1979 Chatham Cup
Encyclopedia
The 1979 Chatham Cup was the 52nd annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand
.
Early stages of the competition were run in three regions (northern, central, and southern), with the National League
teams receiving a bye until the Fourth Roundof the competition. In all, 131 teams took part in the competition. Note: Different sources give different numberings for the rounds of the competition: some start round one with the beginning of the regional qualifications; others start numbering from the first national knock-out stage. The former numbering scheme is used in this article.
. North Shore's Adrian Elrick
and Keith Hobbs appeared in both finals (the latter as a substitute in the first match), as did Mount Wellington's Tony Sibley
and Bill de Graaf. North Shore won the final for a then-record equalling fifth time. The final was the first of five in a row to feature Mount Wellington.
The final has been described as "the one that slipped away", as the expected venue, Newmarket Park, was made unavailable after a small landslide destroyed much of the playing area. McLennan Park in Papakura
stepped in as a replacement. Mount Wellington would have gone into the match as clear favourites, but the sending off of play-maker Brian Turner in the previous match rendered him suspended from the final,l evening the two sides up considerably.
In the first half goals were traded, with the Mount's John Leijh
opening the scoring only for Keith Hobbs to level the score for North Shore. Early in the second spell Mount Wellington's Stewart Carruthers was sent off, tipping the scales towards the North Shore side. The Mount were entrenched deep in their own half for much of the remainder of the match but Iain Ormond
was brought down in the box and slotted the ball home from the resulting penalty to take the cup over the Waitemata
.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
Early stages of the competition were run in three regions (northern, central, and southern), with the National League
New Zealand National Soccer League
The National Soccer League is a name given to competitions in which New Zealand's top soccer clubs play each other, at least two times, on a home and away basis . At the completion of the competition, the best-performed team is declared as the New Zealand champion...
teams receiving a bye until the Fourth Roundof the competition. In all, 131 teams took part in the competition. Note: Different sources give different numberings for the rounds of the competition: some start round one with the beginning of the regional qualifications; others start numbering from the first national knock-out stage. The former numbering scheme is used in this article.
The 1979 final
The final was the second all-Auckland final clash, the first having been between the same teams (but with a different winner) in 19731973 Chatham Cup
The 1973 Chatham Cup was the 46th annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.The organisation of the cup was changed from previous years, with early stages being run in three large zones , rathern than by individual associations as had previously been the case...
. North Shore's Adrian Elrick
Adrian Elrick
Adrian Coroon Elrick was an association football player who represented New Zealand.Moving from Scotland at a young age to New Zealand, Adrian became part of the Auckland football scene...
and Keith Hobbs appeared in both finals (the latter as a substitute in the first match), as did Mount Wellington's Tony Sibley
Tony Sibley
Anthony Sibley was a successful New Zealand soccer player who frequently represented his country in the 1970s and 80s.He finished his playing career for the All Whites with 48 A-international caps to his credit....
and Bill de Graaf. North Shore won the final for a then-record equalling fifth time. The final was the first of five in a row to feature Mount Wellington.
The final has been described as "the one that slipped away", as the expected venue, Newmarket Park, was made unavailable after a small landslide destroyed much of the playing area. McLennan Park in Papakura
Papakura
The Papakura District was the name of a local council territory in New Zealand's Auckland Region that existed from 1989 until 2010. The area made up the southernmost part of the Auckland metropolitan area....
stepped in as a replacement. Mount Wellington would have gone into the match as clear favourites, but the sending off of play-maker Brian Turner in the previous match rendered him suspended from the final,l evening the two sides up considerably.
In the first half goals were traded, with the Mount's John Leijh
John Leijh
John Leijh is a association football player who represented New Zealand at international level.Leijh made his full All Whites debut in a 6-0 win over Fiji on 29 June 1979 and ended his international playing career with 14 A-international caps to his credit, his final cap an appearance in a 2-1 win...
opening the scoring only for Keith Hobbs to level the score for North Shore. Early in the second spell Mount Wellington's Stewart Carruthers was sent off, tipping the scales towards the North Shore side. The Mount were entrenched deep in their own half for much of the remainder of the match but Iain Ormond
Iain Ormond
Iain Ormond is a former football player who represented New Zealand at international level.Ormond scored a hattrick on his full All Whites debut in a 4-1 win over New Caledonia on 17 September 1971 and ended his international playing career with 10 A-international caps and 5 goals to his credit,...
was brought down in the box and slotted the ball home from the resulting penalty to take the cup over the Waitemata
Waitemata Harbour
The quite famous Waitemata Harbour is the main access by sea to Auckland, New Zealand. For this reason it is often referred to as Auckland Harbour, despite the fact that it is only one of two harbours surrounding the city, and is crossed by the Auckland Harbour Bridge. The Waitemata forms the north...
.