Tikipunga's Daniel Adams looks for an opening against Kerikeri in the Stafford Choat Cup final at Trigg Sports Arena. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Tikipunga's Daniel Adams looks for an opening against Kerikeri in the Stafford Choat Cup final at Trigg Sports Arena. Photo / Michael Cunningham
A football side formed just over six months ago has overcome all odds to win the plate in the Northland Football Federation knockout cup competition.
Central Brown Pacifika beat Central Brown 2-1 at Trigg Sports Arena in Whangārei on Saturday and the win has given the side a huge boost to aim for the league championship next year.
Kerikeri won the Stafford Choat Cup football final 2-1 over Tikipunga while the Onerahi division three side edged a division two side in Mangawhai FC 1-0 to win the bowl at the same venue.
Some of the victorious Central Brown Pacifika players played for Central Brown and other clubs over the years before they decided to form their own team at the start of this year.
Central Brown Pacifika players and management celebrate after winning the plate.
Photo / Supplied
The bulk of the team's players were born and raised in Fiji, while the rest are Kiwis.
Six players were part of the FC Pacifika side that played in the local league more than a decade ago. They beat Central Brown in a shield challenge.
Karan Thakur drew first blood for Central Brown Pacifica in the 27th minute after following up on a shot that initially hit the crossbar. Central Brown equalised before halftime after beating the offside trap to rifle a shot home from close range.
Ankit Verma scored the winning goal in the second half and had Central Brown Pacifika capitalised on a number of scoring opportunities, the score would have blown out.
Manager Mahesh Prasad said his team's goal when they started training early in the year was to win their division.
He credited coach Darren Johnston and captain Shakil Sharma for motivating a young side to a fantastic result.
Timo Obrez of Kerikeri sets up an attack in his side's 2-1 win over Tikipunga.
Photo / Michael Cunningham
Northern Football Federation area manager Dave Alabaster was happy with how the season panned out.
"It's been a good year and there's been an improvement in sideline and on-field behaviour. Good Sports is something we've been working on for more than four years. The message is there's a lot at stake but it's just a game."
Tikipunga's Sam Campbell fights for possession in his side's loss against Kerikeri.
Photo / Michael Cunningham
The women's cup and plate finals were played on Sunday afternoon. Madhatters Stonehaven defeated Kerikeri 5-0 in the cup final and Central Brown defeated Bream Bay 1-0 in the plate final.
The league championship divisions two and four will be decided in the next couple of weeks. Onerahi has won divisions one and three.
The finals day for last year's cup competition had to be moved to April this year due to Covid-19. Onerahi's top team - which defeated Kerikeri 3-2 in the Stafford Choat men's cup final – were knocked out by Tikipunga in the quarter-finals of this year's edition.
