City to Conclude Northern League Phase at Melville
Words: ACFC Media
Friday 30 August 2024
AUCKLAND, New Zealand -Auckland City FC head to Hamilton for the final round of the Northern League as reigning champions, having secured their fourth consecutive title last weekend.
The Navy Blues will be looking to end the regional phase of the National League on a high note while also using this match against Melville United AFC as a crucial tune-up for the keenly anticipated Chatham Cup final against Wellington Olympic next weekend.
On the other side of the pitch, Melville United have everything to play for. The hosts find themselves in a relegation battle, sitting second from the bottom of the table.
With Hamilton Wanderers already relegated, Melville is fighting to avoid the same fate as they hope to leapfrog East Coast Bays and Manurewa AFC, both sides one point ahead of them on the ladder, going into the decisive final round.
The last time City and Melville met was in Round 6 of the competition on April 20 at Kiwitea.
The Navy Blues dominated that encounter, with Gerard Garriga netting an impressive hat-trick. Angus Kilkolly, celebrating his 100th game for the club, also made his mark by scoring shortly after coming off the bench. The final score was a resounding 7-3 victory for the Navy Blues.
Over the years, Auckland City has held the upper hand in their clashes with Melville. Between 2021 and 2023, they’ve faced each other six times, with the Navy Blues winning five of those encounters. The only hiccup was a 1-1 draw in 2022.
MATCH DETAILS
NORTHERN LEAGUE R22
Saturday 31 August 2024
v. Melville Utd AFC
Gower Park
Kick-off: 3:00pm
AC SQUAD: 1-Conor TRACEY (GK), 2- Mario ILICH (c) 3- Adam MITCHELL, 4-Christian GRAY, 5. Marco LORENZ, 6- Kailan GOULD, 8-Gerard GARRIGA. 9-Angus KILKOLLY, 10-Dylan MANICKUM, 11-Ryan DE VRIES, 12- Regont MURATI, 13-Nathan LOBO, 14. Matthew MATANYAYIRE 15. Luka VICELICH, 16-Joe LEE, 17. Jerson LAGOS, 18 - Areya PRASAD (GK), 19-Liam GILLION, 20- Derek TIEKU, 21- Adam BELL, 22-Tong ZHO, 23- Alfie ROGERS, 24-Joe WALLIS (GK), 25- Michael DEN HEIJER, 26-Rayan TAYEB, 27-Stipe UKICH.
COACH: Albert RIERA
ASSISTANT COACH: Ivan VICELICH
GK COACH: Enaut ZUBIKARAI
TECHNICAL: Adria CASALS
LOGISTICS: Keith COTON
PHYSIO: Matt PAYNE
FIFA INTERCONTINENTAL CUP
22 September 2024, v Al Ain, UAE, kick-off: 7.30pm local
Player Profiles
Table
| Position | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | AC | 22 | 16 | 3 | 3 | 53 | 21 | 51 |
| 2 |  | WS | 22 | 14 | 4 | 4 | 52 | 30 | 46 |
| 3 |  | ES | 22 | 14 | 2 | 6 | 38 | 20 | 44 |
| 4 |  | BU | 22 | 13 | 4 | 5 | 54 | 31 | 43 |
| 5 |  | AU | 22 | 12 | 4 | 6 | 39 | 27 | 40 |
| 6 |  | BO | 22 | 9 | 1 | 12 | 39 | 42 | 28 |
| 7 |  | TC | 22 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 38 | 56 | 25 |
| 8 |  | WR | 22 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 28 | 45 | 23 |
| 9 |  | EB | 22 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 29 | 38 | 22 |
| 10 |  | MN | 22 | 5 | 4 | 13 | 41 | 56 | 19 |
| 11 |  | MU | 22 | 6 | 0 | 16 | 29 | 54 | 18 |
| 12 |  | HW | 22 | 2 | 8 | 12 | 28 | 48 | 14 |
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