Here's a riddle for you. How do you go two goals up in a football match and end up losing it 3-0?

Yes it is a trick question, but Tauranga City are feeling a little like the trick's been played on them after they lost their rescheduled match with Forest Hill Milford by that scoreline on Saturday.

It was the second attempt to get the match completed after the first three weeks ago was called off at the 60 minute mark – with City leading 2-0 – by the referee, who declared the rain-soaked pitch unplayable. Tauranga coach Nic Millichip was disappointed with that decision, saying the pitch had not deteriorated since the match began and felt the referee had been unduly pressured by the visiting team.

Having seen his team's two goal advantage from the first match turn into a three goal defeat, he's even more disgruntled now.

'When we'd got ourselves into such a good strong position, yeah…” he says.

Despite the loss, however, the blues can breathe easy with their survival in the northern league's division one guaranteed with a match to play. They can finish no lower than their current 10^th place as they are five points clear of Oratia United, who also lost on Saturday and have just one match remaining.

The bottom two finishers in the league are relegated, meaning fellow Aucklanders Manurewa join Oratia in next year's second division.

City's Andy Carter.

As has been something of a pattern in recent weeks Tauranga City opened Saturday's match in lively fashion, and could have replicated their two-nil lead from the earlier match in the first half through good chances to energetic left-sided attacker Riley Bidois. On the first occasion he found the ball just wouldn't sit for him after breaking through the visitors' defence, then managed to blaze his second attempt over the bar with the goal open. It was the best chance either side created in the half.

Aside from those moments it was another accomplished game from Bidois, who along with fellow teenager Jay Silcock on the opposite wing, does much to provide the Links Ave side with attacking impetus.

Having matched the higher-ranked team from Auckland's North Shore for the first 60 minutes, with central defensive partners Ray How and Andy Smith, which has become the established combination in recent weeks, rarely finding themselves under pressure, it all went downhill from there.

Forest Hill's first came from a moment City keeper Tom Pamment won't remember too fondly as he fumbled a cross into the path of the visitors' Sam Jasper, who had a simple tap in to finish.

Half-chances continued to fall the home side's way, but understandably they found the Forest Hill's All Whites goalkeeper Jacob Spoonley hard to beat.

Connor Irvine drew a diving save from Spoonley from a free kick, and Bidois did the same with a headed attempt, but sloppiness at the back was City's undoing.

Cameron Grieve battles for the ball under the watchful eye of referee Ashley Wilson.

Forest Hill's second from James Green on 69 minutes left them with a mountain to climb, but they can fairly claim the third from David Brown as the clock ticked into added time left the scoreline with a slightly unjust look about it.

'We let ourselves down,” says Nic. 'We'd got 55 minutes in.

'We were a bit untidy to start with - we gave the ball away too easily – but then we settled into a reasonable pattern. And then the first goal nailed us really. We should never have given that away.

'I always feel sorry for goalies – there's nowhere to hide, it's just you.”

He felt the goal changed the match after his team had worked so hard for the first 60 minutes for no reward.

'I think they probably dropped their heads a touch. Concentration probably wasn't as good as it should have been in the second half.”

In the end Oratia's loss provided salvation for the team anyway, but Nic says he would rather have done the job themselves.

'I would have far preferred to have taken the responsibility on, to put ourselves in a safe position, not rely on someone else to do it for us.”

Tauranga City wrap up their season this Saturday away to Ellerslie, the side coached by former All White Fred de Jong.

Tauranga City 0

Forrest Hill Milford United 3 (Sam Jasper 55′, James Green 69′, David Brown 89′)

HT 0-0

Central striker Joaquin Reynoso battled hard but had few opportunities.