Aotearoa Domestic Football Roundup – August 10
Men’s Southern League
Cashmere Technical were supposed to seal the deal for the Southern League title when they hosted Coastal Spirit on Sunday... but it turns out it didn’t even have to wait that long. Instead they were crowned champs a day earlier without having to do anything after Ferrymead Bays lost 2-1 to Nomads United, removing the last possible challenger from the equation. Bays did take a 1-0 lead through Omar Cameron running onto a flick in behind, some primo route one action there (43’). However, Nomads levelled up via Jesse Burge scrambling in from a corner kick (56’) and then the picture shifted further when Daniel Thoms was given a second yellow for FB (71’). The ten men were able to hang on until the second minute of stoppage time when Caleb Cottom pounced on a low cross into the six yard box (90+2’). Last-gasp winner for Nomads for their third win on the bounce.
A draw would have handed the title to Cashmere anyway (and even if they’d won, Tech would have sealed it roughly 24 hours later) so the first place aspect is irrelevant. What matters is that Ferrymead Bays (32 points, +14 goal difference) and Nomads United (30 points, +6 goal difference) are now within touching distance of each other battling for that second 2026 National League entry. Both with two games remaining. Ferrymead should defeat both Nelson Subs and Dunedin City at home but if they slip up in either then Nomads have homers against Wānaka and Selwyn (the two bottom teams) where they should not only take six points but ought to boost that goal difference in the process. Strange things do happen in the NZ National League realms. And Coastal Spirit (28 points, +2 goal difference) aren’t entirely out of the frame just yet either. By the way, this Ferrymead-Nomads game was the opposite of the 2-0 win for Ferrymead when the two met in the English Cup semis midweek. Bays will face Coastal Spirit in the final of Christchurch’s cup competition. Cashmere were knocked out by Nomads in the first round.
That result worked out great for Cashmere Technical because it meant they could go ahead with the trophy presentation immediately after their own game, celebrating in style with a 5-1 win over Coastal Spirit. Goals for Rory Hibbert (12’), Garbhan Coughlan (19’), Rory Hibbert again (25’), Rory Hibbert for a third time (61’), and Erik Panzer (72’), with Max Chretien (68’) pulling one back for Coastal. That was only the seventh goal that Cashmere have conceded in 15 games. Meanwhile the ones they scored were numbers 67, 68, 69, 70, and 71 for their own tally. Too good. Garbhan Coughlan has scored 25 of those goals. Not only does that have leading the Golden Boot race but the two second placers (Omar Cameron of Ferrymead and Zander Edwards of Cash Tech) are both on 12 goals so combined they don’t even match Coughlan’s efforts. Rory Hibbert is up to 10 after his hatty. He’s been a great addition moving up from Northern.
There was also a pretty important match down the other end of the ladder where Wānaka hosted Selwyn United with both teams on seven points and sharing cellar-dweller status at the start of the day. By the end of the day... Wānaka had jumped ahead thanks to a 2-1 victory. Dominic Plimmer (29’) and Samba Will (50’) scored the home team’s goals before Ewan Hyndman scored for Selwyn right at the very, very end (90+7’). Too late to affect anything... although the goal difference may yet come in handy since that consolation goal was the difference between Selwyn maintaining a two-goal GD advantage (-31 vs -33) and having them both tied for the tie-breaker. Granted, WFC have a game in hand while Selwyn have now lost eight games in a row so doubtful if Selwyn can win the requisite game to bring the tiebreaker into effect. But they should get a relegation reprieve with National League revamps coming.
Nelson Suburbs and Christchurch United battled out a thriller at Saxton Field following a delay to kickoff after some heavy rain on Sunday morning. Christchurch Utd were leading 3-0 at the half courtesy of an own goal (9’) and a pair of crackers from Joel Stevens (40’, 45+1’). They were still leading 3-0 with under twenty to go... and then Ben Polak (73’), Clancey Skea (78’), and Logan Bunning (84’) sparked an unreal comeback for Nelson Subs. How’s that for some momentum to take into a Chatham Cup semi-final next week?
