Today, a new draw for the Chatham and Kate Sheppard Cup took place, and we now know all the matches that will be played on the weekend of June 15th (with the exact dates and times to be confirmed) for the third round of both competitions.

Although all the teams that qualified to the third round are already focused on the next phase, it's worth discussing the results from last weekend in both competitions, where there were some surprises.

Regarding the Kate Sheppard Cup, the results were quite logical. There were fairly even matches between teams that play in the same division, and some significant victories between teams from different categories. The teams that won for the biggest difference of goals were: Hibiscus Coast 11-1 win over Uni-Mount Bohemian; Auckland United  7-0 Cambridge FC; Wellington Phoenix Reserves 9-0 Seatoun AFC; and Cashmere Technical's 6-0 victory over Coastal Spirit.

In the Chatham Cup, however, some of the contenders were eliminated in the second round. While in the Northern and Central regions the results were as expected, with some blowouts between top teams facing clubs from other categories or closer matches between rivals of the same category, the South Island provided a weekend full of surprises. Christchurch United FC, the current champions and the club with the most titles in history in this competition, was surprisingly eliminated by Nomads United, who took advantage of playing at home and won 3-2 with two goals from Flynn Holdem and one from Angus Mcintyre. With this result, the reigning champions quickly lost the illusion of defending their title won in 2023 when they defeated Melville United in the grand final.

Another surprise came from Coastal Spirit. Robbie Stanton's team, which is having a great season and is fighting for a spot in the next National League Championship, eliminated Cashmere Technical, one of the main contenders from the South Island. Coastal Spirit also capitalized on their home advantage and advanced to the next round after a 3-1 victory with goals from Jake Hale, Joe Hoole, and Apisai Rabuka. With this result, they remain unbeaten in official matches so far this year and are perhaps the top contenders to continue advancing in their zone.

The other surprise was delivered by FC Nelson. Paul Brydon's team played away against Nelson Suburbs and managed to secure a victory after being down 1-0. Nelson Suburbs, currently playing in a higher division (Southern League), took the lead in the 18th minute with a goal from Joshua Moffat, and it seemed they would advance to the next round. However, in the second half, La Bu Pan scored two goals in seven minutes, giving FC Nelson the victory in the derby and a place in the next round.

The third round will be played on the weekend of June 15th, with dates and times to be confirmed, and the matches will be as follows:

Kate Sheppard Cup:

Ellerslie AFC vs West Coast Rangers FC

Western Springs AFC vs Hibiscus Coast AFC

Eastern Suburbs AFC vs Auckland United FC

Northern Rovers FC vs Fencibles United 

Palmerston North Marist FC vs Waterside Karori AFC

Petone FC vs Wellington Phoenix Reserves 

Cashmere Technical FC vs Nelson Suburbs 

Otago University vs Dunedin City Royals 

Chatham Cup:

Central United FC vs Birkenhead United AFC

Auckland City FC vs Hamilton Wanderers

Ellerslie AFC vs Onehunga Mangere United AFC

Western Springs AFC vs Eastern Suburbs AFC

Melville United vs Tauranga City AFC

Bay Olympic vs Cambridge FC

Auckland United vs Manurewa AFC

Hibiscus Coast vs Taupo AFC

Wellington Olympic vs Western Suburbs

Waterside Karori vs Miramar Rangers

Napier City Rovers vs North Wellington

Petone FC vs Stop Out SC

FC Nelson vs Ferrymead Bays

Coastal Spirit vs Nomads United

Dunedin City Royals vs Roslyn Wakari

Northern AFC vs Otago University

Article added: Tuesday 04 June 2024