Auckland
City Football Club News
AUCKLAND
CITY FC ANNUAL AWARDS
The Auckland City FC Annual Awards evening was held last Saturday
16 May at Alexandra Park's "Top of the Park".
Host Dennis Katsanos looks on as coach Paul Posa presents
Ivan Vicelich with the '2008/9 Player of the Year' award.
250 guests gathered to honour
the players and team management who were successful in claiming
a unique "treble" for the club over the 2008/09 season:
Oceania Champions League, New Zealand Football Championship and
National Youth League titles.
Dennis Katsanos from Sky Television
hosted the event superbly and excellent live entertainment was
provided by the "Mighty Groovediggers" www.groovediggers.co.nz
Individual award winners and more
photographs: HERE
2009
O-League Final - Second Leg
AUCKLAND CITY QUALIFY FOR FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP
Kiwitea
Street, Sunday, 03 May 09
Courtesy OFC |
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Auckland City FC have become the first team to secure a place
at the FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2009 after drawing 2-2 with Koloale
FC at Kiwitea Street on Sunday to win the two-legged O-League
Final 9-4 on aggregate.
Veteran
striker Keryn Jordan once again led the way with a second-half
brace to follow the hat-trick he scored during Auckland’s
7-2 win over the Solomon Islanders in Honiara last weekend. With
eight goals for the season, Jordan was awarded the 2009 O-League
Golden Boot trophy after the match.
While
it was all smiles for Auckland coach Paul Posa and his players,
Koloale could walk away with their heads high after a competitive
performance in front of the 1250 Kiwitea faithful.
After
a slow start to the match which saw few chances fall to either
team, former Auckland player Henry Fa’arado got the visitors
out in front with a curling shot in the 40th minute that caught
Jacob Spoonley off guard – the Auckland goalkeeper only
managing to palm the ball into the top of his own net.
The
goal seemed to spark life into Auckland with Milos Nikolic and
Grant Young going close just before halftime.
Jordan
came on in the 50th minute and almost had the equaliser with his
first touch of the ball but his five-yard header from a Nikolic
cross sailed just over the bar. Five minutes later Grant Young
was fouled inside the box by Fa’arodo and Jordan made no
mistake of the penalty.
The
super-sub then scored his second in quick succession when he headed
home at the back post off a Ki-Hyung Lee corner on 58 minutes.
Two
minutes later Fa’arodo made a weaving run down the right
flank and sent in a low cross for Lency Saeni to volley in the
equaliser.
Koloale
continued attacking and enjoyed extended periods of possession
during the second half but Auckland’s defence held strong.
The home side were then unlucky not to get an injury-time winner
when the ball fell to Riki van Steeden inside the box but his
shot blasted the side netting.
Despite
the draw, Paul Posa was happy with the performance and is pleased
the club can now look forward to representing Oceania at FIFA’s
pinnacle club competition.
“Up
until this point it’s been if we do this and if we do that,
but now it’s reality,” said Posa.
“The
FIFA Club World Cup is a huge incentive – it raises the
standards and it’s incredibly good for Oceania. This is
what every club wants.
“And
the victory is especially sweet for those guys who are coming
to the end of their career,” he said, referring to players
like Jordan and Young.
The
FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2009 will be held from 9-19 December and
consist of seven teams competing over the course of eight matches
in Abu Dhabi’s two largest stadiums; Zayed Sports City Stadium
which seats approximately 50,000 and Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium
which has a capacity of around 42,000.
Auckland
will earn a 50 percent share of the minimum US$500,000 prize money.
It
is the second time Auckland will compete in the FIFA Club World
Cup after they made the quarterfinals in 2006.
2009
O-LEAGUE FINAL (2nd LEG)
Match:
Koloale FC [SOL] vs. Auckland City FC [NZL]
Date: Sunday 3 May 2009
Venue: Auckland, New Zealand
Stadium: Kiwitea Street
Kick Off: 14h05 (Local time)
Referee:
Norbert HAUATA [TAH]
Assistant Referee: Tevita MAKASINI [TON]
Assistant Referee: Mahit CHILIA [VAN]
Fourth Official: Averii JACQUES [TAH]
Auckland
City FC: Keryn JORDAN 56’ 58’
Koloale FC: Henry FA’ARODO 40’, Lency
SAENI 60’
Halftime: 0-1
Yellow
cards: 13. Alex FENERIDIS 39’
Estimated
crowd: 1250
Auckland
City FC: 3.Matt FRIEL, 4. Sam CAMPBELL, 5. Matt WILLIAMS,
6. Ki-Hyung LEE (21. Riki VAN STEEDEN 90’), 7. James PRITCHETT,
9. Paul URLOVIC (14. Keryn JORDAN 50’), 10. Grant YOUNG
(23. Liam MULROONEY 86’), 12. Jacob SPOONLEY (GK), 13. Alex
FENERIDIS, 15. Ivan VICELICH, 24. Milos NIKOLIC
Coach: Paul POSA
Substitutes
not used: 1. John FLETCHER (GK), 22. Xavi ROCA, 26. Jonathan
RAJ
Koloale
FC: 2. Welshman HOUKARAWA, 3. Jeffrey BULE, 5. Richard
ANISUA, 6. Timothy JOE, 13. Lency SAENI, 14. Nicholas MURI, 15.
Mostyn BEUI, 16. Joses NAWO, 18. Henry KOTO, 19. Henry Fa’arodo,
20. Shadrack RAMONI (GK)
Coach: Luke EROI
Substitutes
not used: 1. Zantas KABINI, 8. Peter TALOGA, 10. Ezra
SALE, 26. Kluivert DAGI, 30. Tony OTINI
2009
O-League Golden Boot:
8
– Keryn JORDAN (Auckland City FC)
4 – Paul URLOVIC (Auckland City FC)
3 – Chad COOMBES (Auckland City FC)
3 – Roy KRISHNA (Waitakere United)
3 – Paul SEAMAN (Waitakere United)
FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
Priscilla
Duncan
Oceania Football Confederation
Media and Communications
T:
+649-526-5651
F: +649-525-8164
M: +64 (0)21 884 018
E: priscilla@oceaniafootball.com
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