Even more clunkiness from Albert Riera’s Christchurch United team though. Two games to go and it’s not looking like they’re going to climb high enough to earn that automatic entry into the 2027 MNL. They’ve got enough points in the bank across the previous four years that they’ll still get a playoff but hard to back them there on form given that the Rams have not won a game against a club other than Wānaka or Selwyn (the two bottom teams) since a 3-0 win over Nomads on April 3. Against those two, they’ve gone 3-1-0 with 13 GF & 3 GA. Their league record against the other seven opponents in the Southern League is: 1-4-7 with 8 GF & 21 GA. Held scoreless in 8/11 games. Obviously they’ve had a discombobulated season with the whole South Island United thing but this squad should be waaaay better than that record.
FC Northern were at home against Dunedin City Royals. When Northern are at home it means they have permission to play well... and they did. A 4-0 win with goals from Alex Dale (7’), Zac Baird-Hodge (19’), Alex Dale again (45’), and Toby Orchiston (90+2’). Excellent from Northern in the Dunedin Derby. Their six wins have all come in home games but maybe they’ll be able to finally clear the away-game hurdle when they travel to face Selwyn in a couple of weeks.
Nelson Suburbs and Christchurch United battled out a thriller at Saxton Field following a delay to kickoff after some heavy rain on Sunday morning. Christchurch Utd were leading 3-0 at the half courtesy of an own goal (9’) and a pair of crackers from Joel Stevens (40’, 45+1’). They were still leading 3-0 with under twenty to go... and then Ben Polak (73’), Clancey Skea (78’), and Logan Bunning (84’) sparked an unreal comeback for Nelson Subs. How’s that for some momentum to take into a Chatham Cup semi-final next week?
Even more clunkiness from Albert Riera’s Christchurch United team though. Two games to go and it’s not looking like they’re going to climb high enough to earn that automatic entry into the 2027 MNL. They’ve got enough points in the bank across the previous four years that they’ll still get a playoff but hard to back them there on form given that the Rams have not won a game against a club other than Wānaka or Selwyn (the two bottom teams) since a 3-0 win over Nomads on April 3. Against those two, they’ve gone 3-1-0 with 13 GF & 3 GA. Their league record against the other seven opponents in the Southern League is: 1-4-7 with 8 GF & 21 GA. Held scoreless in 8/11 games. Obviously they’ve had a discombobulated season with the whole South Island United thing but this squad should be waaaay better than that record.
FC Northern were at home against Dunedin City Royals. When Northern are at home it means they have permission to play well... and they did. A 4-0 win with goals from Alex Dale (7’), Zac Baird-Hodge (19’), Alex Dale again (45’), and Toby Orchiston (90+2’). Excellent from Northern in the Dunedin Derby. Their six wins have all come in home games but maybe they’ll be able to finally clear the away-game hurdle when they travel to face Selwyn in a couple of weeks.
Women’s South Island League
What a weekend for Cashmere Technical. The women’s team have been every bit as dominant as the Tech men have been this year, arguably even more so, and they only needed one more point to confirm their South Island League championship as they faced NW United away on Saturday. Not settling for the minimum, they instead claimed all three points with another ten goals: Petra Buyck (9’), Margi Dias (15’), Anya Stephan (16’), Mardi Dias (38’), Anya Stephan (55’), Darsha Keogan (63’ pen), Kate Loye (65’), Kate Loye (84’), Tessa Toombs (87’), and an own goal to cap it off (90+1’).
10-0 to Cashmere Technical. Still undefeated with an 11-1-0 record; 51 goals scored and only 4 conceded. Got a Kate Sheppard Cup semi-final against the Phoenix Reserves next week. Margi Dias is up to 20 goals for the SIL season while only one other player in the division has more than seven (Georgia Nixon of DCR with 11 goals). Incredible stuff. They swept the slate in the second half of fixtures last year so Cashmere were already building towards something big before the year began. Target #1 has been achieved. Now we get to see how they compare against teams from outside the South Island in the remainder of the Kate Sheppard Cup. Same thing’s true of the Cashy Tech blokes as well - this club has completely dominated the South Island, winning both titles and contesting both national cup semis. Neither team won these leagues last year, by the way.
Dunedin City Royals brought their A-Game against Coastal Spirit, winning 4-0 with a pair of goals in each half. Hannah Mackay-Wright (29’) and Georgia Keen (38’) in the opening stanza, Hannah Scott (54’) and Tyler Andrews (81’) in the closing stanza. Tyler Andrews was Southland Football’s Women’s Player of the Year in 2025 with Queens Park while Hannah Scott was part of an NZ Secondary Schools tour to Thailand earlier in the year. Coastal had been going good lately but DCR have beaten them 4-0 both home and away this year so they’ve clearly got their number (that number being four, apparently).
