Torrential overnight rain couldn’t prevent a six-goal thriller at Saxton Field on Sunday.
“At 6.30am I sent a photo to Mainland Football showing all the surface water on the pitch. We delayed the 12pm kick-off for two hours and looked at moving to another local ground but thought this was our best bet,” says Nelson Suburbs coach ‘Skippy’ Stewart.
Once match referee Arron Nottage arrived from Christchurch, he joined in to help the Suburbs coaching staff mop away the surface water.
The hard work paid off but Suburbs, missing three regular starters, soon found itself in trouble on the field and trailed 3-0 at halftime.
But in a classic game of two halves, the home side scored all three second half goals to snatch a 3-all draw.
Māpua midfielder Ben Polak started the comeback, American Clancey Skea grabbed the second goal and Logan Bunning came off the bench to nail the equaliser.
Its first draw of the season keeps Suburbs fifth in the Southern Premier league, two places ahead of Christchurch.
Attention now turns to the Chatham Cup semifinal in Auckland on Saturday night with Skippy grateful for the huge support the club has received.
The trip is costing Suburbs $21,000, slightly less than for its semifinal in Auckland last year.
“The fundraising has gone really well thanks to great community support from local business and club members. A bingo night last week raised just under $2,000. Everyone has chipped in, it has been really good, but it is still a big ask for us.”
A Give a Little page had also raised $4,000 by last Sunday and Chatham Cup rivals Fencibles had even donated $2,000 towards the trip.
“I think New Zealand Football do contribute towards our Chatham Cup costs but we have to wait until the end of the tournament to find out what percentage we do get back,” confirms Skippy.
With the overheads in mind, Suburbs will travel to Auckland on Friday.
The New Zealand Darts Masters tournament is on in Auckland this weekend and that has pushed up the cost of flights and accommodation.
“So, it is cheaper for us to go up early. Quite a few people are flying up from Nelson for the darts, and we are hoping they will come to the football as well. We have also reached out to Auckland FC supporters to see if they can come and cheer us on too,” says Skippy.
Kick-off against East Auckland club Fencibles is at 6pm on Saturday night with Suburbs confident American midfielder Johnny Reynolds will recover from an ankle injury to be able to play.
Regular defender Lucas Hogg will be unavailable.
There are similarities between the two sides. Both are fifth in their regional leagues and Fencibles struggled as well at the weekend, losing 4-1 to Eastern Suburbs.
