Belvedere Group Tauranga City United have retained their lead in the Northern League 2nd Division but had to use their get-out-of-jail card in their 2-2 draw with Papakura City on Saturday.
The Blues generally were not at their best. However they did have the better of the first 15 minutes with three or four good chances to score. It was the hosts who got on the scoreboard first when danger man Harry Hillary-Jenkins, in Papakura's first raid, got around the Tauranga defence and slotted a goal past keeper James Pamment.
He increased his tally, already standing at 29 for the season, soon after, when Pamment uncharacteristically scuffed a goal kick that went straight to Papakura's Corey McKay, who in turn fed the ball to the super striker to put away.
He nearly made it three just before the half ended but at 0-2 down Tauranga knew they had a mountain to climb. They had the knowledge however that it could be done as earlier in the season they came back from a 0-3 deficit to defeat Papakura 4-3 at Links Ave.
After a stern half-time talk from coach Andy Birchenough, along with a good deal of personal soul searching, the Blues came out fired up for the second half. It was not until the 82nd minute though that they beat the Papakura defence, with a squared ball side-footed home by substitute Jack Chaney. Now it was all on. The last minutes of the game saw action at both ends of the pitch but in the seventh minute of additional time, Tauranga won a corner.
