East/West Premiership Play Off

GJ Gardner Homes Whanganui Athletic booked their place in the Central League 2 playoff with a 2–1 victory over HNW Big Barrel Premiers, completing a 5–1 aggregate win across the two legs.

Athletic carried a commanding 3–0 lead from the first leg and strengthened their position when Ilias El Maakoul struck in the 27th minute to open the scoring. The advantage was doubled shortly after halftime as Ryan Holden found the net in the 58th minute, leaving the visitors with a near-impossible task.

Just three minutes later, Archie Absolom replied for the Premiers (61’), but it proved to be no more than a consolation as Whanganui Athletic managed the game well and closed out a 2–1 win on the day.

With the result, Athletic secure a 5–1 aggregate victory and now progress to the Central League 2 playoff, keeping their promotion hopes alive.

Horizons Championship

In this week's game of the round, we had Palmerston North United Development and Levin AFC Reserves. Palmerston North United Development and Levin AFC Reserves shared the points in a thrilling 3–3 draw. The hosts got off to the perfect start when Matt Watson opened the scoring in the 5th minute. Levin battled back and were rewarded just before halftime as Toby James equalised in the 45th minute. Parity didn’t last long after the break, with Oliver James firing Levin into the lead in the 53rd minute before adding his second ten minutes later (63’) to make it 3–1. Palmerston North refused to give in and pulled one back in the 41st minute through Carlo Hodgson, before a dramatic finale saw a 90th-minute own goal by Bailey Jack level the scores at 3–3. Both sides had chances to snatch victory, but in the end they had to settle for a share of the spoils.

Chillmax Takaro AFC Titans 3 (Michael Whitmore 38’, Tj Matenga 45’, Ramazan Ali 79’)

GJ Gardner Homes Whanganui Athletic Reserves 3 (Zahn Bell 15’, Zak Papworth 20’, Aaron P Folan 63’)

G.J. Gardner Homes Feilding Utd AFC Men’s Reserves 3 (Aaron Gutierrez 26’, Layton Oliver 54’, Matteo Hammound 65’)

Isles Construction PN Marist Inter 1 (Caleb Evans 86’)

Linton FC 1sts 0

Wanganui City 3 (Drew Brennan 31’, Quadri Agbelekale 72’, Charlie Meredith 80’)

Manawatu Division 3

In this week's game of the round we had North End Vets taking on SUBWAY Massey University Rigs. North End Vets produced a dominant attacking display to run out 7–3 winners over SUBWAY Massey University FC Rigs. The visitors struck first when Joel Frank gave Massey the lead in just the 5th minute. North End responded strongly, however, with Bikimi Ayiya levelling the scores in the 24th minute before a quick-fire double from Ruairidh Morrison (28’) and Reuben Corin (29’) turned the game around. Corin struck again in the 32nd minute to make it 4–1, only for Alex Kilkelly to pull one back for Massey a minute later. Morrison restored North End’s three-goal cushion with his second of the match in the 39th minute, sending the hosts into halftime 5–2 ahead. After the break, North End maintained control, with goals from Kudakwashe Ngwerume (56’) and Jonathan Bopenda (59’) extending the advantage to 7–2. Despite a late consolation from Reuben Lovell in the 90th minute, the match ended 7–3 in favour of the Vets. It was a commanding performance from North End, showcasing both their firepower and resilience after falling behind early.

PN Marist Park Rangers 1 (Zach Murphy 90+2’)

The Mad Butcher Takaro AFC Fury 0

CAC PN Marist Greenies 3 (Lucain McDonald 37’, Anton Ross 65’, Damien Hinch 66’)

DSC Vikings 1 (Jason Crawford 80’ (OG))

Takaro AFC Buah United 6 (Sharang Sharma 23’, 40’, 89’, Javed Khan 38’, 48’, 70’)

Levin AFC Sports 2 (Zane Hartwell 11’, Andrew Gallagher 66’)

Manawatu Division 4

In this week's game of the round, we had Watson Integrity PN Marist Celts taking on DSC Rangers. Watson Integrity PN Marist Celts overcame DSC Rangers 7–4 in a high-scoring encounter packed with goals and drama.

The Celts raced out of the blocks as Kurtis Edwards netted twice inside the opening six minutes (3’, 6’) to put his side firmly in control. Harrison Hook added a third in the 23rd minute, but Rangers hit back through Cody Jensen just three minutes later to make it 3–1.The goals kept flowing, with Craig Smith striking in the 39th minute for Rangers before Edwards completed his hat-trick in the 45th minute. Hook then added two quickfire goals on the stroke of halftime (43’, 45+2’), sealing a remarkable first-half hat-trick of his own and giving Marist a 6–2 lead at the break. Early in the second half, Harry Watson extended the advantage further (47’), though an own goal from Bailey Ansley (50’) and a late finish by Logan Boustead (73’) gave Rangers consolation strikes. Despite the late response, the Celts’ explosive first-half performance proved decisive as they secured a thrilling 7–4 victory.

