The Northern League of New Zealand Football's National League has a new leader. And it's a familiar one.
Auckland City moved to the top spot of the Northern League for the first time since Round 9 with a tough 1-0 victory over East Coast Bays on Saturday, coupled with Birkenhead United's 2-1 loss to Eastern Suburbs.
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The two front-runners then played out a 2-2 draw at the Croatian Cultural Club on Wednesday night, with the Navy Blues coming from two goals down at halftime to share the points.
Kosovan defender Regont Murati was the hero in both matches, scoring the game-winning and equalising goals.
Murati pounced on a mistake at the back from ECB from a long goal-kick in the 76th minute at Kiwitea Street, after Auckland City had failed to convert a number of handy chances in front of goal.
In the midweek clash, former All Whites midfielder Monty Patterson put Birkenhead up 2-0 inside 30 minutes, but Christian Gray got one back for the Cityzens in the 62nd minute, before Murati netted his fourth goal this season in the 87th minute.
City have a two-point lead over Birkenhead after 15 of 22 rounds, with Western Springs and Eastern Suburbs a further two points behind.
Suburbs got goals from Jacob Mechell and a worldie from Josh Galletly to beat Birkenhead at Shepherds Park on Saturday.
Aidan Carey and Emiliano Tade scored for Springs in a 2-0 victory over Auckland United at Keith Hay Park, a result that opened a seven-point gap between fourth and fifth in the race for NZF National League Championship berths.
Mechell and Tade remain tied for the league's golden boot with 14 goals, while Tauranga City's Jonty Bidois has 12, Manurewa's Eber Ramirez 11 and City's Liam Gillion 10. Patterson moved to eight goals with three in the last five days.
In other results, Ilham Hameedi scored two goals in Bay Olympic's 2-1 win over Tauranga City at Links Ave, Aston Hurd also netted a pair for Hamilton Wanderers in a 3-3 draw with Manurewa at Porritt Stadium, and West Coast Rangers defeated Melville United 2-1 at Gower Park.
In the Central League, Wellington Olympic won a 12th straight league match, retaining the O'Brien Shield with a 8-0 rout of Stop Out at Wakefield Park on Saturday.
Former Wellington Phoenix striker Hamish Watson and Isa Prins each scored doubles against winless Stop Out, maintaining their eight-point lead over Western Suburbs and Napier City Rovers after 13 rounds.
Suburbs got two goals from Bruno Penney, his first of the season, in their 4-2 victory over Waterside Karori at Karori Park, while Rovers topped the Phoenix Reserves 2-0 at Bluewater Stadium thanks to two late goals.
Miramar Rangers, currently six points adrift in fourth, boosted their goal difference in a big way in a 9-0 win at Petone, with a hat-trick for Josh Tollervey and two goals each from Andy Bevin, Sam Mason-Smith and Martin Bueno.
Island Bay United moved further away from relegation danger with a 4-1 victory against North Wellington at Alex Moore Park, with two goals from Paul Owaci.
Coastal Spirit handed Southern League leaders Cashmere Technical their first league loss of the season, with Alejandro Steinwascher scoring twice in a 2-0 win at Christchurch's Garrick Memorial Park on Saturday.
The Beachsiders pulled within a point of Technical, who had an 11-match league unbeaten streak coming into the match, setting up a true three-team battle, along with Christchurch United, for the two places in the NLC.
United battled to a 1-0 win against UC Football at English Park, needing an 88th-minute strike from Zach Bennett to take the three points.
In other matches, Trevin Myers (for Nelson Suburbs) and Jamie Carrodus and Finlay Cotton (for Selwyn United) scored two goals in a 4-4 draw at Saxton Fields, while Ferrymead Bays defeated Dunedin City Royals 3-2 and Nomads United beat last-placed FC Twenty11 2-0.
Auckland United have become the first club to qualify for the Women's NZF National League Championship (WNLC), with seven rounds remaining.
Unbeaten in 14 league matches this season, United won a ninth straight match on Sunday, beating defending champions Western Springs at Keith Hay Park on Charlotte Roche's
ninth goal of the year in the 48th minute.
West Coast Rangers moved within one win of qualifying for the WNLC with a 4-2 win over Eastern Suburbs at Madills Farm, which featured two goals from Bree Johnson in less than 60 seconds in the 43rd minute.
The battle for the last two National League berths should be an intriguing one, with just four points separating third-placed Suburbs on 19 points and sixth-placed Hibiscus Coast on 15 points.
In Round 8 of the Women's Central League, Wellington United maintained their unbeaten record with a 7-0 drubbing of Seatoun, with Hope Gilchrist scoring twice, while Waterside Karori remained just a point back with a 4-1 win over Taradale.
In Round 3 of the Women's South Island League, Emma Kench scored the first four goals in joint-leaders Cashmere Technical's 10-0 victory over Nelson Suburbs, while Dunedin City Royals won their third straight match, 3-0 over cross-town rivals Roslyn Wakari.
NZF NATIONAL LEAGUE RESULTS
NORTHERN LEAGUE - ROUND 15
Auckland City 1 East Coast Bays 0
Bay Olympic 2 Tauranga City 1
Western Springs 2 Auckland United 0
West Coast Rangers 2 Melville United 1
Hamilton Wanderers 3 Manurewa 3
Eastern Suburbs 2 Birkenhead United 1
Auckland City 2 Birkenhead United 2
CENTRAL LEAGUE - ROUND 13
Island Bay United 4 North Wellington 1
Western Suburbs 4 Waterside Karori 2
Miramar Rangers 9 Petone 0
Wellington Olympic 8 Stop Out 0
Napier City Rovers 2 Phoenix Reserves 0
SOUTHERN LEAGUE - ROUND 12
Ferrymead Bays 3 Dunedin City Royals 2
Nomads United 2 FC Twenty11 0
Coastal Spirit 2 Cashmere Technical 0
Nelson Suburbs 4 Selwyn United 4
Christchurch United 1 UC Football 0
NRFL WOMEN’S PREMIER - ROUND 14
Auckland United 1 Western Springs 0
West Coast Rangers 4 Eastern Suburbs 2
Hamilton Wanderers 1 Ellerslie 1
Fencibles United 3 Hibiscus Coast 1
WOMEN’S CENTRAL LEAGUE - ROUND 8
Wellington United 7 Seatoun 0
Petone 3 Palmerston North Marist 1
Victoria University 1 Moturoa 0
Waterside Karori 4 Taradale 1
WOMEN’S SOUTH ISLAND LEAGUE - ROUND 3
Cashmere Technical 10 Nelson Suburbs 1
Coastal Spirit 2 Otago University 0
Dunedin City Royals 3 Roslyn Wakari 0
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