The Varsity Derby went the way of Otago University via a 3-0 win against Universities of Canterbury. Keely Osborne (15’), Georgia Kennedy (30’), and Ashley Guesebroek (89’) got the goals. That was on Cantabrian turf too. Comprehensive stuff after a 2-1 result in the other direction when they pair met in the reverse fixture. For a while there it was looking like UC would finish higher up in the standings too but Otago Uni have rediscovered their spark with four wins in a row, beginning with the victory against DCR last month. That’s put them three points ahead of UC in third place and only two behind DCR in second... although it’ll be tough yakka to keep it going with three difficult games remaining: Nelson Suburbs (H), Nelson Suburbs (A), Cashmere Tech (H). They did draw 0-0 with Tech earlier in the year, admittedly. The only team to halt the juggernaut thus far.
And since the men’s and women’s Southern/South Island Leagues seem to be mirroring each other this week, not only did Cashmere Tech clinch both championships in emphatic fashion but that Nelson Suburbs comeback against Christchurch United wasn’t unique either. The women did the same thing. Down 2-0 against Roslyn Wakari to a Madi Phillips strike (5’) and an own goal (45’), Nelson Suburbs pulled it out of the bag in dramatic fashion with Sola Tsuruta (84’ pen) and Isobel Roache (90+2’) goals salvaging a 2-2 draw on the road. Still a decent point for Roslyn Wakari as they try to steer clear of last-placed NWU... albeit they could have jumped two spots on the ladder with a win (including leapfrogging Nelson Suburbs).
Men’s Central League
This was the third-to-last round of Men’s Central League and still three teams can potentially lift the trophy. All three of them played on Saturday and all three of them won. Wellington Olympic were 2-0 victors away to Wellington Phoenix Reserves. The Greeks usually beat the WeeNix, that’s 10/11 of their past meetings in which they’ve done so (including eight in a row in the Central League). This time the goals came courtesy of Jack-Henry Sinclair (9’) and Gianni Bouzoukis (30’). Bouzoukis is clearly trying to make up for lost time because in the four games he’s played since returning from injury, he’s scored five times to be the team’s equal-second top scorer behind Luke Stoupe (7 goals). 16 different players have found the net for Olympic this year in the Central League.
Curious squad for the WeeNix here with three players making their season debuts. Finnbarr Hanrahan (17yo) was in the starting eleven while Fionn Howard and Dylan Tollervey (both 18yo) came off the bench. Zach Cashmore (16yo) had another cameo after his debut last week. Eamonn McCarron was the only first teamer involved which makes this a very decent effort, all things considered. They were also without most of their best U17s players with those guys currently competing in the Hope Cup U17 Invitational Tournament in Guangzhou, China. That includes guys like Jack Clegg and Ben Trenberth who’ve been regulars for the Central League squad of late. So far they’ve had 2-1 defeats against both Daejeon Hana (South Korea) and Guangdong Team (China) with a match against Nottingham Forest (England) still to come. Cailean Hamilton and Jack Clegg scored the goals.
By the time that game kicked off, Napier City Rovers had already won 3-1 away to Waterside Karori. Benjamin Stanley scored first (29’) and then no sooner had Albie Francis-Alles (43’) gotten the Wharfies back on terms, Luca Barclay (44’) responded for Rovers. Leo Brown (71’) polished things off in the second half. Eight consecutive wins for Napier City, 12 games undefeated. That includes a Chatham Cup run to (at least) the semi-finals. It’s a sprint to the finish in the Men’s Central League and so far NCR have been able to maintain their pace. The next couple weeks will be absolutely decisive with that Chatham Cup semi away to Cashmere Technical next weekend followed by a meeting with Miramar Rangers in the league eight days later. The magic number for NCR is four points for a league title. Season defining things incoming.
