Three Kings United (Auckland) players release the pressure valve after Cashmere Technical (Christchurch) stumble in a sudden-death penalty shootout . Photo / Duncan Brown
All those Yellow Fever fans who were feeling cold turkey yesterday after the goal-less Wellington Phoenix v Newcastle Jets game on Sunday didn't despair in the long weekend.
Instead, they stayed back in Napier yesterday for a goal fix from the final of the annual Lotto U19 Youth Tournament at Bluewater Stadium, Park Island.
The teenagers didn't disappoint as Three Kings United (Auckland) and Cashmere Technical (Christchurch) kept everyone on the edge of their seats in the boys' competition.
The word was, the Fever fans were going to invade the pitch at fulltime if the Canaries (Cashmere) won to see if they could hoodwink the Bay crowd into thinking they were Christchurch club faithful.
Alas, it wasn't to be as Three Kings pipped Cashmere 7-6 in a sudden-death penalty shoot-out after the sides were locked 2-2 in 70-plus minutes of regulation time and 15 minutes of extra time.
A set of five penalty shots each later, with the Yellow Fever trumpeting every emotion behind the goalmouth in Barmy Army fashion, the teams were locked 4-4 before the sudden-death ice-breaker.
Three Kings coach Scott McKay, who had coached teams to the semifinals and quarterfinals for the past five years, revealed it was their maiden title after the club played in a final 15 years ago.
It was a fitting tribute to their two Solomon Island players, Alex Waimora and George Ledoga, who are returning home following their last year at the club.
"It is a horrible way for them to lose a game but we're very happy to have won it," McKay said, adding Three Kings probably should have wrapped things up in regulation time.
"It's not over until the fat lady sings."
With three games each on Saturday and Sunday and two yesterday, McKay felt players from both teams had done remarkably well to stretch muscles to overcome cramps in yesterday's final, considering both teams had played extra-time semifinal games yesterday morning.
Three Kings pipped Birkenhead 2-1 and Cashmere beat Eastern Subrubs 5-4 in penalty kicks after a 1-1 deadlock in their semifinal.
In the final, Cashmere drew first blood in the 22nd minute with a Michael Munro goal but a Daniel Ridgley penalty kick six minutes later levelled terms to 1-1.
Jaden Booth put the southerners up 2-1 in the 32nd minute before some individual brilliance from Waimora in the 47th made it 2-2 after he beat the offside trap, sucking in a defender with a dribble before going around goalkeeper Lewis Gordon to score.
Three Kings goalkeeper Tim Allen had left the field in the 70th minute after a robust Cashmere charge following a cornerkick minutes earlier.
Field player Kyle Adams slipped on the gloves.
"Our keeper's had concussion and probably has a broken cheek bone," McKay revealed after the game, prompting the team physiotherapist to call in a St John Ambulance paramedic into the changing room to attend to Allen.
"He [Adams] makes one save and it's through for us," he said after the substitute keeper denied Jordan Halligan a sudden-death penalty with the scores locked at 7-6 in favour of Three Kings.
A philosophical Cashmere coach, Danny Halligan, said: "Yes, 24 [teams] entered, 23 losers and one winner but we really enjoyed the game because the lads played particularly well all week," the former All White said, adding it was a test of attrition and lauding the teenagers running on empty.
"We were one successful kick away from winning it so you can't count your chickens, can you?" Halligan said of his club who have made three finals here but won only once about six years ago.
Last year they lost in extra time in the semifinals of the top-tier championship.
"We're always there or thereabouts so we'll be back again next year."
McKay lauded the Rovers' organisation of the tourney.
"It was superb and they even put on the weather. The support from the club, especially from the point of view of the referees, and the facilities are second to none in the country.
"I think the secondary schools' nationals will be held here, too, and they deserved to be here."
While they opted not to go to the Phoenix game on Saturday afternoon because their last match finished about 4pm, McKay said Three Kings would return to defend their title.
No Bay teams made the play-offs in the Championship or Satellite final, which Western Springs (Auckland) won 1-0 over Upper Hutt City.
Rovers Championship coach Roy Stanger said it was disappointing for the hosts, considering they had Central League calibre and fringe players such as striker Fane Morgan, keeper Jonty Underhill and defender Bailey Chadderton. The Rovers drew three games and lost two.
Havelock North missed out on making the semifinals by a point in the satellite section of the 48-team tourney.