15 August 2026
- 6 days ago
- 10 min read
Division 1: Sprig + Fern Tahuna 1st XI Division 2: Sprig + Fern Tahuna 2nd XI Sprig + Fern Tahuna 3rd XI Division 4:
Women's Premiership: Sprig + Fern Tahuna Womens XI Masters Football: Sprig + Fern Tahuna Masters
1st XI 3 - 2 Golden Bay Mountain Goats
Location: Takaka Rec Centre
Goals: Seth (2) Cunny
Match MVP: Cunny
We Love Cup Football
Tahuna 1sts travelled over the winding Takaka Hill and straight into goat country. In true Tahuna Cup football style, we arrived with a full 11 beautiful players. No subs, no excuses, just 11 lads ready to run themselves into the ground.
The stunning conditions had the Tahuna lads overheating in the first half, with plenty of movement and running creating some decent chances, but unfortunately none could find the back of the Golden Bay net.
A lack of concentration allowed the goats to go one up after a free kick was taken quickly, squared across the box and finished neatly. That didn’t feel good... Halftime: Golden Bay 1, Tahuna 0
The second half started much the same. Skinner hit the post and immediately claimed that if the posts were round, it would have gone in. Solid logic from Skinner. Golden Bay then found themselves with some space and smacked another one in to make it 2-0. It’s okay. We’ve been here before in Cup football.
A slight reshuffle and a second wind came over the Tahuna lads. Skinner and Luke both came close, but somehow the ball continued to avoid the net. Then came the breakthrough. A free kick finally led to our first goal, with Cunny floating a ball perfectly towards the back post where Seth and his can of John West climbed the rapids and nodded it home. 1-2. Game on.
The pressure kept coming from all in white and blue, with the next attack starting from IT at the back, driving up the wing and finding Sobi. Sobi played a great ball into Seth at the top of the box, who was then promptly squished and taken down. Up stepped Cunny from just outside the box. A wall of 10 goats stood in front of him. Cunny put his head down and absolutely leathered it straight through the wall and into the net. 2-2.
Extra time looming. Knowing the momentum was all ours and that nobody fancied another 30 minutes of running around in the heat, we had to find another goal. Cunny then did what Cunny does best and wound up a goat so much that it eventually popped, resulting in a red card for Golden Bay.
87th minute. Time to find the winner. Another free kick was sent over the backline by Cunny and, once again, the Salmon was there at the near post. Seth flicked it on with his rapidly disappearing hairline and sent it into the net. 3-2 Tahuna. We knew it was coming!
The final whistle went and it was pure relief and elation. Somehow, with 11 players, and Dave on his lonesome we had pulled off another classic bit of Tahuna Cup football.
Huge credit to the backline of James, Adam and IT, who kept everything calm when things could have easily gone pear shaped. A massive thanks to Arjun and Sobi for making the trip. You two were brilliant and your legs were worth their weight in gold!
MOTM: Cunny He was everything. Goals, assists, free kicks and apparently goat whispering. PP: James Van ride slip up. Enough said. Onto the semifinal! UP UP LADS!
Match report by Seth
2nd XI 6 - 5 Tahuna 3rd XI
Location: Tahunanui S1
Goals: Paul (4) Will, OG
Match MVP: Paul
Tahuna FC’s 2nds took on the 3rds in a match that had everything: injuries, players in completely unfamiliar positions, and a goalkeeper throwing the ball into his own net. Despite several 2nds players turning up injured simply to ensure they could field 11, they ran out comfortable 7–2 winners.
The star of the show was youth player Paul, who bagged an incredible five goals to claim Man of the Match. The highlight came when 3rds keeper Stu decided to get involved on the scoresheet, casually throwing the ball into his own net. A bold tactical decision that unfortunately didn’t pay off.
With the 2nds missing players and everyone filling in wherever they could, the result was even more impressive. Meanwhile, Danny Ross earned the prestigious Dick of the Day award for choosing to drive across the country instead of playing football.
