Glory days revived in cup clash

FLASHBACK TO 2011: Wairarapa United's Pita Rabo runs towards skipper Adam Cowan after scoring what was to be the winning goal in the 2011 Chatham Cup final.

WAIRARAPA United will confront Western Suburbs at Memorial Park in Masterton in what will be a battle of two former champions in the fourth round of the national men's football knockout competition, the Chatham Cup, over the weekend of July 11-12.

It was in 2011 that Wairarapa United created history with their 2-1 win over Napier City Rovers in the cup final in Palmerston North while Western Suburbs captured the trophy in 2006.

Wairarapa United and Western Suburbs play their club football in the Central League and they are both well in the reckoning for the 2015 title.

Napier City Rovers are on top with 30 points with Western Suburbs second on 25 and Wairarapa United third on 24, but those points do not give the true picture as Napier and Wests have played 11 games and Wairarapa United have played 10. United's first round match with Palmerston North Marist was deferred because of bad weather and will now be played at a later date.

Wairarapa United and Wests have met on one occasion so far this season and Wests came out on top 5-3 in a match played on their home patch. The other two Central League sides through to the Chatham Cup fourth round are Napier City Rovers and Wellington Olympic.

Napier have won the cup four times, the most recent in 2002, while Olympic were winners in 2009.

In their first round CL match, Napier City Rovers ran out convincing 4-1 winners.

Meanwhile, two-time defending champions Cashmere Technical of Christchurch host fellow Mainland Premier League side Coastal Spirit as their bid for three straight titles rolls on.

Cashmere, who have recorded 3-0 and 1-0 league wins over Coastal this year, sit atop the league standings with Coastal in fourth place.

Further south, 1999 champions Dunedin Technical host Mosgiel AFC in the Football South-based round of 16 clash.

In the Northern Region, 2014 runners-up, and five-time champions, Central United host Three Kings United while 2008 winners East Coast Bays AFC will visit Birkenhead United as the North Shore rivals tussle for a place in the quarter-finals.

Central took a 4-2 win over Three Kings to open the NRFL Premier League season in late March while East Coast Bays and Birkenhead took a point each from a 1-1 draw in May at Shepherd's Park.

Tauranga City's cup run will continue as the NRFL Division 1 side look to knock out Premier League opposition for the second successive round when they host Eastern Suburbs. The four northernmost ties are completed by the match-up of division one team Mangere United and division two side Papakura City.