United wins tense Cup semi-final

Press, 21 August 1989, Page 44

United wins tense Cup semi-final

By

GARY BIRKETT

Christchurch United overcame self doubt and a dogged Waitakere City to qualify for its third successive Chatham Cup soccer final with a 2-1 win in the semi-final at Queen Elizabeth II Park yesterday.

After just holding Waitakere out in a national league game on Friday the home side emerged from a tense semi-final as the victor by the skin of its collective teeth.

The United coach, lan Marshall, confessed after the game that he had aged 20 years in the last three days and many of the disappointing 700strong crowd yesterday had worn fingernails to match those of Mr Marshall. United will meet Rotorua City in the Cup final on September 17, probably in Wellington. Rotorua City, ninth in the Country Maid northern league, produced a 2-0 win over the national league leader, Mount Maunganui, in Rotorua. It was Mount. Maunganui’s first loss this season and has ensured that United will start the final as a warm favourite.

United will be seeking its fifth Cup success. The last was in 1976 and two defeats in the last two finals have made the players desperate to collect a winner’s medal. Should they do so United will also have a chance of completing the league and Cup double.

It meets Mount Maunganui in Tauranga this Sunday and if it wins will be only one point behind the leader which will have a game in hand. But with nine games remaining there will be plenty of time for United- to overtake its northern rivals. For Waitakere, which impressed everyone with its intelligent, attacking soccer, the Cup semi-final was 90 minutes of frustration. It fell behind after nine minutes when the new United golden boy, Mike McGarry, got past Keith Garland and sped to the byline. With the goalkeeper, Zlatko Vego, expecting a cross McGarry seized his chance and blasted home from an acute angle for a 1-0 lead.

It was the blond striker’s fifth goal in four games since joining United. Four minutes earlier the Waitakere midfielder, Colin Hume, had curled a long-range effort against the post. That strike was followed by a Kim Wright rocket from 30 metres, Alan Stroud turning the ball away, while a Glen Adam effort from well out had the goalkeeper in trouble. Graeme Cameron

shot wide from close in when Stroud failed to gather cleanly. A Danny Halligan through ball left McGarry in the clear after 30 minutes, but Vego and a defender forced the striker to lob well wide. The Waitakere right back, Neil Woodhams, was injured in that incident, being carried off with a leg injury to be replaced by a front runner, Thomas Edge, with Hume dropping back.

United’s lead had looked tenuous throughout the first half but it gave itself a two-goal cushion just before half-time.

Paul Nicholls beat two .men and opened up a shooting chance for Keith Braithwaite on the edge of the box. The United captain, who was almost left out of the side because of a niggling hamstring strain, found enough power in his left foot to rifle a shot past the diving Vego into the bottom right-hand corner. As it did on Friday, Waitakere roared back into the match after the break. Hume drove in a shot which Stroud failed to hold and Cameron scored from the rebound.

That signalled the start of a dour battle for United. It was forced to defend for much of the half with the All White centre back, Garry Lund, and Stroud inspiring their team-mates. Lund’s head was like a beacon for the ball as Waitakere fired in corners, free kicks and crosses and Stroud made many important clearances to make up for his earlier error.

The closest United got to scoring in the second half was when a Braithwaite flick sent McGarry racing clear but

Vego dashed from his line to make a fine stop. Waitakere forced six corners and five free kicks in the last 15 min but the United defence responded superbly and greeted the final whistle in jubilant fashion. It may not have been pretty but for gritty determination and commitment it was hard to fault either side. Mr Marshall had a lot of sympathy for Waitakere after the game. “There is nothing more disappointing than losing a Cup semi-final. The whole Waitakere club including players, officials and supporters came out of this week-end with a lot of credit. The second half was a real Cup battle for us. If we had held them out in the first 15 minutes of the half it may have been different but our defence was superb. Lund was my ‘man of the match’ but even Nicholls and Andy Daffin got through a lot of defensive work.” If Lund was a tower of strength for United the experienced Glen Adam was equally so for Waitakere in the middle of its defence.

Hume, Cameron and the lively Carl Jorgenson also stood out for the Auckland side which, with a little more luck in front of goal, could easily have achieved a double victory over United instead of trekking home emptyhanded.

Scorers: Christchurch United 2 (Mike McGarry, Keith Braithwaite) beat Waitakere City 1 (Graeme Cameron). Half-time: 2-0. Referee, Barry Tasker (Wellington). • Rotorua City scored twice in the second half to shock Mount Maunganui, in Rotorua.

The big substitute striker, Darrin Brown, slipped past two Mount defenders and pushed the ball wide of the goalkeeper, Grant Schofield, for the first goal.

With 10 min left the Rotorua player-coach, Kerry Bartlett, exchanged a one-two with Brown and coolly chipped over Schofield from 15 metres. The ball rebounded from the bar and was tapped in by a Rotorua player but the referee, Roger Woolmer, ruled that it had already crossed the line. The Mount had outgunned Rotorua for the first 60 min but the loss of its- midfield star, Tony Ferris, with injury blunted its attack.