start in place of Kaelin Nguyen (first start Nguyen’s missed), with Wests opting to play more compact to crowd out the midfield areas and leaving the wings to their fullbacks to patrol.
No matter how you plan things, if your goalkeeper passes the ball straight to Owen Smith on the edge of the area fifty seconds into the match you’re in for trouble. Smith squared for Martin Bueno and the main man did what he does best: put the ball in the back of the net. His eighth of the campaign. Three of those have been penalties and a few have been simple finishes but that’s the whole point, he’s just always where he needs to be to put that ball in the back of the net. 1-0 to Miramar Rangers after less than a minute.. Of course that was yet another assist for the impending Assist King of the National League, Mr Owen Smith, imminently about to join Vanuatu FC for the Pro League.
Smith was almost at it again when he dummied past two defenders to whack a shot on target. Miramar had everything to play for and they’d begun with a hiss and a roar, whereas Wests were spraying their crossfield switches and just hoping for an equivalent Rangers mistake to let them back in. They sort of got one when some excellent work from Smith and Albie Frances-Alles up the right edge led to a cross that Bueno opted to nod back into the middle rather than shooting from. Great decision because it landed for Nico Bobadilla six yards out... except that Boba fluffed it. Could have been two. Meanwhile, the best chance that Wests mustered in the first half hour or so was when Owen Smith whacked a volley back towards his own goalie from 35 metres out. Completely over-hit it but Oliver was alert to head it away to avoid an all-timer own goal.
Wests finally started to get it going in the last ten of that half. Marlow-Jones got into the area and saw his shot shoved wide by Oliver, looked for sure like he was gonna score until that very good save. Moments later, Oliver brought the goods once more to deny Cam Mackenzie after he’d been slipped into the area by Noah Tipene-Clegg. A couple more shots from Mackenzie followed and this thing has suddenly gotten quite slippery for the hosts who needed to re-establish some control. Either that or score a second goal, as they should have done in stoppage time when Andy Bevin shanked a very similar chance to the one that Bobadilla missed earlier. So it was that the teams hit the sheds with that very early blunder the only thing separating them.
In both directions there was a lack of final-touch quality that was letting the teams down. But you don’t always need that quality, sometimes the opposition goalie passes the ball straight to your attackers. Quillan Roberts did it again ten mins into the second spell, astonishing stuff, this time Bobadilla picked him off and fed Martin Bueno whose chipped finish gave Alifeleti Peini a chance on the line but he couldn’t make the acrobatic clearance. 2-0 to Rangers.
Wests responded by throwing on Kaelin Nguyen and guess what? First touch he won a penalty, drawing contact from Frances-Alles. Nguyen actually missed a penalty last week so lucky that they’d also subbed on Tyler Freeman who took it instead and converted for 2-1. An error at each end, back where we were. And where we were was Wests knocking the ball around, building up from the back... and not creating anything. Huge possession numbers for Wests in that second half but most of it with the defence in front of them and even though Rangers weren’t looking particularly fluid, even though it kinda felt like they’d gone into their shells to protect what they already had, they still had players out there who could spring a counter. Like when Owen Smith won the ball and tried to chip Roberts but narrowly missed the target.
Some tempers flared with five to go when a throw in got delayed around the technical areas, with one of the Rangers staff shoving Nguyen out of the road and getting sent off for it. But nothing changed. Wests had no cutting edge. Miramar Rangers saw it through to the finish line for a 2-1 victory which keeps them top of the table and now they know that a draw against Wellington Olympic next week will be enough for them to make (and possibly even host, seeing as they’re top of the ladder right now) the grand final.
Easy to see where it went wrong for Western Suburbs. The two goals they conceded were both mistakes caused by goalkeeper Roberts being too casual on the ball. The build up was good for the most part but those sloppy moments were killers, especially to do it twice in the same game. As if Marty Bueno needs any help. Bueno now has nine goals in nine games and nobody’s gonna catch him for Golden Boot. He didn’t even do that much here but his goals were the difference, as has been the case so many times this year. Owen Smith was awesome. Matt Oliver made some banging saves. It was far from a vintage Rangers effort but they ground out a necessary win, their fourth in a row.
