Football: Tauranga City awash with new talent for season

Tauranga City open the new season away to Hibiscus Coast tomorrow. Photo / File

Tauranga City and AFC Fury are ready to make the step up in northern regional football this season after winning promotion last year.

Tauranga City head to the top tier of the northern region division one. They have managed to keep the nucleus of last year's outstanding team but have lost defenders Sam O'Regan and Mark van der Salm.

Head coach Duncan Lowry says he is sorry to lose two of his better players but says they have 16 new players at the club this year fighting for spots in the first team and reserves.

"I have picked up a young chap from the south of Ireland league Colm Kenny, who has also played some international football in Sweden," Lowry said. "He captained the Wellington Olympic team to the semifinal of the Chatham Cup last year. He is a centre forward like Jack McNab and will do a job for me up front.

"We have also picked up from Wellington a midfielder called Colin Dunn and left back/centre half Liam Higgins who has been overseas. We have kept Jerahl Hughes, which is great and he just loves the lifestyle here."

Lowry is under no illusions as to how tough the new division will be for Tauranga City.

"It is going to be a tough league. There are going to be no easy teams and you have to be on your guard at all times. But it is a possible thing to go back-to-back and win promotion."

Meanwhile, across town in Te Puna Northern region division 2 football will be played for the first time. AFC Fury have fought their way through several local leagues to reach this level. They open the new season on Sunday with a home game at Modcom Field, Maramatanga Park against Auckland side Lynn Avon. Kick off 2.45pm.

AFC Fury players to watch out for are Connor Irvine, a young local lad who has already been to Barcelona and the UK, and at the other end of the scale Ian Stringfellow, a veteran of more than 350 professional games in the UK. Mix in exotic names like Argentine Kiwi Juan Pablo Rosende, Luis Cabrera, Uruguay, Chileans Erik Aceituno and Diego Castro and there should be a smorgasbord of football talent on show.