Auckland United stormed into the Delivereasy Chatham Cup Final in style at Keith Hay Park on August 16, seeing off Nelson Suburbs 3-0 to reach the showpiece fixture for the first time since 2009, when the club was known as Three Kings United. United were on the front foot from the outset, with Corey Wilson racing well out of his area to clear off the toes of the charging Daniel Olaoye in just the fourth minute. But the striker had just sixty seconds to wait to extract sweet revenge. Emiliano Tade and Will Mendoza worked a slick one-two from a free-kick, with the gifted Argentine's scrumptious low cross an invitation to score. Nelson couldn't clear the danger, and Olaoye duly took up said invitation, slamming the ball high into the net from eight yards. Nelson looked to respond straight away, but Dauntae Mariner' twenty-five yarder lacked the power to trouble Kai McLean. Unlike Jack Carter's lunging eighth minute challenge on Olaoye in the penalty area, as the goalscorer was in the act of crossing. Referee Ben O'Connell saw no reason to give a penalty, but the fact Olaoye had to be helped off the pitch after treatment, then watched most of the match from the sidelines balanced on crutches, strongly suggest he got this call well wrong. Penalties appeared to be on the referee's "Must Be Avoided" list in this match, as on the quarter hour, Nelson had strong claims waved away when Hideto Takahashi handled a ball above his head while leaping to attempt a headed clearance of Trevin Myers' cross. Needless to say, those wearing blue were as miffed as those sporting sand-coloured shirts minutes earlier. After the well-performed Lennon Whewell went down in between two Auckland defenders - again, no penalty was the call, Cory Vickers let rip from twenty-five yards, an effort headed over his own crossbar by the covering Takahashi. Myers' resulting corner was tipped over the bar by McLean, as the visitors enjoyed their best spell of the half. The momentum soon changed, however, with United back in the ascendancy around the half-hour mark, Tade inevitably the orchestrator of their attacking intentions. His free-kick from out wide saw Ross Haviland go close with a glancing header, while "The Magic Man" worked a one-two with Otto Ingham in the 32nd minute, the latter being thwarted by Marcello Riley's timely tackle in the area. The resulting corner wasn't cleared, allowing Haviland, who recently made his 400th appearance in senior level football in New Zealand, another opportunity to strike, but his volleyed attempt cleared the crossbar. From the resulting goal kick, Daniel Atkinson raced through on goal with just Wilson to beat, and duly slipped the ball past the approaching 'keeper. Alas for the United flank player, he steered it past the far post as well. In his eagerness to make amends, he then led a three-strong 36th minute raid before picking out Tade, whose twenty-yard grasscutter was smothered by Wilson. Ingham made a mess of orchestrating a four-strong attack two minutes later, but when Auckland next threatened, three minutes before half-time, they doubled their lead. Tade's chipped pass found Atkinson racing in off the right flank, from where his volleyed cross was parried by Wilson. Ingham's subsequent shot was blocked, but not that of substitute Matt Conroy, who was following in … 2-0. Myers spurned a great chance to reduce the deficit via a twenty yard free-kick in the shadows of the half-time whistle, but from the resulting goal kick, an untimely slip by Carter allowed Ingham to

scamper down the right and deliver a low cross which was thundered home by Tade - 3-0, game over, with forty-five minutes still to play. United sought a fourth goal early in the second spell. Tade evaded four opponents across the top of the box before battering a twenty-yarder into Wilson's midriff, while the massed ranks of Nelson's defenders thwarted Ingham's bid to make it 4-0 five minutes into the second spell. The retreating figure of Ilan Mastrocola-Simon prevented Tade from capitalising on Atkinson's enterprising run and cross soon after, before Nelson flexed their attacking muscles for the first time in the half ten minutes after the resumption of play, Ben Polak drawing a near post save from McLean after being picked out by Mastrocola-Simon's pass. Jarvis Vaai and Mariner executed shots more worthy of Eden Park than Keith Hay Park in the next five minutes, before Auckland once more started turning the screw in pursuit of a fourth goal. An Atkinson corner was eventually scrambled clear - pinball in the penalty area briefly prevailed - before Tade saw a shot blocked and Ingham fired tamely at Wilson twenty minutes from time. Tade, of all people, spurned a glorious chance three minutes later, scooping the ball over the bar from six yards with the goal at his mercy after Conroy motored down the right into the penalty area before setting up United's leading marksman. Back came Nelson, McLean producing a double-save to deny both Polak and Vickers, with the former brilliantly denied as the 'keeper flew high to his right to tip the top-far-corner-bound shot away from its intended destination. The resulting corner was cleared to Whewell, whose driven low cross screamed across the goalmouth - it only needed a touch to direct it into the net. None was forthcoming, however, until Myers, lurking beyond the far post, latched onto the ball and let rip … the upright shook violently, but McLean's clean sheet remained unsullied. Auckland had another strong penalty claim ignored by referee O'Connell when Conroy, on another right flank rampage which took him past two players into the penalty area, went to ground in the 84th minute. Three minutes later, McLean raced well out of goal to clear off Polak's toes, only to direct the ball straight to Whewell. Before he could exploit the open goal, however, the retreating figure of Ishveer Singh swooped to spare his 'keeper's blushes. Auckland piled on the pressure in stoppage time, with Wilson forced to keep out efforts from Oli Fay and, on three occasions, Tade, who, after his stunning exploits with Auckland City over the years, has now led their neighbours from the other side of Dominion Road to the holy grail of club football in New Zealand, the Chatham Cup Final. Their opponents on September 7 at North Harbour Stadium will be Wellington Olympic, who prevailed 4-3 on penalties over Eastern Suburbs after the teams exchanged first half goals in a 1-1 draw at Madills Farm. In a remarkable twist, it means history will repeat itself - the 2009 Chatham Cup Final was between Three Kings United and Wellington Olympic, with the latter prevailing 2-1. Needless to say, Auckland will be looking to turn the tables sixteen years on. Auckland:     McLean; Curry, Khaled, Haviland (Campbell, 68); Olaoye (Conroy, 14), Mendoza (Lim, 76), Singh, Takahashi, Atkinson (Fay, 68); Ingham (Manuel, 76), Tade Nelson:     Wilson; Mastrocola-Simon, Riley, Aitken, Carter (booked, 75 (Anderson, 79)); Polak (Hickman, 88), Mariner, Vickers (Jeffree, 79), Vaai (Cotton, 61); Myers (Ward, 88), Whewell Referee:     Ben O'Connell