'Mack The Knife' Steals The Glory In The Fred And Sean Show by Jeremy Ruane Even by the standards of Central Auckland derbies, the Bluebird Chatham Cup quarter-final between Central United and Metro, at Kiwitea Street on July 30, was something extra special! With five minutes of running time remaining, Metro had the game in the bag at 3-1, and Central looked gone for all money, their hopes of reaching a third Chatham Cup Final in four years fast fading. But five minutes can be a long time in football, and on this occasion, it proved enough time to allow the home side to, firstly, snatch a ray of hope, then scramble an equaliser, before concluding the scoring with a dramatic winner some fifty-seven seconds into stoppage time. 4-3 was the final outcome of this gripping cup-tie, and as Central celebrated their Lazarus-like recovery - and a semi-final berth - at the final whistle, eleven figures clad in red-and-black were totally shell-shocked at this latest cruel twist fate had bestowed upon them in what has been a topsy-turvy season. None more so than Metro's player-coach, Sean Hird. There were two performers on the park in this game whose outstanding individual contributions didn't merit defeat, and his was one of them. On any other day, "The Wee Man" would have led his side to a famous victory, but Central had the charismatic Fred de Jong ... and 'Mack The Knife'! De Jong's was a majestic display, particularly given he was both conductor and lead violin in Central's orchestra. Indeed, there were times when de Jong took on the role of trumpet solo as well, so intrinsic was his influence on the home team's performance. Where de Jong was very much a one-man band for Central, Metro's Hird was the pre-eminent puppeteer in the visitors' variety act. His authoritative dominance of midfield was an object lesson for both Bruce Hill and Matthew Vuksich, his direct opponents, to absorb at first hand, while the manner in which he drew players - of both sides - in and out of the game was little short of bewitching. One can only wonder what these footballing conjurors would do in tandem. I, for one, would be amazed were there a spare seat in the house for "The Fred and Sean Show". Sadly, unless there is a dramatic change of circumstances, it looks like a double-act which will never see the light of day. In feeling sympathy for Metro, one must also feel for those patrons in the approaching-four-figure-strong crowd who failed to heed the words of this writer in his Central Leader column, in which it was suggested that "Something tells me you won't want to miss a minute of this potential humdinger", and left before the final whistle. Oops!! Central started strongly, Gareth Rowe's header, from a Mark Elrick corner, being parried to safety by Grant Schofield. Jason New beat two opponents to secure possession of the loose ball, and charged into the penalty area, where he went down under Hird's despairing lunge. Referee Tony Cawte had no hesitation - penalty! Up stepped Miro Major, and Central were on their way, just six minutes in. After Hill had squandered a gilt-edged chance, when stumbling over the ball upon being sent through by Vuksich, a short corner from Elrick in the twelfth minute found Noah Hickey, whose rasping rising drive rattled the top of the sidenetting from the edge of the penalty area. Some folk thought it had gone in, and were vehement in their belief in this, despite the sight of the ball nestling beside the net, as opposed to inside it! The ball did find the net four minutes later, at the other end of the park, as Hird made amends for conceding a penalty by potting a beauty from the spot past Ross Nicholson, after Danny McHenery had been felled in full flight by Rowe's challenge from behind. Back came Central. In the 23rd minute, Major picked out de Jong with a peach of a pass, and the striker unleashed a ferocious dipping twenty-five yard volley which the back-pedalling Schofield tipped narrowly over the crossbar. Cue a Metro riposte three minutes later. A wayward Sakdy Phommahaxay cross was retrieved by Nigel Curteis - he had a fine game alongside Hird in Metro's engine room. His cross found Rab McNeil, who met the ball perfectly on the half-volley and sent it sizzling inches past Nicholson's left-hand upright, the goalkeeper beaten all ends up. After Phommahaxay had sent a well-struck drive flashing inches over the crossbar, Hickey careered down the right in the 37th minute, and got to the byline leaving a completely bemused Paul Field wondering which way the All White had gone. A deep cross fell beyond Stuart Mair to de Jong, who watched in disbelief as his goalbound header struck the off-balance defender, who was able to clear the danger. Some would argue that Mair's presence on the park to execute this denial was somewhat fortuitous, such was the ferocity of his challenge on de Jong five minutes earlier. It was certainly not one which the experienced striker will forget in a hurry, but referee Cawte took a lenient view of the incident, and this rip-roaring Central Auckland derby continued on with both sides at full strength. Just on half-time, Central were prevented from taking the lead by Curteis, who was on hand to clear