Heavyweights Battle It Out

National League Championship Qualifiers, Cashmere Technical and Coastal Spirit will battle it out for the historic Morrison Mitsubishi English Cup on Saturday at 3 pm at English Park, the 104th time the trophy has been played for. The two neighbouring clubs were locked a season-long battle for the Southern League title, with Technical coming out on top by two points, with Coastal the only side to defeat Technical when they clashed in Round 12, with the two sides sharing the points in Round 3. Coastal also knocked their arch-rivals out of the Chatham Cup, so Technical, who have yet to give up a goal in the cup this season, will be out to deny Coastal what would be their first win in the English Cup.  

This will be Technical's eighth final on the bounce, having lifted the cup seven times in a row - equalling the record by Western: 1935 to 1941, finishing up as runner-up to Christchurch United last season. 

The two met in a dramatic Cup Final in 2018, with Technical captain, Tom Schwarz scoring deep in added time to lock the scores up at 2 - 2, with Aaron Clapham scoring in the 116th minute to secure the win.  

Five players will have the chance to become the first to receive the Steve Summer Medal - awarded for the Player of The Final, with Benji Lapslie, Lyle Matthysen and Garbhan Coughlan all winning it in Technical's colours, as did the inaugural Medal Winner, Danny Boys who is now at Coastal, with last season's winner, Matt Tod-Smith, moving from United to Technical.   

Path To Final

Cashmere Technical

Round 1:
v St Albans Shirley 10 - 0 

Quarter Final:
v Nomads 4 - 0 

Semi-Final:
v Christchurch United 2 - 0 

Coastal Spirit

Round 1:
v Waimak 3 - 0 

Quarter Final
v Parklands 6 - 0 

Semi-Final:
v Western 3 - 1  

Last Game in the Southern League

Selwyn and Dunedin City Royals bring the 2024 edition of the Southern League (SL) to an end when they meet in their catch-up games from Round 17 at Foster Park at 11:30 am. 

The Stallions will be chasing at least a point out of the fixture to move into 8th place on table ahead of Universities of Canterbury. The Royals are out to continue their dominance in the SL over Selwyn and do the 'double' over their rivals this season but above all the Dunedin side will be hoping for a hassle-free trip north after their recent fixtures have seen a series of cancelled or delayed flights.  

Head-to-Head:
Played 5 - Draws 1, Royals 4 wins   

Form:
Selwyn L D L L L L
Royals W L L W W L      

Previous Result This Season:
Royals 3 Selwyn 0 

Technical Chasing Back-to-Back Titles

Cashmere Technical heads north to Saxton Fields on Sunday to face Nelson Suburbs at 12:30 pm, with Technical needing the win to join current leader's, Dunedin City Royals on 25 points but will claim the Women's South Island League title on goal difference. 

Suburbs come into the game at the wrong end of the table and struggled to find the back of the net in recent games which is an issue for Technical this season, including a 10 - 1 over Suburbs in Christchurch in Round 3, but the scoreline did not reflect how well Suburbs played in the game and Suburbs will be looking to end the season on a high and cause the upset. 

Head-to-Head:
Played 3 - Technical 3 wins 

Form:
Suburbs L L L L L L
Technical L D W W W W  

Previous Result This Season:
Technical 10 Suburbs 1 

Article added: Friday 06 September 2024