Soccer: Don't bank on home advantage

Wairarapa United will be one of the visiting sides this weekend. Photo / APN

Home advantage has not been a great player in deciding Chatham Cup semifinal victors.

In the past 10 seasons only 12 of 20 matches have been won by the home side. That statistic will not be lost on visiting Wairarapa United and Caversham this weekend.

Shane Knowles puts out his Bay Olympic team against surprise packet Wairarapa United at Olympic Park this afternoon looking for a second successive trip to the final and the chance to go one better than last season's loss to Miramar Rangers.

Wairarapa, who eliminated three-time cup winners Waitakere City in the quarter-finals, are, like Napier still in contention for the league/cup double after bold efforts in this season's Central League.

Caversham, tomorrow heading to Park Island to play Napier City Rovers, will be hoping for a change of fortune. In their fourth semifinal in six years, the Dunedin-based team have yet to reach the big stage.

Their task against four-time winners Napier will not be any easier.

"I think the winning stat for home teams is more even than expected because the majority of the pressure is on the home team and the away team has nothing to lose," Caversham's Richard Murray said. "The home team are in front of their own fans and the away side are going in there as underdogs ... With home advantage you know your park well, your routine doesn't change much and your fans are in behind you. I think Napier benefited from that in the quarter-final against Manurewa when they were two goals down and the fans helped get them home."

Murray thinks the time could be right to break the club's cup hoodoo. He also believes the experience of a 4-0 away win over Onehunga Sports in this year's quarter-finals and a penalty shootout loss to Bay Olympic at the semifinal stage last year will only help their chances.

"Over half the side were in that side so they've got semifinal experience ... so I'm hoping that will be a key factor."

Chatham Cup

Semifinals

Today: Bay Olympic v Wairarapa United

Olympic Park, New Lynn, 2pm.

Tomorrow: Napier City Rovers v Caversham

Park Island, Napier, 12.30pm.