Chatham Cup Upsets

North Shore appeal Chatham Cup exit

June 13 2008

AUCKLAND - North Shore United have appealed the decision to disqualify them from football�s Chatham Cup for fielding an ineligible player in their second round clash.

The Devonport-based club won their the June 2 match against New Zealand Celtic Supporters 4-0 but the result was reversed by New Zealand Football, as second half-substitute James Meichtry 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.

New Zealand Celtic Supporters were scheduled to host Hibiscus Coast in the third round on Sunday but with North Shore�s appeal unable to be heard by New Zealand Football�s three person appeals committee until after the weekend, New Zealand Football�s competition manager Glyn Taylor said that match will now be postponed.

�Our appeals committee have an obligation to hear North Shore United�s case and until that happens next week, the match between New Zealand Celtic Supporters and Hibiscus Coast cannot be played,� Taylor said.

�All other Chatham Cup matches will go ahead this weekend as scheduled and we hope to quickly resolve the North Shore matter, so the remaining round three fixture can take place as soon as possible.�

June 28 2008

AUCKLAND � An old head and a Mt Albert Grammar old boy helped Chatham Cup holders Central United ease into the quarterfinals of football�s national knockout competition with a 7-0 win over 10-man MAGS on Saturday.

Central�s Sam Campbell � himself a product of Kevin Fallon�s MAGS talent factory � put an early dent in the confidence of his old school with an eighth minute header to open the scoring.

Experienced striker Grant Young then effectively sealed the win in the 11th minute by drawing young MAGS stopper Patrick George into a foul inside the box to earn his side a penalty and a man advantage as George was sent for an early shower.

For good measure, Young would then net a tidy goal of his own in the 28th minute before ending his contribution to the match by winning a second penalty five minutes after halftime.

Luis del Monte slotted both spot kicks past stand-in keeper Jonathan Raj, on his way to a four goal haul before Young�s replacement David Richmond rounded out the scoring in the 87th minute.

Central United coach Peter Martin said his side entered the match ready to give the schoolboys plenty of respect, but that the game was won by the time MAGS were down to ten men inside 15 minutes.

�These games are always tough to come into. You know you�re up against the best group of U-19 players in the region and that they�ll be technically competent and tactically well-organised. We needed to play at our best,� Martin said.

�There�s a gap between the two sides to start with but at 2-0 with a player short that gap gets too wide for them.�

The big South Island cup clash was a predictably tense affair with Dunedin Technical edging Caversham in a 3-2 thriller to throw their name in the hat for Monday�s quarterfinal draw.

Tech overcame a third minute goal to Caversham�s Tom Connor with replies from Andy Coburn before halftime, and went further ahead through Richard Smith after the interval before a goal from Croydon Wheeler set up a grandstand finish.

Elsewhere, Jeff Campbell celebrated his inclusion in Ricki Herbert�s extended All White squad by setting East Coast Bays on their way to a comfortable 4-0 win over Metro. Dan Peat and George Suri also got on the score sheet before halftime with Joe Bresnahan adding a fourth 10 minutes from fulltime.

Glenfield�s Jason Hicks scored goals either side of LJ Pijnenburg�s 25th minute sending off while Fero Mudrick grabbed a late third, as the North Shore club beat 10-man Melville United from Hamilton 3-0 at McFetridge Park.

Three time winners Miramar Rangers and Waitakere City are both still in the hunt for a fourth Chatham Cup title but after contrasting fourth round wins.

Rangers saw off Central League rivals Lower Hutt City 3-0 with goals from Dominic Rowe, Jamie Farrington and Tommy Smith, while Waitakere needed two goals from Stu Hogg � an 85th minute penalty and an extra time winner � to overtake Hibiscus Coast who had taken the lead with Steve Richmond�s penalty after an hour.

The winners of Sunday clashes between Western Suburbs and Olympic in Wellington and between Nelson Suburbs and Christchurch�s Avon United will join Saturday�s six winners in the Chatham Cup quarterfinals � where the draw becomes national for the first time.

In Saturday Women�s Knockout Cup action, goals from Rachel Oliver in the 33rd and 80th minutes were enough for Western to beat Coastal Spirit in Christchurch and set up a quarterfinal with Dunedin�s Northern.

