Napier City Rovers players soak up their 4-1 win Central League win over Stop Out last Sunday. Photo / Neil Reid
Napier City Rovers players soak up their 4-1 win Central League win over Stop Out last Sunday. Photo / Neil Reid
A firing Napier City Rovers are out to inflict double the pain on Stop Out at Bluewater Stadium on Sunday – seven days on from a dominant 4-1 Central League win over the Wellington club.
The two sides clash in Napier on Sunday afternoon in third-round Chatham Cup knockout footballaction.
For the second successive weekend, Stop Out will face the lengthy return bus trip from the capital to Napier to take on the Jim Hoyle-captained Napier City Rovers.
Stop Out’s disappointment from last Sunday’s clash was clear to see both during a post-match meeting on Bluewater Stadium and then as they mingled at the aftermatch function.
Given the Chatham Cup clash comes so soon after last Sunday’s dominant win, Napier City Rovers coach Bill Robertson said his team would be prepared for a fired-up opposition.
“They will come with a plan for a rematch.
“What that looks like I’m not sure.
“They can probably take some positives out of the game; they scored in the first half, missed a penalty and hit the bar in the second half. We are under no illusions that the game was quite tight for a while and they offered a threat.
“We know it won’t be an easy game by any stretch. They will be ready to try and advance through to the cup. And the cup always offers another level of intensity about the game . . . it’s knockout football.”
Napier City Rovers goal scorers Deri Corfe, second from right, and Jonny McNamara, right, celebrate last weekend's Central League win over Stop Out in Napier. Photo / Neil Reid
Robertson is no stranger to what it takes to secure Chatham Cup glory.
He was player-coach when Napier City Rovers won the famous New Zealand sporting trophy – which is celebrating its 100th birthday – in 2019.
Since arriving in New Zealand in 2007, his playing career has seen him enjoy Chatham Cup, National League and Central League success.
The cup victory had a very special place in his footballing CV.
“It is the pinnacle cup of New Zealand, the knockout cup . . . the one that most teams want to win, the one that most players want to win,” he said.
“I played in a couple of finals and lost in 2011 and 2015 as player-coach. So to finally win, and I was 36 at the time and didn’t have too many years left [playing], was great to tick that box as well and get my hands on all the silverware of New Zealand.”
Last weekend’s win was crucial for Napier City Rovers to keep control over their own destiny when it comes to potential National League qualification.
Stop Out lost 4-1 to Napier City Rovers in Central League action in Napier last Sunday, and face the same opponents again in the Chatham Cup, at the same venue, seven days later. Photo / Neil Reid
Four teams from Central League will qualify; the Wellington Phoenix Reserves are guaranteed a spot, with the other places will go to the league’s other three top-finishing sides.
The 4-1 win took Napier City Rovers back to fourth on the league table with 16 competition points. Fifth-placed Petone FC also has 16 points while sixth-placed Miramar Rangers are on 12 points; but both those clubs have a match in hand.
Next weekend’s Napier City Rovers v Petone FC match is shaping as a pivotal match for both sides.
“The three points were crucial for us to keep in the hunt for the top four,” Robertson said.
“The performance, particularly in the second half, I thought we went up a few levels and raised our intensity. There was a period where we turned the screw, scored a couple of goals in quick succession, and took the game away from the opposition.
“It was good to get the fourth at the end, which means we are averaging over three goals a game now. We offer a really good attacking threat.”
Napier City Rovers coach Bill Robertson is no stranger to what it takes to win the Chatham Cup, being player-coach of the 2019 cup-winning side. Photo / Neil Reid
An area Napier City Rovers have impressed in throughout the season has been on attack and creating chances on goal.
During the first quarter of the season, the side was guilty of not finishing some of those golden opportunities.
But for the past two months, the side has been increasingly more clinical on goal, including impressive goal tallies from Deri Corfe and Jonny McNamara.
“If we can tidy up a little bit defensively, as well as continuing to offer that attacking threat, then it gives us confidence moving into the second half of the season,” Robertson said.
One of the highlights of the Central League win over Stop Out was midfielder Camerson Emerson’s 64th bullet of a shot which extended the lead to 2-1.
Napier City Rovers midfielder Cameron Emerson - pictured at a training session - has been a standout this season. Photo / Neil Reid
Emerson was on the end of a clever pass from Corfe across the Stop Out penalty area, latching onto the ball from outside the box to hammer it home.
The wonder strike was among the four nominated by New Zealand Football for the best goal from last weekend’s action in the Central, Northern and Southern leagues.
“With the timing of it, the game was quite tight at that point. Cam is starting to perform really well in that centre midfield role since Karan was injured and broke his foot.
“It is a positive to the depth of the squad that players can come in and contribute so well. I’m pleased for Cam because he has worked hard.”
>> Napier City Rovers v Stop Out
Kick-off: 2pm, Sunday June 18, Bluewater Stadium
Neil Reid is a Napier-based reporter who covers general news, features and sport. He joined the Herald in 2014.
