Cudd Inspires "The Blues" To Deserved "Double" by Jeremy Ruane Napier City Rovers completed the "double" for the second time in eight seasons on September 9, overcoming Central United 4-1 at North Harbour Stadium to clinch the Bluebird Chatham Cup, just six days after overcoming University-Mt. Wellington at the same venue to clinch the Qantas (formerly Ansett) National Club Championship. "The Blues" third Chatham Cup triumph - they first won the highly coveted prize in 1985 - owed much to an outstanding performance from midfield dynamo Jimmy Cudd, who deservedly collected the Jack Batty Trophy for his man-of-the-match display. He it was who broke the deadlock in the fourteenth minute of a highly attractive spectacle, this despite the appalling playing surface which these two football-oriented sides were forced to endure. Latching onto a clearance some twenty-five yards out from goal, his sleight of foot left Bruce Hill beaten all ends up, and created the space from which Cudd angled a ripper of a left-foot drive beyond the diving figure of Ross Nicholson and into the bottom left-hand corner of the net. This rocked Central, who had settled the better of the two sides to this point. And within four minutes, the Auckland side was left with a mountain to climb, as Napier doubled their advantage. Chris McIvor broke down the left as Scott Pilcher fired over a cross from the right, targeting Martin Akers. Neither the striker nor Gareth Rowe and the incoming Noah Hickey made contact with the ball, which fell perfectly at the feet of McIvor, whom Hickey had left completely unmarked as he attempted to head clear. The midfielder deftly controlled the ball before slamming it into the roof of the net from a tight angle. At 2-0, Napier were cruising, with Cudd capably directing operations from the flight deck. Central had no answers to the orchestrations of the much-travelled midfielder, who was ably assisted by McIvor and Akers in carrying out "The Blues" game-plan to perfection. The best Central could muster in response to Napier’s four minute double-strike was a twenty-five yard effort from Mark Elrick, which Mark Paston dealt with at the seconc attempt. It was no surprise when the National Club Champions extended their lead still further nine minutes before the interval. Akers’ donkey-work in attack saw him ultimately lay the ball off for Ricky Ravenhill, who certainly appeared to be in an offside position when the ball was played through to him. While Central appealed, the Barnsley import played to the whistle, and drilled his shot across Nicholson and in off the far post - 3-0, at which point the many "Blues" fans who had travelled north went into serious party mode. They were almost celebrating a fourth goal within seconds, Cudd sending McIvor spearing through Central’s shell-shocked rearguard. The midfielder fired this opportunity straight at Nicholson, who saved a low cross-shot from Pilcher three minutes later, this via the legs of Michael Ridenton, after the Napier man had been picked out by Wayne Atkins’ crossfield pass. Such was his frustration at the way things were going for his side that Central’s attacking lynchpin, Fred de Jong, had been guilty of a number of niggling fouls, the persistence with which he was infringing finally forcing referee Derek Rugg to issue him a yellow card two minutes before the interval. Right on the break, de Jong was finally afforded the opportunity to create a worthwhile opening for Central, and his threaded through-ball released Hill on a forward break down the left. His attempted lob of Paston was turned over the crossbar by the advancing goalkeeper, thus confirming Napier’s 3-0 advantage at the break. Central made a couple of changes at half-time, reverting from their standard 3-5-2 formation to 3-4-3, and throwing on Brian Hawke and Stephen Mack in a desperate attempt to salvage the game. Within seconds of the restart, the ploy appeared to promise plenty. Hawke careered down the left at pace, and whipped in a cross which Hill sent flying past the near post with a diving header. Hawke himself rattled the sidenetting in the 49th minute, after Matthew Vuksich’s through ball. Within a minute, Central were on the board. De Jong and Ridenton teamed up deep, the latter knocking the ball forward for Hickey, breaking down the right. His first-touch was superb, while his low cross was steered home at the near post by Mack - 3-1, and all to play for with forty minutes remaining. As it turned out, the game, as a contest, lasted just six more minutes. Another de Jong tackle of marginal nature was one too many for referee Rugg, and he banished the talismanic striker to the dressing rooms for the remainder of the final. Without their experienced frontline lynchpin, Central’s fightback plans took on K2-like proportions. At a time when imagination was required in abundance, none was immediately at hand, and, after Paston had saved at Mack’s feet in the 66th minute, the game gradually drifted away from the Auckland side. Napier continued to press on, and had the ball in the net in the 72nd minute, after Akers and McIvor had interchanged passes down the left. The former’s shot cannoned off the base of Nicholson’s right-hand post, but Paul Jackson’s gleeful celebrations, upon sweeping home the rebound, were quickly curtailed by the sight of the offside flag. "The Blues" didn’t have too much longer to wait before they could start their double-winning celebrations, however. Nicholson capably dealt with a McIvor effort seconds after Jackson’s effort, but was unable to keep out the first touch of substitute Leon Birnie fifteen minutes from time, the substitute steering home McIvor’s low cross to the near post, after the midfielder had broken to the byline on the left on receipt of Atkins’ pass. At 4-1, there was no way back for Central, although you wouldn’t have known it. For they poured forward in search of another goal from the restart, and were desperately unlucky to see Mathew Urlovic’s piledriver crash off the base of Paston’s right-hand post, with the incoming Mack directing the rebound against the same upright as the goalkeeper watched helplessly. Eight minutes from time, Vuksich curled in a free-kick which Rowe, rising high, headed across Paston. Unbelievably for Central, the ball cannoned back into play off the left-hand post, and Urlovic skied the rebound. 4-1 it remained, although Birnie came close to adding a fifth goal in stoppage time, lobbing the ball over Nicholson but just over the crossbar as well, after Cudd - who else? - had released him through Central’s rearguard. Moments later, the Chatham Cup, and a second league-and-cup double, was Napier’s, much to the delight of their travelling supporters, whose efforts earned the appreciation of the Napier players at the after-match function, by way of a applauding guard of honour at the door as their fans filed out. Central:           Nicholson; Rowe, Ridenton, New; Hickey (booked, 39), Vuksich, Major (Hawke, 46), Hill, Urlovic (booked, 54); Elrick (Mack, 46), de Jong (booked, 43, 56 - sent-off) Napier:         Paston; Gilbertson, Cotton, Taylor, Atkins; Pilcher (Parker, 79), Ravenhill (booked, 81), Cudd, McIvor; Jackson (Birnie, 74), Akers     Referee:    Derek Rugg Scoring:  Napier:  J. Cudd (14), C. McIvor (18), R. Ravenhill (36), L. Birnie (75)                Central:  S. Mack (50)