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Chatham Cup Round 1, May 15th
Southend United and AMP Old Boys progressed to round two of New Zealand Football’s Chatham Cup competition with wins in their first round games against Invercargill Brewery Waihopai and Eyeview Queens Park respectively on Saturday.
The intensity of cup football,
where the best team on the day progresses, was never more evident than in an
afternoon of action and drama when five of the six Footballsouth zone games
played required extra time periods to forge out a result.
The two Invercargill games featured in that five with both ending normal time
locked at 2-all before Southend United edged out Waihopai 3-2 and Old Boys
accounted for Queens Park 4-2.
At Bain Park Southend had goalkeeper Brian Morton to thank that they didn’t go
into the half time break with a greater than 2 goal deficit that Waihopai had
accrued through two well taken Chris Jones goals.
Jonesy sits Ken down and shrugs off Danny Turnhout before
slotting the first of his two goals.
Morton made a series of brave saves one of which resulted in him receiving a
mouth injury that caused the game to be held up for 10 minutes while he received
attention.
He continued on for the remainder of the afternoon showing no effect from the
damage.
Better known as "Damage" Southend keeper Brian Morton gets
down to another one
....as they say.
Southend began the second spell with renewed enthusiasm and goals from Matty
Wahren and Andrew Ridden had them sharing the spoils at the mid way point.
Waihopai had no answer to Southend’s second half display and was happy for the
opportunity to regroup at the break with the normal-time 2-2 score line.
A penalty shootout to get a result looked on the cards in extra time until
Southend broke the deadlock and secured the win.
Almost as though he was making a late bid to play in his second World Cup Finals
tournament former All-White Ken Cresswell
belied his fifty
something years to head the winning goal and take his team through to the round
two draw.
A solid defensive display by
player coach Scott Mackenzie and Scottish born Gordon Lamont supported by some
impressive midfield play by Brendon Robinson and the developing talents of
several young players blooded into the squad this season was the recipe for Old
Boys success against Queens Park.
"BJ" Robinson retains the ball and fends off his Park
opponent
Queens Park opened the scoring with a Scott Morton goal before Old Boys struck
back with a Brandon de Garnham strike and a Ryan Jones penalty kick to go to the
half time break leading 2-1.
Park was reduced to ten players in the second spell after Matty Burgess received
a second yellow card and subsequent red from ref Nobby Clark.
Park responded well to its reduction of numbers and began to play more
controlled football.
They were rewarded when on the stroke of full time Pavel Floroiu scored the goal
of the afternoon to level the score at 2-all and take the game to extra time.
In the extra time played Old Boys gradually wore down Park’s 10 men and a good
individual goal from Spirit FC’s Matty Webb put them ahead 3-2.
Old Boy's Matt Webb (foreground) shadowed by Park's Jordan
Coutts
Park did what any team would do in the circumstances and went all out to
re level the score.
However they were caught short in defence by Old Boys when an attacking move
broke down and Old Boys de Garnham was sent on his way to angle the ball past
the Park keeper and secure the 4-2 win for the Waverley Park based team.
The highlight of the Women’s games
played yesterday was the six goal haul from Malloch McClean
Riverton’s Rachel Christie in her team’s 12-nil win over Thistle.
Christie is in impressive form at the moment having also netted 7 goals in the
opening two games for the Southland Girls
High School College league team in their mid week competition.
Queenstown Rovers travelled down to Winton with only ten players for their game
against
the local Southbuild ITM Winton team in the Women’s premier competition.
With goals from Sahara MacDonald,
Esther Whitehead and Rose O’Neil the resort team managed to win
the game 3-1 and move above Winton into third placing on the points table.
Sam Sewpersad netted the lone Winton goal.