Miramar Rangers 2-1 Western Suburbs
Goals (Assists)
1’ | 1-0 | MR | Bueno (Smith)
55’ | 2-0 | MR | Bueno (Bobadilla)
58’ | 2-1 | WS | Freeman [p] (Nguyen)
Christchurch United vs Auckland FC Reserves
More important yarns over here since Christchurch United were seeking to make it three wins in a row, wrapping up their regular season antics ahead of the bye next week and at least giving them some kind of mathematical chance of making the final. Or climbing a spot or two on the ladder. No need for any changes with Ryan Edwards naming the same eleven that he’d picked in each of the previous two rounds – including Josh Rogerson and Oliver van Rijssel who’ve just been announced as new additions for South Island United in the OFC Pro League.
That team’s being run by CUFC but will operate as a separate entity, sort of like a shared ownership situation, so while it’s expected to have a good core of Rams players involved it’ll still be its own thing. Rogerson and OVR have played together at Western Suburbs, Miramar Rangers, Wellington Olympic, and Christchurch United so this’ll be a fifth team on the list. We’ve got a sort of Max Mata x Nando Pijnaker thing going on here. David Yoo (Auckland City), Dauntae Mariner (Nelson Suburbs), and Lewis Partridge (Wellington Phoenix) were previously announced for SIU thus far, while Riley Grover’s been added since this game – he’s another CUFC lad.
Also cool to see that Jago Godden has already resurfaced since moving to the UK to hit the trial circuit. He’s signed with Bedford Town in the English sixth tier and scored on debut in a 4-3 loss against Darlington. Picking up where he left off, basically...
Auckland FC had the bye last week and they also had their fixtures in the inconvenient order, with the A-League side playing on Sunday hence any guys in that squad couldn’t be risked here. That meant no Oliver Middleton or Jonty Bidois, plus Semi Nabenu was also absent. Luka Vicelich made the trip though, first time we’ve seen him and Ryan Mackay start together. Carlos Ranui got his first start since week two and Matt D’Hotman his first since week one. And Van Fitzharris joined his U17 World Cup teammate Luka Vicelich in the side as well. Aston Burns played up front with no Bidois this time.
There wasn’t much between the teams as they each took turns knocking the ball around between themselves. AFC were perhaps a little more structured with it but the game was pretty uneventful up until Van Fitzharris whipped in an Olimpico after 13 minutes, right-footed inswinger that went in off the far post, Steven van Dijk unable to get a glove on it through a crowded six yard box. 17 years old and doing these kinda shenanigans in the National League, what a guy.
The Rams had a few nice moments on the press where they were able to pick the ball off early in AFC’s phases. One of those led to Jackson Cole thundering a volley off the crossbar from about ten yards out. So close to an equaliser... but they paid for that miss when, shortly afterwards, the AFC Ressies made it two. Naidoo’s strong downward header (from a Coulibaly cross) was well saved by SVD initially but the ball went right back to him so Naidoo shuffled inwards and gave it a rip into the net. He’s been the secret weapon for them during the Nats, this was his third goal to go with two assists. Not a guy that gets talked up a whole lot but the influence is real.
Needing to hit back, Christchurch picked up the intensity and were able to get the ball moving again. But their crossing and shooting left a lot to be desired and so nothing really happened. Particularly not against such a well-organised AFC side, whose midfield was especially on song here. And if the half-time break was supposed to provide the answers, well, it didn’t... because within ninety seconds of the resumption, some more hustle from McKenlay and then Fitzharris sent Aston Burns through into the area and he finished beautifully from a tricky angle.
That efficiency was so stark in comparison to the Rams, like when Joel Stevens (really having to go searching for space) picked out Cole who smoothly chopped inside but blasted over the top from the edge of the box. Auckland always looked more confident but in terms of actual chances, it was pretty even. It’s just that AFC gobbled theirs up, hence the 3-0 lead. It might have been four had Rogerson not sprinted across to deflect another Burns effort just wide. Also, when Joel Stevens did whip a low-angle free kick straight towards the top corner (not far off where Fitzharris scored his corner goal from)... Eli Jones made a leaping one-handed save. Those always help too.
Stevens was the dude, if anything was going to happen it was clearly going to stem from him. Jones denied him a couple more times, including a really nice low diving save. However it was from the resulting corner that Ben Stroud headed in back post to get the Rams on the board. Twenty minutes left in their season and it wasn’t over just yet... but was ten mins later when substitute Nick Gaze flipped in a sneaky finish on the end of a free kick, getting that reverse flick going while facing away from the target.
