Lower Hutt City's fairytale run to their first Chatham Cup final ended in agony yesterday afternoon with a crushing 6-1 defeat to pre-match favourites Central United in Wellington.
Defeat to the now five-time winners was no disgrace, nor was it unexpected, but a scoreline of such magnitude seemed unnecessarily cruel, and not deserved.
With a string of current and former All Whites as well as the backbone of the successful ASB Premiership side, Auckland City, the young Central League side's task was always expected to be a tough one.
That was made clear when Emiliano Tade got a touch following a lolly scramble for an early opening goal, with David Mulligan's excellently taken 23rd-minute free kick into the top left corner giving the Northern Premier side an already unassailable lead.
By then Hutt coach Brendan McIntyre was resigned to that runners-up medal.