Miramar Rangers were first for much of this year until stumbling with consecutive draws against Petone and Waterside Karori. But they rebounded this round, boy did they ever. Miramar Rangers 12-0 FC Western. Owen Smith (7’), Connor Gaul (11’), Spencer Cameron (35’), Lewis Thompson (37’), Spencer Cameron (52’), Owen Smith (54’), Conor Gaul (58’), Lewis Thompson (65’), Martin Bueno (68’), Lewis Thompson (71’), Martin Bueno (83’), Nico Bobadilla (90+3’). So doubles for Smith, Gaul, Cameron, and Bueno with Lewis Thompson getting three. Thompson is a former Northern Ireland U21s international who spent a bit of time in the Manchester United and Blackburn Rovers systems as a kid. Bueno only came off the bench for the last half hour but the two goals he scored were enough to send him top of the scoring charts in this division. He’s got 10 goals while Gaul is among the three players on nine (the other two being Kyle Carr of Wests and Ben Stanley of NCR). Western’s eight away games so far have served up an 0-2-6 record with 2 goals scored and 37 goals conceded. That could yet be a significant result for Rangers since it puts them back in similar goal difference territory to Rovers and Olympic... granted a few points adrift from making that matter.
Island Bay United won 4-2 against Upper Hutt City in a game that wasn’t really as close as it sounds. IBU were 4-0 up after strikes from Tsar Mitchener (26’), Tim O’Farrell (33’, 78’), and Tyson Dellow (89’) before Liam Barry (90+3’) and Donte Pfeifer (90+6’) scored late consolations for UHC. Neither team had been tracking very well with Upper Hutt now having lost four straight while Island Bay ended a skid of six defeats by drawing 0-0 at home vs Western last week which probably felt like another defeat. The mojo returned in this clash though. And then Western Suburbs won 2-0 away to Petone. It was on course for a goalless draw until Hamish Clark (87’) and Ryan Harrison (90+4’) decided otherwise for Wests, a harsh outcome for Petone who’d have felt they deserved something from that. So it goes.
Women’s Central League
Wellington United had their Taradale Bye this round, allowing Petone and Waterside Karori the chance to catch up some points and keep the title race going a little longer. Petone hosted the Wellington Phoenix U18s and once they broke the deadlock they didn’t face much resistance. Phoebe Hawes (30’, 36’) and Phoebe Gray (39’) did the first half mahi. Anahera Easton (56’) struck for the WeeNix but no comeback ensued, instead Olivia Gibbs (64’), Emmy Lantz (71’), and Kyra Elder (76’) all added to the Petone count for a 6-1 final score. This match actually got called off roughly ten minutes early due to a serious injury for Kyra Elder (not long after she’d scored the sixth). It was a non-contact injury and they must have called an ambulance because they declined the stretcher yet she was still down where she fell, with the physios and a couple of teammates, more than twenty minutes later when the stream ended. The Petone men’s game had a delayed kickoff as a result. Best wishes to Kyra, here’s hoping for a speedy return to the pitch.
Quick update on last week’s chat about those U17s games between the Phoenix and AFC... it turns out they were also using them as unofficial trials for NZ youth team selection so there were a few guest players involved. Cate Atkinson, Emmie Butler, Louisa Egley-Turner, and Rosa Redfern appear to have been the guests for the Nix, while Aussie-based Alesha Gray for AFC was potentially in the same boat. They haven’t necessarily joined those systems just because they played those games… but we might see a few of them with ferns on their jersey soon.
Waterside Karori won 3-0 versus Palmerston North United. All the goals game in the second half: Sophie Burchfield (57’), Natalie Orellana (66’ pen), and Burchfield again (78’). Burchfield has been going nuts, she’s now scored 18 goals this season. Second behind runaway Golden Boot leader Hannah Pilley of Wellington Utd while Natalie Orellana has been climbing up the standings now with 10 goals herself. Both are American imports. Those two results ensured that Wellington United didn’t clinch the title during their bye week. The Diamonds still need three more points (probably two in reality, considering their goal difference) to get their name engraved on that trophy for the third year in succession – either points that they gain or points that Petone/Waterside Karori don’t get. No games next week due to the cup semis so the wait goes on a little longer.