Hickey's goalbound shot to safety following Elrick's latest corner. The ball fell to Vuksich, who curled an artful left-footed effort inches over the bar with the half's last shot in anger. Metro, with Hird in his element, assumed the ascendancy in the second half, and gained due reward for their dominance in the 54th minute. Inevitably, the player-coach was the instigator of the goal, McNeil flicking his well-flighted cross into the path of the energetic McHenery. He scampered past Rowe, only to see Nicholson block his shot. Aaron Beckham latched onto the rebound, which the diving figure of Daniel Dobrec chested off the line, straight to McNeil. He stroked home from eight yards - 2-1, Metro. Central looked to respond in kind, Mair thwarting de Jong after Hill's surging run in the 63rd minute, before Schofield smothered Hickey's shot through the crowd nine minutes later. But Metro, at this stage, weren't to be denied. McNeil was replaced in the 73rd minute by another goalscorer, Graham Green, and he promptly delivered on the ground announcer's prophetic words in acknowledging him as such by finding the target just thirty seconds after entering the fray. Dobrec played a woeful pass across the penalty area which Green latched onto in an instant, Metro's leading goalscorer in the Ansett National Club Championship leaving Nicholson beaten all ends up when smashing the ball under the 'keeper's diving body from the edge of the eighteen-yard box. At 3-1, the game looked up for Central, de Jong's defiance in attack notwithstanding. The home side wasn't offering much in the way of support to their full-of-running team-mate, and their cause wasn't helped by Nicholson having to save from McHenery, Hird and Green soon after, as the visitors pressed for a fourth goal. Ricki Herbert and Paul Posa had a couple of cards yet to play, however. One, Stephen Mack, was introduced in the 65th minute, while the cutting edge which Brian Hawke's entry to the fray fourteen minutes from time provided offered a glimmer of hope to the increasingly restless natives that all was not yet lost - not that you could tell from their body language! With nine minutes left, Mack made his first telling raid, carving Metro open down the right before feeding Hill, running inside him. The midfielder's shot was blocked, while it's fair to say that Major's attempt to convert the rebound summed up Central's afternoon to this point. Five minutes later, Hawke made a telling impact. Latching onto Mack's pass, he shrugged off the attentions of Michael Imre before unleashing a shot which rattled Schofield's left-hand upright. De Jong was onto the rebound in an instant - 3-2, and the door was ajar. Two minutes later, it was blown clean off its hinges in an attack which smacked very much of desperation. Vuksich released Mack down the right, from where he delivered a low cross into the goalmouth. An almighty scramble ensued, in which Hawke, de Jong, Imre, Mair, Phommahaxay and Schofield were all prominent. A hopeful clearance fell to Major, who was steaming up to the edge of the area, hell-bent on joining in the fun. Now, with the ball speeding towards him, his options were narrowed down to power or placement. He opted for the latter ... and the ground erupted - 3-3, and suddenly extra-time was on the cards. But there was still time ... It was desperation stakes now, Central very much with the bit between their teeth. Another foul on de Jong resulted in a free-kick some thirty-five yards out from goal on the angle. Surely Major wouldn't try to win it from there? He didn't, but wasn't best pleased to see Phommahaxay head the set-piece to safety. Seemingly so, at least. For Hill gathered the clearance - we were now in stoppage time - and promptly sent the ball wide to the right once more. There lurked Mack, a young man who, in Central's recent Summer League days, had earned the nickname 'SuperMack' for his knack of coming off the bench and turning the course of a match with, more often than not, a match-winning goal. Gathering the ball, he charged towards the target, penetrating the penalty area at pace. From an ever-decreasing angle, and fifty-seven seconds into stoppage time, Mack unleashed a piledriver which arrowed across Schofield into the bottom far corner of the net with all the impact of a dagger in Metro's collective heart. The display of contrasting emotions following "Mack The Knife"'s death-strike had to be seen to be believed. Central, players and fans alike, went ballistic, understandably so; Metro, meanwhile, could scarcely take it all in. A matter of moments later, they had to - the harsh reality of falling to Central in the Chatham Cup for the second time in three years was theirs to accept, United's to enjoy, again. Central:   Nicholson; Rowe (booked, 16), Ridenton, Dobrec; Hickey, Vuksich, Major, Hill, New (Hawke, 76); de Jong, Elrick (Mack, 65) Metro:     Schofield; Imre, Mair (booked, 32), Phommahaxay, Field; Pritchett, Hird (booked, 6), Curteis, Beckham; McNeil (Green, 73), McHenery (booked, 59) Referee:   Tony Cawte Scoring:   Central:  M. Major (6 (pen), 88), F. de Jong (86), S. Mack (90)                 Metro:   S. Hird (16 (pen)), R. McNeil (54), G. Green (74)