Football: Hammers nail cup final win

Wanganui Athletic first's John Smith in the Charity Cup final against Wanganui City at Wembley Park on Saturday.PHOTO/STUART MUNRO

Cup football is usually about passion and last chances and Wanganui's edition of the Charity Cup competition was no different on Saturday.

Every fixture was played with club spirit and pride on the line, as teams battled for best placings in their respective fixtures.

The day opened up with the men's local league champions, the Total Automotive Wanganui City Hammers, hosting this season's over-achieving new boys, Castlecliff St Anthony's.

While both teams enjoyed plenty of local support, a mention must be made to the die-hard supporters of the Saints, who turned up in force with bullhorns and chants, spurring their side on.

The match was closely fought, but the Hammer's ultimately showed why they were crowned champions in the local league and took home the honours with a 2-1 victory.

In the Bowl final, played at the same time, the Wanganui City Renovators went up against the Athletic Cosmos, in a battle of youth against experience.

This was a match that put on show the best of what Wanganui football has had in the past against what is coming through the ranks.

The Renovators gave the Cosmos a taste of their own medicine, scoring four unanswered goals, all the result of some tidy possession-based football.

Coach Tex von Kwiatowski would have been pleased with the result, and will be looking to challenge his team even further next season.

The women's final was an entertaining fixture and also showed the best of what the region's women can put on show.

Wanganui Athletic, who had a torrid season which resulted in them bowing out of the Central League, faced off against the Wanganui City Women, who had an unlucky run during their regular season.

Both teams took the park looking to prove a point, with Wanganui Athletic coming away with the win and the bragging rights at the end of the season.

In the next round of play, a long-standing rivalry between the Marist Casuals and the Athletic Weekenders played out with plenty of support for both sides cheering them on from the sideline.

A hard fought, physical match was played out, with both sides taking their chances, and wresting control from the other throughout.

With the scores locked up at 2-2 going into the dying minutes, the match looked destined to go to penalties, before the Weekenders capitalised on a break, and found the back of the net, giving them the honours at the final whistle.

Meanwhile, on Wembley Park's main ground, passions were high in the Cup final between Federation League champions Devon Homes Wanganui Athletic, and the Western Premiership champions Wanganui City, as both teams got to play out a time-honoured rivalry.

Both sides had something to prove and off-season grumbles boiled to the fore during the 90-minute exchange.

However, two first half goals from Josh Smith - one courtesy of a penalty - kept City at bay until goals from James Oxtoby and Jordan Joblin-Hall in the second half put the game out of reach.

With Athletic winning three of the finals and City taking the honours in two, Athletic also walked away with the Club competition points, with Marist only just besting Castlecliff to take third position.