Waiheke United coach Malcolm McPherson says his team of international players has some understanding of how important the ISPS Handa Chatham Cup is to New Zealand clubs, but he expects that to go to another level this weekend.

The NRFL Division One team, which has a mix of South Americans, Serbians, Nigerians, Welsh and Kiwis, will travel south tomorrow to take on NRFL Division Two team Cambridge at John Kerkhof Park in the opening round of the ISPS Handa Chatham Cup.

The Waiheke United v Cambridge fixture is one of 47 games on this weekend as one of New Zealand’s oldest sporting competitions gets underway around the country.

McPherson, who previously enjoyed success in the Chatham Cup when Eastern Suburbs held aloft the trophy in 2015, said his team is improving all the time as they look to build on their recent success.  

“I am not sure if all our players know the significance of the Chatham Cup, but more importantly they know how important it is to keep performing to stay in the side,” he said. “The Chatham Cup is a good opportunity for us to get back to winning ways [after losing 2-1 to Melville in the league]. Our players are looking forward to having a good run in the cup and we’ll be giving it our all this weekend in Cambridge.”

Waiheke United have been one of the talking point of grassroots football in recent years. They have been promoted through six divisions in as many years in a remarkable run. 

“So no pressure on me coming in,” said McPherson with a laugh. “We are still on track for trying to keep that record intact. It is always a tough challenge in the league but this is quite a nice distraction. I certainly didn’t take the job to consolidate our position, I am pretty ambitious as a coach and I have set my target on trying to get promoted in year one.” 

But this weekend is all about the ISPS Handa Chatham Cup and McPherson said from a club perspective, it’s the pinnacle competition in New Zealand. 

“The further the rounds go, the more exciting it gets. When you get to the quarter-finals and the semi-finals – not that we are looking that far ahead – the better it gets. It is a pretty special competition and the players will always have fond memories of it. We won it a few years ago when we were at Eastern Suburbs and that was a really special day. We have a couple of guys in this squad who were part of that. That has been part of the talk this week, just ask those players what it was like to lift that trophy.”

McPherson is expecting a tough challenge first up in Cambridge. First of all there is a four-hour journey – including the ferry ride for Waiheke to Auckland – for many of their players to contend with and then they face a side who is keen to bounce back after losing 8-1 to Franklin United in the NRFL Division Two last weekend.

“They didn’t have a great result last weekend which won’t do us any favours. I think they will be even more motivated to make amends. We are a real cosmopolitan mix going on and we are just starting to come together as a group. We are a good side to be fair, we have some good players and we will cause most teams problems, but we know that we need to go down there and be as well prepared as possible.”

All of the results from the ISPS Handa Chatham Cup will be available over the weekend on www.nzfootball.co.nz

ISPS Handa Chatham Cup Round One

Saturday 12 May

Nelson Suburbs vs FC Nelson, 12pm, Saxton Field
Queens Park vs Northern, 12pm, ILT Football Turf
Kapiti Coast United vs Martinborough, 1pm, Weka Park
Wellington Olympic vs Petone, 1.30pm, Wakefield Park
Nomads United vs Cashmere Technical, 1.30pm, Tulett Park
Glen Eden United vs Bucklands Beach, 2pm, Parrs Park
Lynn-Avon United vs Melville United, 2pm, Ken Maunder Park
Taupo vs University of Auckland, 2pm, Crown Park
Greenhithe vs Manurewa, 2pm, QBE Stadium 4
Waiuku vs Papamoa, 2pm, Massey Park
University-Mt Wellington vs Oratia United, 2pm, Bill McKinlay Park
North Shore United vs Papakura City, 2pm, Allen Hill Stadium
Claudelands Rovers vs Fencibles United, 2pm, Galloway Park
Onehunga Mangere United vs Hibiscus Coast, 2pm, Mangere Domain
Forrest Hill Milford United vs Internationale, 2pm, Becroft Park
West Hamilton United vs Franklin United, 2pm, Weka Street
Mt Albert Ponsonby vs Navy, 2pm, Anderson Park
Te Atatu vs Metro, 2pm, Te Atatu Peninsula Park
Waikato Unicol vs Ngaruawahia United, 2pm, Jansen Park
Albany United vs Warkworth, 2pm, Rosedale Park
Onerahi vs Takapuna, 2pm, Onerahi Airport
Wanganui Athletic vs Palmerston North Marist, 2pm, Wembley Park
Marist vs Wainuiomata, 2pm, Miramar Park
Tawa vs Western Suburbs, 2pm, Redwood Park
Stokes Valley vs Island Bay United, 2pm, Delaney Park
Coastal Spirit vs Waimakariri United, 2pm, Cuthberts Green
Parklands United vs Selwyn United, 2pm, Parklands Reserve
Western vs Halswell United, 2pm, Walter Park
Ferrymead Bays vs Universities, 2pm, Ferrymead Park
Dunedin Technical vs Gore Wanderers, 2pm, Tahuna Park
Green Island vs Caversham, 2pm, Sunnyvale Park
Thistle (Timaru) vs Old Boys, 2pm, Anzac Square
West End vs Roslyn Wakari, 2pm, West End Park
Otago University vs Queenstown Rovers, 2pm, Caledonian Ground
FC Twenty 11 vs Burwood, 2.15pm, Avonhead Park
Cambridge vs Waiheke United, 2.30pm, John Kerkhof Park
North Wellington vs Brooklyn Northern United, 2.30pm, Alex Moore Park
HNK Auckland vs Waitemata, 3pm, Croatian Cultural Club
Ellerslie vs Te Awamutu, 3pm, Michaels Ave Reserve
Upper Hutt City vs Seatoun, 3pm, Maidstone Park
Rangers (Blenheim) vs Tahuna, 3pm, A&P Park
|Thistle (Invercargill) vs Mosgiel, 3pm, ILT Football Turf
Victoria University vs Naenae, 5.15pm, Boyd Wilson Field
Lower Hutt City vs Miramar Rangers, 5.45pm, Fraser Park

Sunday 13 May

Kiwi True Blues vs Tauranga City United, 12pm, Michaels Ave Reserve|
Geraldine vs Grants Braes, 1pm, Geraldine Domain
Napier City Rovers vs North End, 2pm, Bluewater Stadium

Byes

Hamilton Wanderers, Western Springs, Onehunga Sports, Glenfield Rovers, Waitakere City, Manukau United, Three Kings United, East Coast Bays, Birkenhead United, Eastern Suburbs, Central United, Bay Olympic, Havelock North Wanderers, Wellington United, Stop Out, Wairarapa United, Waterside Karori