Ngongotaha AFC look to bounce back from heavy defeat

FOREIGN TALENT: Ngongotaha AFC Frenchman Alexis Pinto will play his last game for the club this weekend, before returning home to France. PHOTO/FILE

Ngongotaha AFC are eager to get back to winning ways after going down 7-0 against a rampant Waiheke United last weekend.

Fortunately, that was a catch-up game so no other teams gained points on them.

With Claudelands two points ahead of Ngongotaha, whoever wins today's game will sit in sixth place.

Ngongotaha also have one or two games in hand over all of the teams above them.

Coach Shane Davis was expecting a "pretty close game" at home today.

"Both teams are probably on a pretty even par on the field so it should be a tight match."

Having played most of last week's game with 10 men, after Josh O'Sullivan was red carded early on, Davis would like to keep all 11 players on the field this week.

"We need a bit of discipline and to cut out the errors in the first 10-15 minutes, then we should do all right.

"It's always a bit of a struggle going down to 10 men against a fit side, they were really good all over the park. But hopefully we can turn it around this week and pick up some points."

When these sides met earlier in the season, in Hamilton, Ngongotaha came back from 3-0 down to draw 3-3.

"In the last couple of minutes we hit the crossbar once and had a couple of close misses.

"We'd like to start better this time."

O'Sullivan is suspended this week, after receiving the red card, and it will be the last game for attacking midfielder Alexis Pinto who is returning to France.

Davis said Pinto was in New Zealand on a working holiday and had been a valuable addition to the Ngongotaha side this season.

"We're actually going to miss him quite a bit when he leaves, he is a talented player.

"His distribution to our frontline - he has great vision and a brilliant touch on the ball. We were lucky he chose us to come and play for."

Ngongotaha will be hopeful of sending their French import home with one more win.