The Auckland FC Sentinel
Squad25 Oct 2027
Louis Verstraete in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Auckland FC this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Boardroom25 Oct 2027
Graduation day at Auckland FC
5 boys move up, and somewhere in the building the people who coached them at twelve are quietly having the best morning of their working year. Nothing about this shows up in a result and it is why the academy exists.
Market25 Oct 2027
One of our own: Aaron Fletcher joins the Auckland FC first team
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Aaron Fletcher is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Market25 Oct 2027
Auckland FC promote Jarrod Kelly from within
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Jarrod Kelly has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
Market25 Oct 2027
Jack Campbell steps up from the Auckland FC academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Jack Campbell has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Market25 Oct 2027
Sam Hamilton steps up from the Auckland FC academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Sam Hamilton has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Match23 Oct 2027
Auckland FC get the job done against Perth Glory
A 1‑0 win over Perth Glory, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Player ratings25 Oct 2027
Lachlan Brook was on a different afternoon to everybody else
8.41. There are performances a supporter describes to somebody who was not there and cannot quite convey; this was one, and the number does not help either.
Squad25 Oct 2027
Josh Brillante stays put
“The easiest signature of my career.” Josh Brillante and Auckland FC agree another 1 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
In brief
- Squad Words at Auckland FC training over how hard people work
- Loan watch Joe Knowles has seen enough of Wellington Phoenix
- Player ratings Jesse Randall runs at them all day