A hat-trick by Tikipunga's Chris Mitchell consigned his former club Bream Bay Flyers to a 2-4 defeat in the Northland Premier League at Tikipunga Park.
Tikipunga trailed the premier league newcomers twice in the game, until Mitchell's goals saw them safely win the match on Saturday.
Reece Cole capitalised on a defensive
error to put Bream Bay ahead but Dan Johnson equalised to see the match level at half-time.
Scott Walsh got Bream Bay off to a good start by scoring early on and it wasn't until midway through the spell that Mitchell equalised with his first.
Bream Bay coach Guy Buffey said his team started to run out of steam in the second half but he was still pleased with their progress. "We're not getting embarrassed at this level. It's just a matter of being patient and getting fitter as well but we're not far off now," he said.
Kamo travelled to Kerikeri and astounded themselves by winning 3-1, their coach Russell Baddeley said.
"We were dominated by Kerikeri for about 80-90 per cent of the match but still came away with the points."
Stane Stanners scored in the first minute for the visitors and, when Kerikeri finally managed to capitalise on one of their chances and equalised in the second spell, Kamo's prospects looked bleak.
But Jake Manaton scored on the break and then Kamo lifted the "seige" on their goal in the final minute for Calvin Erick to apply the coup de grace.
The win leaves Kamo in top spot in the league while FC Whangarei are in second place, on goal difference over Tikipunga, after a 2-0 win over Onerahi at Morningside Park.
