Soccer: Central on track for cup hat-trick

Auckland's Central United are on track for a third Chatham Cup soccer title after ending Christchurch club Halswell United's plucky cup run yesterday.

Central - back-to-back cup winners in 1997 and 1998 - beat Halswell 3-1 before 1500 fans at Halswell Domain courtesy of goals by former All White Paul Urlovic, Heath McCormack and Brazilian import Luiz Del Monte.

Many of the Central players will get a chance to celebrate a national league-Chatham Cup double triumph when they line up in the September 5 home final against Palmerston North Marist at North Harbour Stadium.

Twelve of the Central squad were in the Auckland City team that won the inaugural New Zealand Football Championships title this year.

Central goalkeeper and captain Ross Nicholson - who saved a first-half penalty and set up his side's second goal with a prodigious goal kick in the second spell, said the cup final was a major goal for his players.

"Some of the guys haven't won it. There are about three of us who have won it twice [Nicholson, Urlovic and defender Greg Uhlmann]," he said.

"I don't care how many times I win it, it still means a lot."

In yesterday's other semifinal Palmerston North Marist beat Wellington Olympic 2-1 at Wellington's Newtown Park.

Marist coach Colin Tuaa was almost lost for words later, both at the magnitude of the result and from losing his voice due to the shouting he had been doing throughout the game.

"It is a fantastic achievement for the club and for the Manawatu region.

"There has been so much work done throughout Manawatu and now we are the first ones in the region to make a Chatham Cup final."

The bigger Marist team were strong in the air, winning a majority of contested headers and dominating at set-piece time.

- NZPA