KEY POINTS:
One touch of magic in yesterday's quarter-final was enough to get northern premier hotshots Central United one step closer to a sixth Chatham Cup final in 11 years.
Locked 1-1 and into extra time at Kiwitea St against Eastern Suburbs, Central substitute striker Dave Richmond produced a classic
finish to whip home a deserved match-winner.
Injected into the game with 12 minutes of normal time to play, Richmond settled a sometimes pulsating, sometimes ordinary, tie with a 96th-minute cracker.
The visitors dominated for long periods in the opening 45 minutes but fell behind when they failed to clear a long-range freekick and the ball dropped for Paul Urlovic, who hooked home from close range.
Stunned, Suburbs broke deep from the restart and forced a corner, which Hoani Edwards whipped into the centre of the Central goal and Lucas Findon, virtually unchallenged, headed home the equaliser.
For long periods this was a game that appeared to be going nowhere.
Allan Pearce went close in the opening minute of the second spell when he beat the offside trap but not Central goalkeeper Richard Gillespie.
With 24 minutes to play Luis del Monte had a shot which Suburbs custodian Sean Dowling kept out.
Richmond then produced his mercurial finish to book Central's place in the last four alongside North Shore United, cup-holders Western Suburbs and Dunedin's Caversham.
Shore made the most of home advantage to beat Hamilton Wanderers 3-1 in a game in which the visitors were reduced to nine players by the finish.
Michael Gwyther scored the 23rd-minute opener and Shaun van Rooyen added another just before the interval.
Chad Coombes got one back for Wanderers with seven minutes to play but any hope of a late charge was snuffed out when van Rooyen scored his second two minutes later.
Western Suburbs got through 1-0 over Miramar Rangers in extra time with a 94th-minute Roddy Brown goal.
* While Ian Hogg did not see any action for Central at Kiwitea St, his sister Michelle scored the only goal as Glenfield Rovers continued their run in the women's Knockout Cup, defeating Eastern Suburbs at McFetridge Park.
Rovers are joined in the last four by Western Springs, who won 3-1 away to Claudelands Rovers.
Wellington's Seatoun and Western (Christchurch) had booked their semifinal spots a week earlier.