RSM Legends 2 (Samuel Hill 62’, Jason Baylis 67’)

McDonalds Feilding Utd Development 3 (Reid O’Brien 38’, 74’, Joshua Wright 72’)

PN Marist Rewa 1 (Goal scorer unknown)

Chillmax Takaro AFC Glory 5 (Matthew Goacher 21’, 57’, 65’, Jamey Cocks 54’, Callum Coster 69’)

Takaro Awatapu United 2 (Jonathan Rodriguez 7’(OG), Luca McCorkindale 14’)

Levin AFC Social 5 (Marco DUVAN ITER MESTIZO 21', 87' Wisthon SUAREZ QUINTERO 37'

Wilson PALACIO MONTANO 55', 59')

RSM Hustlers 5 (Quinn Crickett 17’, Jed Porteous 34’, 49’, David Burrows 51’, 82’)

Post Office Hotel Pahiatua FC 0

Manawatu Division 5 Knockout Cup

Smart Phone Repairs PN Marist Royals were crowned Division 5 Knockout Cup champions after defeating Jennian Homes Feilding United Men’s Social 4–2 in an action-packed final. The Royals made the perfect start when Anthony Prince struck in the 8th minute to put them ahead. Feilding hit back midway through the first half as Cristiano Yarwood levelled the contest in the 27th minute, sending the teams into the break locked at 1–1. Feilding then seized the momentum shortly after halftime, with Chet Greatorex firing them into a 2–1 lead in the 55th minute. The Royals, however, showed their resilience and turned the final on its head. Yarwood equalised in the 70th minute before completing his hat-trick with two decisive late goals, securing a 4–2 victory. It was a thrilling contest befitting a cup final, but in the end the Royals’ firepower and Yarwood’s hat-trick heroics delivered them the Division 5 Knockout Cup title.

Manawatu Masters

In this week's game of the round, we had JRM Automotive PN Marist Dunshaegans taking on Wanganui Marist Wanderers. Wanganui Marist Wanderers came out on top in a goal-filled contest, defeating JRM Automotive PN Marist Dunshaegans 5–3. The Wanderers struck first through Chee Khai Lim in the 10th minute, before James O’Connor doubled the advantage in the 22nd. Amro Saleh then extended the lead further in the 29th minute, giving the visitors a commanding 3–0 halftime cushion. PN Marist fought back after the break, with Alex Gaskell pulling one back in the 55th minute. Any hopes of a comeback were quickly tempered, though, as Lim netted his second just two minutes later (57’), restoring the Wanderers’ three-goal buffer. Saleh grabbed his second of the afternoon in the 68th minute to make it 5–1, but the Dunshaegans showed spirit in the closing stages. Glen Fage scored in the 77th minute, and Kurt Poppe added another in the 89th to narrow the gap to 5–3 at fulltime. Despite the late rally, Wanganui Marist Wanderers’ strong start and finishing power proved enough to secure the win.

RSM Old Boys 1 (Simon Martin 8’)

O’Briens Plumbing & Bathroomware Feilding United Masters 5 (Gamied Fredericks 18’, 32’, Hamish Burney 41’, Duane Butts 73’, Luke Groombridge 79’)

PN Marist Banshees 0

Levin AFC Masters 9 (Goal Scorers Unknown )

Sportz Bar Whanganui Athletic Cosmos 0

RSM A’s 1 (Glenn Toy 89’ (OG))

MKM PN Marist Shamrock Rovers 0

Advanced Accounting Takaro AFC Rebels 2 (Gavin Eades 28’, 58’)

Tingey Plate

In this game of the cup round we had Dannevirke Sports Club Valkyrie hosting One Staff Takaro AFC Turtles. Dannevirke Sports Club Valkyrie secured a convincing 4–1 win over One Staff Takaro AFC Turtles. The Valkyrie took the lead in the 14th minute through Tyla Henman before the Turtles hit back with Janna Hurley scoring in the 22nd minute to level the contest. Valkyrie regained control later in the first half when Lauren O’Brien inadvertently scored an own goal in the 39th minute, giving Dannevirke a 2–1 lead at halftime. The visitors struggled to respond in the second half, and Valkyrie extended their advantage with two more goals from Pirihera Henderson in the 29th and 72nd minutes. It was a dominant performance from Dannevirke Valkyrie, who managed the game well and secured a strong victory.

Article added: Tuesday 26 August 2025