Celebrating their 50th anniversary, Central now join fellow Aucklanders Eastern Suburbs as five-time winners with only University-Mount Wellington, with seven titles, and six-time winners North Shore United and Christchurch United above them on the honours board.
Also moving up the leader board was Central striker Paul Urlovic, who has been in all five cup-winning teams for Central. Only All Whites legend Steve Summer can boast more Chatham Cup winners’ medals with six.
Daniel Koprivcic led the scoring with a goal in each half while former Lower Hutt player Emiliano Tade opened the scoring in the 19th minute and picked up the Jack Batty Memorial trophy for man of the match for the constant menace he posed to Lower Hutt’s rearguard.
Captain Ivan Vicelich headed in Central’s fourth on the hour mark but competing for goal of the match were midfield pairing David Mulligan and Jason Hicks.
Mulligan curled a 23rd-minute freekick up and over the wall to put Central 2-0 ahead and firmly in control of their seventh final while Hicks capped a move he started when he picked his spot and blasted Central’s final goal past Steve Bayard.
Hamish Price grabbed a consolation goal with a superb long-range effort in injury time and, while Lower Hutt’s skipper Hamish Watson battled valiantly throughout the match, it was his opposite Vicelich who had the honour of lifting the 89-year-old silverware, further linking Central’s history with that of the Chatham Cup.
“The stats show that Central United are up there now,” Vicelich said.
“For us to win five times is outstanding over a long period. The first one was in 1997 and to win the trophy again in our 50th year makes it even more special.”
“To win a final by so many is rare. It was tough but the boys put a lot of effort in and came away with a win.”
Central coach Chris Zoricich hailed the win as a massive achievement for the club.
“We’re only a small club so to get five Chatham Cups in 15 years is fantastic,” Zoricich said.
“The club really needed a trophy in its 50th year to celebrate that so I’m honoured that this group of players could bring it back to Kiwitea Street. It wasn’t the best spectacle. The pitch wasn’t conducive to playing really neat football and the wind played a part as well but we put away the chances we got and that’s what you have to do in these games.”
Earlier in the day, Three Kings United set up a double for Auckland clubs by beating Massey University 2-0 in the final of the ASB Women’s Knockout Cup.
85th ASB Chatham Cup final
Central United: 6 (Emiliano TADE 19’, David MULLIGAN 23’, Daniel KOPRIVCIC 45+2’, 71’, Ivan VICELICH 60’, Jason HICKS 86’)
Lower Hutt City: 1 (Hamish PRICE 90+2’)
Halftime: 3-0
Sunday 26 August
Newtown Park, Wellington
Central United: 1-Jacob SPOONLEY (GK), 3-Nick DALE (4-Kris CARPENTER 74’), 5-Takuya IWATA, 8-Jason HICKS, 9-Paul URLOVIC (45+1’) 13-Adam DICKINSON, 12-David MULLIGAN, 14-Jacob HALL, 15-Ivan VICELICH (captain), 16-Albert RIERA (10-Stuart HOGG 46’), 18-Daniel KOPRIVCIC, 20-Emiliano TADE
Substitutes not used: 17-Ouadhah RAGUED, 22-Blaz BUGARIN (GK)
Cautions: None
Coach: Chris ZORICICH
Lower Hutt City: 1-Steve BAYARD (GK), 2-Caleb DUNCAN, 6-Kade SCHRIJVERS (20-Taylor SCHRIJVERS 48’), 7-Taban MAKOII (11-Cam LIDSTONE 46’), 8-Hamish PRICE, 9-Tobias BERTSCH, 10-Hamish WATSON (captain), 12-Jarrod SMITH (14-Jack IMRAY 72’), 15-Martin PEREYRA, 19-Taylor HALL-JONES, 77-Andrew COAD
Substitutes not used: 5-Hayden STUTHRIDGE, 13-Shaun MELROSE
Cautions: 12-Jarrod SMITH 36’, 2-Caleb DUNCAN 38’
Coach: Brendan MCINTYRE
Jack Batty Memorial Trophy: Emiliano TADE (Central United)
Story courtesy of New Zealand Football.
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