Football: Kerikeri and Kamo tested on the way to victory

Kerikeri and Kamo both warmed up for their premier league showdown next weekend with challenging but eventually comfortable wins on Saturday.

Kamo defeated third-placed Kaitaia 5-0 while Kerikeri found themselves 0-2 down to lowly Tikipunga before righting the ship and coming back to win 5-2.

Both clubs remain unbeaten in the Northland Premier League this season. After they drew 2-2 in the first round the teams now head towards what could be a winner take all encounter next week in Kerikeri.

"We really needed a match like that [against Tikipunga]," Kerikeri's Mark Roberts said.

"We've not been playing very well in the past few weeks, just scraping through to win but we've got Kamo next week in a winner-take-all game and we need to play like we did in the second half."

Tikipunga's Tyron Kitchen scored a stunner in the 15th minute before skipper Luke Morunga knocked in another from a set-piece on the half hour.

An increasingly desperate Kerikeri managed to pull one back just before the break through Timo Obrez.

Kerikeri took advantage of a "rallying" halftime message with Jeremy Rintoul scoring the equaliser in the 55th minute and then got back to their best with Rodrigo Sala scoring and Rintoul and Obrez finishing off with doubles.

Roberts was quick to applaud Tikipunga's effort: "You've got to give Tikipunga their due, they've got a lot of young lads but they really battled well and took their chances."

Kamo also encountered opposition keen on rewriting the form book with Kaitaia almost going ahead at Kamo, with only a fine save by Shane Stanners keeping the teams level.

The first half ended scoreless and it wasn't until the 65th minute that Nathan Steel broke the deadlock by scoring from a freekick. Their defence finally undone, Kaitaia wilted under a renewed Kamo onslaught with Keegan Baddeley (2), Calvin Erick and Jake Manaton all adding to the scoresheet.

Kamo have the superior goal difference but player-coach Owen Liiv said they won't be playing for a draw at the Waipapa Domain next week.

"Whoever wins will still have to win their remaining games but essentially the season will come down to that 90 minutes next week," he said.

Bream Bay's Scott Welsh was the hat-trick hero in their upset 6-3 win over Onerahi, after Matt Andrews received a red card just 10 minutes in and the home side capitalised to lead 2-1 at the break.

Welsh took Onerahi to a 4-1 lead midway through the second spell before Onerahi put in a fantastic five-minute burst to close to 4-3.

A fantastic 30m shot by Evan Bucherer curled in to re-establish a two-goal buffer before birthday boy Sam Ahearn made certain of the three points.

In the round's remaining match Central Brown beat FC Whangarei 4-1 to stay in the hunt for the minor placings.

Results for Northland Division 1:

* Onerahi New 1 Kamo 4, FC Whangarei 0 Kerikeri 3, Central Brown 2 Madhatters 2, Tikipunga Pet Essentials 13 Onerahi Reserves 0, Tikipunga Orange 9 Bream Bay 0