Tauranga City continue to close gap on NRFL Championship leaders
Another win for Barry Gardiner's boys and it was a strong weekend for the Links Ave club across the board in senior football.
Tauranga City closed the gap on the NRFL Championship promotion places once again this weekend with another convincing win, this time over Northern Rovers. Goals from Adam Davidson, Eamon O’Donoghue, Nathan Rostron and Jonty Bidois did the damage in a 4-1 win at McFetridge Park.
The win was made even sweeter by results elsewhere, with both East Coast Bays and Hibiscus Coast losing, meaning City are just one point off the promotion places.
The men’s team’s success was replicated by the women in the NRFL Women’s Championship. They also won 4-1, Briana Osborne scoring a brace, jumping to fourth in the process, one point off top spot.
They also leapfrogged Otumoetai in the ladder, following their 3-2 loss at Onehunga. Late goals from Taryn Holloway and Grace Duncan could not prove enough for an impressive comeback.
Tauranga City’s club success continued in WaiBOP League One. Cameron Stewart and Thomas Crane helped themselves to a brace apiece in a 6-1 drubbing of Hamilton Wanderers Reserves. Unbeaten City are now just two points behind Otorohanga at the top of the table.
Both Otumoetai and Ngongotaha Lakes drew 1-1 in their NRFL Southern Conference fixtures with Taupo and Cambridge respectively this weekend. Papamoa were on the wrong end of an impressive Waikato Unicol performance, going down 6-0 at John Kerkhof Park.
Tauranga Blue Rovers put their Kate Sheppard Cup disappointment behind them by overcoming Otumoetai in the WaiBOP W-League this week. Paige Rickard’s late goal proved the difference in a 2-1 win.
Elsewhere, both Lakes drew 1-1 with Waikato Unicol while Tauranga City Reseves suffered a 7-0 loss to Melville.
Across Baywide football, Whakatane continue to lead the way in Women’s Bay 1 while in men’s football Tauranga City Relics are back at the top of Bay 1, Papamoa United bounced back in Bay 2 and Ngongotaha Lakes won a crucial Bay 3/O-35s clash with Waipuna Rangers.