Match report by Danny Cross
3rd XI 5 - 6 Tahuna 2nd XI
Location: Tahunanui S1 Goals: Sayha (2) Thorsten, Binh
Match MVP: Binh
With the 1sts borrowing both Tom Dunn and Sobi for their cup clash it was up to Stu to don the gloves for the 3rds as they took on the 2nds on S1 this past Saturday. Clear skies and the beating sun set up a game where both teams had opted to give youth a chance with multiple U18's selected for both team lineups.
Kick off underway the 2nds started to move the ball around the middle of the park and had a couple of early chances but Stu was on hand to clear up. The 3rds pressed forward attempting to break the deadlock but it was the 2nds that struck first after a sneaky through ball found Ross who managed to squeeze his shot away. 1-0 to the 2nds.
Straight away the 3rds set about getting even and within about 10mins they did just that after a great pass from Binh into the path of Thorsten, the German blitzkrieger making no mistake and smashing it past the 2nd keeper. 1-1.
The game was being played at a fun tempo with both teams having their fair share of attempts on goal, Lochy making some outstanding saves for the 2nds. It would be the 2nds that struck again as a miss hit pass from Oli was picked up by the 2nds attack who then passed it back to Stu - great sportsmanship. Stu just had to hold onto it, he then inexplicably let it bounce out of his hands and into the back of the net. Sam Fitzy on the sideline straight in with banterous calls at Stu. He'll be having nightmares after that..
A flurry of subs from the 3rds saw the inclusion of Riley and Milosh from the U18's make their senior bows for the 3rds, Wayne and Pan making way for the lads. No sooner had they come on and Riley played a neat one with Binh with the young lad hitting the top of the crossbar! Then just on the stroke of half time Sayha decided he wanted to get a shot on target and actually found the net! 2-2 as the halftime whistle went.
Some positive chat from the 3rds at half time as Eric and Stu switched places with the former now donning the gloves. 3rds kicked off and seemed to have decided to go for a nap in the first 10mins as the 2nds struck early to make it 3-2.
The 3rds went back at them and were then caught on the break by the 2nds who made 4-2 in quick succession. Some more subs from the 3rds and they began to wake up, some chances for both Wayne and Stu but it was the mighty Binh that managed to get the ball in the net to make it 4-3 on the day. Tahuna fans on the sidelines being treated to an absolute goalfest!
The 2nds then struck again to make 5-3 after some really good passing tore the 3rds backline apart. The 3rds went back to it and after some good play from Milosh and Riley the latter finding Sayha who duly scored his 2nd of the day 5-4!
Then it was the 2nds turn to have a crack with the 3rds defence becoming leakier than a Methven tap. A mix up between Lukey and Eric had Fraser racing to make the save unfortunately the cheeky feet of one Brazilian who I shall not name managed to put it in the net. 6-4 to the 2nds as the minutes ticked down.
The 3rds then managed to get a free kick on the edge of the box which Binh duly took, the shot too much for the keeper to handle as Panith appeared out of nowhere to head the ball into the back of the net to get his first of the season! 6-5 on the day!
A that was the way the score ended as the 2nds managed to scrape a win by the skin of their teeth against a 3rds team that has steadily gotten better in the 2nd division as the season has gone on. A big thank you to Kev and the U18's lads that played for both the 2nds and 3rds in this game. The future of the club is looking bright.
Next up for the 3rds is a home game against FC Locomotive in a battle of who doesn't want to come dead last. Rumours of Matt Knight back from his suspension and maybe Tom Dunn to do a half in goal are possibilities as is the possibility of Stu becoming the 1sts first choice keeper....
STILL THE BEST CLUB IN THE CLUB
Match report by Stu
4th XI 2 - 0 Motueka 3rd XI
Location: Tahunanui S2
Goals: Adam, Ryan
Match MVP: Kyle
Tahuna 4ths put in a strong team performance against Motueka 3rds, with the match going right down to the wire.
After a hard-fought opening half, both sides continued to battle for control as the game entered the final stages. Tahuna kept pushing and were rewarded late in the second half when Adam found the back of the net to give Tahuna the breakthrough.
With the momentum firmly on their side, Tahuna continued to press, and Ryan added a second goal late in the half to seal a memorable result. It was a disciplined and determined performance from the whole Tahuna side, with everyone contributing to a well-earned victory.
