Games at home do not get much bigger than this.
The Dunedin City Royals host Western Springs in their Kate Sheppard Cup semifinal at Tahuna Park this morning.
The Royals have been classy in their hard-fought wins to get to the finals and no-one is prouder than coach Graeme Smaill.
But there is still a job to do to get to the final and their Auckland opponents are in their way.
Several players have experienced cup playoffs either with Dunedin Tech or the Royals — or were part of Southern United who made the national league final last year — and they blended nicely with their rising stars.
"Everyone’s really excited for the opportunity", Smaill said.
"We’ve got players who’ve experienced this level of football, and then we’ve got some players who haven’t experienced this level of football, so there’s probably a bit more anxiety for those players.
"But they’re excited and they’re aware that these opportunities don’t come around that often."
The Royals beat Thistle 11-0, Roslyn Wakari 2-0 and Otago University 3-0 through the first three rounds to make the Kate Sheppard Cup playoffs.
Shontelle Smith then scored a stunner from a corner to beat Cashmere Technical 1-0 in their quarterfinal at Tahuna Park.
Western Springs, coached by Maia Vink — whom Smaill respects immensely — are always a tough task.
They beat Franklin United 3-1 in the quarterfinal after good results against Hibiscus Coast (5-0) and Tauranga Moana (3-1) in the earlier rounds.
Western Springs have scored 11 goals across their past four games but have backed that up defensively with two clean sheets.
Smaill had watched some footage of Western Springs, and knew they would have done the same on the Royals, but did not like to get caught up in their opposition.
"I don’t particularly like to get too focused on what the opposition does", Smaill said.
"You certainly do your homework, and a bit of analysis, but always been more focused on [us].
"We just to out and play our game, and if we can get that right, then we’re in with a good chance rather than worrying too much about the opposition."
Playing at home was a big "bonus" and Smaill looked forward to having the support of the local football community.
Phoenix Reserves host Auckland United — who won the national league last year — in the other semifinal in Lower Hutt this afternoon.
In the Chatham Cup semifinals, Coastal Spirit hosts Wellington Olympic and Auckland City are home to Birkenhead United.
The winners will play in the Kate Sheppard and Chatham Cup finals at North Harbour Stadium on September 7.
The Dunedin City Royals kick off at 11am.
