2015 Chatham Cup Final

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Suburbs Sink Napier To Seal Rare Double

by Jeremy Ruane

Eastern Suburbs edged Napier City Rovers in the 2015 ASB Chatham Cup Final at Trusts Stadium on 20 September to clinch a rarely achieved double, having won the Lotto Northern Premier League title a few weeks ago.

Only Suburbs themselves, in 1965, and Central United in 2007 have snared both titles in the same season, with Manurewa the only other Northern League team to display the Chatham Cup alongside their regional title when they also won the First Division in 1978.

"The Lilywhites"' sixth triumph in the competition was a hard-earned one, coming as it did against the Central Region Premier League champions, who were chasing history themselves as the first-ever winners of that particular double.

With that in mind, "The Blues" revealed their intentions straight from the kick-off, the impressively performed Tom Biss forcing a smothered save from Simon Williams just forty-four seconds into the Final.

It triggered a very bright opening fifteen minutes of play, with Suburbs going close to breaking the deadlock in the fourth minute as captain Tom Shaw stung the gloves of Ruben Parker with a twenty yard free-kick.

Sixty seconds later, Nathaniel Bowen - a generally lazy display - held the ball up well before picking out Damien Mosquera inside him. He touched the ball on towards Biss, who sent a twenty yarder fizzing inches past Williams' left-hand upright.

Only Joe Nottage's well-timed tackle thwarted the very well-performed Miles John - a deserving winner of the Jack Batty Memorial Trophy, despite being on the beaten team - when he was in full flight in the penalty area in the ninth minute, as Napier pressed again.

The resulting corner was swung in by Saul Halpin, and Suburbs managed to scramble it clear to the edge of the penalty area, where Biss was lurking with intent. His vicious twenty yard volley careered narrowly past the near post.

Back came Suburbs, Bowen brilliantly beating Danny Wilson on the right with a lovely turn before evading another challenge. His shot was deflected for a corner, which Shaw delivered into the danger zone, Nottage meeting it with a header which avoided the far post by not a lot.

After such an enterprising opening, the rest of the half was humdrum, and that's being polite. Just three openings came to pass in the remaining half-hour of play, both teams adopting a far more cautious approach to proceedings after a rollicking opening stanza.

In the 24th minute, Williams produced a superb one-handed save low to his left to keep out a Ryan Tinsley free-kick from the edge of the 'D', which the midfielder curled round the wall en route to the 'postage stamp' by the base of the upright.

Eight minutes later, it was Suburbs' turn to threaten again, Rhys Ruka's corner to the near post picking out the head of Nottage, who couldn't direct his effort on target, a phrase which also applied to Michael Bryant five minutes later. The midfielder's ambitious volley veered well wide of the far post, after Mosquera and Brandon Barnes had combined on the counter-attack.

The frustrations of the first half were perfectly summed up by one spectator during the half-time break. "These teams have scored 138 goals between them this season. But today …"

A much improved second half was vital for this showpiece fixture in New Zealand's footballing calendar, one which attracted a crowd which … let's just say there were plenty of blue seats in the 4000-capacity stand which were unused throughout ASB Cup Finals day, and leave it at that!

Those that ventured out on this parky winter-meets-spring Sunday afternoon got their money's worth in a much better second spell, which began with Napier appealing for a penalty inside the opening minute of the half. Referee Matt Conger declined their wishes on this occasion.

Back came "The Lilywhites", Mosquera heading over from four yards on receipt of a Ruka corner, moments before another corner from the midfielder was dummied by Bowen, inviting Nottage to let fly. Fergus Neil cleared off the line, but only as far as Bryant, who sliced his shot wildly wide from twelve yards.

The goal the game needed materialised in the 54th minute, and it was Suburbs who were celebrating. Barnes uncorked an absolute gem of a free-kick from twenty-five yards, the ball curling over the wall and the flailing fingertips of the diving figure of Parker en route to the top left-hand corner of the net - an exquisite execution.

