Northland FC defender Max Thomas makes a clearance at BaySport Waipapa. Photo / Tania Whyte
Northland FC defender Max Thomas makes a clearance at BaySport Waipapa. Photo / Tania Whyte
Northland FC coach Dan Johnston is realistic about his side's 3-0 defeat to Takapuna AFC in their Lotto NRFL Division Two tie.
In their Far North debut at BaySport Waipapa, Northland FC showed defensive stoutness through the first 70 minutes before the class of Takapuna shone through to end the home team's resistance.
About 300 fans turned out for a good afternoon of football and while they may have left disappointed with the result, they couldn't fault the spectacle.
Johnston said he was happy with his charges as they held off the competition favourites for the majority of the match.
"I said to the guys at the end their attitude, work rate and effort was top notch. At the end of the day we just got outclassed by a very good Takapuna team," he said.
Northland's defensive core worked overtime in the first half as Takapuna flexed their attacking muscle to no avail.
Goalkeeper Shane Stanners was impenetrable as he strung together a series of impressive saves.
Stand-in captain Josh Appledoorn lauded his performance with the gloves.
"It's the best performance I've ever seen from Shane. He made some great saves for us," he said.
"When he stopped the penalty it really lifted our spirits. He added a quite a few good one-on-one saves which helped us out."
The second half started in much the same vein, with Northland holding out multiple attacking raids.
It wasn't until the 71st minute that Takapuna finally breached the net as sub Thomson Nkoy completed a fine finish.
Goals to Tommy Miller three minutes later and Jack Taylor five minutes from time sealed the three points for the visitors.
Northland didn't just suffer on the scoresheet as captain Steve Schimmel suffered a potentially season-ending injury early in the first spell, rupturing an Achilles tendon.
Johnston said it was tough to lose a player of that calibre but they had a strong squad able to fill in for him.