Chatham Cup Upsets

Are Marist going to play at Bell Park if they win?

I am sure Mar would rather play a local game against Tawa or Olympic (which on form should take care of quite easy) rather than shelling out $1500 to get up to the naki for a match...

Wests get a handy round... 

Northern Region:

North Shore United

v

Hibiscus Coast

Allen Hill Stadium

Eastern Suburbs

v

East Coast Bays

Madill�s Farm

Mangere United

v

MAGS

Mangere Centre Park

Waitakere City

v

Forrest Hill-Milford

Fred Taylor Park

Melville

v

Papatoetoe AFC

Gower Park

Te Puke AFC

v

Central United

Litt Park

Waiuku

v

Glenfield Rovers

Massey Park

Metro AFC

v

Taupo AFC

Phyllis St

Central Region:

Lower Hutt City/Marist (Wgtn)

v

Napier City Rovers

TBA

Petone

v

Tawa/Wellington Olympic

Petone Memorial

Inglewood

v

Miramar Rangers

Karo Park

Western Suburbs

v

Maycenvale Utd

Endeavour Park

Southern Region:

Halswell

v

Nelson Suburbs

Halswell Domain

Nomads

v

Avon

Tulett Park

Roslyn Wakari

v

Caversham

Ellis Park

Northern

v

Dunedin Technical

Gardens

Does anyone know anything about a change in format this year?  I read on rab smith's southern football website (www.soccerotago.co.nz) a comment about regions needing to find a regional winner.  Does that mean the competition goes national even later this year?

I can tell you from year on year experience that the draw in the Dunedin region is genuinely suspicious.  Barry van Gorp decides the seedings himself, including seeding my side University 9 one year when we finished 4th in the league the year before meaning we had to play an extra round rather than get a bye.  And teams who get the bye (usually Caversham, Dunedin Tech, usually Roslyn +1) always play the second division Invercargill teams or random one club Central Otago in the next round.  In fact for three years or so the Dunedin sides draw ended up like this at the end of the roudn of 16 (I think):

Dunedin Tech v Roslyn

Caversham vs some Christchurch side

Well the gap between Central League and Premier League has been identified and going on the Chat Cup results the past two rounds.  It is huge...  I was one that thought it was closer, but it simply is not...  Petone was often used as an example of a team coming up from Prem league and fitting straight in to the CL.  They are an anomaly and dominated the Prem league for several years, unlike the current crop of hopefulls. 

The latest round offered one of the great levellers in football - weather.  On Monday Noah was probably somewhere in his ark it was that wet.. and yesterday, the wind was that brutal that at Newtown Park the spots were being blown off the leopards. However, no one got close.  in the four matches between the leagues (Wharfies, Tawa, Wairarapa, I Bay) scored 3 and the CL scored 18...  If it had been dry I think there would have been a lot more Central League goals.

North Shore expelled from Chatham Cup

June 10 2008

AUCKLAND � Auckland Sunday League side New Zealand Celtic Supporters were handed a Chatham Cup lifeline on Tuesday after their second round opponents North Shore United were disqualified from football�s national knockout competition for fielding an ineligible player.  

New Zealand Celtic lost the June 2 match 0-4 but the result was reversed by New Zealand Football, meaning the Sunday leaguers will now face Hibiscus Coast in the third round on Sunday at the Allen Hill grounds they rent from North Shore.

James Meichtry � who scored North Shore�s final goal as a second half substitute � was subsequently deemed ineligible by New Zealand Football as he had not met the dual criteria of being registered with North Shore for seven days and playing in two matches on different days prior to appearing for the club in the Chatham Cup.

Six time winners North Shore received clearance for Meichtry on May 30 and fielded the player in two games on Saturday May 31.

New Zealand Football�s competitions manager Glyn Taylor said the decision to disqualify North Shore wasn�t taken lightly and while it was �regrettable� for the competition to lose a club with such a fine cup pedigree there was no room in the regulations to let them continue.

�Regardless of whether it was an intentional move or an administrative oversight on the part of the club, New Zealand Football had no option but to disqualify North Shore United from the Chatham Cup to protect the competition�s integrity and for the sake of all other clubs who have followed the rules,� Taylor said.

The decision to expel the Devonport-based club means North Shore�s quest for a record-equalling seventh Chatham Cup title must now wait for another year and adds another twist in a cup season already littered with upsets and drama.

North Shore joins a growing list of now-eliminated clubs to have won the 85-year-old trophy in a current or former guise. With sixteen of those clubs knocked out after two full rounds just eight remain among the final 32 teams eyeing a place in final at North Harbour Stadium in the first weekend of September.

Petone went unbeaten for most of the season last year and then dropped a few games when it didn't matter, and their young guys keep getting better with experience plus team wellington youth experience, throw in big Jim and you have quite a handy mix. 

As the Conchords would say   "...you know when I'm down to my socks, its business time...."

1. Lower Hutt City v Napier City Rovers � Bell Park
2. Petone v Wellington Olympic - Petone Memorial
3. Inglewood v Miramar Rangers - Karo Park
4. Western Suburbs v Maycenvale Utd - Endeavour Park

Halswell that ends well for these guys?? Who knows, I don't have much knowledge of anything in the south... if that offends you southern men then have a look at the picture on the left, thats my response

Summed it up nicely..