Auckland FC is hoping to turn their luck around and keep up the momentum after their mid-season slump.
The Kiwi side is set to head into their third game in nine days against Western Sydney.
Auckland FC winger Logan Rogerson joined Piney to discuss.
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Yorkland f C Back and a league men's football action tonight away to Western Sydney. It's their third game in nine days. Aukland f C grabbed a point in their top of the table clash away at Adelaide on Wednesday night. A last minute equalizer from Logan Rogerson.
We're about to move.
Into the one hundredth minute of this match. Francis debrees Coulson's boy and it comes down fasts. God, who did Steve kark ty that? Logan Rogerson stoopid at the near post to head home and the Auckland f C ferns get to celebrate as well.
Logan Rogerson is with us head of Auckland FC's game tonight against Western Sydney. Let's start though on Wednesday night. Logan talk through your equalizer. We just heard it there. Francis de Rhize lines up the corner, so maybe you pick it up for us from there.
Yeah, obviously quite late on in the game, you know, one last set piece and Francis with you know, dead ball situation. It's probably one of the best in the league. So you know, I thought we're you know, I thought we had a real good chance to score hair uh and yeah, my my kind of role in the corner is trying to block the goalkeeper and the ball kind of came in so quick and you know I was free at the near post and managed to get my head on it.
So now it was it was a good ball.
From Frannie And yeah, you know, real real please to score quite quite late in the game after a pretty arm wrestle of a game.
Arm wrestle is a good word for it, man, a real roller coaster, particularly near the end when you're one up then to one down. Did you feel as though you were worth a point in Adelaide?
Yeah, I think we didn't deserve to lose.
I think the team worked real hard and you know, we put in a solid performance and I think, you know, we're a little bit unlucky maybe with the with the first goal and that we conceded, and yeah, I think a result is it was fair and it's just the way we equalizing the end and you know we can carry on that momentum into our next game.
It's a bit of a trademark of Auckland FC eight goals after the eighty minute mark the season to win matches or draw them. What can we take from that in terms of the team's ability to take games right to the line and pick up points.
Yeah, I think it just kind of shows the mentality of the team. You know, we have great depth, I guess in our squad, and you know, whenever our sub chutes have come on, they've made a good difference. And you know, even the guys that start, you know, they work hard and we grind out, you know, for the first hour. Then the substitutes bring the energy and you know have come on and done real well. So yeah, I think it's got a lot to do with the mentality of the boys kind of never giving up. And I think our squad depth as well, these guys coming off the bench and you know, I've had to do it as well this season, and I think it makes it makes a big difference.
I don't remember you scoring with your head too often either. I think your first A League goal for the Phoenix was a header. But is it a bit of a rarity for you to score with the head or not?
Yeah, I think so.
Like like I was saying, with all my my role in the corners that kind of just block the goalkeeper and stand in the way and let you know, the big guys do the heading. But you know, so, yeah, I hope you to score with my head and yeah, you're probably right, I don't score a few too many.
Slightly yeah, slightly different attacking set up in the last two games as well, with both Guzumo May and Max Marta starting, so kind of more like I guess twin number nine. How does that change your role in an attacking sense?
I think, you know, it kind of gives us an extra option and obviously when I'm playing up wide, it gives me another another target to kind of aim for.
Max is very good in the air.
And you know he causes a lot of problems. And even in terms of build up, I think we can you know, when we do go a little bit longer to strike us to work with each other is a lot easier than one. So I think it's been I think it's been working well for us recently.
So you're also the best defensive side in the competition, just eleven goals conceded. I know you look at a defense and you say, well, your keeper must be good and your back four must be good and those things are true, But what role do you and the other attacking players play in the sides defensive performance.
Yeah, I think you know, Steve and Danny, you know, from the beginning of the season, we're you know, made sure us attackers, you know, played our role defensively, and you know, I think as attackers we work really hard on the defensive side as well, pressing and kind of getting back and you know, kind of making it half the teams to break down. And I think, you know, that's probably why we score when we have scored quite late in the games. It's probably because, you know, attacking players and the whole unit have been kind of working hard for kind of the first sixty minutes defending and you know, then the game kind of opens up. So yeah, I think, you know, as attackers and especially in this team, we have to you know, work hard defenses as well, and you know, I think it's probably why, you know, we've been quite hard to score against.
And you've played ninety minutes in the last two games in pretty close proximity to one another in terms of the days in between them. I don't think you've done that previously. All season had ninety minutes is that something you've worked on, not just being say a sixty minute player or someone who provides an impact off the bench.
Yeah, I think, you know, as a football player, you always want to want to play ninety minutes. And I think for the first bit of the season, you know, kind of the sixty minute mark and you know, when the board goes up, I kind of look over and see my number, and you know, obviously a little bit disappointed. But I think the last couple of weeks, you know, I think my fitness as well, I've got a little bit better and being able to you know, maintain the kind of level that's needed for ninety minutes, where maybe in the first our first kind of cord off the season, first half of the season, you know, maybe my fitness was kind of dropping off towards the end, and so so yeah, I think, you know, I've been happy recently to have been able to play, you know, to ninety minutes. And obviously when you play ninety minutes, it kind of gives you more opportunities towards the end, like the last game, to get your head on something or you know, to score goals.
But another game has come around pretty quickly. So third game and nine days plus some trans Tasman travel in there as well. Does that BUSI shuge. You'll start to take a bit of a toll, not necessarily just on you, but on the entire playing group.
Yeah, I think so. Like I said before, we've got great squad depths. I think, you know, we're in every position, we've got you know, two or three players that are very capable of starting. So yeah, who knows, you know what the sailing is going to be, but you know, we's kind of no excuses really.
You know, every team has to travel. A lot of teams are playing.
Games close together at this moment of time, so yeah, obviously it does have an effect, but you know every ten it's the same for every team.
Really a bit of a quirk of the draw. There's a couple of teams you've already played twice. You haven't played Western Cerdney yet until obviously tonight. They're having a bit of an up and down season five wins, five losses, three draws, but always tough at home. How do you assess the threat that they'll pose to you tonight?
Yeah, I think they have real exciting taking players again, obviously playing away at Western Sydney. They probably have you know, one of the probably the best best active support in the league.
And you know, like every game in the A League is tough.
You know found that out against Person when we played there, and so yeah, I think we're you know, we'll tackle the game like we tackle any other and yeah, every A League oposition has the you know, has the obstacles, and yeah, it's going to be a tough game for sure, especially you know there's three games and close proximity.
And just to finish. I know you're focused fully on the A League, but you've been involved in the last three international windows for New Zealand, you've played five of the last six or Whites games. How can now are you to be involved in March, in the final push for the World Cup.
Yeah, you know, obviously, you know I'm thinking about Alien games, but you're always thinking about international duties and you know, March is definitely something that you know, I'm trying to push towards. And you know, the All White squad is so competitive now and we have such talented attacking players. So yeah, I think I've got I need to focus on playing we can work out for my club.
To give me.
You know the best opportunity to stick my hand up for the national team.
Well on a pretty good job at the moment. Logan, congrats on what's happened so far. You've probably heard the cheers for the equalizer on your side of the Tasman the other night. From all the Auckland FC fans over here, all the best to night against Western Sydney, mate, and thanks for taking the time for a chat.
No thanks, finally, all good, all.
The best team mate, Logan Rogerson. There out of Auckland FC. Seven o'clock tonight they take on the Western Sydney Wanderers.
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