West Coast Rangers keep a five-point lead in the Lotto NRFL first division after beating bottom-placed Waitemata 3-0.
Tauranga City and Manurewa stay closest to the leaders, both winning games in round 10.
Here’s our round-up of the latest games:
Another clean sheet, another win for Rangers
West Coast Rangers continued their apparent march to the first division title with a ruthless 3-0 win at Waitemata’s McLeod Park.
Typically, they punished their opponents with goals in stoppage time of each half — and kept another clean sheet in a season that’s seen them concede a mere five goals in 10 games.
The sides seemed headed for a goalless first half till Matthew Banks grabbed a goal for Rangers in added time.
Soon after the break, Banks doubled Rangers’ lead and the result hardly looked in doubt.
Substitute Kofi Dwamena extended the lead to 3-0, scoring in the fourth minute of referee’s time.
Waitemata’s cause was not helped by six yellow cards, and a double yellow for player-coach Hamish Mackay.
Three Rangers players also went into referee Stephen Merriman’s book.
Tauranga come from behind to beat Fencibles
Second-placed Tauranga City trailed 1-0 to Fencibles United at half-time and needed a strong second spell to take the points with a 4-2 win at Riverhills Park.
Ryan Clarke put Fencibles ahead after six minutes, the only score of the first half.
Tauranga coach Barry Gardiner brought on Mikhail Bredeveldt at the start of the second half and the substitution paid off almost immediately with an equaliser.
Ry McLeod then gained the lead for Tauranga with a penalty on the hour.
Bredeveldt scored his second of the day, extending the Bay of Plenty side’s lead to 3-1 after 66 minutes.
Fencibles captain Sione Fa’apoi pulled back the score to 3-2 with a penalty in the 74th minute.
But teenager Mirko Brinkmann made sure of the win for the visitors, scoring his fourth goal of the season in the 79th minute.
Main photo: Fencibles’ Sione Fa’apoi … scored from the spot. File photo: Shane Wenzlick / Phototek.
All Whites striker Patterson punishes MAP with hat-trick
New Zealand international striker Monty Patterson was Manurewa’s big name signing in pre-season but he had scored only three goals in the division’s opening nine rounds.
He put that to rights with a hat-trick against Mt Albert Ponsonby at Jellicoe Park, a game Rewa won 3-1.
Patterson got off the mark in the 39th minute when he converted from the penalty spot, giving the home side a 1-0 win at half-time.
In the second spell, he added goals in the 67th and 82nd minute, putting the result beyond MAP’s reach, though Timothy Sudmann managed a consolation goal two minutes into added time.
Manurewa keep in touch with the leaders, thanks to the win; MAP loiter in mid-table.
3-3 draw keeps United and Ellerslie in top half
Onehunga Mangere United and Ellerslie shared a 3-3 draw at Mangere Mountain to stay in the top half of the table.
Osman Rastagar continued his goalscoring form to open for United in the 16th minute.
Rowan Corbett levelled for the Ponies in the 25th minute.
However Maksim Manko gave the home side the lead in the 39th minute and the teams turned around at 2-1.
Hazem Alfayad scored for Ellerslie straight after the break to make it 2-2.
Manko’s second goal, in the 62nd minute, restored the lead for Onehunga Mangere.
But substitute Ryan Morrow had the last say for Ellerslie, scoring the levelled in the 78th after only four minutes on the pitch.
Two-goal burst earns win for Northern Rovers
Two goals in as many minutes turned the game in Northern Rovers’ favour as they beat East Coast Bays 2-1 at Bay City Park.
Bays took the lead after only five minutes when 16-year-old Keegan Kelly scored his ninth goal of the season.
The home side took that lead into the half-time interval.
Rovers struck back in the 63rd minute through captain David Brown.
A minute later, they took the lead, thanks to a goal from Jason Quinlan.
That’s how it stayed, with the three points giving Rovers a much-needed boost into mid-table.
Results
Games played weekend of May 27-28, 2022
Friday
Metro 3 (Jaydyn Englefield 58′, Josh Turner 63′, Finn McCracken 87′)
Albany United 5 (Finn Smith 22′, Jack Beguely 36′, Tomas Mosquera 54′, Ben Roberts 73′ pen, 78′ pen)
Click here for match report >>>>
Saturday
Manurewa 3 (Monty Patterson 39′ pen, 67′, 82′)
Mt Albert Ponsonby 1 (Timothy Sudmann 90+2′)
Waitemata 0
West Coast Rangers 3 (Matthew Banks 45+2′, 54′, Kofi Dwamena 90+4′)
Onehunga Mangere United 3 (Osman Rastagar 16′, Maksim Manko 39′, 62′)
Ellerslie 3 (Rowan Corbett 25′, Hazem Alfayad 46′, Ryan Morrow 78′)
East Coast Bays 1 (Keegan Kelly 5′)
Northern Rovers 2 (David Brown 63′, Jason Quinland 64′)
Fencibles United 2 (Ryan Clarke 6′, Sione Fa’apoi 74′ pen)
Tauranga City 4 (Mikhail Bredeveldt 49′, 66′, Ry McLeod 61′ pen, Mirko Brinkmann 79′)
Standings
Thanks
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