Football: Napier City Rovers a match away from returning to cup glory days

Napier Marist player Jack Finn towers over Otumoetai FC counterpart Luke Foster to show the edict of heads I win prevails during their satellite section match at Park Island today. Photo/Paul Taylor

Ask any team in New Zealand what the icing on the cake is at the annual national under-19 football tournament and they'll probably tell you it's the privilege to have earned the right to play the final at the pristine, often sunbathed grass surface of the majestic Bluewater Stadium in Napier.

Sure it's way more memorable to claim the bragging rights in the three divisions but just surviving the 27C temperature today at Park Island — before the culmination of 130 games — in itself offers a degree of satisfaction regardless of the result.

Hawke's Bay flagship team Havelock North FC dipped out 5-4 in a penalty shootout to Birkenhead United FC (Auckland) — after they were locked 1-all in fulltime and extra time — for the main draw cup semifinals.

However, Napier City Rovers edged closer in the satellite section of their own Lotto-sponsored tourney with an identical penalty-kick result to book a semifinal berth against Bucklands Beach (Auckland) in an 8am kick off tomorrow at Park Island.

"The [Havelock North] boys were young heroes and great representatives of our region," said Havelock North team manager Bruce Barclay after the Blue and Gold outfit's tenure.

"They played some great football along the way and tenaciously defended like their lives depended on it."

Barclay said it was a fairy-tale run for a little village team, after coming away with no defeats in six regulation-time games.

Birkenhead, he said, were the big boys of the tourney, suspecting they had claimed the crown three out of the past four times.

Numerous Birkenhead players had congratulated Havelock North counterparts, realising they were in for a fight and had conceded no team had pushed them that far here before.

Havelock North beat Forest Hill Milford FC (Auckland) 2-0 in the morning with Jack Parker finding the net in the 18th minute and Liam Shackleton adding salt to the wound two minutes later to to share the top rung on equal points with Miramar Rangers (Wellington).

The sides sat on two wins each and as many draws but the villagers needed to beat Western Springs FC (Auckland) to secure a playoffs berth early in the afternoon.

The Dion Adams-coached side didn't but did enough, drew 1-all, to secure a quarterfinals berth.

"It was another great defensive in the second in the second half," said Barclay of the Forest Hill encounter.

But progressing into the quarterfinals from "the pool of death" was "absolutely amazing".

Shackleton had drawn first blood in the 11th minute but Western Springs had found the equaliser in a "nervous last minute", he said.

The same forager had deposited a wicked volley from just outside the 18m box for the ruglation-time goal in the loss to Birkenhead.

Napier Marist faithful camp alongside their team on the sidelines against Otumoetai FC during a match in the satellite section of the tournament at Park Island today. Photo/Paul Taylor

In the satellite section, the Rovers pipped North Wellington 2-1 to book a quarter-finals berth against Hibiscus Coast AFC (Whangaparaoa Peninsula).

The Blues went up early through a Zach Madsen goal in the 17th minute but the opposition equalised shortly before halftime. Sam Wall had clinched the winner in the second half of the group H clash.

The Chris McIvor-mentored hosts, seeking to regain the glory days in the main draw next year after demotion the satellite section three years ago, were Hibiscus Coast who took them to a penalty shoot out after they were locked 1-all in 50 minutes of regulation time and 15 minutes of extra time.

The Blues prevailed 5-4 from spot kicks. Striker Madsen had scored the regulation time goal.

"The semis is a big game for us because if we make the final we qualify for the main draw [next year]," McIvor said.

He said it was imperative to regain focus in the early kick off after a good night's rest.

McIvor was mindful Bucklands Beach were a well-established unit who intended to play an attractive brand of game so the Rovers were bracing themselves for a close and exciting encounter.

Napier Marist drew 1-all against Taupo in group E with the visitors finding the net in the eighth minute before Harry Lack equalised in the 40th minute.

But it was one-way traffic against Otumoetai FC (Tauranga) next in the 4-nil victory.
Liam Fysh fired one in the fifth minute before Harry Mason stepped up to slot a penalty kick five minutes later. Lack made it 3-0 in the 17th minute before Mason put Otumoetai out of their misery with another goal from a spot kick in the 41st minute.

The Glenn Restiaux-coached Napier Marist slipped 1-0 to Bucklands Beach in the quarterfinals but North Wellington prevailed 3-1 over Wanganui Athletic FC to progress to face Stop Out in the cup semifinals.

Team manager Carl Hunt stole the All Blacks fans' line: "We're gutted, to be honest, but that's football."

Taradale FC striker Baylee Foote (foreground) doesn't need a helping hand from Stop Out player Omar Alsayah to treasure possession in the 1-all stalemate. Photo/Paul Taylor

In group G, Taradale FC and Stop Out (Wellington) were locked in a scoreless stalemate after 50 minute in what the coach of the former side described as end-to-end with his keeper, Seb Kettle, and the counterpart at the top of their games.

In group F, Western Rangers (Hastings) recovered from a 6-0 flogging to Wanganui in their opener on Saturday to beat Gisborne Thistle 2-0 in their next game.

However, Hibiscus Coast also dished out a 6-0 hiding to the Rangers in the final match yesterday.

Albany United punished the Hastings side 5-nil this morning before the bye and exit from the tourney.

In the cup male semifinals at 9am tomorrow, Bay Olympic Soccer & Sports (Auckland) play Tauranga City on the No 3 pitch while Birkenhead face Fencibles United AFC (Auckland) on the No 4 to see who'll earn the right to run on to Bluewater Stadium in the 12.30pm final kick off.

Hibiscus Coast defender Danica Urlich-Beech (left) breathes down the neck of Port Hill United striker Darby Lambert on the way to a 2-0 victory at Park Island today. Photo/Paul Taylor

In the women's division, Port Hill United lost 2-0 to top qualifiers Hibiscus Coast in group one but made it to the cup semifinals against group two top seeds Ellerslie AFC, before succumbing 4-2 to exit the tourney.

Port Hill coach Steve Doyle said found they had less time on the ball against Hibiscus Coast to stamp any control on the match but didn't stray from their passing game.

"Their high press eventually told and they scored a screamer off a blocked clearance midway through the second half," Doyle said.

In chasing an equaliser, his teenagers conceded another "a bit against the run of play".
Holly Barclay bagged a brace of goals against Ellerslie in the semifinals.

"The Aucklanders were a bit too physical and slick for my girls today," Doyle revealed, adding they had gleaned enough to return with some gusto to proceed past the semifinals next year.

Hamilton Wanderers pipped Hibiscus Coast 2-1 in the other cup semifinal.

The Bucklands Beach v Palmerston North Marist plate final kicks off at 8am tomorrow and the Ellerslie v Wanderers cup one follows at 9am at the marquee arena.