2023 Chatham Cup Final

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Fitting Final Marks Chatham Cup's Century

by Jeremy Ruane

The most prized trophy in New Zealand football turned 100 years old in 2023, and to mark the occasion, Christchurch United and Melville United produced a fitting Chatham Cup Final at North Harbour Stadium on September 10, the South Island side prevailing 4-2 on penalties after their North Island rivals had mounted a stirring comeback in forcing a 2-2 draw, a rally which featured a Chatham Cup first, about which, more later.

The contest itself featured a raging hot favourite - Christchurch comfortably won the Southern League and were looking to join University-Mt. Wellington in winning the Chatham Cup for a record seventh time - against a Melville side which struggled in this season's Northern Premier League, and which was looking to avoid a third Cup Final defeat to add to those endured in 2003 and 2019.

They were very swiftly on course for that unwanted loss, however, with "The Rams" taking charge of proceedings early doors, primarily through the outstanding Eoghan Stokes, who appeared to have the ball on a string at times, such was his influence on the park.

He it was who delivered a tenth minute free-kick to the far post which Ben Lapslie headed down to Daniel MacLennan, who scooped his shot over the bar. Seconds later, MacLennan found Matt Todd-Smith on the right, from where he delivered a cross which was turned into his own net by the retreating Jerson Lagos Giraldo - 1-0 Christchurch, with eleven minutes on the clock.

Within five minutes, they could have doubled their lead - the legs of Max Tommy came to Melville's rescue as the 'keeper denied MacLennan in the act of shooting, the striker having been picked out by Stokes.

A further five minutes elapsed before "The Rams" carved out another opening of note, with Lapslie teaming up with MacLennan to pick out Sam Philip, who returned the ball to MacLennan via a nutmeg pass which embarrassed a Melville defender. Tommy came to the rescue again, blocking at close quarters.

Christchurch came within the width of a post of doubling their lead in the 27th minute. Stokes picked out Philip's run through the inside right channel. He got to the by-line before picking out Jago Godden with a cross which invited the midfielder to let rip with a first-time ten yarder.

The ball crashed against the upright, but "The Rams" very swiftly regained possession, Todd-Smith securing the ball on the left before firing in a low cross which Philip was poised to convert before Tommy saved at his feet.

Five minutes later, Melville offered their first attacking threat of note, Lagos Giraldo going to ground in Christchurch's penalty area under pressure. Despite the claims of the largely pro-Melville crowd - 1,289 fans were in attendance - there was no contact by anyone wearing blue, but neither was it simulation, according to referee Nick Waldron.

Nine minutes before half-time, Christchurch doubled their advantage, and once again, it was a red-shirted player who put the ball in the net on their behalf. Stokes delivered a corner to the far post which found Godden arriving on cue, but the ball was inadvertently turned home by George Brown in his bid to divert it to safety - 2-0.

Melville had no answer to Stokes' string-pulling, and, frankly, looked a well-beaten side - it really seemed to be a case of "by how many" for Christchurch, who, after thirty years in the doldrums, are seeking a return to their halcyon days, a twenty-year spell between 1972 and 1992, during which time they won the Chatham Cup, English Cup and National League title six times apiece and were runners-up in the Chatham Cup thrice and the league twice.

Their pursuit of glory continued before the half-time whistle, with Stokes and Riley Grover combining with MacLennan, whose neat control was supplemented by a scrumptious reverse pass to Todd-Smith, whose goalbound drive flew off Erik Panzer to safety.

On the stroke of half-time, Tommy once more saved at the feet of MacLennan, seconds after referee Waldron had allowed play to continue despite Todd-Smith's foul on Quinton Kipara, to which Melville responded through Lagos Giraldo. He was in the act of shooting when Aaron O'Driscoll stepped in to deny him and bring the first half to a close, with Christchurch 2-0 up and cruising.

Whatever was in Melville's half-time tea needs bottling and preserving, for they were a transformed team after the interval, with Lagos Giraldo leading the charge. The Colombian's 48th minute corner was punched out from under the bar by the hitherto untested Scott Morris, while after Stokes had sent a thirty-five yard screamer on the volley flashing inches over the bar, Melville's key man delivered another corner, this time to the far post.

Panzer was the target, and he promptly headed the ball inside to Ry McLeod, whose cheeky back-heeled flick arced over the bar, unlike Lagos Giraldo's 56th minute free-kick, a twenty-five yard effort which Morris saved well, diving to his left.

After Brown's cross had parted Liam Hayes' hair, Lagos Giraldo sent a wicked low cross careering through Christchurch's goalmouth on the hour mark, Panzer its intended target. Alas for Melville, he was unable to capitalise upon the opportunity, while a minute later, Hayes' free-kick, which was headed across goal by the freshly introduced Jack McGovern towards McLeod, had to be hooked over his own crossbar by Stokes - an indication of how the game had changed.