That ends a wonky campaign for Christchurch United. They only just qualified for this thing but with the squad they had, there was every reason to think they could peak when it mattered most. They didn’t. Losing key guys like Travis Graham and Jago Godden along the way didn’t help, nor did Shogo Osawa playing off the bench for much of it. Joel Stevens has found some wicked form in the last few weeks and Oliver van Rijssel and Ben Stroud have been on it all the way through... but the Rams have been so inconsistent. They were in with a tiny chance of the top two as this round began, only to lose 4-1 at home against a youth team. Oh well, on to the OFC Pro League instead.
Along with Vicelich and Fitzharris, AFC also got minutes for NZ U17 reps Nathan Martin and Ben Perez Baldoni off the bench. There’s just so much to like about this team. Finn McKenlay is absolutely awesome, though his midfield partner James Mitchell was the pick of the pair this time. Aston Burns ought to be a smokey for an A-League debut this season. Adama Coulibaly and Ryan Mackay are also close to getting minutes. Eli Jones seems to be a fantastic young keeper. This team just won consecutive National League games for the first time. They’re five games unbeaten. Have not conceded more than once in their past eight matches. Consider how they finished the Northern League and this team has seven wins, six draws, and only three defeats from their past 16 matches. To do this straight off the bat as an A-League reserves side is genuinely incredible. Luke Casserly has done a brilliant job as coach... so good that they’ve promoted him to OFC Pro League bossman.
Christchurch United 1-4 Auckland FC Reserves
14’ | 0-1 | AFC | Fitzharris
20’ | 0-2 | AFC | Naidoo
47’ | 0-3 | AFC | Burns (Fitzharris)
69’ | 1-3 | CU | Stroud (Van Rijssel)
80’ | 1-4 | AU | Gaze (D’Hotman)
Wellington Phoenix Reserves vs Birkenhead United
In a season as close as this one, in the penultimate round of all that scuffling, all this round’s games had grand final implications... except for this one. The WeeNix had beaten the two Southern League sides and nobody else. Oddly, they have not conceded once in a game - they’d kept clean sheets in all three positive results (including a 0-0 draw with Auckland Utd) and had conceded at least twice (and as many five times) in each of their defeats. Far cry from what Auckland FC’s reserves are doing.
Same as last week, this game clashed with the A-League match so there was limited first team participation... although Gabe Sloane-Rodrigues and Jayden Smith were spared to partake. There was also a swap at goalkeeper with Alby Kelly-Heald finally fit enough to reclaim his spot on the bench for the ALM side (following four MNL apps), so Eamonn McCarron was back in the Nats. Mac Munro also had a turn in central defence, alternating in for Dylan Gardiner as has been the case since Jayden Smith came into the side four weeks ago. We’ve seen each of the two-man combinations of Smith/Gardiner/Munro at least twice (their best stuff was arguably with the Gardiner/Munro duo). Kyle Koch was picked at RB for his first start.
On the other side, Birkenhead United also beat both Southern League clubs, as well as toppling ten-man Auckland City in week two... but had lost their other five and keep conceding way too many goals when things go against them (which for Birko can be a half to half proposition). That and also their players keep leaving. It’s actually quite incredible how well Paul Hobson has kept this squad together with a cohesive style of play considering all the player turnover they’ve had. This week saw Alex Connor-McLean finally get a start up front while Hamed Basiri played as the ten with the versatile Nathan Rostron dropping all the way into the back three. Harry Newbould started at wing-back following six substitute appearances.
There was no pressure on either team so they leant freely into their reputations. The WeeNix were knocking the ball around confidently at the back and also found some success spinning through challenges and dribbling into the space created – which they could do because Birko’s reputation includes how hard they close out at the back and their willingness to attack quickly in transition. Lachlan Candy and Gabriel Sloane-Rodrigues both had runs like that, with GSR’s ending in a low strike that Keegan Smith parried away on the dive. Another thing Birko like doing is starting fast and scoring early. Five of their 14 goals prior to this round came within 15 minutes of kickoff. They wouldn’t do that here but only because Morgan Wellsbury’s header from an Isaac Bates corner was cleared off the line by the man on the near post by Ryan Lee.
