Striking duo primed for milestones

Words: ACFC Media

Friday 31 March 2023

AUCKLAND, New Zealand - Auckland City FC goal machine Emiliano Tade and his prolific strike partner Ryan De Vries are both on the verge of special landmarks going into Round 2 of the Northern League against Bay Olympic on Saturday afternoon at Kiwitea street.

In-form Tade, who netted four times in his previous two outings, has taken his overall tally to a remarkable 149 goals in 226 matches for the club, while De Vries, who racked up 153 appearances for Auckland City, currently shares second spot on the all-time scoring list with club legend Grant Young, with each having 66 strikes to their name.

The prospect of creating a slice of Navy Blues history is not lost on the two players, and neither the importance of building on their side’s impressive start of the new domestic season which kicked off with a convincing 4-0 win over Western Springs last weekend.

Alberta Riera’s charges will be boosted by the return of skipper Cam Howieson from All Whites duties and they will also welcome back New Zealand U-22 team members Nathan Lobo and Joe Lee following their international campaigns against their Chinese counterparts.

City have a hundred percent winning record over Olympic in their past five meetings since 2021, including an away Chatham Cup triumph as well as four victories in the Northern League.

However, under the guidance of newly appointed Head Coach Rudi Muzr, Bay Olympic embarked on their 2023 season by overcoming Manukau United 3-2 last weekend, and they will arrive to Kiwitea Street high on confidence.

The visitors boast plenty of firepower with the likes of Kayne Vincent who boasts an All Whites cap as well as professional experience in Japan, India, Australia, Thailand and Malaysia.

Vincent was on target in his side’s opening round win alongside Rob Tipelu and Ryusei Ishibashi, and shapes up as one of the players to be closely watched by the Navy Blues defence.

Ends

Match Details
Northern League Round 2
Saturday 1 April 2023
Auckland City FC v Bay Olympic
Kiwitea Street, Sandringham
Kick Off : 3.00pm NZST

AC SQUAD (SEASON 2023): 1-Conor TRACEY (GK), 2- Mario ILICH, 3- Adam MITCHELL, 4-Christian GRAY, 5-Michael DEN HEIJER, 6-Dan MORGAN, 7-Cam HOWIESON (c), 8-Gerard GARRIGA, 9-Angus KILKOLLY, 10-Dylan MANICKUM, 11-Ryan DE VRIES, 12-Regont MURATI, 13-Nathan LOBO, 14-Jordan VALE, 15- Aidan CAREY, 16-Joseph LEE, 17- Ilham HAMEEDI, 19-Liam GILLION, 20- Emiliano TADE, 21- Adam BELL, 22-Tong ZHOU, 23- Matt ELLIS, 24-Joe WALLIS (GK), 25-Takuya IWATA, 26-Rayan TAYEB, 27 Stipe UKICH

COACH: Albert RIERA
ASSISTANT COACH: Ivan VICELICH
GK COACH: Enaut ZUBIKARAI
TECHNICAL: Adria CASALS
TECHNICAL: Jarrod WALLACE
LOGISTICS: Colin COOK
PHYSIO: Matt PAYNE