United out of luck in Cup semi-final

Press, 16 August 1982, Page 36

United out of luck in Cup semi-final

PA Wellington Mount Wellington and National Mutual Mirimar will meet in the final of soccer’s Adidas Chatham Cup. In semi-final matches played yesterday Mirimar beat Christchurch Mogal United, 1-0, in Wellington, and Mount Wellington accounted for Napier City Rovers, 2-1. in Napier. . Mirimar’s solitary goal was scored in the first half by the English import, John Fashanu, in his final game before returning to Norwich City. The Mount advanced to its fourth successive Chatham Cup final when Nigel Debenham and Alex Metzger both scored in the second-half at Napier. The final is scheduled for September 12 at Wellington’s Basin Reserve. The goalkeeper, Barry Pickering was the key to Miramar’s thrilling 1-0 victory over United at the Basin Reserve in Wellington. Pickering failed a fitness test on Saturday morning but was so keen to play he underwent a further test yesterday morning. He was still extremely sore in his right knee after that, but decided to take his place and went on to play a blinder. Pickering pulled off some tremendous • saves and received good cover from his

defenders to keep Christchurch at bay. Fashanu also had an outstanding game, causing United problems when he went forward and getting through some fine defensive work as Christchurch forced over 20 corners. “If I don’t win anything for a long time, helping Miramar to the cup final will do me,” Fashanu said. The first half was fairly even but in the second spell Christchurch dominated for all but a 10-minute period. Pickering had already made two fine saves before Fashanu grabbed the only goal of the game in the twenty-sixth minute. A free kick on the right flank floated into the United penalty area and the ball skimmed off a defender, Ceri Evans’s head to the feet of Fashanu, who made no mistake with his first-time shot. An obviously disappointed United coach, Terry Conley, said it was “pure, unadulterated luck” that his side had not won the game after the control it had exerted. “I feel badly for the lads, because they couldn’t have done any more,” he said. "They could not have given any more. They couldn’t have played any better — and there were not any missed chances as such. “The first half — and this was probably.an indication

of the way things were to go — I think Tommy Sermanni whacked a ball, it was going in, and hit Brent Berry in the six-yard box and came out. “That was the way it was the whole way through. There was no way in the world they (Miramar) should have won.” United had come close at least four times with Johan and Marcel Verweij, Kees Doornenbal and Mark McCarrick narrowly missing out on finding the back of the net.

One incident soured things a little for Mr Conley. The United centre back, Paul Wilkinson, received an elbow in the eye from Fashanu that the coach said was deliberate. Wilkinson's injury needed eight stitches.

“Fashanu should have walked,” Mr Conley said. The referee, Mr Gary Fleet, “did not have a bad game” but had “backed off” two or three decisions that could have been important in the context of the game/