Marist captain Tia Aaoke keeps Maycenvale's Luke Woon at Bay in their Pacific Premiership football match. Photo / Paul Taylor
Marist captain Tia Aaoke keeps Maycenvale's Luke Woon at Bay in their Pacific Premiership football match. Photo / Paul Taylor
A Jared Bloor hattrick has kept Havelock North Wanderers' hopes alive in Chatham Cup knockout football.
The striker's 33rd, 77th and 90th-minute saw the Federation League campaigners conquer Seatoun in Wellington on Saturday.
Player/coach Bruce Barclay said the villagers struggled through the second half but highlighted it was a newexperience for his men to venture south to the capital.
"Of the entire squad I was the only one who had played at Seatoun Park and that was many years ago," Barclay said after his Cole Murray-sponsored side had to come to grips with wind and a bumpy pitch. He put it down to education for his troops in coming out of their comfort zone to factor in the elements on a different route on State Highway 2.
The Wanderers thrashed Douglas Vila (Masterton) last year but got a taste of the same when they succumbed away to Central League side Palmerston North Marist.
"We're not in fear of Central League sides so we're happy with challenging ourselves."
They will give fellow undefeated Team Taranaki a "run for their money" in a Fed League match at Guthrie Park at 1pm this Saturday.
Alexander Electrical Napier Marist are still setting the pace in the Computer Care Pacific Premiership after beating Cr Bar Maycenvale United 2-0 at Park Island with both goals from Jake Murphy. Marist captain Tia Aaoke said it was a bad performance but they were happy to come away with maximum points.
"You have games like that where you struggle but we stepped up," Aaoke said of Marist who have forged ties with Scottish club Glasgow Celtics with the promise of a mutual exchange of coaches and age-group players later this year.
Undefeated second-placed Taradale AFC have a chance to catch up with them when they play third-placed Sunshine Brewery Team Gisborne at Childers Reserve this weekend.
"No one had beaten Gisborne in two years and it's the first time we beat them as a club," Aaoke said of their 4-2 win at Park Island on April 25.
Taradale pipped Appmed House Port Hill 2-1 on Saturday after they were 1-1 at halftime. Troy Penny-Cooke Morgan scored in the 11th before the visitors equalised in the 28th minute but Leon Birnie struck the winner in the 88th from point-blank range.
Port Hill coach Terry O'Neill said Dale dominated but his men came back into it despite missing strikers Patrick Pilz and Matt Single.
Promotem Napier City beat Hastings Old Boys 3-1 while Big Barrel Havelock North lost 7-1 away to Gisborne. Rovers player/coach Phil Dol said coach Grant Hastings had done a good job to lift Old Boys' standards.
