Football: Northland falter against high-flying Fencibles in NRFL Division Two action

Northland FC's Max Thomas looks for some space in his side's 4-1 loss to Fencibles United. Photo/John Stone

Northland came unstuck against high-flying Fencibles United in Lotto NRFL Division Two action, going down 4-1 at Tikipunga.

Sean Latimer opened the scoring for the visitors after 15 minutes, and doubled the lead five minutes later. Fencibles' purple patch continued with a third on 25 minutes to leave Northland with a mountain to climb at the interval.

The second half saw a more spirited performance from Northland, but they were unable to prevent a fourth goal on the hour. Mark Ruddell scored a fine consolation goal 18 minutes from the end but it just wasn't enough.

Head coach Dan Johnston said his side were too slow to start against their opposition.

"We didn't start well, and maybe showed them a bit too much respect, they had three players who really made the difference and they punished us early on," he said.

"We are looking for some consistency from the lads, and need to raise our game against the bigger teams in the league if we are going to improve on a solid first round in this competition."

The result sees Northland drop to fourth place, with Ngongotaha visiting from Rotorua next weekend.

Meanwhile in the Northland Men's Premier competition, Kamo picked up an important 3-1 win over Onerahi Cowleys Hire.

Both sides knew how tough the match was going to be and an early injury to goalkeeper Sammy Oso put Kamo in a bind because they had no back-up keeper.

Player/coach Sam Walker opted for the experience of Paul Cross to do the job for them.

Onerahi broke the deadlock with a well-worked right-hand-side play ending with a fine header.

But Kamo didn't back down, and Walker soon evened things up with a 25m screamer, pulling down a cross before turning and firing.

Neither side could add another before halftime, leaving the match in a precarious position.

Both sides battled through the second half before substitute Aaron Harvey put an attempted cross in the back of the Onerahi net to give Kamo the lead.

Walker iced the game with a late goal, giving them the 3-1 result. He said his side worked hard for the win.

"It was an excellent performance; the boys worked extremely hard and whilst it may not have been the best football played the determination and effort was immense," he said.

"I thought Jamie Blowers at the back and [captain] Jo Luiten midfield were instrumental in the win today.

"We'll take the three points and look forward to next week."

Kerikeri Bay Builders continued their unbeaten run with a 2-0 home victory over Tikipunga.

The two-goal win keeps the distance between Kerikeri and the chasing pack and, in particular, Central Brown.

Central Brown are continuing to nip at Kerikeri's heels as they grabbed a resounding 5-0 win against Bream Bay United.

The home side showed their attacking prowess while maintaining a clean sheet, sending a message to the leaders.

The final match saw Madhatters grab their second win of the season, defeating FC Whangarei 4-2.