2005 Chatham Cup Final

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Central Clinch Their Third Cup Triumph

by Jeremy Ruane

Central United achieved their season-long ambition of clinching a third Bluebird Chatham Cup triumph on September 5, as they eclipsed a gallant Marist Palmerston North combination 2-1 on a showery evening at North Harbour Stadium.

The competition favourites set the tone just fourteen seconds into the match, with Heath McCormack’s shot being parried to safety by Hayden Englefield, who later plucked a Paul Urlovic cross off the head of the striker, to conclude what was only Central’s second attack of the game, in the sixteenth minute.

In between times, Marist had taken the game to their more fancied rivals and had come desperately close to opening the scoring on three occasions. In the sixth minute, Peter Halstead played Nick Darbyshire through, and the striker lashed a first-time twenty yard drive goalwards, the ball skidding low past the left-hand post of the diving Ross Nicholson.

Six minutes later, Ian Sandbrook whipped in a corner to the far post which Adam Cowan steered into the heart of the six-yard box. Central managed to scramble the ball clear to the edge of the penalty area, where Kazu Sugiura was lurking. The Marist player, who, with Central’s Paul Seaman, had already been booked by referee Neil Fox, let fly through the crowd, the ball careering just past Nicholson’s right-hand post.

Seconds later, Darbyshire got one on target, firing through the legs of Seaman to do so. Nicholson was equal to this effort, but was left standing in the eighteenth minute, as a gorgeous free-kick from Cowan arced into the heart of the goalmouth from the left flank.

All it needed was a touch, and Halstead was a body width away from providing it. But the striker let the ball go past him, and out of play it went - how crucial would that miss prove to be, one wondered.

Extremely, as events three minutes later proved. For Central opened the scoring in the 21st minute, somewhat against the run of play to this point. The busily performed Luiz Del Monte curled a free-kick beyond the far post to Dean Tallentire, who headed the ball into the goalmouth.

McCormack beat Englefield to it, but in his haste to clear the threat, Sandbrook’s clearance ricocheted off the striker onto the crossbar and bounced down. Thump! Swish! “Yeeeesssss!!!” roared Urlovic, as Central’s big game player volleyed his fifth goal in Chatham Cup Finals into the net from six yards to break the deadlock.

Marist carried on taking the game to Central, however, and that they failed to score in the next sixteen minutes was solely down to the player who was later named as the Cup Final’s MVP, and winner of the Jack Batty Memorial Trophy - it was Nicholson’s saves at this stage of the game which ultimately broke the spirits of the stout-hearted men in green.

The first of these was made in the 27th minute, as Sandbrook engineered a move from half-way deep into Central’s penalty area. En route, he interchanged passes with Cowan and Darbyshire, then found himself one-on-one with Nicholson. But the goalkeeper blocked the shot with his legs, and Central breathed again.

Ten minutes later, the one-time - and surely again, after the year he’s had - All Whites’ goalkeeper pulled off an even better save. A stray Del Monte pass was pounced on by Darbyshire near the left-hand touchline. The striker was in acres of space as Marist counter-attacked, and took the ball to the by-line before steering it into the near post.

Arriving on cue was Halstead, who hit a first-time shot on the run which would have had the beating of most goalkeepers. Central’s captain was equal to it, however, producing a superb save low to his left to keep his side in front. And from this point on, the Aucklanders never looked back.

For Central were by now beginning to gain some ascendancy in the middle of the park, where Jonathan Smith was in his element, breaking up Marist manoeuvres as well as sparking some of his own team’s increasingly frequent raids.

Three times before the interval, Central had chances to double their advantage, with Urlovic pouncing on a poor back-pass to lob the advancing Englefield on the stretch. His effort lacked accuracy, however, but Marist’s captain, Mark Tesar, raced back to make absolutely certain.

On the stroke of half-time, a teasing Del Monte free-kick was grabbed under his crossbar by Englefield, who was grateful to Sanjay Singh on the stroke of the break for his intervention in the goal area, as Del Monte bore down on goal after the combination play of Chad Coombes and McCormack had opened up Marist’s left flank.

The second half was largely one-way traffic, and it was all heading towards Englefield’s goal. Central simply dominated proceedings right from the whistle, and left Marist to feed on scraps, of which there were very few.

