Football: More cup heartbreak for Ngongotaha

Melville United celebrate advancing through to the quarter-finals.Photo/Ben Fraser

Most of Ngongotaha's team were yet to kick a ball the last time the club were in the Chatham Cup fourth round. It was 1996 and it's taken since then for the team to revive and get back on track.

But their cup dream will have to wait another season, the Villagers losing 2-1 to Melville United at Stembridge Rd yesterday in a stunning display of football. Whether locals were gripped by World Cup fever or wanted to give Ngongotaha a bit of extra support Stembridge Rd swelled in numbers with about 300 lining the pitch.

"I've never seen it this full," said Ngongotaha club president Eamon O'Donoghue.

"It's been electrifying down here this week."

Sadly the crowd numbers couldn't play more of a role on the field. Ngongotaha, two leagues below Northern League Melville, played as hard as they could but the difference showed as the game progressed - Ngongotaha's tiredness evident towards the end.

Still, it took 20 minutes before Melville could break through Ngongotaha's defence and Javon Williams put Melville ahead. Ngongotaha responded defiantly, putting extra pressure on in midfield.

But Melville kept on piling on the pressure - they missed chance after chance with Villagers' goalkeeper James Towers playing a blinder and the goal posts blocking other efforts - there were three attempts on goal thwarted by hardware in that first half.

Whatever was said at half time worked for Ngongotaha, who came out as if it were the first half all over. Within three minutes Dayne Willemsen shot wide. He backed that attempt up a minute later when he ran clear of the keeper and struck gold with an open net.

The crowd was buoyed - and the Villagers also, but the difference in class shone through. Melville upped the ante and piled on the pressure. Still, it took 20 minutes for them to score again, this time from striker Leon Newell.

No matter how hard they tried Ngongotaha couldn't repeat their scoring success, but it wasn't for lack of trying.

"I thought we were definitely in the game," said stand-in coach Jason Waller. "We could have, should have, got the ball over wide quicker to cause them problems. I'm gutted.

"When we got our goal I thought that was it, that we were going to turn a corner. If we'd taken that second opportunity ... we weren't home and dry but on the way."

Captain Dave Haua said Melville played "good, fast football". "I think our team struggled to keep up with the pace."

Melville coach Steve Williams said it was a similar battle to last season when the Hamilton side knocked Ngongotaha out in the first round. "We always knew it was going to be hard and we took it very seriously," he said.

"Coming here is never easy for anyone. It's not [Ngongotaha's] time at the moment but it's coming. You can see there's a ground swell of players who are popping up."

Ngongotaha 1 (Dayne Willemsen) Melville United 2 (Javon Williams, Leon Newell). Halftime 0-1.