AUCKLAND, New Zealand - Auckland City face defining trip to Western Springs as their title defence reaches boiling point.
28 November 2025
The Navy Blues’ season has come down to its final, nerve‑tightening stretch. Two matches remain. Two wins will be enough to return to the National League Grand Final and keep their title defence alive. The equation is simple; the execution, far less so.
On Sunday, the Navy Blues travel across town to Seddon Fields for a meeting with Western Springs that feels less like a fixture and more like a reckoning. Springs, crowned Northern League champions earlier in the year, have been one of the competition’s most consistent sides, finishing the regional phase on 42 points — two clear of Auckland City, who only just squeezed into the National League via the final qualifying spot.
The sides know each other well, and the history between them this year has been anything but straightforward. Springs claimed a 2–0 win at Kiwitea Street back in April, though Auckland City were forced to field a patched‑together XI as their first‑choice squad contested the OFC Champions League final in the Solomon Islands. The return leg at Seddon Fields was a different story: a tense, bruising affair settled deep into stoppage time when Christian Gray snatched a dramatic 2–1 win for the visitors.
Form lines heading into Sunday only add to the intrigue. Auckland City arrive buoyed by back‑to‑back victories, while Springs, unexpectedly, slipped to a 1–0 defeat against bottom‑placed Coastal Spirit last weekend. The table is now a tightly coiled spring: Miramar Rangers and Western Springs sit level on 16 points, Wellington Olympic lurk on 15, and Auckland City remain within striking distance on 14.
Victory at Seddon Fields would vault the Navy Blues above Springs and set up a final‑day scenario entirely within their control. Beat Coastal Spirit at Kiwitea Street next week, and a Grand Final place is theirs, helped by the fact that Miramar and Wellington Olympic must take points off each other in the final round.
But first comes Sunday, and a meeting that could define Auckland City’s season. The club is calling for its supporters to gather early at Gigi Kitchen & Bar on Ponsonby Road before marching to Seddon Fields, voices raised and colours flying. They know what’s at stake. They know what this team has left to give.
The final push begins now. Navy Blue stands on the brink once more, and the road to the decider runs straight through Western Springs.
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Match Details
Dettol National League R10
Sunday, 30 November
Seddon Fields
Western Springs vs. Auckland City FC
Kick-off: 2:00pm
AC SQUAD: 1. Conor TRACEY (GK) 2. Mario ILICH (C) 3. Adam MITCHELL 4. Christian GRAY 5. Nikko BOXALL, 6. Orlando THORPE, 7. Myer BEVAN 8. Gerard GARRIGA 9. Angus KILKOLLY 10. Dylan MANICKUM 11. Ryan DE VRIES 12. Regont MURATI 13. Nathan LOBO 14. Jordan VALE, 15. Jeremy FOO, 16. Joe LEE 17. Jerson LAGOS 18. Seb CIGANDA (GK) 19. Dylan CONNOLLY, 20. Matt ELLIS 21. Adam BELL 22. Tong ZHOU 23. Riley DALZIELL, 24. Nathan GARROW (GK) 25. Michael DEN HEIJER, 26. David YOO, 27. Haris ZEB, 28 Paris DOMFEH
HEAD COACH : Paul POSA
ASSISTANT COACH: Ivan VICELICH
ASSISTANT COACH: Adria CASALS
GOALKEEPER COACH: Jonas HOFFMANN
PHYSIO: Matt PAYNE
TEAM MANAGER: Keith COTON
