KEY POINTS:
CHATHAM CUP
Mt Albert Grammar 0
Central United 7
It had been billed as a battle of men against boys and it was a schoolboy error in every sense of the word that decided this match before it had hardly begun.
After only 10 minutes, Mt Albert Grammar School goalkeeper Patrick George was sent off for bringing down wily Central United striker Grant Young inside the penalty area.
It was a reckless challenge, as Young played the ball around the keeper when bearing down on goal, and one George had plenty of time to contemplate as he watched his team-mates battle against the defending Chatham Cup champions.
MAGS were already trailing 1-0 in their fourth round tie and when Luiz Del Monte converted the spot kick, the game was over as a contest.
The school side didn't have a reserve goalkeeper on the bench and were forced to put captain Jonathan Raj, also their best defender, in goal. He did a commendable job but these wouldn't have been the sort of saves he'd have been expecting to make earlier in the day.
"We would have had a fulltime job playing with 11 without having to contend with the goalkeeper being sent off," MAGS coach Kevin Fallon said. "It wasn't exactly the start I wanted. It was a hard day for us, really."
It was a disappointing end to a terrific cup run that had seen them grab the scalps of Okaihau-Kaeo (9-0), Western Springs (6-0), Fencibles United (5-4) and Mangere United (2-0). It was also a run that sparked interest in a competition that has lost some of its lustre in recent years and one Fallon revelled in.
He carries an air of authority and was in boisterous mood early in the match but was left shaking his head and quietly talking to himself as Central racked up the goals.
The first came in the eighth minute when MAGS old boy Sam Campbell nodded in a header from a corner and they were 3-0 down by halftime after Young calmly slotted past Raj in the 25th minute.
MAGS weren't without their chances and two fell to skilful young winger Pomare Te Anau, who had a header cleared off the line and also missed narrowly with a shot after worming his way into the box.
Central, though, were able to contain their younger opponents and then break with speed and efficiency as MAGS tired and left big gaps in the middle of defence.
Del Monte added another penalty when Young was again hacked down inside the box, grabbed his hat-trick when his corner sailed straight in and then slotted a fourth when he turned his man inside the box. Substitute David Richmond finished things off six minutes from time.
"It wasn't a fair contest," Fallon reiterated. "The referee acted in the laws of the game and sent him off but it was harsh. The football match was over. I was ready to go home and get a cup of tea."Waitakere City survived a scare against unfancied Hibiscus Coast, winning 2-1 in extra time, to progress to the quarter-finals.
In yesterday's other matches, Glenfield beat Melville 3-0, East Coast Bays downed Metro 4-0, Miramar beat Lower Hutt 3-0 and Dunedin Technical accounted for Caversham 3-2. Nelson Suburbs and Avon, and Wellington Olympic and Western Suburbs play today.
