Football: Rovers set records with win

Miles John (left) scored his first Central League goal for Napier. Photo / File

Petone 1 Napier City Rovers 2 Central League Football

Should Napier City Rovers fail to win the Chatham Cup in a fortnight it won't be through an unfamiliarity with success. The Central League champions added the O'Brien Shield to their season's list of trophies with Saturday's 2-1 win against Petone in their final league outing of the season, at Lower Hutt's Memorial Park. Petone were the only team to beat TSB Bank Napier City Rovers earlier in the season.

"It was good to bring the shield home as we owed them one. It was also a fantastic achievement to smash the record for the numbers of goals scored in a 10-team league season too," player-coach Bill Robertson said.

He was referring to the fact his team finished the season with 80 goals, 12 more than the previous record for a 10-team league and one less than the league record set by Gisborne City in 1996 when it was a 12-team league. The Danny Wilson-captained Blues also equalled the record for the most league points in a season, 49, set by Wellington Olympic in 2010.

"It was a really good performance and we dominated most of the game," defender Robertson said.

He scored the winning goal with two minutes remaining. The score was 1-all at halftime and Miles John scored his first league goal of the season for the Blues in the first half.

"Miles was always a threat. We brought him up higher so he could play at right midfield or right forward," Robertson explained.

"While the score does not do justice to our performance we know our execution, in terms of finishing, could be better. It's only a matter of time until we get more goals and that's a good sign two weeks out from a Chatham Cup final," Robertson said.

Petone defended deep as they did when they beat Napier 1-0 at Bluewater Stadium on May 24.

The Blues will play Auckland's Eastern Suburbs in the Chatham Cup final on September 20 in Auckland. Robertson pointed out his troops will have a big training schedule before travelling north.

"We're always looking to improve ... that's a big focus for us. We'll do our homework on Eastern Suburbs and come up with a plan we think will benefit us. Finishing will be just one of the work ons we deal with," Robertson added.

If Rovers capture the Chatham Cup, the most prestigious football trophy in the country, it will be the fifth time in the club's 42-year history " the last in 2002.