Third place, Golden Boot spots settled

All was revealed in the last round of the Federation League competition at the weekend – and the news wasn’t good for Whanganui.

Wanganui Athletic’s hopes of a third-place finish were dashed when they drew 2-2 with North End and Massey University clobbered Hokowhitu 4-0.

When the dust settled, Athletic had to be content with a mid-table finish, as their 6-2-6 record suggested, behind the students, who leapfrogged into third place.

Hokowhitu finished in fifth spot out of eight sides in their first season in the league.

Nothing changed in the race for the Golden Boot – North End’s Nathan Cooksley taking out the coveted prize for the 15 league goals he scored.

North End coach Garry Hodge said an injury-time own goal scuttled Athletic’s hopes of victory just as the visitors were looking to close out a 2-1 win.

Zane Robinson scored North End’s first goal to make the score 1-1 at halftime before Athletic recaptured the lead during the second spell.

North End finished runnersup to unbeaten Marist in the league.

Hodge rated Marist the ‘‘best team by far’’ in the league this season.

In Massey’s win over Hokowhitu, all the students’ goals came in the second half, with striker Fraser Eddowes scoring one to bring his league tally for the season to 10.

Massey’s other goals came from Blair Lankshear, who nabbed a brace, and Matthew Kilpatrick.

Palmerston North Boys’ High School stayed on top of the Horizons Premiership table at the weekend when they crushed North End reserves 7-1.

KK Adeyinka and Luke Minshull scored a brace apiece for the schoolboys, while others to score were captain Jett Mcgregor-dunn, Mason Charlton and Zac Farmer, on debut for the team in the premiership.

Boys’ High lead the competition by two from Massey with a game in hand.

They’ve scored 56 league goals so far this season.