Smith is fans’ choice at Ipswich

The only player from the island to have played professional football to date, the Papeete-born striker has been Tahiti’s pride and joy since making his debut for Nantes back in 1998.A celebrated figure in the French game for the last 15 years, Vahirua, who is currently on loan with Greek club Panthrakikos, has never forgotten…

The U-17 Championships for both confederations were held this month, with the semi-finalists from both earning berths at the upcoming FIFA U-17 World Cup in United Arab Emirates later this year.The Cote d’Ivoire won their first-ever African U-17 Championship when they beat favourites Nigeria 5-4 on penalties during the final in the Moroccan city of…

His name will also adorn the tournament’s Golden Boot trophy after joint-top scoring with fellow Young All White Stuart Holthusen, netting six goals a-piece and pipping Fiji striker Iosefo Verevou, on five goals, to the prize.Patterson and his New Zealand teammates dominated the field winning five games from five to qualify for the FIFA U-17…

One assistant referee who travelled from his native Tonga to Santo to officiate at the competition was former national team captain Folio Moeaki.An assistant referee for the past six years, Moeaki has been on the FIFA referee’s list for four years and experienced his first international call-ups in 2011, after ending his international playing career.He…

The 16-year-old has been playing the sport just three years, but his ability to weave his way through the defence belies his young age.And with talent to burn it comes as no surprise that the youngster is starting to draw attention from a number of different avenues, including several A-League clubs and locally-based clubs in…

See below for all the play-by-play action.Starting line-ups:Dragon: 1. Mikael ROCHE [GK] (C), 3. Sebastien GAIRIN, 4. Tamatoa WAGEMANN, 5. Henri CAROINE, 8. Yannick VERO, 10. Raimana LI FUNG KUEE, 12. Jonathan TEHAU, 13. Steevy CHONG HUE, 15. Heimano BOUREBARE, 19. Vincent SIMON, 21. Teaonui TEHAUSubstitutes: 9. Samuel HNANYINE, 11. Andre TEIKIHAKAUPOKO, 14. Matatia PAAMA,…

Going into the match, the west Aucklanders had already booked themselves a place in the semi-finals but needed three points to make certain of coming first and were able to do so thanks to a late winner from Ryan De Vries.Waitakere are joined in progressing through to the semi-finals from Group B by arch rivals…

In the other match in the final round of the competition’s pool stages, Waitakere earned a 3-2 win over New Caledonia’s Mont-Dore in Noumea to ensure they would finish at the top of the ladder and take some momentum into the looming semi-finals.Waitakere will now go on to meet Vanuatu outfit Amicale in the semi-finals…