Blues hat-trick hero Jonny McNamara commands the undivided attention of Tawa defender Thomas Hinder during the Chatham Cup clash in Napier today. Photo / Paul Taylor
Blues hat-trick hero Jonny McNamara commands the undivided attention of Tawa defender Thomas Hinder during the Chatham Cup clash in Napier today. Photo / Paul Taylor
Jonny McNamara didn't need a catalyst to find that chemistry on the park today, not that the midfielder ever does when he turns out for the Napier City Rovers.
That's because England-born McNamara was still suffering from the hangover of the Champions League euphoria at Anfield 24 hours ago.
Not surprisingly the 25-year-old Liverpudlian, savouring Liverpool's sixth Champions League crown, spurred the Thirsty Whale-sponsored Blues to an emphatic 4-0 victory over former Central League side Tawa to progress to round three of the national knockout competition at Park Island, Napier.
"It's a good feeling [with Liverpool] but this one was about Chatham Cup and to score as many goals as we can to see how far we can go in this tournament," a beaming McNamara said after claiming a first-half hat-trick.
Last season's golden boot and a contender this winter, Martin Bueno was wearing the captain's armband for the second time and was working tirelessly to open up the spaces against Tawa. He had also marshalled the Blues in their 1-0 Central League loss to North Wellington on Saturday although Fergus Neil is still the skipper.
However, Bueno kept falling foul of the offside trap at Bluewater Stadium but the striker need not have worried as McNamara had that portfolio tucked comfortably under his arm against the second-tier Capital Football premier league campaigners.
That didn't stop the South American from scoring one himself as the sides went into the break with the hosts 4-0 up.
"I know he got caught offside many times but his job is to score as many goals as he can for the team," said McNamara who has bagged seven goals himself this winter.
The grinning Englishman, who lives in Luton, claimed his treble in "perfect style" — claiming the first with a left footer, nodding in the second and then providing the sheen with the right foot.
"It was nice to do it all in the first half as well," he said.
Bueno tucked the ball into the net in just the fifth minute but teenage ref's assistant, Shea Hughes, pinged him for offside much to the Uruguayan's dismay. It didn't help that Gavin Hoy and Sho Goto had both clipped the crossbar seconds before that with Tawa goalkeeper Lance Ramaekers stranded.
McNamara broke the deadlock, 1-0, when he stretched the defence from the right flank to the left with a diagonal run before tucking it from an oblique angle past Ramaekers in the 25th minute.
That goal came courtesy of some sound advice from the cheap seats in the grandstand with a Blues fan yelling out: "Now stay on side, Martin Bueno."
McNamara claimed a brace when he casually tucked in a ball, worked diligently and patiently from near the right corner flag, for a 2-0 lead in the 31st minute.
By then the Rovers had got their tails up with even player/coach Bill Robertson forcing Ramaekers' hands with a shot, following a corner kick, at the far post in the 33rd minute.
McNamara claimed his hat-trick in the 38th minute. He had deftly brought to heel an aerial ball with Tawa centreback Doyle D'Mello breathing down his neck about 30m out. The redhead then swivelled, zipped to the edge of the 18m box before planting the ball into the net past Ramaekers for the 3-0 buffer.
Rovers striker and stand-in captain Martin Bueno celebrates scoring a goal in the 55th minute but ...
... sees the funny side when referee Edward Cook flashes him a yellow card for back chat after another disallowed goal for straying offside in Napier today. Photos / Paul Taylor
Bueno made it 4-0 two minutes before halftime when Thomas Hinder brought him down inside the box. He had Ramaekers diving the wrong way from the spot kick.
The signs were ominous for the Wellingtonians when Hoy clipped the crossbar within a minute or two of play resuming in the second half.
The damage could have been worse but player/coach Ramaekers' men did remarkably well not to concede any goals in the second half.
Nevertheless, the Blues had created countless opportunities but lacked the polish to deposit the ball into the net although it would have been tough to find the motivation with such a yawning halftime score.
Just as Bueno had been caught offside at least half a dozen times, the Rovers had clipped the woodwork on as many occasions.
"He did not say anything to me this time but he celebrated with me for once so that was nice," said McNamara of Bueno with a laugh.
Having lost two matches on the trot in the league, he said, it was imperative for the Blues to bounce back.
The cup fixtures were an ideal distraction from the monotony of the league, he said after the bitterly cold conditions at Alex Moore Park on Saturday in the capital where the Wellington Olympic clash was cancelled.
