Cup finals bring the crowds

IN CONTROL: Max Davidson looks to have the ball under control for Wanderers as his Wanganui City dad Blair (yellow) waits pointlessly for the crumbs during the Charity Cup final on Saturday.

It was the perfect way to end a great season of local football on Saturday with the Charity Bowl and Cup finals bringing great crowds to Wembley Park.

Sumptuous displays of football were offered up as the Wanganui City Wanderers defeated the Wanganui City Hammers in extra time to claim the 2016 edition of the Charity Cup, while the Wanganui Athletic Weekenders took home the Charity Bowl with a solid victory over the Wanganui Athletic Cosmos.

In the curtain raiser to the Cup final, the Charity Bowl was guaranteed to go back to the Athletic clubrooms, the only question remaining was which of the two sides would be the one to hoist it high at the final whistle.

On paper the game should have been a lot closer than what the final score-line represented, but the credit must go to the Weekenders, who once again showed their ability to perform in a knockout final.

Both sides battled well, but ultimately it was the Weekenders who capitalised on their desire and want for the win more, walking away with a decisive 6-1 victory over the Cosmos to retain the trophy the won in last season's Bowl final.

With crowds of supporters now filling the Roly Taylor grandstand and adorning the sidelines of the main ground, the feature match between the City Wanderers and City Hammers promised to be an intense battle between two teams of clubmates each looking for the right to claim the prestigious Charity Cup, first contested in 1913, as their own.

For the casual onlooker reflecting on the season to try to gauge the result of the match, the fixture should have easily been the Wanderers at the end of regular time, but as with many cup football matches, the true tale of what occurred on the number one pitch was anything but a reflection of what had occurred through the season.

The Wanderers came out strong, and found the back of the net twice in the first stanza of the match, piling the pressure on the Hammers, and setting the scene for what could have easily been seen as the script being played out as expected. However the Hammers had different ideas and were far from ready to lay down and let the Wanderers dance over them during the second spell.

The Hammers came out from the break like a team possessed and returned their own salvo, mounting an amazing comeback and pegging back the two goal deficit to bring the scores level, shaking the Wanderers and sending the crowds wild as they suddenly realised that this match was far from just another run of the mill fixture.

As time wound down, despite the best efforts of both sides, neither could break through to claim the crucial deciding goal before the final whistle sounded, meaning the match would be required to go to extra time.

With both sides dreading the thought of penalties at the end of extra time should neither side be able to take the ascendancy during the extra half an hour of play, both sides looked to claim the victory in the allotted time.

Ultimately it was the Hammers tired bodies that started to show cracks during extra time, allowing the Wanderers to take the initiative and exploit the leaden legs of the Hammers, pulling away in the dying throes of the game to finish strong 6-2 victors at the final whistle, and ensure their name is engraved on the historic trophy for the 2016 instalment.

Both sides will have been proud of how the represented not only their clubs, but the calibre of Wanganui football for those spectators that had come to witness what was quoted as being one of the best games of football seen on Wembley's main ground for the entire season.

With the season now completed, apart from the Plate final between the Marist Celtic and Bhoys teams to be held this weekend, all local clubs will now take a few moments to reflect upon their seasons and look ahead to 2017 with plans and aspirations for travelling teams, growth in all areas of the game from junior to senior, and how they all collectively can contribute to continuing the rise of the beautiful game at one of New Zealand's most beautiful football parks, while sharing their passion with the wider community.

It's sure to be an exciting season in the making. Stay tuned.