Coach Duncan Lowry's Chatham Cup dream alive at Papamoa

Straus Boom, left, in action for Papamoa against Tauranga Blue Rovers. PHOTO/ANDREW WARNER

Papamoa head coach Duncan Lowry wants to make a statement at his new club by winning the Chatham Cup this season.

The Waibop Premiership club, sitting fourth in the standings, will take on the might of Auckland NRFL Premier club Bay Olympic at Gordon Spratt Reserve from 2pm on Monday in round two of the iconic competition.

When Papamoa recruited former Tauranga City coach Lowry at the start of the season, they had a meeting to outline their goals. They introduced 16 new players to the club and sold the dream they were going to make a strong run in the ISPS Handa Chatham Cup.

"We are here to win everything," Lowry says.

"We are here to win the league. We want to progress in the league and the dream is to hijack the Chatham Cup and the reality kicks in on Monday. It is no longer a dream, it is a reality."

The Papamoa-Bay Olympic clash is one on 32 fixtures in the ISPS Handa Chatham Cup this weekend with all games being played on Monday.

Tauranga City AFC are also in action in the Cup with an away match against Metro in Mt Albert, Auckland.

Lowry's side defeated Tuakau 6-0 in the preliminary round and then beat Waiuku 3-1 away from home. Bay Olympic, as a NRFL Premier League team, had a bye in round one and will open their campaign on Monday.

The Chatham Cup Dates back to 1923 and is one of the oldest sporting trophies in New Zealand, with a real similarity to the spirit generated in smaller clubs by England's FA Cup.

"The Chatham Cup give little junior clubs like ourselves in Papamoa the chance to go head to head with the big boys. This gives us the chance to take on the likes of Bay Olympic, one of the big clubs up in Auckland, and it gives the players and the whole football community a bit of a lift," Lowry says.

"We are going in with the underdog tag, but this would have to be the biggest game for Papamoa for 20 years."

Papamoa are boosted by former All Whites midfielder Cole Peverley.

The 29-year-old played eight games for the All Whites and more recently enjoyed success as Premiership winner with Auckland City.

"Cole has just brought professionalism to the club. You just watch him on a Tuesday or a Thursday night and the way he strikes the ball, everything about him is calm, everything about him just lifts the team. It is great for the coaching staff as well," Lowry says.

"It is exciting for the club, which has 45 junior teams - making it one of the biggest junior clubs in the Bay of Plenty, to have a role model like Peverley for the next generation.

"There will be a lot of young boys, future All Whites, coming down to the park on Monday to see Cole Peverley in action for the first time, which is a big coup for the club."

Lowry well remembers the last time he was involved in the Chatham Cup when he was coaching at Tauranga City and Bay Olympic knocked them out.

He is hoping the result will be reversed on Monday and Papamoa can keep that Chatham Cup dream alive.