Having escaped that threat, the WeeNix took the lead instead after 20 minutes. Kyle Koch made a great burst up the right edge and then his low cross into the middle allowed Luke Flowerdew to make a dash onto that ball and touch it home. Third of the term for that man. Flowerdew has been excellent throughout this National League... regularly outperforming the first-team dudes, if we’re being honest. And Koch, the natural successor to Lewis Partridge, showed enough in that instance alone to build some hype.
But despite the concession, Birko’s size and strength was an eternal advantage against a team as full of blokes yet to celebrate their 21st birthdays and that had them looking dangerous at every opportunity. ACM hit one over the top after jinking across the defence. Hameed Basiri tried to place a shot around McCarron but was denied by a very good diving one-hander. And when Isaac Bates linked with Morgan Wellsbury via a delicious reverse ball into the area, giving Wellsbury time to take a touch before unleashing a shot, there was only going to be one outcome. Birko were back on level terms.
On it went like that with Birko grinding away and forcing a few mistakes, with Lee having to make another clearance off the line from his vantage on the post – this time from Botica. The Phoenix held on until the break and then subbed on Dylan Gardiner to steady the ship (in place of Munro, who had taken a knock). But it didn’t work because they fell behind six minutes into the stanza when Leon van den Hoven slammed his boot into a second phaser after a corner kick, this time the defender on the line unable to do anything with it. Those Birko corners were carnage all arvo... like when Connor-McLean flipped a header onto the crossbar from the next one. But fair play to Eamonn McCarron because he made a couple of superb grabs from those set piece crosses and fair play to Lachlan Candy because, against the run of play, he latched onto a pass forward from Fergus Gillion and got a shot away quickly. That shot deflected off Botica and sent the keeper the wrong way. Fortuitous but the WeeNix were level.
And so it was back to the aerial assault for Birkenhead as they bit and scrapped in pursuit of a third goal. Corner kicks. Free kicks. Long throws. Licorice allsorts. Sure enough, John Clout eventually guided one of those into the top corner with fifteen to go. Good reward for a fine performance from the big man at the back, while Slingsby finally got the assist he deserved for all his wicked deliveries. That was basically that because the Phoenix couldn’t get anything going against the aggression of that Birko back three. 3-2 to Birkenhead, put it in the books.
Once Birko got the pace of the game and began imposing themselves upon it, they were too hard to stop. Gardiner did make a difference for the Nix, as did McCarron with his confidence getting after those aerials, but it wasn’t enough. They just couldn’t avoid those set pieces and that gave Birko too many chances. Kyle Koch looks a handy talent at right-back though, while Luke Flowerdew continues to make his case for further recognition at the club. For Birkenhead, you’re looking at blokes like Devin Slingsby, John Clout, Dino Botica, Isaac Bates, and Morgan Wellsbury as the standouts. They’re still conceding so many goals but at least this time they scored a few, pinpointing an area they could target and then ruthlessly exploiting it. Do what you’ve gotta do. BUFC also managed to sneak National League debuts for Tito Leon, Billy Higgins, and Ricco Howarth (for Higgins and Howarth those were first team debuts!) in the last ten minutes so it was a productive afternoon.
Wellington Phoenix Reserves 2-3 Birkenhead United
20’ | 1-0 | WP | Flowerdew (Koch)
36’ | 1-1 | BU | Wellsbury (Bates)
51’ | 1-2 | BU | Van den Hoven
64’ | 2-2 | WP | Candy (Gillion)
76’ | 2-3 | BU | Clout (Slingsby)
Western Springs vs Auckland City
Two weeks ago, Western Springs were top of the table after four straight wins. First time Northern League champs and in the box seat for a National League grand final spot. Then they had a bye followed by a shocking 1-0 loss away to last-placed Coastal Spirit. Now they were up against Auckland City at Seddon Fields in the game of the round, Auckland City having been very up and down this year but they’ve done enough to stay in range and they knew a win here would send them above Western Springs on the ladder with one more round to follow (in which they will host Coastal). Exciting stuff, that’s what we’re here for.
Western Springs did a very rare thing by making two changes to their eleven: Pat Tobin returned with Niko Steinmetz dropping to the bench, same deal with Ben Wallace starting up top ahead of Caspar McGavin. Oscar Browne held his spot in defence. This was the same eleven they used in the 3-0 win over Western Suburbs in week one. For Auckland City, interesting to see them return to a back four formation. Springs always play their 3-4-2-1 shape and often coaches like to match the back three with a back three. City had used three at the back in all five of Nikko Boxall’s previous starts with fours in the other matches but this time Boxall started in a four, so what do ya know? That meant Mike den Heijer in midfield while Reggie Murati and newly-minted Pakistan international Haris Zeb were back amongst the starters.
