Christchurch's Cashmere Technical appear to be firing on all cylinders heading into their Chatham Cup quarterfinal against surprise package Palmerston North Marist on Sunday.
Tech banged in 14 goals in the space of four days to extend their Mainland Premier League lead to four points by backing up Saturday's 7-1 league win over FC Nelson with the score line against FC Twenty11 in a Tuesday night match brought forward due to cup commitments.
Fittingly for a team who don a Brazil-like kit of yellow, blue and white - in a nod to the colours of Cashmere Wanderers and Woolston Technical who merged to form the new entity last year - goals have not been hard to come by, especially of late.
Sixteen different players have netted this season - goalkeeper Shaun Roberts is the only regular starter not to trouble the scorers - and that spread gives coach John Brown plenty of options.
"There is great team harmony and we have players not only wanting to play for the club but push for higher honours and make the Canterbury United squad for the ASB Premiership. Goal scoring was a big concern last season and correcting that has been very pleasing," Brown said.
Higher up the club's family tree, Cashmere Technical can trace its roots back to 1948 Chatham Cup winners Tech Old Boys, who were also runners up in the 90-year-old competition a record six times, and while Brown acknowledges the importance of the trophy a Canterbury team has not lifted since 1991 he has been keeping a tight lid on expectations.
"The current form is definitely pleasing. As a club you always welcome the romance of the Chatham Cup but the league comes first for us and it was great to get through these two league games, given suspensions and injuries, not too badly.
"One of our goals was to be the last Mainland side left in the cup, which we've achieved, and of course we want to go as far as possible and win the thing. The Chatham Cup is something for which the club has held an ambition for a long time."
Sunday's hosts, Marist, are leading Central Football's Federation League and while that may be second tier, Brown is under no illusions that the trip to Palmerston North will be more challenging than their recent league outings.
"If Marist can knock a team like Napier City Rovers over then they can knock anyone over. It's a bit of the unknown for both sides but it's a fantastic surface and I'm sure it'll be a cracking Chatham Cup tie and a tight match."
In Hamilton, the presence of the 90-year-old ASB Chatham Cup trophy in the city this week is rekindling fond memories for Melville United who are hoping to replicate 2003's unlikely run to the final.
On Saturday, the Northern League first division leaders face their toughest test yet in Premier League pacesetters Birkenhead United but shades of that famous run that included the scalps of four national league sides on their way to North Harbour Stadium are beginning to show not least in the support from the local community and an impressive unbeaten record this season at Gower Park.
In the capital, much of the talk surrounding Olympic's clash with Caversham on Sunday at Wakefield Park has been of perceived curses and the need for either team to undo the voodoo if they are to hoist the trophy on September 15.
Caversham have won six quarterfinals in the past eight years - than any other club - but have never progressed past the semi finals in seven attempts while Olympic will need to get their heads around the curious fact that the team that has eliminated the Dunedin club in each of the last six years has gone on to lose the ASB Chatham Cup final.
Meanwhile, three time champions Waitakere United have been boosted by news that in-form Fijian international Roy Krishna is available for at least this weekend's Chatham Cup tie against Onehunga Sports at Fred Taylor Park on Sunday before heading to either Australia or back to Fiji.
The return of Krishna and Waitakere United teammates like Jake Butler to the City ranks after O-League duty has prompted a welcome run of form that has seen the West Auckland powerhouse pull away from the foot of the Northern Premier League table and drag other sides, including Onehunga Sports into the relegation dogfight.
The winners of this weekend's quarterfinals go into Monday's draw for the August 24 semi finals with the finals scheduled for September 15 as the pinnacle of the winter football season.