SOCCER - Captain still burns with Cup fever

North Force takes a step into history this week with their first ever Chatham Cup-tie against Manurewa, but any pre-match nerves should be calmed by a player who has been there before.
Captain Bruce Plunkett can honestly say he's been as far as you can go in the competition after his Waitakere United side reached the final in 1999.
Because Plunkett's side lost the final 0-4 to Dunedin Technical, there is still plenty of incentive for him tomorrow.
"Anything can happen in a cup competition, you get a couple of easy games and then you find yourself in the last 16 and it's all on from there," he said.
"I've been to the final once, without any joy and I wouldn't mind getting back there again before I retire."
The 36-year-old said that North Force has as much chance as anyone in the competition.
"You just never know how you're going to do, look at the FA Cup this year, which saw Cardiff and Barnsley in one semifinal, I would have liked a quiet tenner on Cardiff reaching the final," he laughed.
Manurewa will offer North Force a tough challenge at Kamo tomorrow. The famous Auckland club beat Cambridge United 11-1 last Saturday and have won all four of their games to date in the revamped Northern League Division One - the same league as North Force played in last season.
"It won't be an easy match, I know a couple of their players that I played with many years ago and they'll be a decent side that have yet to lose this year," Plunkett said.
Scott Burgess is a doubtful starter in the match after injuring himself in a challenge that led to North Force conceding a late goal last weekend. Starting defender Adam Sharpe is also in doubt with injury and Plunkett said despite the excitement generated by the Chatham Cup, the team's main focus remains on the league.
"The league is the bread and butter of your season, if these guys are 90 per cent fit then they'll probably play, but anything less will probably mean they'll have a rest on Saturday," he said.
The players will undergo a late fitness test on Saturday morning to see whether they will play in the match.
The Whangarei arborist is enjoying playing in his second season for North Force.
"When I got here, I thought I was getting a bit old to play, but joining up here has given me a couple of extra years playing. They try and do everything as professionally as possible and I've really enjoyed playing football with some of the young lads here."
Plunkett has been back and forth between New Zealand and England since his parents emigrated here, playing in the Southern Conference League for Hayes FC and Wembley FC and here for teams like DB Wellington in the national league.
"I'm a bit of a hobo really, I've played all over the show, both here and in England," he said.
The match is preceded by the reserves' match at 12pm against East Coast Bays in the US1 Reserve knockout competition. The Chatham Cup tie is set to kick off at 2pm.
The other match of interest in Northland this weekend is the top-of-the-table NPL match between Kamo and Onerahi at the Airport Ground at 2.45pm.