"But we were definitely in the game, the guys were doing all they could to win the game so I had no complaints, we just struggled to finish," he said.
Kerikeri remain at the top of the competition but had to rely on a bit of luck to get all three points in their match against Onerahi at Waipapa, winning 2-1 in injury time.
Spirited defence by Onerahi saw them hold out a dominant Kerikeri in the opening stanza. A fantastic strike late in the first-half by Adam Streamer saw the home team finally take the lead but Onerahi started the second spell the better side and Matt Andrews scored an equaliser after 10 minutes.
The game opened up and both sides had their chances to take the lead but it look destined for a draw until a cross caught out an Onerahi player and the ball deflected into his goal.
Onerahi coach Dave Badham said he struggled with mixed emotions after the match.
"I was really proud of the way the lads played against a really good side but I couldn't help feeling a little disappointed with the final result and the way we conceded the goal," he said.
Kerikeri's Mark Roberts was obviously elated, knowing that a single slip up will hand Kamo the advantage in their two-horse race for the league title.
"Onerahi were superb today. They were up for a good, hard game and probably deserved to take more from the game but we got home by the skin of our teeth," he said.
Meanwhile Kamo kept the pressure on Kerikeri with a 3-0 win over Tikipunga.
Although outclassed on the pitch, Tikipunga defended gamely and created a few chances of their own but were still 0-1 down at halftime due to a Keegan Baddeley goal.
They went a further goal down shortly after the break when Jake Manaton scored a stunner and then lost last week's hat-trick hero Michael Crowley when he was sent off for a second yellow card and the home side were forced to fight a rearguard action.
Baddeley beat the keeper one-on-one to complete the scoring but Tikipunga coach Bill Gibson was still happy with his side's performance against a good Kamo side.
Kaitaia made the most of playing against another depleted squad, thrashing FC Whangarei 6-0 at Morningside.
The visitors dominated right from the start, leading 2-0 at the break before coasting home in the second spell. James Van Engelen scored a double on his first team debut with Bailey and Kian Milne, Jared Neave and Brad Lesley scoring the others. Right back Steve Daykin spoiled his best outing of the season by convincing his skipper to let him line up a second-half penalty before delivering one of the worst penalty attempts in living memory.
Results: Northland Division One: Kamo 4 Kerikeri Jerkovich 1, FC Whangarei 7 Onerahi Reserves 0, Onerahi New 3 Central Brown 1, Bream Bay 4 Madhatters Blue 6, Tikipunga Orange 0 Tikipunga Pet Essentials 5.
