Otago United cruised into the final of the national youth league with a 1-0 win over Canterbury in Christchurch on Saturday.
Otago will play Auckland, which beat Waikato 4-1 in the northern playoff, in the national final.
As well as a champion squad, Canterbury had an impressive line-up of former and fringe All Whites as staff coaches on Saturday, with Danny Halligan, Ceri Evans and Aaron Clapham all present.
With so much to play for, it was a physical encounter, and chances were created at both ends.
Building on a flawless performance by Peter Overmire in central defence, Otago repulsed the best Canterbury could muster in attack.
Otago kept things tight and had enough pace in attack to keep Canterbury worried. With about 20 minutes to go, coach Tony Martin gambled on changing to a 4-3-3 formation and in chasing the game, hit the jackpot.
From a free kick in the 80th minute, a wave of blue shirts pushed forward, and from the resulting goalmouth melee, Finn Moore's quick feet got to an attempted clearance and smashed it into the Canterbury net via the underside of the crossbar.
It was 1-0 to Otago, and tails were up. After more end-to-end stuff, referee Hugh McCabe's final whistle brought relief and some ecstatic Otago celebrations.
Plus, it left the question: where will the final be played?Reportedly, a coin was tossed last year to decide the venue, and Otago management looks forward to the prospect of a home match.
Canterbury beat Waitakere last year in the final played at Bill McKinlay Park, in Auckland. New Zealand Football will make a decision this week regarding home advantage.
Youth football
The scores
Otago United 1
Finn Moore 70
Canterbury 0
Halftime: 0-0.
