AUCKLAND – Veteran All Whites defender Ivan Vicelich admits the 86-year-old Chatham Cup still holds special meaning for him ahead of the fourth round’s headline fixture between Waitakere City and Central United on Sunday.

The 68-cap All White has done more than most kiwis in the game, from carving out a professional playing career at home (Football Kingz) and in Europe (Roda JC and RKC Waalwijk), to winning the NZFC and OFC Champions League last season with Auckland City, and now comes full circle in a competition where he got his first taste of success with a hat-trick of winner’s medals.

At 19, Vicelich turned in a man of the match performance to lift Waitakere to its first of three Chatham Cup titles with a 1-0 win over Wellington Olympic in the 1994 cup final in Napier, a feat he repeated three seasons later for Central as they engraved their name on the trophy for the first time.

“The Chatham Cup certainly holds some great memories for me having won it with both clubs,” said Vicelich, who also part of Central’s victorious 1998 team.

“It always throws up memorable games. I remember Central being two goals to Napier City Rovers down in the 1997 final in Napier and coming back to win 3-2 in extra time. It was a magnificent way to win with a lot of friends in the team and a lot of supporters making the trip down to witness the club win its first major trophy.”

The 32 year old has just returned from the FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa, a tournament for which he came out of international retirement, and while he has yet to decide whether he’ll be involved for the All Whites’ crucial World Cup playoff against Bahrain or Saudi Arabia later this year, he wasted no time in playing a pair of games for Central last weekend to blow off the jet lag and ensure he was eligible for this weekend’s fixture at Waitakere’s Fred Taylor Park.

“The cup is so full of tradition. It has a long history and it’s such a tough fight to get your hands on the trophy. People say the split between summer and winter has taken some of the shine of it but the players are still hungry and real football people know how much of an honour it is to win.”

Also vying for a place in the quarterfinals are four-time winners Waterside-Karori, although the Wellington Premier League side face a tough ask on Sunday against an Olympic side unbeaten in the Central League this season.

On Saturday, three time winners Miramar Rangers welcome Wellington United to the recently renamed David Farrington Park, while Auckland dark horse Three Kings take on Northern League leaders Lynn Avon at Ken Maunder Park and two time winners Manurewa clash with Metro at Memorial Park.

In Dunedin, the Southern Region’s leading clubs Caversham and Dunedin Tech will battle at the Caledonian on Saturday, while Glenfield Rovers and Forrest-Hill Milford meet in a Sunday cup derby on Auckland’s North Shore.

Nelson Suburbs – semi-finalists last season – became the first team into the last eight last weekend when they defeated Christchurch’s Woolston Technical 2-0 at Saxton Field.

All games kick off at 2pm (New Zealand Time)

Chatham Cup Round 4

Northern Region

Manurewa v Metro – Memorial Park, July 4

Lynn-Avon United v Three Kings United – Ken Maunder Park, July 4

Glenfield Rovers v Forrest Hill Milford – McFetridge Park, July 5

Waitakere City v Central United – Fred Taylor Park, July 5

Central Region

Miramar Rangers v Wellington United – David Farrington Park, July 4

Olympic v Waterside-Karori – Newtown Park, July 5

Southern Region

Nelson Suburbs 2 Woolston Technical 0 (played June 28)

Caversham v Dunedin Tech – Caledonian, July 4

Story and photo courtesy NZF Media

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