Nick Becker: Auckland FC CEO on the side beating Melbourne Victory 1-nil in their first semi-final

Auckland FC is brimming with confidence after winning the first leg of their A-League semi-final 1-nil over the Victory 1-nil in Melbourne.

Despite being out of action for a fortnight, the Kiwi side managed to surge ahead - and they're in a good position as they gear up for next weekend's return leg at Mt Smart.

Auckland FC CEO Nick Becker says it was a 'tense game' - but the side managed to absorb the pressure.

"To come away with the result... it was just a fantastic evening. But the job is only halfway done - that's the important message to give to the guys. We're effectively at half-time now."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudgin
from News talks'b.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
And to the A League semifinals now at bartas Aukland FC.

Speaker 1 (00:18):
Logan Rogerson is there. Man on the hour, All plan
FC create another first Our finals win it the first
time of asking.

Speaker 2 (00:28):
The Black Knights won the First League semi beating Melbourne
victory one nill away last night. The two sizes Medica
next Saturday in Auckland for a place in the Grand
Final and Auckland FCCO Nick Becker was at the game
last night and it is with me from Melbourne. Thanks
so much for your time this morning.

Speaker 3 (00:43):
That good morning, good morning, how are you.

Speaker 2 (00:45):
I'm very good. How did you find that one last night?
A bit tents?

Speaker 4 (00:50):
It was super tense, to be honest, I don't know.
It was a very exciting game. It was a great game.
I think they they came at us for the first
twenty minutes and we we had a really good job
in absorbing the pressure. I think I think we were
immense and defense last night. I don't meant to rhyme that,
by the way.

Speaker 3 (01:09):
That was.

Speaker 4 (01:12):
And then and then yeah, to come away with the
result was just it was a fantastic evening, but you know,
the job is only halfway done.

Speaker 3 (01:19):
It's it's the important message to to give to the guys.

Speaker 4 (01:23):
I think, you know, we're effectively at halfway at halftime now,
so I can't wait to get back next week and
play the home seepy final.

Speaker 2 (01:31):
Go Media one nil. However, that could very nearly have
been two nil.

Speaker 3 (01:38):
I know, I know they're not going It was yeah, yeah,
it was. It was. Yeah.

Speaker 4 (01:44):
We would obviously have loved to go and next week
with two Nils as a sort of advantage, But I
don't know that.

Speaker 3 (01:51):
That's football, isn't it. And you have to you have
to play what you've got on the night.

Speaker 4 (01:54):
And and the fact that Nata shot didn't go in,
I don't know, I'll never know how didn't And it
even bounced off the second bar and went straight to
the keeper. You know, if it gone either side, I
think we had we had players either side and ordering
it tappened. So yeah, I guess that's just the rubber
of the green sometimes.

Speaker 2 (02:10):
You mentioned that your message to the team is that
the job is only half done, But what was the
mood in the team like after that game?

Speaker 4 (02:18):
I think that they were. They were very excited to
play last night. They had obviously had a week off,
given the buy and the finals, and so you know,
they were just chomping at the bit to get out there.
I think they knew that if they go into this
game and we've got the quality to deliver the result,
but if you got the sort of fighting you and

(02:39):
you want it more than the.

Speaker 3 (02:40):
Other side, you're going to get a result.

Speaker 4 (02:41):
I mean, that's very much football in general, but especially
a leagues, and last night, I think when they went
in they knew that they had they wanted it. I
think they wanted it more and we got the result,
and then they were very very happy. Tired and sore
would be the way to describe them.

Speaker 2 (02:59):
I was going to ask if everyone pulled up, Okay,
no injuries, Yeah.

Speaker 3 (03:04):
No, no, no, we're fine. We were good.

Speaker 4 (03:06):
I think, you know, sort of Coshumer went into the
game feeling that he had sort of a little bit
of a nickel on his knee, and he ran the
full game and did well. I think at the end
of it, I think he was feeling pretty pretty sore,
but you know, he'll get up and he'll be fine
for next week.

Speaker 2 (03:20):
As well, because now it's not the time nick for
injuries isn't.

Speaker 4 (03:23):
No, No, we've got we've only got Yeah, we've got
one more game to go and then and then and
then one more after that, as long as we make
it through and then then they've got like, you know,
five six weeks off, so it's it's yeah, I don't
want our injuries right now.

Speaker 2 (03:37):
Twenty five thousand tickets were sold before last night's match,
and this is the next semi final on Saturday. Where
does that sit now? Are you close to a sellout?

Speaker 4 (03:47):
I think we're pretty much there. I think it's maybe
a handful a couple of hundred tickets at most left.
And it's just an amazing I'm so so happy for
kind of like all of the AWKNC fans who've come
through all season and hopefully they've all got tickets.

Speaker 3 (04:04):
To the game. It's Saturday.

Speaker 4 (04:05):
But yeah, to have a sell out a week out,
you know, you kind of it just shows that we
are really like kind of we've been the most successful
club in the league across the season in terms of attendance,
and yeah, we've done again with it with a seal
out a week before our game.

Speaker 2 (04:22):
No, when you were very lucky actually that my producer
managed to get some tickets and get in early. She's
sitting out there currently in her in her T shirt,
her T shirt, and she would have hit you up,
so that didn't happen. So what does this week look
like for you in the club?

Speaker 4 (04:40):
We're actually we've we're in I've got to go to
Sydney tomorrow for a league meeting. We've got the Dolan
Warren Awards piece at they're filming tomorrow, so I'm going
to go in there for that. The guys would go
home today, they'll have a day off tomorrow and then
it'll just be training and focusing on what they've got
to do. I think the good thing is nobody in

(05:01):
the team we talked about the other night, is nobody's
getting ahead of themselves. They know that nobody's thinking about
a Grand final right now. They're thinking about finishing off
the semi final the second League and getting there, and
I think that's very much what the focus will be.
And everyone knows it's a lot of work over the
next two weeks, but if we get there, the prize
is pretty good.

Speaker 3 (05:21):
At the end of the day.

Speaker 2 (05:22):
And Nick, is there anything special planned for the home
semi final leg. What can fans expect next Saturday, aside
from some excellent footy.

Speaker 4 (05:30):
Yeah, yeah, well I hopefully that's that's the plan. The
league's taken over the game, so they kind of take it.
It's a little bit less in our control than the
normal regular season. I think the biggest thing that they're
doing is putting in extra seats and so more people
can make it along to the game, so that that
kind of north end where we normally have our family
fan zone will actually be packed with seats and fans

(05:54):
going for the game. I genuinely hope there'll be a
good contingent from Melbourne Victory make it over for their
way leg as well, so we've got that kind of
like rivalry and kind of friendly banter in the in
the in the side, sorry, in the stadium, but yeah,
it's it's I think it's the occasion is a big thing.

Speaker 3 (06:13):
Next week.

Speaker 4 (06:13):
It's a it's a six pm kickoff that's still a
good friendly kickoff for families and I think it's just
going to be a men's game of football and I
can't wait. Nick.

Speaker 2 (06:22):
Thank you so much for your time this morning. Really
really appreciate it. That was Augland FCC on.

Speaker 1 (06:26):
Nick Becker for more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin.
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