Straight from the kick-off, Napier set about restoring parity, Wilson's thirty yard screamer careering past the far post, much to the relief of

Williams, whose goal was soon to come under tremendous pressure.

Not before Bowen squandered a glorious chance to double Suburbs' lead, however. Barnes danced down the left before picking out the unmarked striker with a lovely cross, but from six yards out, and with the goal at his mercy, Bowen directed his header over the bar - a glaring miss. But would it prove costly?

Rovers certainly hoped so. And in the 67th minute, they came within inches of confirming the fact. Tinsley and John combined, the latter flighting a delightfully weighted cross into the near post, where Biss flew in to meet it. Williams barely moved as the ball careered past him, and inches past the post as well.

Unperturbed, Napier pressed again, and this time they were celebrating. Halpin's 68th minute free-kick to the far post was headed back by Tinsley to Wilson, who controlled it neatly before lashing an unerring volley through the crowded goalmouth and into the far corner of the net - 1-1, game on!

Cue a torrent of pressure from the Central League champions, who forced Suburbs into a desperate rearguard action as their hopes of winning the game suddenly turned to ones where merely holding on to what they had - parity - became the priority.

At times during this period, Parker was the only player in Napier's half of the pitch - it was an all-court press from "The Blues". But significantly, Williams had just one save to make in this spell, a fingertip denial of Tinsley's volley in the 74th minute, although the crossbar did come to his rescue twelve minutes later when John chipped the 'keeper.

Three minutes prior to that effort, Suburbs mustered their first shot on goal since the hour mark. Barnes' side-netting shaker gave "The Lilywhites" renewed hope, and a minute of John's close call, Parker was finally called upon to make a save, bravely denying Mosquera at his feet after Ruka's free-kick had picked out Bowen in the 87th minute.

Extra time was looming large on the horizon as Shaw saw a volley deflected to safety, before a superbly timed tackle by John denied Mosquera in the act of shooting - a goal now would surely have sealed the silverware.

There was still time for Napier to score it, however, but Halpin's finishing in this match was not what it could have been - he dragged the last chance of normal time across the face of goal.

The opening fifteen minutes of the additional half-hour's action was punctuated by a plethora of Eastern Suburbs corners, with Ruka and Shaw taking it in turns to cause havoc in Napier's goalmouth with their deliveries.

Rovers' rearguard stood firm, however, and it was "The Blues" who carved out the first clear chance of extra time, only for Biss and substitute Francis Belt to collide on the edge of Suburbs penalty area in the 100th minute.

The resulting free-kick was spurned, unlike the move of the match five minutes later, through which Suburbs regained the lead. Barnes, Ryan Elder and Shaw interchanged passes before Barnes picked out Bowen.

His back-heel into the stride of Shaw made the goal, but Suburbs' captain unselfishly squared the ball to Mosquera, who steered home from fifteen yards to delight the locals with fifteen minutes remaining.

Before the half-time whistle blew, Napier went desperately close to equalising, Nottage hooking off the line after Williams had made a meal of substitute Josh Stevenson's corner.

After the teams turned round, Rovers were understandably pressing for another leveller. But they were getting increasingly desperate, as John's thirty yarder, which flew past the target, confirmed.

With time all but up on the clock, they mustered one last raid, and Biss wheeled away in delight after firing in what he thought was the equaliser, only to have his joy cut short by the sight of the offside flag.

No amount of pleading would overturn the decision, and when the final whistle blew soon after, it was Suburbs whose joy was unconfined, winners of the ASB Chatham Cup for the first time since 1969.

Suburbs: Williams; Elder (booked, 77), Nottage, Prattley, Mozr (Belt, 48 (booked, 67)); Bryant (booked, 61) (Compaan, 116), Ruka, Shaw (booked, 57), Barnes; Bowen, Mosquera (Waterland, 111)

Napier: Parker; John, Milne (booked, 86), Robertson, Wilson (Stevenson, 90); Neil, Biss, Tinsley (booked, 26), Kilkolly; Hoyle (Morgan, 106), Halpin

Referee: Matt Conger

Chatham Cup