Soccer: Former greats savour return to the spotlight

Two of the great names of New Zealand club soccer, now fallen on harder times, stepped into the Chatham Cup quarter-finals yesterday.

Both Eastern Suburbs and North Shore United, now no longer in the country's national league, were striving to show there is life outside the top competition.

The weekend finished with delight for one, despair for the other.

At Madills Farm, the five-times Chatham Cup winners Eastern Suburbs took on Dunedin Technical.

The southern team were favoured but Eastern Suburbs, perhaps inspired by some of the oldtimers of their 1951 and 1953 cup-winning teams on the sidelines, grabbed the win, 2-1, in extra time.

Both goals were scored by Andrew Webber.

At Allen Hill Stadium in Devonport yesterday, North Shore fancied their chances of toppling Christchurch City.

But 10 minutes into the second half, any chance seemed to have disappeared as City built up a 2-0 lead.

Then goals from Steve Callinan and Julian Sills threw North Shore a lifeline.

But the dream shattered just as extra time approached when Michael Sands dashed the Shore hopes with the decisive goal.