2022 Kate Sheppard Cup Final

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"Super Marty" Claims Cup For United Again

by Jeremy Ruane

Ten years on from scoring both goals in the 2012 edition of this time-honoured fixture, Martine Puketapu was the match-winner once again as Auckland United edged Northern Rovers 1-0 in the NZ Football Foundation Kate Sheppard Cup Final at North Harbour Stadium on September 11.

"Super Marty" was a fourteen-year-old when her brace bagged the cup for Three Kings United a decade ago, since when much has happened in her life - injury, international honours and an ill-fated US scholarship which prompted her early retirement from the game among them.

But after an experience which reignited her love for the game earlier this year, Auckland, the club into which TKU has morphed, asked Puketapu if she would help them through a challenging season, during which they were set to lose over half their young squad at various times of the campaign due to international requirements, scholarship departures and futsal commitments.

Her rewards for doing so were to finally realise two personal milestones for her club - 100 appearances and 100 goals, fittingly reached in the same fixture at the end of July - and once more score the winning goal in the biggest fixture in New Zealand women's club football.

Things would likely have been a tad different, however, had the other former player United lured out of retirement to help shore up their ranks hadn't been on the park. Without the presence, influence and experience of former Football Fern Katie Duncan at the heart of their defence, United would almost certainly have been watching Rovers celebrating a Lotto Northern Premier Women's League - Kate Sheppard Cup double come the final whistle.

Referee Anna-Marie Keighley got things under way in her record tenth Cup Final appearance, and within 25 seconds Northern were pressing for a goal. Duncan's clearance found its way to Danielle Canham, whose angled ball through for Leanna Ryan prompted Aimee Feinberg-Danieli to hurtle off her line and save at the speedster's feet.

Within ninety seconds, Ellie Blount also had reason to warm her gloves, solidly saving a stinging drive from Isabella Richards which flew past four players after she let fly from the edge of the penalty area.

When these teams met in the league under the Becroft Park lights on 4 August, they produced far and away the best game of the season, and the early signs were that both had picked up where they left off on that occasion.

Sure enough, the intensity levels were sky high from the off, and rarely reduced over the course of ninety compelling minutes of Cup Final action between two clubs which didn't even exist in their current form at the start of the decade.

As noted earlier, United emerged from Three Kings United, specifically via a joint venture with Onehunga Sports which saw both clubs retain their identities at social grade level, while competing as Auckland United in senior level football. Sports withdrew from that arrangement after the 2021 campaign, leaving TKU to change their name.

Rovers, meanwhile, were formed at the end of 2020 following the amalgamation of two former Cup-winning clubs, Forrest Hill-Milford United and Glenfield Rovers. Between them, they had featured in eight Cup Finals, with the 2014 and 2016 versions being clashes twixt these local rivals who are now very much in union, something very few would have envisaged happening in days past.

United swiftly took charge of the contest, dominating possession and territory throughout the opening twenty minutes. But it was Rovers who engineered the openings in this spell, Estelle Harrison's eighth minute ball forward seeking out Canham, only for Feinberg-Danieli to dash off her line and clear off the midfielder's toes.

Eleven minutes later, Greer MacIntosh picked out Suya Haering on the left, allowing the fullback to work a one-two with Harrison before delivering a deep cross which picked out Alexis Cook arriving on cue beyond all-comers on the far post. Her header was turned round the post by Feinberg-Danieli, for whom this match was to become the game of her life to date - she was magnificent twixt the sticks.

The resulting corner from Harrison forced Puketapu into a headed clearance narrowly past the near post. Guarantee she'd have directed the ball inside the upright had she been the intended recipient of a delivery of such high quality, which this most certainly was!

Within seconds, Rovers were pressing again, this time via Michaela Foster, who, with team-mate Chelsea Elliott, had already played in the Kate Sheppard Cup Final this year - for Hamilton Wanderers in the 2021 version, which was delayed until the last weekend of March due to Covid.

Coach Ben Bate had deployed her on the right of a front three in this contest, not a position the former Junior Ferns captain has played in too often throughout her career. As usual with Foster, it was a case of "just let her on the park", as evidenced by the delicious pass she played which allowed Cook to bust United's offside trap.

