Soccer: Napier City chasing rare league-cup double again

Without the emotional rollercoaster they had endured before last Sunday's national club soccer championship final, Napier City Rovers go into this afternoon's Chatham Cup final confident they can complete the rare double - league and cup.

Martin Akers leads the Hawkes Bay side into the clash with Central United at North Harbour Stadium with no doubts he and his team-mates can complete a "double-double."

The former international striker played in the 1993 Rovers side who thrashed Rangers 6-0 in the cup final to complete that season's league-cup double.

Perry Cotton and Mark Paston are other survivors from that campaign seven years ago.

But Central are not being intimidated, despite Rovers' penalty shootout triumph over University/Mt Wellington in the Ansett club championship final.

They have a 100 per cent record in cup finals, winning in 1997, when they downed Napier, and in 1998, and have some of those cup-winning players back.

"The players are fired up, despite going three weeks since our last game," said Central co-coach Ricki Herbert.

"We feel we have a real chance of finishing the season on a high.

In their two club championship games this season both Napier and Central won 1-0 at home.

Napier came through last Sunday's final unscathed and will put out the same starting Xl in the final.

"We are quietly confident we can do the double," said Rovers assistant coach Mick Waitt.

"We had a muted celebration on Monday, took Tuesday off, and had a good training session on Thursday.

"I would say there is a bit more resolve to go on and win both."

By a twist of fate, Waitt and Herbert are sharing the same room while in Auckland for a coaching workshop.

Waitt, for one, feels New Zealand Soccer director of coaching Ken Dugdale is playing games in pairing the rival coaches ahead of today's game.

There is a good blend of youth and experience in the Central side, who beat defending cup-holders Dunedin Technical in the semifinals after staging an amazing come-from-behind quarter-final win over Metro.

Led up front by Fred de Jong, Central may well have an attacking edge, but Napier have been a polished, confident unit in recent outings, and like Central, are keen to win the coveted trophy for a third time.

The women's curtainraiser, the final of the Uncle Tobys Knockout Cup, gives Wairarapa player/coach Wendi Henderson and her team the chance to make up for last year's loss to Three Kings when they meet the Terry McCahill-led Lynn Avon.

On Wednesday night, Three Kings ended Lynn Avon's hopes of a treble in 2000 with a penalty shootout victory in the Auckland knockout final. Lynn Avon had earlier won the league title.

Wairarapa, who include New Zealand's young international women's player of the year Nicky Smith, meet the Gary Jenkins-coached Lynn Avon side are looking for a second cup triumph after winning four years ago. Kickoff is 1 pm.

Lynn Avon: Yvonne Vale, Jennifer Carlisle, Jill Corner, Terry McCahill, Melissa Reber, Dana Heiford, Kim Wells, Angela Vujnovich, Rebecca Parkinson, Melissa Wileman, Amanda Crawford, Julie Houghton, Samantha Shorter, Lyn Pedruco, Haley Moorewood, Amber Hearn.

Wairarapa: Amy Cotteril, Pip Meo, Andrea Scott, Nicola Morrison, Rachael Clavert, Michele Keinzley, Mandy Hall, Sharleen James, Wendi Henderson, Nicky Smith, Desire Keinzley, Lisa Gibson, Pam Yates, Sarah Dodd, Eileen McWilliam.

Referee: Linda Ritchie.