Miramar Rangers were 4-1 victors against Seatoun. Jacqueline Broughton (11’, 84’) and Iris Reweti-Gould (13’, 69’) showed off their attacking skills with respective doubles while Hannah Wignall (77’) scored Seatoun’s only goal. Not including the default win over Taradale at the end of the first round of the draw, this was Miramar’s first win since beating Palmy Marist in June. Meanwhile, Palmerston North Marist and Victoria University were both winless in their previous eight matches before facing each other on the turf at Arena Manawatu on Saturday... where a 74th minute goal for Georgia Gardner gave Victoria University a 1-0 win. Their streak ends while PNM’s continues. Marist have conceded 48 goals and scored a mere three during that nine-game drought. It’s been brutal... and yet Taradale’s withdrawal means they cannot finish last, hooray.
Men’s Northern League
Birkenhead United claimed their championship honours last week by winning away against the previous champs Western Springs. This week they were at home against a Manukau United side that’s been in freefall with their recent results. First versus last, no guesses as to how that went. Birko with a 6-1 victory and then a trophy lift at the end of it. Rob Dymond (9’), Josh Redfearn (19’), Zach Newman (32’), Monty Patterson (37’ pen), and Dino Botica (53’) had them leading by five when Manukau’s Dylan Horgan hit a mean knuckleball strike in response (55’). Birko coach Paul Hobson obviously has some very high standards because as soon as they shipped that one goal, he cleared his bench with a rare quintuple substitution (yeah alright, jokes, he was just rotating things around). Josh Redfearn scored another (74’) and then attention turned towards a coronation in front of the famous Shepherds Park balcony...
Devin Slingsby, an American wing-back/forward, played for Birko last year and is back again this season although he did have a stint with Wellington Olympic in the capital to begin the year. With the Greeks still in the running to win the Central League, Slingsby could potentially find himself with another winners’ medal in the mail in a few weeks to add to his Northern League one. He’d be the undisputed champion of North Island football if that happened, with a unification bout to follow in the National League. Granted, Napier City Rovers are still in the box seat there.
Believe it or not, Birkenhead United had never won the Northern League (or its equivalent) before. Six times runners-up, three times in third. Now they’ve finally done it. They’re also only three games away from an undefeated league season which oughta be enough purpose to keep them from getting distracted. Only draws away to East Coast Bays and Eastern Suburbs have slowed them down in any way thus far (plus a cup loss vs Fencibles). On the complete and utter flipside, Manukau United have now lost eight in a row and it’s only getting worse: since the start of July they’ve been outscored 24-1 in four matches against the current top four.
This was a very profitable round for Auckland City despite not even playing. Having crammed in a bunch of games ahead of time, they flew to Fiji for the Oceania Champions League resting in second place in the Northern League but with the potential to be outside the top four when they return. That’s no longer a chance of happening. After toppling Fencibles United’s big win streak themselves, ACFC got to enjoy from afar as Fencies were beaten 4-1 away to Eastern Suburbs. 11 wins on the trot for Fencies and then two pretty hefty defeats straight afterwards. That’ll give you whiplash. Héctor Echagüe (5’), Eber Ramirez (45+2’) scored at each end of the first half to have the Lilywhites up by two at the break. Tyler Lissette eventually made it safe with a third (81’), smacking it through traffic from outside the box after a corner kick was partially cleared. Fencies got a goal from a corner of their own via a strong header from Nick Rooney (89’). Then Ignacio Machuca did this in added time...
Four wins in a row for Eastern Suburbs who will be guaranteed second if they win 2/3 remaining matches. Auckland City can do nothing about that... but they cannot now be caught by Fencibles unless they lose to Melville United in the final round. And the same is now true of East Coast Bays, hence top four is fully within ACFC’s own control. East Coast Bays let their top four hopes slump with a 2-0 defeat against Auckland FC Reserves. Ironically for ECB, the only game they’ve won from the last five was against Auckland City... a slide that includes them taking one point from a possible nine in matches vs AFC, Melville, and Bay Olympic. There wasn’t much between them and the AFC Reserves until Charlie Hale decided to be a hero with a brace in the last ten minutes (83’, 90’), both 1v1 finishes on the counter. The first was beautifully assisted by Dejaun Naidoo. Hale has scored six times in seven appearances for AFC since switching academies from the Phoenix Reserves. He was good for the Nix but he’s gone next level up north. Only his strike-partner for this game, Harley Hill, has scored more for AFC this year. It’s been The Harley & Charlie Show for the Black Squires.
