By Logan Smith
Playing at home in front of their own supporters will be “a great buzz” for Roslyn Wakari’s players who face Waterside Karori in Saturday’s Chatham Cup quarter-finals.
Head coach Terry Boylan told supporters via the club’s Facebook page:
“For the club, it’s a fantastic achievement.
“We’ve been there before as a club to the quarter-finals and semi-finals, and I was fortunate enough to be part of those experiences, but we didn’t play at home at Ellis Park.
“For this group, playing at home at Ellis Park against a good side in Waterside Karori is a good buzz, and they’ve earned it.”
Main photo: Roslyn Wakari head coach Terry Boylan … ‘they’ve earned it.” Photo credit: Roslyn Wakari Facebook page.
Terry Boylan: ‘Our pitch, our home, our way …’
Home advantage is something Boylan believes will be important to the club’s hopes of a semi-final berth.
“It’s our pitch; it’s our home; it’s our way.
“We’ve got our supporters there, and that’s the key thing for us, and by the sound of it, most of the club will be there at the game, which is great and good for Dunedin football in general, making the top eight.”
The Roslyn Wakari-Waterside Karori tie stands out among the cup quarter-finals, bringing together clubs that play at different levels of the game, and a long distance apart (it’s 800km from Ellis Park to Karori Park).
Roslyn Wakari have reached this stage for the first time since 2006 and are the only second-tier club left in the competition.
Roslyn Wakari compete in the Southern Premiership, which covers the Otago, South Canterbury and Southland regions.
As the tier below the Southern League, it offers a promotion play-off to the champion each year, with Roslyn Wakari currently four points behind leaders Mosgiel.
They arrive in the last eight of the cup, having defeated Thistle FC, Northern AFC, Otago University and Wanaka AFC in earlier rounds.
Four-time winners go into game as favourites
Their opponents, Waterside Karori, are perhaps better known by football fans as a Central League regular and former Chatham Cup winner as Waterside in 1938, 1939, 1940 and 1947.
Despite currently placing midtable in the Central League, Karori have been on a strong run in the Chatham Cup, knocking out Tawa, Western Suburbs and Napier City Rovers.
With their higher league status, they come in as favourites to clinch victory and march on to the semi-finals but will have to travel south to Dunedin and play at Roslyn Wakari’s home ground Ellis Park.
They’ll also have to become the first visiting team to beat Roslyn Wakari at home in 2023.
Most will fancy the visiting favourites to move forward but in cup football, anything can happen, and Roslyn Wakari will hope for the magic to continue.
Fixtures
Games to be played on Saturday July 29, 2023
Chatham Cup
Quarter-finals
Roslyn Wakari v Waterside Karori
Ellis Park, Dunedin, 2pm
Hamilton Wanderers v Christchurch United
John Kerkhof Park, Cambridge, 2pm
Wellington Olympic v Eastern Suburbs
Wakefield Park, Island Bay, Wellington, 2pm
READ MORE: Eastern Suburbs ready to face Olympic and their passionate supporters in cup >>>>
READ: Wellington Olympic’s programme for Eastern Suburbs Chatham Cup tie >>>>
Melville United v Western Springs
Gower Park, Hamilton, 5.30pm
Logan Smith
Logan Smith is a passionate football fan and volunteer, based in Dunedin, covering the Southern League.
Chatham Cup’s 100th year
To celebrate the birthday of football’s oldest cup competition, Friends of Football have been publishing special features about the cup and its past. Here’s a selection …
The greatest final ever?
Two replays needed in 1972
The unlikely underdogs
An improbable campaign in 2003
A happy birthday
The Royal Navy’s role in the cup
A gruelling schedule
The team that refused to quit in 2023
Final in Gisborne
Controversy and a classic final in 1983
Away from Wellington
How the final moved from the capital
All the past winners — Chatham Cup
1923 – Seacliff (Otago)
1924 – Harbour Board (Auckland)
1925 – YMCA (Wellington)
1926 – Sunnyside (Christchurch)
1927 – Ponsonby
1928 – Petone
1929 – Tramways (Auckland)
1930 – Petone
1931 – Tramurewa (Auckland)
1932 – Wellington Marist
1933 – Ponsonby
1934 – Thistle (Auckland)
1935 – Hospital (Wellington)
1936 – Western (Christchurch)
1937 – competition cancelled due to lack of entries
1938 – Waterside (Wellington)
1939 – Waterside (Wellington)
1940 – Waterside (Wellington)
1941-44 – no competition due to World War II
1945 – Western (Christchurch)
1946 – Wellington Marist
1947 – Waterside (Wellington)
1948 – Christchurch Technical Old Boys
1949 – Petone
1950 – Eden (Auckland)
1951 – Eastern Suburbs (Auckland)
1952 – North Shore United and Western (Christchurch) (shared)
1953 – Eastern Suburbs (Auckland)
1954 – Onehunga
1955 – Western (Christchurch)
1956 – Stop Out (Wellington)
1957 – Seatoun
1958 – Seatoun
1959 – Northern (Dunedin)
1960 – North Shore United
1961 – Northern (Dunedin)
1962 – Hamilton Technical Old Boys
1963 – North Shore United
1964 – Mount Roskill
1965 – Eastern Suburbs (Auckland)
1966 – Miramar Rangers
1967 – North Shore United
1968 – Eastern Suburbs (Auckland)
1969 – Eastern Suburbs (Auckland)
1970 – Blockhouse Bay
1971 – Western Suburbs (Wellington)
1972 – Christchurch United
1973 – Mount Wellington (Auckland)
1974 – Christchurch United
1975 – Christchurch United
1976 – Christchurch United
1977 – Nelson United
1978 – Manurewa
1979 – North Shore United
1980 – Mount Wellington (Auckland)
1981 – Dunedin City
1982 – Mount Wellington (Auckland)
1983 – Mount Wellington (Auckland)
1984 – Manurewa
1985 – Napier City Rovers
1986 – North Shore United
1987 – Gisborne City
1988 – Waikato United
1989 – Christchurch United
1990 – Mount Wellington (Auckland)
1991 – Christchurch United
1992 – Miramar Rangers
1993 – Napier City Rovers
1994 – Waitakere City
1995 – Waitakere City
1996 – Waitakere City
1997 – Central United (Auckland)
1998 – Central United (Auckland)
1999 – Dunedin Technical
2000 – Napier City Rovers
2001 – University-Mount Wellington (Auckland)
2002 – Napier City Rovers
2003 – University-Mount Wellington (Auckland)
2004 – Miramar Rangers
2005 – Central United (Auckland)
2006 – Western Suburbs (Wellington)
2007 – Central United (Auckland)
2008 – East Coast Bays
2009 – Wellington Olympic
2010 – Miramar Rangers
2011 – Wairarapa United (Masterton)
2012 – Central United
2013 – Cashmere Technical (Christchurch)
2014 – Cashmere Technical (Christchurch)
2015 – Eastern Suburbs (Auckland)
2016 – Birkenhead United (Auckland)
2017 – Onehunga Sports (Auckland)
2018 – Birkenhead United (Auckland)
2019 – Napier City Rovers
2020 – competition cancelled due COVID-19
2021 – Cashmere Technical (Christchurch)
2022 – Auckland City
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