Chatham Cup adds knockout drama

By Rab Smith

The Chatham Cup starts in earnest this weekend, with an eclectic mix of clubs competing that gives the competition its special flavour.

From the enthusiastic lower grade Melchester Rovers to current league champion Caversham, the knock-out Cup differs from the marathon of a League competition in being a series of single matches where form can vanish or emerge in 90 minutes.

Upsets do occur. University knocked out Caversham 1-0 in 2015, and the likes of Grants Braes will hope for a similar result this year, when it plays league champion Caversham at Ocean Grove.

All Cup ties are at 2pm to allow for the added dramas of extra-time and penalty shoot-outs if required, since this is truly a knock-out competition.

Sprinkled among the draw, there are some ties that might be more evenly contested than at first appears. A few sides from Invercargill will be strengthened by players from the Southland United combined squad — which has not entered the Cup — and those clumps of returning players will add some threat.

Southland United player-coach Luis Paiva could turn out for Thistle and Gore Wanderers has in its ranks the highly rated Dutch striker Frank De Jong who was voted Southland Player of the Year.

So there are a few bits of barbed wire among the minnows, that might snag some supposedly superior sides, and Gore’s experienced manager Phil Williams’ team falls into that category.

Wanderers also has Jack Boland and Ben Rea plus players such as Juan Bosolasco, Juan Jaurretche, and Miguel Ortiz, who can play a bit.

However, coach Darren Hart’s University side should have the legs on Gore.

Dunedin Technical faces Melchester Rovers at Tahuna and will relish the chance to show that there is life after Ross Howard, who left recently to travel the world. Coach Tony Martin is re-shaping his young side, but had to rely on veteran Andy Coburn to score a last-minute goal last week.

Melchester will be without the inspirational Roy Race in midfield.

The team’s oldest player is 44, the youngest 22. So far this season the class has come from the two desperate Dans, Dan Reddiex and Dan Paardekooper, who is on four goals despite normally playing as goalkeeper.

Roslyn-Wakari plays Invercargill’s prickly Thistle side, which is bottom of the Donald Gray league, and has to be commended for even entering the open draw of the Cup.

Northern, in contrast, plays the Donald Gray’s top side, Old Boys, and given the Magpies’ bottom slot in the FPL this could be an evenly-balanced encounter at the Caledonian ground.

At Sunnyvale, Green Island should have too many guns for Waihopai. Richard Kerr-Bell’s side is swift and strong, scoring goals for fun, while the Invercargill side will feature names from old autograph books such as Lyall Halder and Shane Harpur, who have been around a long time. The Invercargill team has conceded 27 goals in three matches.

Mornington drew the short straw with a journey to Queenstown Rovers, and the Lions will find it hard to come from the lower areas of the third division to challenge Queenstown’s star-studded team, which includes the Premiership top scorer Jan Kumar whose tally is already eight goals this season.

Invercargill’s Queens Park also has a long trek to Timaru, where West End lies in wait, unbeaten at the top of the South Canterbury League.

In the women’s knockout cup, Roslyn-Wakari will take on Green Island at Ellis Park this morning.

Otago University, Dunedin Technical and Queenstown Rovers have byes into the next round.