Rovers qualified for their sixth final – the club has won the 89-year-old trophy four times – with a second-half fightback against Caversham to edge the Dunedin side 2-1 in Napier, while Wairarapa continued their dream run by booking a maiden final appearance with a 1-0 upset win over Bay Olympic in Auckland.
Caversham took the lead in just the fourth minute through Evan Jones but Napier levelled from the penalty spot through Stu Wilson four minutes into the second half after Andy Pickering was felled in the box.
Ten minutes later Josh Stevenson went through one-on-one with the Caversham ‘keeper and made no mistake to book Napier’s place in the winter football showpiece on August 27 or 28.
At Olympic Park in Auckland, Wairarapa captain Adam Cowan picked out the run of Vanuatu international Seule Soromon with a pinpoint through ball and the striker lobbed the oncoming Danny Robinson for the only goal of the game two minutes into the second half.
Wairarapa’s Matt Boren was the busier of the two ‘keepers and his fingertip save to push a looping Ross McKenzie header onto the bar in the 89th minute was the pick of his interventions.
McKenzie would have been cursing his luck having hit the crossbar just minutes earlier direct from a corner that caught the very strong wind favouring Bay Olympic in the second half.
Bay Olympic piled on the pressure in the final twenty minutes with a series of corners and dangerous long throws from Nathan Strom but not even the sending off of Pita Rabo for a second yellow card in the 87th minute could dent Wairarapa’s resolve to hang onto their lead.
“I just can’t believe it. It’s such a great feeling to be in the final,” Wairarapa coach Phil Keinzley says.
“The first half was our worst first half of the season. We were horrible and got away with it. We weren’t playing our game. We were giving away the ball. So the focus for the second half was getting our composure back, keeping the ball and getting it on the ground.
“Scoring so early in the half was a real boost. It gave everyone that extra enthusiasm that wasn’t there in the first half.
“We thought if we could keep Bay Olympic chasing the game they would lose composure. They forgot to play football in the second half.”
Wairarapa’s win also ensured that the final of the ASB Chatham Cup will be played outside Auckland for the first time since 2002. A decision on the venue for the match will be made this week.
ASB Chatham Cup 2011 semi-finals
Napier City Rovers 2 (Stu WILSON pen-49’, Josh STEVENSON 59’)
Caversham 1 (Evan JONES 4’)
Halftime: 0-1
Park Island, Napier
Bay Olympic 0
Wairarapa United 1 (Seule SOROMON 47’)
Halftime: 0-0
Pita RABO sent off (second yellow card 87’)
Olympic Park, Auckland
ASB Chatham Cup Final
August 27/28
Napier City Rovers v Wairarapa United
Venue TBC
Story courtesy of New Zealand Football.
For more on New Zealand football go to www.nzfootball.co.nz

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