The resulting corner was cleared, and Stokes was soon in charge again, combining with Todd-Smith to send Grover galloping down the right in the 64th minute. His low cross, intended for MacLennan, saw Panzer intervene, but he failed to clear the danger, and in the aftermath, Joel Peterson fired over from six yards.

After Tommy had dashed out of his penalty area to clear off the toes of the counter-attacking figure of Todd-Smith, Melville finally grabbed themselves the lifeline their second half efforts fully merited nineteen minutes from time.

Isaac Bates wriggled through three challenges before feeding the overlapping Lucca Lim, whose initial cross was blocked. So he stepped inside and went for goal instead, finding the narrowest of gaps between Morris' flailing fingertips and his right-hand post - 2-1, game on!

The goal seemed to revive Christchurch, for they swiftly sought to re-establish their two-goal cushion through MacLennan. Panzer blocked his drive, while after Morris grabbed a flighted free-kick from Lagos Giraldo, Tommy and Hayes combined to foil Haris Zeb and Cameron Lindsay as "The Rams" looked to secure the silverware in normal time.

Back came Melville, McLeod rattling the stanchion with a thunderous effort in the 87th minute. Three minutes later, Lagos Giraldo lost the plot and flew - literally - into Morris, feet first, as he looked to connect with the ball. He was fortunate that Mr Waldron was in a lenient mood - yellow was the card colour eventually raised, although had Morris been unable to continue, one wonders if a card darker in hue would have been held aloft in the aftermath of this incident.

Stoppage time saw end-to-end action unfolding, which Christchurch threatening first through MacLennan. He flew down the left before surging into the penalty area and unleashing a shot which cannoned off the near post.

Melville counter-attacked instantly, McLeod leading the charge before Panzer was brought into play. His cross was headed wide by Sean McDonnell to the accompanying groans of the Melville faithful, who thought their last chance of an equaliser had gone.

But their heroes attacked once more, and forced a free-kick deep in stoppage time, so deep that there could barely have been time to deliver the set-piece. But deliver it Lagos Giraldo did, chipping it into the goalmouth.

Christchurch failed to clear their lines, and Tommy, who had ventured forward with Melville's Cup hopes on the line, promptly volleyed home from four yards with the last kick of regulation time to level the scores and carve his name into Chatham Cup folklore - the first goalkeeper to score in a Chatham Cup Final, on the occasion the competition marked its centenary. WOW!

Tommy's death strike earned patrons an additional thirty minutes of action, and it was Melville who threatened first in extra time, McGovern rattling the side-netting after the charging figure of McLeod played him in through the inside right channel in the 99th minute.

Christchurch looked to hit back, only for Tommy to parry Eddie Wilkinson's piledriver four minutes later. The substitute threatened again soon after, his twenty-yarder hurtling past the upright as the first half of extra time drew to a close.

The second half saw "The Rams" defending desperately early doors to keep out successive shots from Jakob England, while in the 109th minute the action switched to the other end of the park, Tommy pulling off a fabulous save to deny MacLennan after Wilkinson had set up his front-running partner in crime.

A heroic block by Melville captain Aaron Scott, who was playing his final game before retiring, prevented Wilkinson from firing Christchurch back in front in the 110th minute, while Tommy - if it wasn't already assured as a result of his goalscoring exploits - made certain of picking up the Jack Batty Memorial Trophy as the Cup Final's player of the match by producing successive saves to deny Stokes - a volleyed effort - and Wilkinson.

Melville dodged a bullet in the final minute of extra time when Panzer handled the ball in the penalty area. It wasn't spotted by the match officials, who, soon after, brought an end to 120 compelling minutes of action with the scoreline reading Christchurch United 2, Melville United 2.

To penalties, with Stokes and Lapslie converting Christchurch's first attempts to give them a two-goal cushion, McGovern having sent Melville's first shot in the shootout soaring over the crossbar. Hayes and McLeod got them back on track to make the score 2-2, Tommy having saved Mason Stearn's effort in between times.

Lindsay gave the southerners the advantage again, a situation enhanced by Morris saving England's effort from twelve yards. It meant that if Todd-Smith tucked home his penalty, the Chatham Cup would be heading to Christchurch for a record-equalling seventh time. He did, making the shootout score 4-2 to "The Rams", much to the disappointment of Melville's team and their terrific supporters, who really played their part in what was a gripping contest.

Christchurch: Morris; Lindsay, O'Driscoll, Lapslie; Grover (booked, 85) (Murphy, 90 (booked, 110)), Stokes, Godden (Stearn, 90), Peterson (Zeb, 68 (booked, 90)); Todd-Smith (booked, 55), Philip (Wilkinson, 68 (booked, 97)), MacLennan

Melville: Tommy; Lim, Dale (C. Brown, 84), Panzer, Bates (McDonnell, 84 (Thompson, 116)); Kipara (McGovern, 59), Hayes (booked, 10), Scott (booked, 76); Lagos Giraldo (booked, 90 (England, 101)), McLeod, G. Brown

Referee: Nick Waldron

Chatham Cup