Man of the Match: Kyle, Kyle was outstanding throughout, putting in a tireless performance and helping drive Tahuna forward when it mattered most. A great effort from the boys — two late goals, a clean sheet to finish to the game, and a performance to be proud of. Now onto a cup Semi final vs Suburbs Wannabies. UP UP
Match report by Zach
TFC Womens XI - BYE
Location:
Goals:
Match MVP:
Match report by Cris
TFC Masters 3 - 7 Nelson Suburbs Legends
Location: Saxton Fields
Goals: Kev, Goody, Ed
Match MVP: Ed
The sun was belting down on Saxton Fields when we arrived for the Masters Memorial cup semi-final. Word must have spread about how crazy last week had been. The Legends ref took everyone to the halfway line. He just wanted a nice clean game and made it clear that he’d be blowing up for fouls early. Tit for tat would not be stood for. Fair call. And that set the game on a nice tone. We are all here to act our age and have some fun after all.
The Legends were on the front foot early and Ollie came out well to parry a couple of essential saves. Up the other end Paddy and Goody were testing the Legends’ offside trap. Paddy looked like he’d broken through to have a bobbling ball header at their keeper. And Goody put everything into a strike that rattled the top frame of their crossbar. His calf couldn’t take the off balance thrust and he had to crawl off the pitch early. And to put salt on his wounded leg, the flag went up too….
Offside was simply taken off the table when Kev nicked the ball on the halfway line, bulldozed past the Legends’ defence and slotted it to the right of the keeper. 0-1 Tahuna! It felt good to be ahead, with a semi on the lines.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t keep it up too long, the burbs overloaded our right defence and slotted a well drilled shot from the corner of our box, in off the back post upright, 1-1.
Kev pushed through the middle to release another attack but managed to step in dookie, releasing a fragrant stink instead. Yep, the game had gotten a bit too hot and a bit too poopy. Time for a halftime refresh.
We were set to play downhill second half so fancied our chances. But you would have thought the Legends had the incline advantage as they swarmed at us early. Their athletic front line kept pouring down the sides, pushing through the middle. Two wing attacks resulted in two quick goals, 2-1, 3-1… Ollie made decent efforts to stop both goals. One of his last ditch saves popped up to the wrong-coloured shirt to lay up an easy tap in.
It wasn’t all one-way traffic though. Tahuna was making inroads. We just needed the right ball through to the right person. Ed took it upon himself to dribble and skip his way through to the penalty spot. He could have tumbled on 1 or 2 of their desperate lunges but was eventually bowling ball smashed onto the ground. The Legends’ complaints were laughed away with smiles, and Ed was given the chance to score from 12 yards (or thereabouts, there was a metre circle of mud where the penalty spot once belonged). Was it ever in doubt?! Great shot Ed, 3-2 and in with a sniff.
Tahuna kept up their momentum. I had switched with Cunny on the left wing and in a defensive position managed to intercept the ball and play Cunny down the line. His delivery is metronome in its reliability so was classically presented to the perfect spot for a tap in. Goody was the man in position. It shinned off his leg, off his personal area and somehow crawled the right side of the post, 3-3. They all count Goody! Game on!
The Legends are a persistent bunch though. They ramped up their pressing and counter pressing, meaning no easy passes, a challenge to every ball played. From the resulting tension a Legend stole a free kick from outside our box. The ball was looped right to the spot where if the keeper didn’t grab it, you’d be in trouble. And so it played out, Ollie was second best to that cross and the Legends buried it in the goal 4-3.
The squeeze was ratcheting up. I took too long trying to thread one through to Kev in midfield. A Legends midfielder reached to just pinch it at a stretch, tore through and made it 5-3. They then got another, 6-3.
Our age and fitness were starting to show. Tahuna made some valiant forays. A perfect Cunny corner met by a how did he miss that. “Ooooooohh,” Paddy header was probably out last decent chance. But the Legends rudely took it upon themselves to pour forward and smash in a seventh. Ow, that hurts. And Zane did the game a favour and blew the final whistle then. Good luck in the final Legends. We’ll sign off next week instead. Match Report by Pete B
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