That plan worked a treat for Paul Posa’s team as they were able to push three, even four guys up in the press and limit the Swans as they tried to play out... leading to a shocking instance in the ninth minute when Reid Drake, under pressure, tried to pass the ball back towards his keeper but instead sent it straight to Myer Bevan who turned and flipped it home for 1-0. The lino had the flag up but it was a clean backpass, no City player had even touched it. Referee correctly let it stand... and would you believe it that was Myer Bevan’s first goal of the season. He’s started every single game, a former Golden Boot winner, yet it took until game ten to finally see the net ripple. Damn, that’s gotta feel like a relief. Let’s not overlook what a potentially enormous goal that was in its context, either.
Springs went and won a corner immediately after conceding but they were soon on the back foot again with David Yoo orchestrating a few chances. It was looking dodgy for the home side until they played through with advantage after a Boxall foul near halfway, Jordan Hackett driving in a low cross which Reggie Murati whacked into his own net. Had to play at it with Ry McLeod on his back but he didn’t have to kick it there – there were some really weird goals from defensive mistakes this week. Rightio, back on terms then. Whereupon Western Springs began moving the ball with a little more purpose, piercing the ACFC press and forcing them into a deeper mid-block. Not a lot of chances amidst all that... until the last few minutes of the half when Christian Gray tried to add to his list of crucial goals this year with a leaping header off a corner but Browne was where he needed to be to clear it off the line. Den Heijer didn’t miss by much either when he nodded wide on the end of a Yoo free kick. 1-1 at half-time. Delicately poised with a draw not ideal for either side.
If you watched the Auckland FC A-League game then you’ll know that Sunday in Tamaki Makaurau was a wet one. That rain started to tumble as the second half kicked off and remained the rest of the way. Springs sprung an instant attack with McLeod putting a dangerous ball into the area but after that it was Auckland City who slowly turned the screws. First with some corner kicks. Then with some possession. Then with legit chances like when a series of blocked shots led to Zeb smashing the crossbar and then RDV blasting over the top. But still no second goal.
By the time we got into the last twenty minutes, it was no longer about tactics or performance, it was all about who could find that one decisive moment no matter how it happened. Garrow made a sharp stop at his near post against an Aidan Carey strike for Springs, who were looking refreshed after the introduction of Caspar McGavin... however it was an Auckland City sub who made the difference as Tong Zhou curled home from twenty yards, a wonderful goal from the Chinese import (who has barely played during the Nats).
Desperation ensued, frustrations fizzed over – with Springs players (and Springs fans) getting very upset at late tackles by the ACFC forwards slowing things down. Couple cards came out as the ran got heavier and heavier. Carey wanted a penalty after a bump in the box from Zeb, leading to more kerfuffling. Then David Yoo scored on the break in stoppage time, working a one-two with RDV before his initial shot was saved by Emmett Connolly only to rebound in off Yoo’s face/chest. Anyway you can get ‘em.
Massive result. Gargantuan ramifications. Western Springs were leading the standings two weeks ago but now consecutive losses, this one at home conceding three times (they only other team to score multiple goals against the Swans was Wellington Olympic in week two), have tumbled them down to fourth and no longer is their fate in their own hands. They could beat Birko 10-0 next week and it still won’t be enough providing that Auckland City win their own match... alternatively if ACFC stumble against Coastal Spirit and Wellington Olympic don’t beat Miramar then Springs would still make it with a victory in week eleven. These two defeats have been rough though, stumbling out of their bye week with one goal in 180 minutes after having scored multiple times in four consecutive wins before that. And this goal was an own goal. They’ve had a lot of close games this season and it’s hard to get the rub of the green in all of them if you aren’t dominating proceedings. Not over yet though, they’ll give it a whirl in the last round no doubt.