Her driven cross was headed narrowly past the far post by the unmarked figure of Canham, whose elusiveness was proving as worrisome for United's rearguard as Ryan's pace, which Duncan employed foul means to thwart in the 23rd minute, earning herself a yellow card and a nervous "half-and-a-half", given any mistimed challenged twixt now and the end of the contest could well bring her fourth Cup Final appearance to a premature conclusion.

Rovers continued to press, Breeze Durham inspiring an attack which featured Cook but culminated in a tame Ryan finish in the 25th minute, a raid which roused Auckland from their attacking slumber and prompted a concerted spell of goal-threatening raids over the course of the next ten minutes.

Ruby Nathan linked with Bree Johnson in the 29th minute, the latter's round-the-corner pass inviting Emma Leaming to continue the run she'd made to start the attack. The fullback's cross had Puketapu on the far post as its intended target, but Blount intercepted at the near post.

A vital block tackle by Elliott thwarted Johnson's progress soon afterwards, while Milly Clegg's angled drive was spilled by Blount in the 32nd minute, only for the 'keeper to recover possession before the fast-arriving figure of Johnson could pounce on the loose ball.

Cue a counter-attack, featuring Foster's run down the right and a deep cross beyond Duncan to Ryan, who lashed her shot past the post. Seconds later, Foster and Ryan combined again, after Harrison had capitalised on a mix-up between Alosi Bloomfield and Nathan on half-way. Ryan this time fired an angled shot towards the target, but it crept past the far post.

Seven minutes before half-time, Nathan pinched the ball off Durham and sent Puketapu charging downfield. She slipped a pass into the stride of Johnson, whose shot was blocked by MacIntosh - she was rock-solid in Rovers' rearguard throughout proceedings, as was Georgia Martin at the heart of United's defence - she hardly missed a header all day long.

In the moments before the half-time whistle, both teams carved out chances to break the deadlock. Clegg sent one sizzling over the near post angle after Richards had picked out her run with precision, while Foster sent Cook careering towards goal, only for the combined efforts of Duncan and Feinberg-Danieli to foil her goalscoring intentions on this occasion.

A booking on the stroke of half-time for United captain Jess Philpot meant she joined Duncan in walking a disciplinary tightrope in this showpiece affair, one in which Rovers offered plenty of threat via set-pieces, without executing any of them as intended. There was the feeling, however, that if United could open up their opponents, something of which they were quite capable, things might get rather interesting indeed …

Straight from the resumption of play, Richards sent a twenty-yarder sizzling narrowly past the post, to which Rovers responded via Ryan, who was played through by Harrison. Duncan hurtled back and executed a perfectly timed tackle in the area, directing the ball off her opponent and back to a grateful Feinberg-Danieli.

Cue another United raid, with Martin and Richards combining with Nathan, whose delightfully weighted pass invited Clegg to chip the approaching figure of Blount. The 'keeper looked on with relief as the ball landed on the roof of her net in the 49th minute.

Two minutes later, another timely tackle by Elliott foiled Johnson once more, the speedster having been played in by Richards, who is such an important player in this United team - her energy is infectious!

Rovers' set-piece prowess remained United's biggest concern, however. Elliott delivered a free-kick from distance downtown in the 52nd minute, and Duncan left it for Feinberg-Danieli to deal with. The 'keeper misjudged it, however, the ball ricocheting off her and towards the surprised figure of Foster, who was unable to capitalise on the opportunity before United's custodian retrieved the situation.

Two minutes later, Rovers forced a corner, one which Foster delivered with devilry to the near post. Feinberg-Danieli punched the ball out from beneath her crossbar but collided with the upright, prompting a brief break in play while she recovered her senses.

Once the action resumed, United set the cat amongst the pigeons by opening the scoring against a side which had lost just once this season, sixteen days previously, to be precise. Richards brought the ball out of defence before inviting Bloomfield to fend off a tackle as she powered over the halfway line.

The Samoan international brought Clegg into play, and her first time through ball invited Puketapu to surge through Rovers' rearguard and deftly lob the advancing figure of Blount, the ball bouncing once before hitting the net to give Auckland the advantage - 1-0 after 57 minutes.

