UH City football do it with a month to spare
With promotion to next year’s Capital Premier grade unexpectedly sorted on Saturday evening, Upper Hutt City football’s season got even better.
Losses to Hutt City and Waterside-Karori teams meant Upper Hutt won the grade with five games and more than a month’s football to play.
Unbeaten, with a competition lead, City were always on target to win their Capital 1 grade but few predicted it to come so easy or early.
Two upset results in the grade’s Saturday play meant the title fell into their laps before kick-off.
City players were presented with the Capital 1 championship trophy before the match, which coach Mark Foster said was unexpected but welcome.
‘‘I watched the Petone-Hutt game [on Saturday] because we have Petone next so I knew that result, then in the evening we heard Tawa had beaten Waterside. The boys all caught up with the news one way or other.
’’So we went into the Miramar game as champions. And I guess we were a little bit more relaxed about things,’’ Foster said.
City drew 2-all after scoring twice in the first ten minutes before Miramar hit back with two quick goals.
‘‘It was nice to come out with the draw and stay unbeaten,’’ Foster said.
City’s promotion is a bounce back after disastrous seasons in 2014 and 2015 where the club tumbled out of the Central League and Capital Premier grades respectively.