Auckland United won 3-0 against Tauranga City to have quietly reinforced their top four credentials by leaping above both Fencies and ECB. Bit of a bummer, that, because with the National League revamp coming it would be cool to see different sides like those two get a crack in the last iteration of the old format but then they’ve gotta earn it and the table doesn’t lie. The AUFC vs TC game included a long delay in the middle of the first half after a linesman pulled a hamstring and they had to try find a qualified official to take his place. Because of the long delay, there was enough stoppage time for Matt Conroy to score a goal labelled 45+13’. Talk about conceding in the shadows of half-time, that had to have stung for Tauranga City. Conroy later scored a second (59’) before Ben Wallace added a third (83’) to wrap it up with a bow on top. Fencibles vs Auckland United next week will be a blockbuster in that scrap for fourth-place. AUFC also face East Coast Bays away in the last round so plenty more water to go under this bridge.
And a hearty shout to Melville United who travelled up the motorway and won 2-0 against Western Springs. Goals for Luke Searle (45+2’) and Thomas Blackhall (53’). Another example of Melville being a tougher cookie when they’re travelling – four of their five wins have come in away fixtures and their only home win was against last-placed Manukau Utd.
Women’s NRFL Premiership
There were eight players from the NRFL Premiership who were involved in the Auckland FC Invitational vs Chelsea game on Saturday afternoon. Seven of those players then backed up for their clubs on Sunday, with the only exception being Alaina Granger of Auckland United who would have deserved a rest even if she hadn’t been part of that AFC squad considering how many games she’s played over the past two years. Quite a few more to come with National League and FIFA Champions Cup still on the horizon.
Auckland United were most affected, contributing six players to that AFC group. All of them got on the pitch, ranging from Piper O’Neill subbed on during stoppage time to Talisha Green who got a full half hour and Aniela Jensen who played almost the full second half. Green then captained AUFC away to Melville United the following day... albeit only playing half a game. O’Neill was also in the starting line-up (and played ninety), while Saskia Vosper, Olivia Ingham, and Aniela Jensen got minutes off the bench. Jensen the least of those given her workload on Saturday. And you know what else? Melville had a player in that team too, their shining light Laura Bennett, who came on for the last five against Chelsea and then played a full game as captain for her club less than 24 hours later.
As has been the case in a few Melville Utd games this year, it was close until it wasn’t. Zoe Benson (20’) and Sasha Adamson (34’) ensured that AUFC were ahead at the break, albeit not by any kinda drastic margin. Then the second half saw Auckland United run rampant with Zoe Benson (50’, 53’) competing a hat-trick and Grace Bartlett (66’) adding a fifth before Benson came back for a couple more (75’, 78’) and then substitute Charlotte Roche (83’, 86’) grabbed another pair. Five-for to the name of Zoe Benson, recently re-signed with the Wellington Phoenix on a multi-year deal. Bev Priestman was doing telly work for the Auckland FC game so let’s hope she stopped by Hamilton on the way home the following day. 9-0 final score in favour of Auckland United. They won by a combined 15-0 across two matches vs Melville this year. Looking at that from another perspective, here are the current ages of the Melville United starting eleven in this match:
Elin Gainsford (?), Laura Bennett (17, captain), Erin Orchard (17), Mia Humphrey (16), Hayley Cutler (17), Jaina Mathieson (16), Isa Green (?), Lola Williams (16), Sienna Casson (?), Tyla Webster (17), Miché Cloete (17)
Couple of not-sures in there but Gainsford was in the Auckland FC U17s squad last week while Casson played NZ Secondary Schools a few months ago and Isa Green is the youngest of the lot of them. So none of them were upping the average age - the oldest player in that eleven is Erin Orchard who turns 18yo tomorrow (Happy Birthday to Erin if you’re reading this on Tuesday). Incredibly young… but also with plenty of pedigree. Bennett has already been to two U17 World Cups and played against Chelsea for AFC Invitational. Cloete and Humphrey (along with Emma Meadows, 17yo and not involved here) were in the NZ U16s last year. Meadows and Humphrey were also in that AFC U17s group alongside Gainsford. Others could be in NZ U16s/U17s squads over the next few months, who knows? Huge potential but a team of high schoolers up against Auckland United’s best turned out to be a bigger mismatch than Chelsea vs Auckland FC’s makeshift squad.
