Football: Rovers within sniffing distance of cup

Napier City Rovers left back Fergus Neil laces up before last night's training session.

Birkenhead United v Napier City Rovers Chatham Cup Semifinal

If anyone deserves to taste Chatham Cup football glory it's Napier City Rovers left back Fergus Neil.

The 23-year-old Napier Boys' High School teacher aide has probably had more severe injuries than most who play the round ball game at the highest level in the Bay. His right knee has required surgery on three occasions, the last time when he was in Ontario, Canada, last year. Then there was his horrific broken jaw in November 2013, which saw him reduced to eating from a straw for weeks.

Despite these setbacks, Neil comfortably commands a starting berth in the TSB Bank Napier City Rovers side and yesterday signed a contract with Team Wellington for this summer's ASB Bank Premiership.

He is one of four players in this season's Rovers team who played in the 2011 Chatham Cup final against Wairarapa Bush in Palmerston North, which Rovers lost 2-1, and is well-placed to make comparisons between this year's team, which won the Central League title with four games remaining, and the 2011 outfit that included this season's captain Danny Wilson, fellow defender and player-coach Bill Robertson and forward Josh Stevenson.

"This year's team is definitely stronger. In 2011, we over-achieved with the team we had but this year we would be disappointed if we didn't win the cup," Neil said.

Rovers, who have won the country's most sought-after piece of football silverware on four occasions, the last in 2002, will play Birkenhead United for the first time when they clash in Sunday's semifinal at Shepherds Park on Auckland's North Shore. Neil admitted to knowing little about the Northern League team.

"I'm sure Bill [Robertson] would have done plenty of homework on them and we will train accordingly," Neil said before the Blues trained at Park Island last night.

When quizzed on the key factor in the Rovers' success to date this season, Neil was quick to reply: "The coaching we get from Bill and his assistant Chris Greatholder. It's the way they get us to play and they probably haven't been given the credit they deserve."

As is the case with most successful teams, no matter what the code, quality defence is what wins titles.

"That's true in our case. We're able to press the opposition when we're defending, shut them down quickly and rob and organise our attack well on the fast break.

"We've had less goals scored against us [14 in the league to date] than the amount of games played and at the same time we've scored heaps of goals [78 from 19 games] too," Neil said.

While the Birkenhead United team will boast several players who have performed admirably at the annual Napier City Rovers Labour Weekend Under-19 tournament in recent years, the hosts won't be short of experienced hands either.

Keeper Danny Robinson, midfielder Chad Coombes and centre-forward Adam Dickinson have established decent Premiership reputations in recent seasons.

"Birkenhead United are a big club with a few national league players. But we're not fazed ... we've had a successful season and now we have another good opportunity," Robertson said.