Manickum Hat‑Trick Powers City Win

A minute of silence was observed before kick-off, and City followed it with their most complete performance of the season.

The Navy Blues struck inside two minutes. Regent Murati broke down the right and squared a perfect ball for Dylan Manickum, who finished calmly to give City an ideal start. It was a welcome breakthrough for a side that had gone four league matches without scoring.

City doubled their lead in the 29th minute when Tom Golding drove home a low strike after another high turnover.

Fencibles struggled to contain City’s movement, and five minutes before halftime Manickum struck again, sweeping in his second to make it 3-0.

Manickum said afterwards that the early momentum was crucial. “4-1 is a good result and kind of puts us back on track. We’ve struggled to score goals this season, so it’s good to put four past a good team. Scoring first gave us a lot of confidence going into the first half and then into the second.”

Fencibles pulled one back five minutes after the restart when Liam Wessels looped a header into the net. The visitors enjoyed a short spell of pressure, but City remained organised and controlled the key moments.

“You can’t really switch off in these games,” Manickum said. “They scored early to make it 3-1 and put pressure on, but we were pretty good defensively, solid, and then obviously pinched the penalty at the end.”

That penalty came late in the match after Nicholas Zambrano was fouled in the box. Manickum stepped up and completed his hat-trick with a confident finish. “I don’t score many hat-tricks, so yeah, I’m happy with it. And the captaincy? Tell Muz he can’t get it back.”

Nikko Boxall’s return to the starting lineup added stability and leadership at the back. His presence was a major boost for a squad that has been stretched by injuries and player unavailability.

Head coach Rudy Mozr praised both the senior players and the young talent stepping forward. “It’s been a tough couple of weeks with players away and injuries, but it gave opportunities to younger players. Manraj (SINGH, made his debut, Bono (KACUROV) had his first start, Kian (SHAHBAZPOUR) got more minutes. It’s good to see the young players taking their chances.”

Mozr added: “Going 3-0 up at halftime is a huge boost, but the early goal we conceded was cheap. We really wanted a clean sheet today. But overall, I’m pleased. The boys have been working extremely well.”

Reflecting on the season so far, Mozr said: “It’s been a rollercoaster, but not a surprise. New squad, injuries, players away. Even in the games we lost points, we probably didn’t deserve to. We just need to build resilience and momentum.”

Earlier in the day, the U23s fell to a 4-0 defeat against their Fencibles counterparts at the Croatian Club.

Ends

Match Result
Northern League R7
Saturday, 25 April
Kiwitea, Sandringham

Auckland City FC: 4 (Dylan MANICKUM 2′, 40′, 90+4′, Tom GOLDING 29′)
Fencibles United:  1 (Liam WESSELS 50′)

HT: 3-0

AC: 1. Nathan GARROW, 4.Nikko BOXALL, 5. Nathan ROSTRON 7. Michal DOUDERA, 10. Dylan MANICKUM (C), 12. Regont MURATI  19. Dylan CONNOLLY, 21. Adam BELL, 15. Jeremy FOO (20. Manraj SINGH 90+5) 17. Bono KACUROV (14. Nico ZAMBRANO 60′) (26. Kian SHAHBAZPOUR 90+5) 19. Dylan CONNOLLY, 27. Tom GOLDING (13. Shaan ANAND 72′)

SUBS NOT USED: 18. Seba CIGANDA,

HEAD COACH : Rudy MOZR
ASSISTANT COACH: Ivan VICELICH
ASSISTANT COACH: Alan SHAKER
GOALKEEPER COACH: Adam BANNISTER
TRAINER: Karlo PAVIC
PHYSIO: Matt PAYNE
TEAM MANAGER: Keith COTON