1983 Chatham Cup
Encyclopedia
The 1983 Chatham Cup was the 56th 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 round of the competition. In all, 139 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.
, one of the two finalists. The replay was at the home ground of the other finalist, Mount Wellington.
Mount Wellington appeared in their fifth consecutive final - the only club to have achieved this feat up until this time (it has since also been achieved by Christchurch United, between 1987 and 1991). Mount players Tony Sibley
and Ron Armstrong
joined an elite group to have played in four Chatham Cup-winning sides, having previously played in Mount Wellington's victories in 1973
, 1980
, and 1982
.
The first match was a gritty, evenly matched affair, with any superiority which Mount Wellington may have had largely counteracted by the efforts of the vocal East Coast spectators. Fred de Jong
opened the scoring for the Aucklanders after 14 minutes, only for Colin Walker to equalise halfway through the first half. In the second period Walker put the East Coasters ahead, and they held the advantage until the dying minutes when Keith Nelson
, scorer of the only goal in the 1982 final, scored for the Mount to level the tie. Gisborne held on during extra time despite the Mount dominating the extra half hour.
The replay, under floodlights at Mount Wellington's ground, was far less balanced. The Mount took the lead on the half hour mark with a John Price penalty, and the game was put firmly out of Gisborne's reach just before the final whistle by a shot from Nelson.
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 round of the competition. In all, 139 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 1983 final
The final was played at the home ground of Gisborne CityGisborne City
Gisborne City FC is a soccer club in Gisborne, New Zealand who play in the eastern league 1st division. Their home ground is Childers Road. They have won the National League, Air New Zealand cup, and the Chatham Cup....
, one of the two finalists. The replay was at the home ground of the other finalist, Mount Wellington.
Mount Wellington appeared in their fifth consecutive final - the only club to have achieved this feat up until this time (it has since also been achieved by Christchurch United, between 1987 and 1991). Mount players 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 Ron Armstrong
Ron Armstrong
Ronald W Armstrong is a former New Zealand association football player who represented New Zealand.Armstrong made his full All Whites debut in a 2-4 loss to New Caledonia on 18 July 1971 and he ended his international playing career with 25 A-international caps to his credit, his final cap being in...
joined an elite group to have played in four Chatham Cup-winning sides, having previously played in Mount Wellington's victories in 1973
1973 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...
, 1980
1980 Chatham Cup
The 1980 Chatham Cup was the 53rd annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.Early stages of the competition were run in three regions , with the National League teams receiving a bye until the Fourth Round of the competition. In all, 93 teams took part in the competition...
, and 1982
1982 Chatham Cup
The 1982 Chatham Cup was the 55th annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.Early stages of the competition were run in three regions , with the National League teams receiving a bye until the Fourth Round of the competition. In all, 125 teams took part in the competition...
.
The first match was a gritty, evenly matched affair, with any superiority which Mount Wellington may have had largely counteracted by the efforts of the vocal East Coast spectators. Fred de Jong
Fred de Jong
Fred de Jong was a New Zealand football striker who represented his country.-Club career:He player senior football with Mt. Wellington before moving to Australia, helping Marconi Stallions to consecutive National Soccer League titles in 1988 and 1989. De Jong then took advantage of his heritage,...
opened the scoring for the Aucklanders after 14 minutes, only for Colin Walker to equalise halfway through the first half. In the second period Walker put the East Coasters ahead, and they held the advantage until the dying minutes when Keith Nelson
Keith Nelson (footballer)
Keith Nelson is a former association football player who represented New Zealand at international level.Nelson made his full All Whites debut in a 3-0 win over New Caledonia on March 5, 1977 and ended his international playing career with 20 A-international caps and 16 goals to his credit,...
, scorer of the only goal in the 1982 final, scored for the Mount to level the tie. Gisborne held on during extra time despite the Mount dominating the extra half hour.
The replay, under floodlights at Mount Wellington's ground, was far less balanced. The Mount took the lead on the half hour mark with a John Price penalty, and the game was put firmly out of Gisborne's reach just before the final whistle by a shot from Nelson.