Soccer: Napier fight fatigue to win title

By TERRY MADDAFORD

The longest-running saga in New Zealand domestic soccer got even longer last night before Napier City Rovers clinched the inaugural national club soccer championship 4-2 in a penalty shootout over University/Mt Wellington.

The shootout, at North Harbour Stadium, after 120 minutes of tense football had failed to produce a goal, finally ended a week of turmoil - on and off the field.

In a game which struggled to get out of first gear at times through the first 90 minutes but came to life under the threat of what would have been a match-deciding "golden goal" in extra time, a penalty shootout was perhaps appropriate as the top two sides from the Ansett national club championship season played each other to a virtual standstill.

In the end, Napier, who had been taken to extra time and a penalty shootout a week earlier and then played another 90 minutes on Thursday in the controversial replay against Dunedin Technical, fully deserved their win. It was just reward for their persistence and ability to lift themselves when leaden legs had long cried enough.

"We were dead on our feet," said Rovers captain Martin Akers as he celebrated the first leg of what he hopes will be a club championship-Chatham Cup double.

"It was hard work but Mark Paston [in goal] and the back four were awesome."

And when it came to the shootout Akers was in no doubt his side would win. "We had a practice run last Sunday [in the later null-and-void win over Tech] and like I said then, I told the boys Paston would save two."

The former All Whites' keeper duly obliged when he saved University/Mt Wellington's first two penalties.

With Akers, Perry Cotton, Paul Jackson and, fittingly, Jonathon Taylor who had been the lynchpin of Napier's defensive effort, hitting home without fail, the trophy and winner's medals were headed south.

The opening 45 minutes, punctuated by 32 free-kicks, produced few chances, but the second spell came to life with the visitors having seven scoring attempts to University/Mt Wellington's two.

A solid rearguard effort led by Graham Pearce kept University/Mt Wellington in the game and saw them through to extra time where both teams were all too aware that a golden goal would decide it.

Napier midfielder Ricky Ravenhill could have spared everyone the agony of extra time and more when he broke clear in the dying minutes but shot wide.

In extra time Jeff Campbell had a couple of chances and set up his University/Mt Wellington team-mate Leigh Kenyon for another, while assistant coach Andy Brown, whose 79th-minute introduction sparked some life into his team, had another.

Kara Waetford came closest when his header, 25 minutes into extra time, was cleared off the line.

"We did everything but score," rued University/Mt Wellington coach Clive Campbell. "I was proud of the guys but it is always a hard way to lose."

Napier will be back at the stadium this Saturday to square off against Central in the Chatham Cup. It gives Akers, and others, the chance of a double-double after being a member of the side that won both seven years ago.