You just cannot, under any circumstances, count Auckland City out. They always seem to find a way and this was an outstanding victory in which they were tactically and technically on the money. Myer Bevan finally scored after eight games of tireless yet scoreless work... they’ll be hoping he breaks out of his drought in the form that Gianni Bouzoukis has done for Olympic. Guys like Mario Ilich and Christian Gray were also fantastic for them. David Yoo provided the spark with a goal and an assist. The Navy Blues only move up to third with this win but, with the top two playing each other, they only need to beat last-placed Coastal Spirit next week to make another final, seeking to defend their title. Man, you think these guys are buried and then up pops that zombie hand from out of the grave. To still be pushing it like this after the exhausting year that they’ve had is bonkers behaviour.
Western Springs 1-3 Auckland City
9’ | 0-1 | AC | Bevan
18’ | 1-1 | WS | Own Goal (Hackett)
77’ | 1-2 | AC | Zhou (Yoo)
90+2’ | 1-3 | AC | Yoo
Auckland United vs Wellington Olympic
That left this cursed fixture here. Cursed for reasons both technological and meteorological. We’ll get the latter in good time but the tech dramas were what pushed this game from Saturday to Sunday, since Wellington Olympic were unable to travel because all the bloody planes got grounded for software updates or whatever the hell that was all about. Dunno, it was in the news. But they managed to get up to Keith Hay Park on Sunday, where the pitch had been watered with champagne the night before as Auckland United won the Women’s National League.
Auckland United’s men haven’t been nearly so flash. Only two wins across their eight previous games and they didn’t even have Hideto Takahashi for this match... Cam Siebert replaced him with Jaylen Rodwell moving into midfield. That was their only change which meant more minutes for the phenom Matias Nunez. Good to see, good to see. For Wellington Olympic, they absolutely desperately needed to win having stubbed their toes with late defeats against both Auckland FC and Christchurch United to heavily derail their title chances. They’d still be there if they win their last two but after dropping consecutive matches for the only time this calendar year... the pressure was on. Noah Boyce came in at centre-back (having only been used as a wing-back to this point) while Justin Gulley moved to wing-back (having only been used as a centre-back lately). Gavin Hoy returned to the starting side for the first time since week four. Coach Paul Ifill had ideas, don’t you worry about that. But would it get the Greeks back to winning ways?
Well, they were moving the ball quickly and finding space with their long diagonals pretty much immediately so yeah that’s always a good sign for Olympic. They were hunting at a serious tempo. Auckland United had a couple spells of possession which only made it more obvious how much slower they were. Add in the respective motivations of these sides and it was inevitable that Olympic were going to score pretty soon... sure enough Justin Gulley swung in an early cross that perfectly picked out a wide open Gianni Bouzoukis and the recently-returned-to-form striker is deadly from those areas. Make that four games in a row in which Bouzoukis has scored. Then a few minutes later the Greeks had another, when a long ball from Alex Solomon (best long ball in the business, as we know) was aimed towards Jack-Henry Sinclair in the box where he got absolutely clattered by goalie Kai McLean rushing out. Both men tumbled over and the ball dribbled nicely to Gulley who kicked it into an empty net.
It’s not entirely clear how Gavin Hoy didn’t tap home a sneaky pass from Bouzoukis five mins later. Looked like an open goal and the ball just kept rolling past him. Admittedly, it was quite slippery out there and the rain was only getting heavier as the game progressed. Olympic were in an ominous mood... but even in that mood they never seem completely assured in defence (comes with the territory of being such an attacking side). A slip from Boyce near halfway invited a spell of pressure that included Boyd Curry whipping a header on target from a corner from which Scott Basalaj made a good save, then Ross Haviland (the other CB) nodded wide at the back post. But Olympic Antics soon resumed with Isa Prins taking too many touches to be denied by McLean... but the next time he made no mistake, smoothly slotting past the goalie after latching onto a pass from JHS. 3-0 after 40 minutes and this thing was heading for a knockout.
Or at least an early stoppage because this is when the meteorological stuff happened. The rain got seriously heavy – same rain we saw in the Western Springs game, same rain we saw in the Auckland FC A-League game – and would reach biblical capacities while they were off the pitch during half-time. Auckland United made three subs at the break, spreading out the minutes within nothing else to play for... the only thing worse then getting caught in rain like that is having to be subbed into it. There was a chance for Justin Gulley with a header too close to McLean. Gianni Bouzoukis was utterly convinced he’d scored again when he swept at a low square ball from JHS and saw it deflected by the keeper then headed off the line (maybe from over the line?) by Abdallah Khaled.