Nelson Suburbs have made it to the quarter finals of the Chatham Cup for the first time after slogging out a 3-2 victory over Avon United at Saxton Field Sunday.

After going into the half-time break down a shocking 2-1, a five minute rally early in the second spell was enough to put the home side ahead.

In the first half Christchurch first division upstart Avon looked like it could pull off another cup upset as it made the most of crucial errors in Suburbs' defence.

Supporters looked on in disbelief as Suburbs' right back Hamish Lewis mis-timed his first touch of the ball with Avon's Cameron Long bearing down on him. Long pounced, sending the ball tumbling through the outstretched arms of goal keeper Brent Fletcher, into the back of the net.

Earlier in the week Fletcher had not been expected to play due to injury. Some good work by his physiotherapist had him on the field but after missing the ball with plenty of time to get behind it, he may have wished he'd stayed off.

With three minutes to half time Long showed up Fletcher and the Suburbs' backline again when he muscled his way past three defenders before putting the ball between the goal keeper's legs.

This was finally enough to spark some conviction in Suburbs' play which, despite a promising opening few minutes, had been lacklustre. Avon's big midfielders and backs kept locking out the home side's attack through the middle of the field.

Suburbs struck back straight away with Joses Nawo gliding in to slot a low cross right in front of goal.

The score could have been level going into the break, but for Sam Ayers suffering a rush of blood to the head when Nawo flicked him the ball at the right post seven metres out. With a golden opportunity in front of him Ayers smashed the ball wide.

Suburbs came out determined in the second half, hungry to get equal then pull ahead.

The team reverted back to its winning formula of playing the ball down the wing with short tight passing into a striking position. The Solomon Island strikeforce of Nawo, Kidston Billy and Frazer Maebule with Ayers, Joel Wiechern and support from Matt Elliott at the back pulled together to open up Avon's defence.

After two minutes of constant pressure, with calm and vision Nawo slotted the ball low and hard through a maze of players in the penalty area to draw Suburbs equal.

Ayers made up for his earlier miss when he scored off a short sharp pass into the penalty area from Nawo.

With rushing attacks down both wings Suburbs would have lengthened their lead but for Avon goal keeper James Anderson.

Avon managed to dull the attack before another goal was scored as the game turned into a dogged physical scrap.

Referee James Thian decided the scrapping had gone far enough when he dished out yellow cards to Nawo and an Avon defender following an altercation after the Solomon Islander was brought down in a tackle. Nawo kicked his tackler and in return received a push on the head from another Avon player. In the final minutes Suburbs' proved it didn't need it Solomon Islanders to create scoring opportunities when Hamish Allan came on, in place of Billy, looking to prove himself. Along with Ayers, he kept Avon's defence scrambling before the final whistle blew.

Surburbs co-coach Brendan Crichton said the win was a "relief". "I'll win ugly any day. A win's a win, that's the bottom line."

Ideally his team would have put on a better performance but they still deserved to go through to the Chatham Cup quarter finals, he said. "The guys deserve it - there have been games when we have been outstanding."

Surburbs' quarterfinal was expected to be played on the weekend of July 19, Crichton said.

The team will play one of seven others from around the country as the national knockout competition progresses towards the final, scheduled to be played on the weekend of September 6.

EVAN BARNES/Nelson Mail

KNEES-UP: Joses Nawo, left, fights for the ball against an Avon United defender in Sunday's Chatham Cup matchup

Division One Avon United pushed Mainland premier league leader Nelson Suburbs all the way in its Chatham Cup clash, leading at one stage by two goals before bowing 3-2 in Nelson yesterday.

Suburbs now progress to the quarter-finals along with the other remaining South Island side, Dunedin Technical, which beat Caverham 3-2 on Saturday.

Avon co-coach Frank McManus had fixed feelings after the game against Suburbs. "It is disappointing to lose after being two up but I am proud of the way we played. We went to the break in a positive mood at being a goal up but in the end their quick passing game proved the difference. Considering that they have conceded only four goals all season in the league it was good to score twice against them."

The home side had the better of the early exchanges with Avon keeper James Anderson pulling off several fine saves before Avon took the lead midway through the half when Cameron Long scored. An upset looked possible when Long scored again after 40 minutes by beating his marker and finishing well. Nelson then lifted as Joses Nawo scored two minutes later to give his side hope going to the break.

