2006 Chatham Cup Final

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West Prevails In Compass Points Cup Final

by Jeremy Ruane

Western Suburbs crowned their centenary season in style on September 2, eclipsing Eastern Suburbs 3-0 on penalties at North Harbour Stadium to win the Chatham Cup for the third time in their history, after two hours of action had failed to produce a goal in the “Compass Points Cup Final”.

Goalkeeper Phil Imray was the hero for the Wellingtonians in the shoot-out, saving the efforts of Sean Dowling, Hoani Edwards and Rob Spence while those of Rupert Ryan, Jimmy Cudd and Michael Smith - one of two players on the pitch so named - found the net.

The preceding two hours saw the woodwork hit at both ends of the ground, and some vital saves made by the respective goalkeepers, Imray and Dowling. But generally, the two teams tended to cancel each other out - hardly surprising when one considers the respective coaches, Easts' Sean Douglas and Wests' Stu Jacobs, know each other's thinking fairly well given their coaching roles with New Zealand's U-20 boys' squad.

There was little to choose between the teams in the first twenty minutes of the final, but the game came to life in the 24th minute when Smith met Matt Wilson's corner with a glancing header which hit the crossbar.

Easts scrambled clear on this occasion, and came close themselves four minutes later. Mark Webber caught Paul Whitmarsh in possession, Edwards swiftly taking over and sending Leo Shin - he was like an Energiser battery, in terms of his non-stop running - down the left. He checked inside Alec Wilson and let fly from twenty-five yards, Imray spilling the shot but regathering before Andrew Webber could pounce on the rebound.

Both Dowling and Imray were called into action in the next ten minutes, respectively thwarting Matt Wilson and Matt Wallace, before Cudd came close to giving the game the goal it so badly needed, hitting the crossbar with his inswinging corner.

Another Cudd corner, on the stroke of half-time, saw Matt Wilson receive it short, then cross for Smith. His flicked header to the far post gave Whit marsh a heading opportunity which landed on top of the net, rather than inside the target.

The start of the second half saw both goals threatened inside the first six minutes. Lucas Findon cleared the ball off Ben Feld's toes as he was about to fire Wests in front after 49 minutes, while two minutes later, Imray back-pedalled furiously to pull off the save of the match, denying Andrew Webber's dipping volley after Douglas and Wallace had combined to prise open Wests' defence.

Both Whitmarsh and Wallace were frustrated by Dowling and Imray respectively before the hour mark, at which point referee Peter O'Leary gave vent to his frustrations, arising from the running commentary Wests' Adam Birch and captain Jon Harahap - later named the recipient of the Jack Batty Memorial Trophy as Player of the Day - were providing.

“Any more lip and you're off!” was the message, one both heeded in a final devoid of bookings and bookable offences - suburban warfare this most definitely was not!!

Over the course of the next fifteen minutes, Edwards, Mark Webber and Shin chanced their arm from distance for Easts to no avail, but they came desperately close to breaking the deadlock in the 71st minute.

Wallace chased a lost cause on the right, and came up with the ball, which he crossed, Andrew Webber his target. Easts' leading marksman snapped a fifteen yard header goalwards at which Imray et al could only gape - it was in for all money, and they knew it. But much to Wests' undisguised relief, the crossbar came to their rescue, and they scrambled the ball to safety.

The Wellingtonians unleashed Moses Petelo on

proceedings, and thrice inside the final twelve minutes he conjured openings which were deserving of more. But Feld hit the sidenetting with a header, then blazed a shot over the bar before having another Petelo cross punched off his head by Dowling, a save which ensured extra time.

It was all Wests in the early stages, with substitute Chris Limmer only denied by the despairing tackle of James Davidson three minutes into the additional thirty, then creating an opening for Ryan which sent flashing past the post two minutes later.

Back came Easts, with Andrew Webber conjuring up a goal in the one hundredth minute, only for the offside flag to disappoint the Auckland club's healthy support crew.

Encouraged by the sight of the ball in the net, “The Lilywhites” pressed for one which counted, but Shin was denied by Imray soon afterwards, then fired a shot on the turn just over the bar on the stroke of half-time, following an enterprising by Easts' Michael Smith - no wonder no-one started a “There's Only One Michael Smith” chant, given both teams sported a player of that name on the pitch!!

Two minutes prior to the turnaround, Wests' Tim Broadhurst released Limmer on the right. While there was a hint of offside about his position, there was no indication from the officials, so on he raced, letting fly once inside the penalty area. Dowling saved well low to his left.

Into the final fifteen minutes, the floodlights having been turned on by now in light of the gathering gloom. A wickedly struck Harahap free-kick was missed by all-comers in Easts' penalty area - Alec Wilson only just failed to get a dreadlock on it to divert the ball home - in the 110th minute, while five minutes later, a looping header from Birch hit the top of Easts' crossbar after Matt Wilson and Limmer had linked on the left.

This incident came while Easts' player-coach, Douglas, lay stricken with cramp. He signalled for a substitute to replace him, but the Auckland side were about to make their last change anyway, and the boards were held up accordingly. Douglas' recovery was Lazarus-like, fuelled by his anger at developments on the sideline, and the lack of awareness shown given a white-clad player was out of action.

The substitution didn't take place at this point, but did so three minutes later, with Douglas, by now having moved into midfield, remaining on the park as the originally planned change was made - Rob Spence on for Wallace.

The newcomer didn't get the chance to kick the ball before the final whistle, but Dowling certainly got the opportunity to handle it. The goalkeeper gratefully grabbed the sphere in the 120th minute, this after Davidson had headed Petelo's header off the line following a long throw-in by Michael Smith - the Western Suburbs' one!

Then deep in stoppage time at the end of extra-time, a long-range effort from Ryan reared up in front of Dowling, forcing the `keeper to turn the ball round the post for a corner.

It's a save he never got close to making in the shoot-out which followed, being sent the wrong way every time by Wests' three marksmen. Easts' spot-kick takers, however, were unnerved by the on-line antics of the Jerzy Dudek-influenced Imray, who saved all three shots from the spot to clinch the perfect one hundredth birthday present for Western Suburbs.

Easts: Dowling; Davidson, M. Webber, Douglas, Findon; Wallace (Spence, 119), Edwards, Villaborouth (Easthope, 74), Lear (Smith, 69); A. Webber, Shin

Wests: Imray; Broadhurst, Smith, A. Wilson, Harahap; Feld (Limmer, 88), Cudd, Birch, M. Wilson; Whitmarsh (Petelo, 68), Ryan

Referee: Peter O'Leary

Chatham Cup