Napier City Rovers have made the quarterfinals of the Chatham Cup for the first time since winning football’s national knockout showpiece in 2019.
Sweden-born Oscar Faulds scored the two second-half goals to win 2-1 after the visitors led 1-0 at halftime through an early goal by former Napier player Andrew Bevin.
There was a particularly big input from central midfielder Sam Lack, who was instrumental in making the breaks and pushing forward as the Rovers fought their way back into the game and claimed the victory.
The five-time cup-winners’ victory came after three years of scoreless fourth-round exits, beaten 3-0 last year by Wellington club Waterside Karori, 4-0 by Wellington Olympic in 2022, and 3-0 by Porirua club Western Suburbs in 2021. There was no Chatham Cup competition in 2020.