By the time the clock reached 55 mins it was torrential to the point where the pitch was flooding and the ball wouldn’t roll properly and players were slipping and sliding all over the place. They battled through it at Mt Smart in the A-League but these aren’t professional players and it’s not like the result was in any doubt. So they canned it as soon as they hit the 60-minute mark, much to the annoyance of Olympic who were three goals clear and seriously needed those points.
Now, the MNL regulations don’t actually seem to specify how deep a game must go before the result can stand, seems like it’s purely up to the discretion of the competitions manager. Hence that result wasn’t necessarily going to stand and there was even talk of Olympic having to fly back midweek and start the game all over again. Fortunately the rain eased up just enough that they were able to get back out there an hour and a half later to finish the match. By then the cameras had all been packed up so dunno what happened other than that it stayed 3-0. And a 3-0 win goes hard for Wellington Olympic, setting them up for the showdown with Miramar Rangers in the last round.
Ironically, conditions would have been lovely if they’d played it on Saturday as initially scheduled - if the Greeks miss out on the top two then those Airbus jokers are gonna hear about it. They got what they needed most though and that’s the win. Gianni Bouzoukis has scored five goals in four games after going scoreless until week six. Isa Prins kept up his fine mahi too – four goals and four assists for the season. Justin Gulley’s crossing made that switch to wing-back a success with an goal and an assist and... well, Olympic bossed this one throughout. It was a rematch of the Chatham Cup final and it went the same way only more extreme. Scott Basalaj kept the only clean sheet of the round. Auckland United, kept scoreless for the fourth time in nine games (tied with Coastal for the most times being shut out), did give Michael Wong a National League debut after the resumption, their other U17 World Cup representative alongside Nunez. They’ll finish with Auckland FC next round which might not be all that much easier but at least it should be drier.
Auckland United 0-3 Wellington Olympic
16’ | 0-1 | WO | Bouzoukis (Gulley)
19’ | 0-2 | WO | Gulley
41’ | 0-3 | WO | Prins (Sinclair)
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miramar Rangers | 9 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 24 | 12 | 12 | 19 |
| Wellington Olympic | 9 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 21 | 13 | 8 | 18 |
| Auckland City | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 16 | 14 | 2 | 17 |
| Western Springs | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 15 | 10 | 5 | 16 |
| Auckland FC | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 14 | 10 | 4 | 15 |
| Christchurch United | 10 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 16 | 19 | -3 | 14 |
| Birkenhead United | 9 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 17 | 20 | -3 | 12 |
| Western Suburbs | 9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 17 | 14 | 3 | 10 |
| Auckland United | 9 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 11 | 16 | -5 | 8 |
| Wellington Phoenix | 9 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 19 | -8 | 7 |
| Coastal Spirit | 9 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 20 | -15 | 7 |
| TOP SCORERS | ||
|---|---|---|
| Martin Bueno | Miramar Rangers | 9 |
| Sebastian Barton-Ginger | Western Suburbs | 5 |
| Gianni Bouzoukis | Wellington Olympic | 5 |
| Kaelin Nguyen | Western Suburbs | 4 |
| Jack-Henry Sinclair | Wellington Olympic | 4 |
| Gerard Garriga | Auckland City | 4 |
| Jonty Bidois | Auckland FC | 4 |
| Shogo Osawa | Christchurch United | 4 |
| Isa Prins | Wellington Olympic | 4 |
| Caspar McGavin | Western Springs | 3 |
| Ben Wallace | Western Springs | 3 |
| Reid Drake | Western Springs | 3 |
| Joel Stevens | Christchurch United | 3 |
| Theo Ettema | Miramar Rangers | 3 |
| Jackson Cole | Christchurch United | 3 |
| David Yoo | Auckland City | 3 |
| Dejaun Naidoo | Auckland FC | 3 |
| Luke Flowerdew | Wellington Phoenix | 3 |
| MOST ASSISTS | ||
|---|---|---|
| Owen Smith | Miramar Rangers | 8 |
| Isa Prins | Wellington Olympic | 4 |
| Shaan Anand | Auckland United | 3 |
| Jordan Lamb | Miramar Rangers | 3 |
| Joel Stevens | Christchurch United | 3 |
| Devin Slingsby | Birkenhead United | 3 |
| Oliver Van Rijssel | Christchurch United | 3 |
| Nicolas Bobadilla | Miramar Rangers | 3 |
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