Coastal came through a hard-fought Chatham Cup tie with Ferrymead Bays last Friday, eventually winning 5-3 in extra time to progress to the quarter-finals of the nationwide knockout competition for the first time.
Their reward is a trip to Auckland in under two weeks to play second-tier side Hibiscus Coast – who have also reached this stage of the competition for the first time.
In the Southern League, Coastal sit second, four points behind league leaders Cashmere Tech – and the two will meet on Saturday.
Head coach Robbie Stanton said Saturday’s clash would show how far Coastal have come this season.
“We’ve clearly earmarked this game as one we need to get something out of.
“It’s gonna be a proper test of where we’re really at.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for Dan (Schwarz, Tech head coach) and what he does and how he goes about it,” Stanton said.
“They’ve led the way in Christchurch for a number of years, so we’ll judge ourselves on the game coming up this weekend.”
On Saturday, Ferrymead Bays play another side knocked out of the Chatham Cup at the weekend – Dunedin City Royals, who went down 3-2 to Otago University, while Nomads host winless FC Twenty 11 in a north-west derby.
On Sunday, Christchurch United will host Universities and Selwyn United make the trip north to take on Nelson Suburbs at Saxon Park.
