PREVIEW: Coastal Spirit look to make more history in English Cup final

By Harrison Ryburn

Fresh from securing National League qualification for the first time in the club’s history, Coastal Spirit will seek their maiden English Cup title when they face Southern League champions Cashmere Technical.

The teams meet in the final at Christchurch’s English Park on Saturday.

Main photo: The English Cup finalists met in round 12 of the Southerrn League. Photo credit: Jim Watts Photography / @jimwattsphoto

Founded as a club in 2007, it’s been a season of many firsts for Spirit, who also reached the semi-finals of the Chatham Cup for the first time in club history last month.

They’ve suffered defeat just twice across their 27 games in all competitions, and booked their spot in the National League last week with nervy victories over already-relegated FC Twenty 11 (2-0), and UC Football (2-1).

Spirit have lost all four of their meetings with Cashmere Technical in the English Cup over the last six years, including the final in 2018.

Their record against Technical has been impressive this season, knocking their opponents out of the Chatham Cup in the second round (3-1), and drawing once (4-4) and winning once in the Southern League (2-0).

Those two defeats are the only two that Technical have suffered all season, in an otherwise similarly successful year.

Technical have dominated the English Cup over the last decade, winning it seven times since 2015, and six in a row between 2017-2022.

Christchurch United cut their run short in the final last season, as Technical suffered a dramatic 2-3 defeat to stop them from claiming a seventh consecutive title.

They wrapped up the Southern League title with a match to spare two weeks ago, beating Ferrymead Bays 3-0 and finishing two points clear of Spirit at the top of the table.

As such, they’ve had extra time to prepare for this weekend’s final, with the match also serving as a great chance for both sides to compete in a meaningful game before their National League campaigns.

Route to the final

Coastal Spirit have had a kinder route to this season’s English Cup final, having not had to face any Southern League opposition to this point.

They’ve scored 12 goals and conceded one from their three games against Canterbury Premier League (CPL) sides, opening with a 3-0 victory over Waimakariri United, before defeating Parklands United 6-0 in the quarter-finals, and Western AFC 3-1 in the semis.

Cashmere Tehnical’s route has been tougher on paper, but they’ve still rolled through to the final with little trouble.

They opened their campaign with a 10-0 win over St Albans Shirley, before defeating Nomads United 4-0 in the quarter-finals.

Two second-half goals from Garbhan Coughlan propelled Technical to a 2-0 victory over Christchurch United in the semi-final, advancing to their seventh consecutive English Cup final since 2017.

Players to watch

The head-to-head duel between the Southern League’s two most prolific strikers promises to be intriguing.

Garbhan Coughlan (31), the more experienced of the pair, is a well-known goal machine for Cashmere Technical, scoring 26 in the Southern League, and the crucial double against Christchurch United in the English Cup semi-final.

He showed what he was capable of with his goal against Christchurch United last week, an effort judged to be NZ Football’s Goal of the Week:

Alex Steinwascher (24), the new man on the block, has enjoyed a fruitful first season in New Zealand, and has been a key cog in Coastal Spirit’s newfound success in 2024.

The American scored 19 goals in the Southern League this season, and bagged the crucial double that helped Spirit to a 2-0 win over Technical in July.

The battle up front promises fireworks, but either defence will also want to stand up in an effort to close the other striker down.

Veteran Danny Boys (39) will be tasked with keeping Coughlan, his former teammate, quiet in the Coastal Spirit defence, having helped his side record five clean sheets from their final seven Southern League matches.

Likewise, Cashmere Technical captain Tom Schwarz (34) will hope to do the same against Steinwascher, and has the chance to marshall his backline to a perfect defensive English Cup campaign, having yet to concede a single goal in the tournament.

Fixture

Game to be played on Saturday September 7, 2024

Cashmere Technical v Coastal Spirit
English Park, Christchurch, 3pm

The English Cup

Named after Robert English (1874-1934), the English Cup was first played for in 1913 when Sydenham became its first winners.

English was the president of the Canterbury Football Association from 1911 till 1928 and and was largely responsible for the acquisition of English Park.

The park was named after him in 1915 to recognise his work, and he donated the English Cup for the annual knockout competition between Canterbury’s leading men’s teams.

Past winners

Steve Summer Medal

First introduced in 2017 and awarded to the Most Valuable Player of the final:

2017 Danny Boys (Cashmere Technical)

2018 Sean Liddicoat (Coastal Spirit)

2019 Benji Lapslie (Cashmere Technical)

2020 Lyle Mattysen (Cashmere Technical)

2021 Fraser Angus (Cashmere Technical)

2022 Garbhan Coughlan (Cashmere Technical)

2023 Matt Tod-Smith (Christchurch United)

Harrison Ryburn

Harrison Ryburn is a Canterbury-based football writer.

This story was first published on Friday September 6, 2024.

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