And yet Auckland United are further away from lifting the trophy than they were a week ago thanks to Eastern Suburbs winning 3-1 against Fencibles United. AUFC and Eastern Suburbs face each other one last time, in the probable title decider, the Wednesday after next... but this was the most difficult game left from the rest of ESAFC’s league outings and they pocketed the points. Maddi Ollington (8’), Ella Findlay (55’), and TJ Anderson (69’) with goals before Mihiro Kisu (71’) struck back for Fencies. No AFC Invitational call-ups for Eastern Suburbs despite having out-performed AUFC (with six selections) so far this season, with two wins and a draw in their head to heads, leading them in the league standings and knocking them out of the cup. Maybe that’s why Nikki Whyte and Tayla O’Brien were sitting up front cheering for Chelsea in that game. Kenya Brooke was at least repping the AFC jacket. Another reason might be that Fencies’ American goalkeeper Zoe Doughty was in that squad, subbed on near the end, before lining up against Whyte in the opposite goal one day later.
It’s a Kate Sheppard Cup semi-final to think about next for Eastern Suburbs. There they’ll meet an Ellerslie team that they’ve already won 3/3 against in the NRFL. Then comes that Auckland United rematch where a loss would see AUFC climb ahead of them on goal difference while anything else would leave Eastern Suburbs only needing to take care of business against Western Springs and Melville United to claim their first NRFL Premiership trophy since 2021. Auckland Utd have next weekend off and then have to play four games in two weeks to wrap things up on time... all the teams they’ll be playing already have games next weekend so they can’t move anything forward. Eh, they’ve got a deep squad, they’ll be fine. Anyway the other matches won’t matter if they don’t beat Eastern Suburbs in the first of those fixtures.
Western Springs began the season by going scoreless in eight consecutive games. This week they scored eight goals in one game. It was Tauranga Moana 0-8 Western Springs as the floodgates finally burst. Every week the yarn about Springs is that they’re improving fast under Ben Bate’s coaching (and a few sharp signings). Same story here. Rosa Muru (8’), Jessica Ellis (42’), Dara Mulrooney (52’ pen), Katie Rood (53’), Kaitlyn Cook (63’), Rosa Muru (64’), Sienna Makwana (76’), Hilary Halpin (90+2’). That clears any remaining doubt that Tauranga Moana will be collecting the wooden spoon – their only win was a 1-0 result against Western Springs back during the drought months. They’ve lost every other game, with 13/16 of those defeats coming by margins of four goals or more. Not quite a team of 15-17yos like what Melville fielded this week but it’s pretty close to that for Tauranga Moana too.
Before any of that happened, there was a very good game on Friday night between West Coast Rangers and Ellerslie. Cilla Fa’afua (17’) and Rina Hirano (44’) put Ellerslie up by two at HT – an awesome solo goal from Hirano, who also set up CF’s goal with a through ball that somehow split between three defenders. Just what you wanna see with a KSC semi-final on the calendar. But whatever Andrew Clay said at the break must have been inspired because Lorna Selby (47’) and Taylor Vujnovich (55’) both scored in a hurry for WCR to tie things up again. Vujovich was a half-time substitute. Neither side found another so mark it down as a 2-2 draw. A bad result for West Coast Rangers in their jostling with Fencibles for third place but a very good one for the far more important quest of a top four finish. Had they lost, Ellerslie would have been five points back with three games left. That should have still been more than enough room for WCR but now having maintained the eight point advantage and scratched another fixture off the list, WCR only need two additional points to seal the deal on a return to the National League later in the year.
Chatham Cup Semi-Finals
Fencibles United vs Nelson Suburbs at Riverhills Park, 6pm on Saturday
Cashmere Technical vs Napier City Rovers at Garrick Memorial Park, 12pm on Sunday
Kate Sheppard Cup Semi-Finals
Cashmere Technical vs Wellington Phoenix Reserves at Garrick Memorial Park, 2pm on Saturday
Eastern Suburbs vs Ellerslie AFC at Madills Farm, 1pm on Sunday
The Niche Cache is made possible by the good sorts who support us on Patreon, Substack, and Buy Me A Coffee... please get amongst if you appreciate the yarns
Also helps to tell your mates about us, whack an ad while you’re here, and do all those liking and commenting and sharing things that the algorithms demand