Taking on the hometown team Monash in the final of the eight-team tournament, Onehunga prevailed 1-0 thanks to a first half Liam Jordan free kick, which he bent over the wall and beyond the keeper, to book their place among 19 other clubs at the global finals from over 9000 teams that entered worldwide.
“The boys are ecstatic,” said Onehunga coach Leigh Kenyon. “But I don’t think they realise what an achievement making the finals of the Nike Cup is just yet. It’ll hit them when they get to Manchester.
“It was a typical final. We tried to impress on the team to keep playing football throughout but it’s not always easy when the pressure is on. We were up against the home side with a decent crowd behind them but the team remained calm and composed, and found an energy in the second half to get the result.”
Onehunga notched up group stage wins over Monash and Western Australia’s Forrestfield United, along with a draw against Bonnyrigg from New South Wales, before edging a tense semi-final against Queensland qualifiers Loganholme 3-1 in extra time.
Sports become the second ever New Zealand club to qualify for the global finals after Auckland’s Central United, who reached Manchester in 2007 and 2008, with Onehunga coaches Hiroshi Miyazawa and Kenyon involved with Central in the first of those campaigns.
New Zealand Southern region qualifiers Wellington College finished eighth in the Pacific finals with one win from their four matches.
Previous global finals of the Manchester United Premier Cup have given the world its first glimpse at many of today’s superstars including Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal), Fernando Torres (Chelsea), Lionel Messi (Barcelona) and Carlos Tevez (Manchester City). More recent graduates of the competition include England starlet Jack Wilshere who competed for Arsenal in 2007.
New Zealand age-group player Cameron Lindsay earned a trial with, and was subsequently signed by, Blackburn Rovers after competing for Central United in 2007.
Manchester United Premier Cup 2010
Pacific Finals, Melbourne
April 2-3
Results for NZ teams:
Final: Onehunga Sports 1 (Liam Jordan) Monash [VIC] 0
Semi-final: Onehunga Sports 3 Loganholme [QLD] 1 (a.e.t. 1-1 FT)
Playoff for 7th: Wellington College 1 Forrestfield United [WA] 3
Group matches:
Onehunga Sports 3 Monash [VIC] 0
Onehunga Sports 1 Bonnyrigg [NSW] 1
Onehunga Sports 2 Forrestfield United [WA] 0
Wellington College 0 Para Hills [SA] 3
Wellington College 0 Macquarie [NSW] 2
Wellington College 3 Loganholme [QLD] 2
Story courtesy of New Zealand Football.
For more on New Zealand football go to www.nzfootball.co.nz