By David Larkin
In-form Manukau United are making a late claim for promotion to next year’s Northern League.
The south Auckland club are tied on points and goal difference with second-placed Ngaruawahia United in the Lotto NRFL Men’s Championship, but have a game in hand.
League leaders Fencibles United survived a scare against Takapuna last weekend as they had to come from behind to snatch the three points, with striker Kodie Nicol’s second-half brace proving the difference.
Ngaruawahia overturned a half-time deficit to beat Metro 3-1.
Manukau kept in the promotion race with a comprehensive 5-1 victory against Onehunga Mangere that featured a four-goal haul from striker Maysum Shahafi.
Fourth-placed Northern Rovers dropped off the pace, succumbing to a 1-1 draw with North Shore United.
At the other end of the table, the point lifted North Shore from the relegation zone.
To stay out of trouble, they’ll need to lift again when they meet Ngaruawahia this weekend, after being thrashed by them in the reverse fixture.
Mt Albert Ponsonby staged a monster comeback last round, after initially trailing bottom side Franklin United 3-0 just before halftime, but going on to score five unanswered goals to claim victory.
MAP have risen to 6th place and look set to continue their fine form as their remaining fixtures for the season are all against sides below them on the table.
Having beaten Takapuna 3-1 earlier in the season, MAP will look to start that run-in with a win at their Anderson Park headquarters.
Metro have dropped into the relegation zone and have won only one match in their last 15.
The remaining schedule doesn’t get easier with matches against three of the top four sides. They meet Ellerslie on Saturday.
After a paucity of recent fixtures, Ellerslie played their first game in three weeks on Wednesday, securing a 3-2 victory over Onehunga Mangere.
Onehunga Mangere United’s form has significantly dropped recently with five losses in a row, while conceding 16 goals and scoring four.
They have the privilege of travelling away to leaders Fencibles United this weekend.
Game of the week
Manukau United are staging a late surge in a bid to snatch the promotion play-off spot from second-placed Ngaruawahia.
They have now won their last four games and have conceded only once in their last five matches.
They have a game in hand over their Waikato rivals and the pair are tied on both points and goal difference.
They have a tough assignment though, when they host Hibiscus Coast at Walter Massey Park on Saturday.
The reverse fixture ended 2-1 to Manukau with a brace from Hamza Moosvi helping the South Auckland club to claim the three points.
Coast’s focus will shift back to the league as they were knocked out of the Chatham Cup in brutal fashion last week, being defeated by Southern League club Coastal Spirit in a penalty shootout after the match ended 3-3 at the end of extra time.
Their league form is solid, with only two losses in their last nine matches, and as long as they don’t have a cup hangover, Coast will certainly challenge Manukau for the three points.
Player to watch
Manukau United forward Maysum Shahafi was in fine form last weekend, recording a four-goal haul against Onehunga Mangere United in a 5-0 victory.
The former New Zealand U-17’s player had a hat-trick wrapped up by half-time but added another in the 54th minute to complete a clinical performance.
Shahafi (28) has played for a number of Auckland clubs, since moving north from Christchurch in 2018, including Western Springs, Papatoetoe, Bucklands Beach and Metro.
Now in his second season with Manukau, the side’s number nine is now his club’s second-top goalscorer for the season with seven goals.
Manukau will be counting on him to provide continue his goalscoring exploits if they are to outrun Ngaruawahia for the relegation play-off position.
Bold prediction
I predict Mt Albert Ponsonby will continue their good form and beat Takapuna.
I’ll also predict Ngaruawahia United will beat North Shore United when they host them at Centennial Park on Saturday.
Last week, I predicted Fencibles United and Manukau United would pick up wins. Fencibles beat Takapuna 4-3 and Manukau beat Onehunga Mangere 5-0.
Golden Boot
19 — Darius Palma (Ngaruawahia United)
15 — Kodie Nicol (Fencibles United)
14 — Daniel Bunch (Fencibles United)
10 — Aston Burns (Fencibles United), Dylan Horgan (Manukau United), Joao Moreira (Takapuna)
9 — Adam Creaney (Metro), Reuben Henderson (Ngaruawahia United)
7 — Sam Freeman (Metro), Meysum Shafahi (Manukau United), Tinotenda Mupemhena (Franklin United)
6 — Brodie Putt (North Shore United), Hamsa Moosvi (Manukau United), Levi Clark (Ngaruawahia United), Max Adamson (Fencibles United)
5 — Daniel Cyra (Hibiscus Coast), Nick Petherick (North Shore United), Sam Tutton (Mt Albert Ponsonby), Rowan Corbett (Ellerslie), Scott Sellar (Mt Albert Ponsonby), Will Litchfield (Ellerslie)
Fixtures
Games to be played on Saturday August 3, 2024
Ngaruawahia United v North Shore United
Centennial Park, Ngaruawahia, 3pm
Northern Rovers v Franklin United
McFetridge Park, Glenfield, 3pm
Mt Albert Ponsonby v Takapuna
Anderson Park, Mt Albert, 3pm
Fencibles United v Onehunga Mangere United
Riverhills Park, Pakuranga, 3pm
Manukau United v Hibiscus Coast
Walter Massey Park, Manukau, 3pm
Ellerslie v Metro
Michaels Ave, Ellerslie, 3pm
David Larkin
Friends of Football writer David Larkin plays community football for Auckland club Manurewa.
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