AUCKLAND, NZ - Auckland City return to Riverhills Park on Saturday for their final Northern League match before departing for the OFC Champions League — and the storyline writes itself.
31 July 2026
Seven days after a dramatic Chatham Cup exit at the same ground, against the same opponent, City meet Fencibles United once more, this time with vital league points on the line.
It is a fixture framed by response. Last weekend’s Cup tie delivered almost everything except the ending City wanted: a first corner conceded since January, a counter‑attack at a difficult moment, a deflected second‑half goal, and a missed penalty with the final kick. Football can be cruel; Riverhills proved it.
But Wednesday night at the Croatian Club brought a reset. A 5–1 win over Bay Olympic — driven by a ruthless Ryan De Vries four‑goal performance and a standout display from Regont Murati — restored rhythm, confidence and sharpness ahead of the weekend.
Coach’s View
Head coach Rudy Mozr says the group has already shifted focus.
“Yeah, it was definitely a tough week to take, but now it’s a big week ahead of us before we go to the OFC Champions League. There’s no time to be upset — we just need to keep our heads up and get into it.”
Reflecting on the Cup exit, he added: “Football can be cruel at times. If you concede goals like that, it’s very difficult to be successful. We made it hard for ourselves in the first half — the first goal was our first corner conceded since January, and the second came from a counter where we didn’t cover the back post.”
On Wednesday’s response: “Having Mikey (Den Heijer) back is great, Alfie (Rogers) too, and Ryza (De Vries) getting minutes and goals is important. Regi (Murati) was fantastic — he created so many chances and assists. First half was very good, second half we lost a bit of rhythm, but overall it was a good night for us.”
And on the stakes: “It’s a big game for us on Saturday. We want points before we head off to Fiji. The table is tight, goal difference matters, so the 5–1 win helps. We want six points from the next two games — that should be enough.”
Player Insight
Ryan De Vries, fresh from his four‑goal return, is ready for the quick turnaround.
“We’ve got to tick these ones off one by one. We’ve got to focus on the league first before going off to the O‑League. We start tomorrow with training and prepare well for Saturday’s game.”
Head‑to‑Head
This will be the fifth meeting between Auckland City FC and Fencibles United across all competitions. City have won two, drawn one, and last weekend’s Chatham Cup defeat was their first ever loss to Fencibles.
Before that, the fixture had leaned entirely City’s way — including a 4–1 win at Riverhills in April — but last Saturday’s drama rewrote the record. The overall picture now reads: four games played, two wins, one draw, one loss, with City scoring nine goals and conceding six.
Riverhills has become the shared stage for this growing rivalry, and Saturday’s league rematch adds another chapter to a fixture that suddenly carries real history.
League Picture
| Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| BUAFC | 17 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 45 | 9 | +36 | 47 |
| ACFC | 20 | 12 | 5 | 3 | 47 | 19 | +28 | 39 |
| ESAFC | 17 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 27 | 6 | +21 | 34 |
| FUAFC | 17 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 47 | 27 | +20 | 34 |
| ECB | 18 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 33 | 26 | +7 | 34 |
| AUFC | 17 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 30 | 16 | +14 | 29 |
The Northern League top six is finely balanced, with four places available for National League qualification. Birkenhead United lead the way on 47 points, while City sit second on 39, having played more games than their rivals. Eastern Suburbs, Fencibles United and East Coast Bays are locked together on 34 points, separated only by goal difference, and Auckland United remain in touch on 29.
With only a few rounds remaining, every point and goal carries weight — and Saturday’s clash could reshape the top‑four race before City’s Oceania departure.
Curtain‑Raiser at Riverhills
The U23s will face their Fencibles counterparts at 3:30 pm as the curtain‑raiser to the first‑team match — a full club afternoon at Riverhills before the senior side’s final league outing.
MATCH DETAILS
Northern League R21
Fencibles United vs Auckland City FC
Wednesday 1 August 2026
Kick‑off: 6:30 PM
Riverhills Park
AC SQUAD: 2. Mario ILICH (C) 3. Adam MITCHELL 4. Christian GRAY 5. Nathan ROSTRON 6. Kieran RICHARDS, 7. Michal DOUDERA 8. Gerard GARRIGA 9. Angus KILKOLLY 10. Dylan MANICKUM 11. Ryan DE VRIES 12. Regont MURATI 13. Nathan LOBO 14. Shaan ANAND 15. Jeremy FOO 16. Fergus GILLION 17. Ryan WATSON 18. Ari PRASAD (GK) 19. Dylan CONNOLLY, 20. Pavel OSMANICK 22. Tong ZHOU 23. Alfie ROGERS 24. Matt FOORD (GK) 25. Mike Den HEIJER, 26. Matt ELLIS 27. Tom GOLDING 29. Rhys DAVIES
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
