Te Puke came closer than many might have predicted to a giant-killing act in the Chatham Cup on Saturday.
Drawn at near-neighbours Ōtūmoetai FC, who are sitting second in the NRFL Southern Conference to Te Puke’s next-to-bottom spot in the division below, the tie pitted an on-form team against one that has not had the best start to the season.
But those observations can go out of the window in cup football, where it’s just 11 against 11 and anything can happen.
Te Puke set out to disrupt and defend and it proved to be a successful strategy, with Ōtūmoetai unable to take control of the game, despite having more possession.
Te Puke's Andrew Skerten in a tussle for the ball during the Ōtūmoetai FC vs Te Puke match in the 2024 Chatham Cup.
The opening goal almost came when a clearance by Te Puke goalkeeper Ethan Ramsay struck Ōtūmoetai’s Lucas Arista forcibly on the head, the looping ball heading towards goal and hitting the bar.
However, the deadlock was broken when the hosts’ Jack Boland, on for Arista, was on-target, but it had taken the best part of half an hour.
Rather than settle the nerves for the hosts, the goal galvanised Te Puke, and the team hit back through Ben Day, who pushed it home from a corner as the first half was drawing to a close.
Playing down the slope in the second half, Te Puke continued to create chances and thwart the Ōtūmoetai attack. The introduction of Jonah Davies off the bench gave the visitors another attacking option on the right.
From a seemingly impossible angle, Ōtūmoetai retook the lead in the 67th minute through Dylan Monteiro, but still didn’t look comfortable.
A second Boland goal in the 83rd minute seemed to have put the game beyond doubt, but a break by Davies five minutes later saw Te Puke pull one back to keep the hopes of a comeback and an upset win alive.
A third Te Puke goal would have sent the game into extra time but, despite throwing everything they could at the Ōtūmoetai defence, the equaliser wouldn’t come.
