Battling wet and windy conditions is the norm for winter sport, but to say this has been a long hard winter for Northland FC's squad is an understatement.
This weekend they play their first home game since May 28, a brief respite before hitting the road again.
While the resultsmay not look good on paper with the side bottom of the table, most games have been close, often coming down to one point conceded in the last minutes.
Despite the losses, the Northland FC board is strongly in support of the coaches and players and what they are achieving this season.
With a strong and committed group of experienced players at the core, the coaches are creating a clear pathway for young players from the talent centre programme.
The aim of the season for Northland FC is building sustainable processes and relationships that will secure the club's future.
Coach Dan Johnston is looking forward to home advantage.
"With this weekend's game against Onehunga-Mangere , our second to last home fixture, the team is desperate to give our home support something to cheer about," he said.
"This is a game the team are more than capable of getting three points from. After a good display of football last weekend against Papatoetoe, despite conceding a last-minute winner, the boys can take many positives from the performance.
"We then have three big away trips in a row against Claudelands, Manakau and Ngaruawahia that are crucial to our survival in the league. One thing you can be sure of is that Northland FC will leave nothing on the field and will only be looking to win each game."