Just two minutes after the resumption of play, Seaman buccaneered into the penalty area and squared the ball to Urlovic, only for Tesar to step in - he and Singh, who had been booked late in the first half for

persistent infringement, were regularly called upon to thwart their opponents in this way throughout the half.

Five minutes later, Central were claiming a second goal, but linesman Brent Best wasn’t having a bar of it. Del Monte whipped in a corner to the far post, where Smith rose high to head the ball goalwards.

The sphere ricocheted off Englefield onto the inside of the post, with the goalkeeper instinctively swatting it out before the whole of the ball had crossed the line. It was cleared to Del Monte, who sent a twenty-yarder fizzing wide.

Just before the hour mark, the offside flag denied McCormack what would have been his fifth goal in Chatham Cup Finals, while seconds later, the striker failed to make decent contact with the ball after Smith’s through ball had been flicked on by Urlovic.

That Central finished the game with eleven players remains a mystery, because Joel Mathews’ mistimed tackle from behind on Halstead was not pretty, and that’s putting it mildly. It was certainly a yellow card offence, and arguably worthy of the red card, but referee Fox opted to award a free-kick only - one can only think the slippery conditions were Mathews’ saving grace.

After both goalkeepers had produced solid saves to deny opportunities which wouldn’t have resulted in a goal had one been scored, due to the offside trap having been breached in each instance, Central resumed their raids on a by now tiring Marist team with a vengeance.

Del Monte and McCormack combined to set up a chance for Seaman, but the midfielder’s hesitance was punished by Singh’s tackle. Neil Sykes was unable to capitalise on the rebound, Sandbrook thwarting his opposite number.

Fifteen minutes from time, Central spurned a golden chance to wrap up the game. Seaman threaded a lovely pass through for Urlovic, who had McCormack and Del Monte in support as Marist found themselves caught on the counter-attack.

The game’s lone goalscorer, to this point, went for glory, but after side-stepping Tesar, his chip of Englefield also cleared the crossbar - would this miss prove as costly for Central as Marist’s earlier miss had proved costly for them, one wondered?

But the Aucklanders were too much in the ascendancy now to ease off the throttle, and after Seaman had sent a twenty-five yarder flashing past the post, Englefield produced a splendid save to thwart Smith, after McCormack had flicked a Del Monte pass into the midfielder’s path.

Nine minutes from time, Central finally scored the second goal they had threatened for so long. Urlovic and McCormack played a slick one-two just outside the penalty area, with the former bursting into the penalty area after outwitting two opponents.

Tesar again proved his nemesis, but unfortunately for Marist’s captain, Sykes was following up, and fair buried the ball beyond Englefield to all but clinch a third cup triumph for United.

Thinking their night’s work all but done, Central eased off, and nearly paid the penalty. For Marist came at them with everything they had in the minutes which remained, and came tantalisingly close to drawing level.

Seven minutes from time, substitutes Brent Argyle and Glen Fraser combined, the latter firing in a cross to the far post. Halstead leapt on cue and sent a header careering inches over the crossbar.

The ball took a deflection en route, for a corner was awarded, and Sandbrook delivered it into the danger zone. Three Central defenders looked on as Nathan Hill came roaring and sent his header crashing into the roof of the net - 2-1, and a grandstand finish on the cards.

Two minutes from time, Singh almost sent the final into extra-time. Surging out of defence, he played the ball wide to Hill on the left flank, and continued his run into the penalty area as Marist’s goalscorer raced down the left.

Hill’s cross picked out Singh as he arrived on the edge of the goal area, but the former Junior All White star was left holding his head in his hands as he watched his header flash a foot over the crossbar - a foot away from glory.

Instead, it was despair for the underdogs, who had given their all in pursuit of their dream in an entertaining cup final, but found that Central United, with their starting line-up chock-full of stars from the NZ Football Championship-winning Auckland City FC franchise, had that little bit more in their armoury to claim for a third time what is now the ultimate prize in New Zealand’s club-based soccer scene.

Central: Nicholson; Coombes, Tallentire, Uhlmann, Mathews; Del Monte (Greenhalgh, 90), Seaman (booked, 4), Smith, Sykes; Urlovic (Eie, 90), McCormack

Marist: Englefield; Silver (McElhannan, 81), Tesar, Singh (booked, 37), Cowan; Sugiura (booked, 5) (Argyle, 65), Sandbrook, Hill; Tomomatsu (Fraser, 72), Halstead (booked, 90), Darbyshire

Referee: Neil Fox

Chatham Cup