The Solomon Islander added a second goal 10 minutes after the break with Sam Ayers scoring the winning goal on the hour. While Nelson had the better of the scoring chances it could not break down a determine Avon defence.

In the premier league Nomads regained second after beating Ferrymead Bays 2-1, with Halswell dropping back to third after being toppled by Burnside 3-0. Western completed a trio of home wins in the round when accounting for Woolston Technical 4-1.

In the national women's knockout cup Western moved into the next round when it beat Coastal Spirit 2-0. Former international Rachel Oliver was the standout player of both sides with the Western player scoring a goal in each half. Western will face Dunedin's Northern in the quarter-finals.

In the local women's knockout cup Avon booked a place in the final for the first time when a first-half goal by Lauren French was enough to defeat Halswell 1-0 in a semi-final clash.

Avon will face either Ferrymead Bays or Coastal Spirit in final.

Persistent rain left the playing surface slippery and the bitter cold prompted the Caversham reserves to huddle under a woollen blanket.

But, despite the appalling conditions, both sides played some sparkling football and treated a crowd of about 350 to an entertaining match.

Dunedin Technical coach Mike Fridge spent most of the game prowling the sideline with his game face on but broke into a broad smile when asked how he was feeling shortly after the final whistle.

"It was a difficult game between two good teams and a good cup tie," he said.

"But I'm absolutely delighted to be in the next round.

"They were difficult conditions to play in and to play good football, but it adds to the excitement. It is very difficult for defenders because the ball can skid off.

"So it was good for the spectators, but not good for my heart."

Caversham, a Chatham Cup semifinalist for the past two seasons, went into the match without star striker Carson Gorecki and talented goalkeeper Liam Little.

Gorecki has gone back to the United States and Little had to sit the match out at the request of Football New Zealand.

The 21-year-old has been selected in the New Zealand under-23 side which will compete at the Beijing Olympics in August.

Despite the setback, Caversham struck first.

With the match just three minutes old, Otago Boys High School pupil Seamus Ryder broke down the left and fired in a well-directed cross which Tom Jackson headed into the back of the net.

It was a superbly executed move which left Dunedin Tech stunned.

"We were very disappointed with the goal we conceded," Fridge said.

"But I thought the boys showed a lot of good character to come back. We said before the game, let's keep it tight and don't give away any silly goals, especially early on, and three minutes into the game we find ourselves 1-0 down."

Tech crawled its way back into the match, launching a series of raids on the goal.

Sam Jaspar blasted a drive from just beyond the penalty area.

The deflection fell dangerously but the defence scrambled it clear.

Moments later, striker John Lang used his speed to get on the end of a long ball, forcing Caversham keeper Dave O'Donovan to leave his line.

Lang dribbled around the despondent goalie but was pushed too wide to get a good shot and the move was snuffed out.

Veteran midfielder Andy Coburn converted his side's pressure into its opening goal in the 33rd minute when he tapped in a cross past O'Donovan, who was caught flat-footed on the goal line.

Just before half-time, Tech added a second.

Mike Cunningham lobbed a ball forward to Aaron Burgess and the in-form striker steered a header into the right corner.

Caversham pushed forward in search of an equaliser and dominated territory.

But some slick passing and patient build-up saw Tech take a two-goal lead.

Hayden Gunn provided the cross and Richard Smith the finishing touch with a sharp flick past the goalie.

Caversham kept attacking and busy midfielder Croydon Wheeler got some just reward for a strong match when he found enough space in a congested penalty area to nod the ball in with six minutes remaining.

Tech held on to win the Peacock Trophy, presented to the Dunedin team which gets furthest in the Chatham Cup.

Blair Scoullar marshalled the defence well and Coburn worked hard in the midfield.

The draw for the remaining cup matches will be made today.

"It doesn't matter who we play. I'm sure they won't be looking forward to playing us," Fridge said.

Dunedin Technical 3 (Andy Coburn, Aaron Burgess, Richard Smith), Caversham 2 (Tom Jackson, Croydon Wheeler).

Half-time: Dunedin Technical 2-1.