Straight from the kick-off, Northern looked to get back on level terms, Ryan rampaging down the left past Philpot before delivering a low cross into the stride of Harrison. Her low drive was smothered by Feinberg-Danieli, who spilled a cross at the feet of Foster in the 63rd minute.

As the 'keeper scrambled in a desperate effort to foil her opponent, Foster played the ball back to MacIntosh, whose shot was blocked by Martin and subsequently cleared. Feinberg-Danieli, however, was seeing stars again, prompting a further spell of treatment before she was allowed to continue - her concussion test was closely monitored by referee Keighley, given this latest head knock had come so soon after Feinberg-Danieli's collision with the post.

Relieved that their number one had been given the all-clear, United looked to ease the pressure on her by doubling their advantage. Puketapu and Nathan combined for the benefit of Johnson, whose shot ricocheted off the approaching figure of Blount and back off the striker before heading towards the target. The retreating figure of captain Talisha Green ensured Northern remained a goal behind on this occasion.

Martin was having issues dealing with the pace of Cook, something which the youngster exploited in the 69th minute as she raced clear on the right. Her pullback was superbly intercepted by Duncan, who read the situation brilliantly and positioned herself perfectly to prevent any prospect of Rovers drawing level on this occasion.

Back came United three minutes later, Feinberg-Danieli clearing to Richards, who sent Puketapu surging through once more. As before, she lobbed the approaching figure of Blount, who looked on with relief as the ball bounced past the upright on this occasion.

Cue a Rovers response, Ryan and Cook combining on the left. The latter got the better of Duncan, but Feinberg-Danieli proved equal to her shot, the last of note which she had to deal with during the next ten minutes as United kept their opponents at bay, largely via the efforts of Duncan and Martin at the heart of their defence.

The latter's timely tackle on Foster in the 84th minute prompted a United counter-attack, Richards leading the charge. She fed Clegg, who swept past Haering before directing her shot straight at Blount.

She immediately launched a counter-attack via Foster on the right, from where she crossed beyond all-comers for the benefit of Ryan, racing in off the left. After controlling the ball, she evaded a challenge before shooting across Feinberg-Danieli, only to see her shot cannon off the inside of the far post back into the goalmouth, where the goalkeeper swiftly swooped on the sphere to snuff out the danger.

When things like that happen, and you're the team they happen to, you somehow get that feeling it's not meant to be your day. Nonetheless, Rovers pressed again, Haering releasing Ryan down the left, from where her 87th minute cross-shot grazed the roof of the net.

Six minutes of stoppage time were signalled - not surprising, given Feinberg-Danieli's unpleasant experiences. Needless to say, Northern continued to hammer away, with Foster's ball forward allowing Cook to get the better of Martin on the right before she played the ball inside to Elliott, who by now had been pressed into an emergency striker role.

She brought Ryan into play once more, but once again Feinberg-Danieli rebuffed her attempt to revive Rovers' Cup dreams, Duncan completing a clearance which eventually prompted a Clegg-led response from United.

The Junior Fern set sail from halfway, outpacing Kate McConnell before entering the penalty area, only to see Blount rebuff her bid to pick out a team-mate at the near post. Downfield the ball was swiftly despatched, Canham taking it on before Cook set sail once more down the right.

She in turn fed Elliott, whose shot was blocked by the combined efforts of Philpot and Duncan, soon to be named the Maia Jackman Trophy winner - just the third player to receive the honour twice, Duncan's previous triumph coming in her last final in 2009.

That proved to be Rovers' last chance, for seconds later, the final whistle blew, to the unrestrained delight of those sporting Auckland's all-white kit, among them coach Mauro Donoso, who led Eastern Suburbs to Cup Final success in 2019 and in masterminding this victory, ensures Andrew Clay is no longer alone in having coached two different clubs to Kate Sheppard Cup Final success.

Auckland: Feinberg-Danieli; Philpot (booked, 45), Duncan (booked, 23), Martin, Leaming; Richards (Brill, 86), Bloomfield, Nathan; Clegg, Puketapu, Johnson

Northern: Blount; Green, Elliott (booked, 70), MacIntosh, Haering; Canham, Durham (Sheldon, 86), Harrison (McConnell, 72); Foster, Cook, Ryan

Referee: Anna-Marie Keighley

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