The draw, made live on Radio Sport on Tuesday, also opened the possibility of a Chatham Cup final hosted in Wellington or Dunedin.

New Zealand Football confirmed that if the winter football showpiece, played on the first weekend in September, featured no Auckland team the game would be played at the ground of one of the finalists rather than North Harbour Stadium, the host of nine of the last 11 finals.

Bay Olympic coach Shane Knowles acknowledged a Caversham side in hot Cup form and within striking distance of a Football South Premier League title would be a big challenge for his team but that the chance of making a Chatham Cup final is ample motivation.

“They’ll be pretty tough down there there’s no doubt about it, but you’ve got to beat the top teams to win the cup,” Knowles said.

“The Chatham Cup is special, and it’s a high priority for us. All the players look forward to it and from a winter football point of view there’s nothing bigger than winning the Chatham Cup.”

Chatham Cup Semi-finals
August 14/15 - dates to be confirmed
Kickoff 2pm

- Caversham v Bay Olympic, Tonga Park
- Miramar Rangers v East Coast Bays AFC, David Farrington Park

Story courtesy NZ Football

Photo by Shane Wenzlick