A 105th minute goal to Damien Mosquera broke a 1-1 deadlock between the two sides in the extra frame, paving the way for the Kohimarama-based club to secure their first national knockout cup crown since 1969 and complete a league and cup double in the process.
Earlier, after a scoreless first half, Brandon Barnes had given Suburbs’ a spectacular 54th minute lead – curling in a wonderful free kick before Napier levelled in the second period through captain Danny Wilson’s 68th minute volley.
Eastern Suburbs AFC coach Malcolm McPherson saluted the efforts of his team who once again stood tall when they needed to.
“I think as you’ve seen today, we’ve got some talent in the group,” McPherson said.
“When you need to churn out a result, which we’ve had to do so many times this season, those players have consistently stood up and I think that has been on evidence today.”
“The game was a little bit more open at times than I would have liked. At the start of the second half we had two or three opportunities where we probably could have put things to bed. As it transpired that wasn’t the case and they got back into it and it was a little nervy for everybody for that last half an hour.”
McPherson said scooping the national knockout cup title for the first time in 46 years meant a lot to not only the players but the club as a whole.
“It’s huge actually. Everybody involved in the club, as soon as we started to tick over a few games, people were getting really quite excited and they’ve all been down at the club today for a breakfast and people have been involved with this club almost all their life – so for those sort of people this is their day and it’s fantastic really.”
Eastern Suburbs started the brighter of the two sides and created the game’s first chance after five minutes, Brandon Barnes lashing a low drive narrowly wide of Ruben Parker’s left-hand post.
Soon afterwards Nathaniel Foster did well to turn and dribble at pace into the Napier area but his shot was blocked by a desperate sliding challenge from Fin Milne and behind for a corner.
Having survived those two scares, Napier began to grow into the game and Tom Biss volleyed wide in the aftermath of a corner in one of their first sights of goal in the early going.
Having reached the 20-minute mark still scoreless, Suburbs’ keeper Simon Williams did well to preserve the deadlock when he got down low to turn Ryan Tinsley’s free-kick around his post away to safety.
In the 20 minutes up to halftime clear cut chances were at a premium with both midfield units battling to get control and find a way through the increasingly solid back lines facing them.
Suburbs began the second period sharply and should have taken the lead after five second half minutes when Joseph Nottage had a shot cleared off the line only for Michael Bryant to scuff his follow-up effort wide with the goal gaping.
But it was forgotten minutes later when, after Foster earned a free kick, Barnes curled a wonderful free kick around the Napier wall and into the top right hand corner out of the reach of Parker.
The Napier side responded and Saul Halpin missed a gilt-edged chance to level just after the hour, firing inches wide from a Miles John cross.
But similar to Suburbs earlier, that didn’t prove costly as Wilson levelled with a well-taken volley after Tinsley headed a deep free kick back into his path.
In an increasingly open final 20 minutes both teams had great chances to secure their league and cup double before extra time but neither could convert.
Halpin had two opportunities, including one with almost the last kick of the 90 minutes which he fired wide from 10 yards, while an earlier Miles John deflected effort looped up onto the Suburbs’ crossbar and into the clutch of Williams.
At the other end, Suburbs’ skipper Tom Shaw had a shot form cutback deflected out for a corner when he seemed set to score after Barnes had fired a shot from a tight angle into the side-netting.
In contrast to the preceding 25 minutes, chances were rare in the extra frame, until Mosquera drove home from eight yards on the end of a Bryant pass to a massive roar from the Auckland crowd.
Napier City wide player John was named the winner of the Jack Batty Memorial Trophy as the most valuable player of the ASB Chatham Cup Final.
ASB Chatham Cup Final 2015
Sunday 20 September
Eastern Suburbs 2-1 Napier City Rovers (half: 0-0)
EAS: Brandon Barnes 54’, Damien Mosquera 105’
NCR: Danny Wilson 68’
Eastern Suburbs AFC: 1. Simon Williams (GK), 2. Joseph Nottage, 3. Rhys Ruka, 4. Rudi Mozr (16. Francis Belt 48’) 7. Michael Bryant (17. Charl Compaan 116’), 11. Brandon Barnes, 14. Damien Mosquera (8. Sander Waterland 111’), 15. Nathaniel Foster, 18. Tristan Prattley, 19. Tom Shaw (capt), Ryan Elder
Substitutes not used: 6. Eammon O’Brien, 22. Ernest Wong (GK)
Coach: Malcolm McPherson
Napier City Rovers: 1. Ruben Parker (GK), 5. Fin Milne, 6. Miles John, 7. Stephen Hoyle (20. Fane Morgan 106’)
, 8. Ryan Tinsley, 9. Angus Kilkolly, 10. Saul Halpin, 11. Tom Biss, 16. Danny Wilson (capt – 14. Josh Stevenson 89’), 17. Fergus Neil, 19. Bill Robertson
Substitutes not used: 2. Dan Ball, 4. Kyle Baxter (GK), 15. James Hoyle
Player/coach: Bill Robertson
Story courtesy of New Zealand Football

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