Northland FC women's team searching for goals after 2-0 loss to Ellerslie

The brains trust in Northland's top women's team will need to come up with some new ways to put the ball in the back of the net. Photo / File

It seems not just Northland's male footballers have a problem with scoring in Auckland.

Northland FC's women's team has slipped down one place on the AFF/NFF conference ladder after their 2-0 loss to Ellerslie at Michaels Ave Reserve in Auckland on Sunday. The team sits in sixth, two points below fifth-placed Eastern Suburbs Yellow, but with a game in hand.

The visitors put on an impressive performance in the second half but could not finish a number of clear goal-scoring opportunities afforded to them. This comes after the Northland FC men's first team has gone nine games and only scored four goals.

The women's statistics read better than the men's, scoring 11 goals in their six games and only conceding seven. However, if Northland are to push for a top four spot in their remaining eight games, more needs to be done about their execution in front of goal.

"It was the same story as usual, we were unlucky because we had the majority of play in the second half but we were not capitalising on our chances," Northland FC women's coach Alan Witt said.

"In the first half, Ellerslie only had one chance and a penalty but they took their chances."

With Ellerslie doubling their one-goal lead with that penalty on the stroke of halftime, they took the momentum going into the second half. Not to be pushed out of the game, Northland responded well and were the dominant side in the second 45 minutes.

Witt said in spite of some issues with formation and structure, the team was showing signs of consistent improvement.

"The problem for us is that we are struggling on the wings and how those players can affect the play going forward, but the good thing is that we are definitely making progress.

"Ellerslie are probably one of the best two teams in the league and like last week, progress is being made, we just have real difficultly scoring."

While it was frustrating for Witt to see things practised in training not being done in a game, he said his team simply needed more confidence when bearing down on goal.

"What I do know is everything is going to come right and we'll have a convincing win when it does," he said.

The team's next fixture is against Manukau United on June 9 at Tikipunga Sports Park at 1pm.

In Northland's premier women's football competition, Madhatters beat Kaitaia United, 18-0, Bream Bay beat Central Brown, 3-1, Onerahi beat Bay Cosmos, 5-0, Kerikeri drew with Kamo, 2-2 and Tikipunga had the bye.