Bay boys stun mighty Miramar
THIS is what the Chatham Cup is all about.
David beat Goliath at Wakefield Park on Saturday night as Island Bay United – the seventh-placed team in the second-tier Capital Premier division – upset Miramar Rangers 3-2 to advance to the quarterfinals of New Zealand football’s beloved knockout competition.
Miramar, runaway Central League leaders, are four-time Chatham Cup champions but reputations counted for nought as Facundo Barbero, Callum Holmes and Luciano Colucci all scored in one of the most notable victories in Island Bay’s 83-year history.
‘‘We gave them a good shock last night,’’ said Island Bay co-coach Poasa Tubuna.
‘‘They didn’t expect us to play like that. But we battled well and the tactics worked out. We deserved that win. It’s been 11 years since we reached the quarterfinals. One of the stalwarts of the club, Mike Gaeta, he was the coach then. He is encouraging us to go a little better than the last time. We are humbled by the win.’’
It looked like being business as usual for Miramar as Henry Fa’arodo opened the scoring with a 13th-minute header.
But goals to Barbero, who finished a slick passing movement, and Holmes, whose deflected shot skewed past goalkeeper Phil Imray, gave the hosts an unlikely 2-1 halftime lead.
Patrick Fleming equalised with another deflected shot before Colucci landed the killer blow in the 71st minute, lashing the ball into the top-left corner to complete a fairytale win.
‘‘There was a great feeling at the club after the win,’’ Tubuna said.
‘‘We talked about having faith and belief and if we competed well and got stuck into our game plan, it was possible for us to have a win.’’
Tubuna said the team was a mixture of youth and experience, ranging from teenagers Barbero, Holmes and Ruairi Cahill-Fleury to ‘‘old hands’’ Paul Muollo, Ian Paterson and player-coach Martin Garcia.
Crucially, Argentinian Garcia has recruited four compatriots in Barbero, Mario Barcia, Marcelo Ricardo, and Justo Montenegro.
‘‘Martin getting the boys from Argentina has really helped the team,’’ Tubuna said.
‘‘After the win, the confidence and the morale in the group is topnotch.’’
Island Bay is in a rebuilding phase following Ole Academy’s decision to sever ties and revive their partnership with Western Suburbs.
‘‘We had no hard feelings about that,’’ Tubuna said.
‘‘We had to move on and we’re exposing a lot of our youngsters to play at this level. I think in the long run it will help us as a club.’’
The other confirmed quarterfinalists are Napier City Rovers, Central United, Cashmere Technical, Dunedin Technical, Melville United and Onehunga Sports.
The remaining fourth-round clash will be played next weekend with Bay Olympic hosting Hamilton Wanderers.
The quarterfinal draw is today.