City Reserves in Cup battle

REMATCH: Red Sox's Simon Martin and Wanganui City Reserves' Ben Schrieber contest the ball in their Western Premiership game in June. The teams meet today to decide the Easter Cup.PHOTO/FILE A-060615WCSMFOOTBALL2

With both the Lotto Federation League and the Western Premiership competitions now drawn to a close, only the Wanganui City Reserves will be taking the field this weekend as they look to secure a piece of silverware for the club trophy cabinet in their Easter Cup final against the Red Sox Manawatu A's over in Palmerston North.

Back home at Wembley Park, the Men's Division 1 competition has produced an exciting final day, with three teams in contention for claiming the Roly Taylor Cup, as the City Hammers, Athletic Reserves, and Marist Celtic all play out their do-or-die matches on the main ground today.

The Wanganui City Reserves have had a very helter-skelter season, taking a long time to hit their straps in the early stages of the Western Premiership competition, before finding some decent form in the dying stages and claiming victories against some strong opposition.

While their league performances were worrisome, their efforts in the Easter Cup competition early in the season was superb, pushing themselves into the final which will be played out at Skoglund Park today.

The Reserves will be facing tough opponents in the form of the Red Sox, who beat them 2-0 the last time the two teams met on the park.

There will be added incentive though with this match for the Reserves, knowing that just 90 minutes separate them from raising the East Cup high above their heads.

With everything on the line, football becomes a funny game.

The Reserves have shown in clinch matches, where pride and passion shine through, that they have the ability to dig deep and find the form needed to claim a result.

Good luck to the Reserves today, I look forward to seeing you bring the Easter Cup back to your clubrooms.

The final day of the Men's Division 1 in local competition has shaped up to be a three-way race for the title, with the Athletic Reserves and Marist Celtic locked on even points at the top of the table with the Reserves holding a solitary goal advantage in for/against difference.

Meanwhile, the City Hammers are perched just behind those two teams on nine points, and have their own chance to claim the title should results go their way.

Two big matches on the main ground today await, with the Celtic and the Hammers facing off at 12.30pm, followed by the Reserves facing regular season champions St Anthony's at 2.30pm.

With the table so tight, the formula for victory for each team is frustratingly complex.

A win for either Celtic or Hammers means an anxious 90-minute wait to see if they've done enough to win the trophy.

Should the Reserves lose to St Anthony's that would see the winner of the 12.30pm match claim the trophy.

Should Celtic win, the Reserves need a victory with enough goals scored to ensure they maintain the better goal-difference to make the trophy their own. But even a draw could play well into Celtic's hands, as a loss for the Reserves to St Anthony's would gift the trophy the boys in green.

Today is shaping up to be an intense day of local football, with club pride and desire sure to be on display and plenty of spectacle for the casual supporter.

So get yourself over to Wembley and into the grandstand to take in what will be a spectacular finish to the local men's competition.