Melville will be entering their most important match of the season when they host Waterside Karori in the Chatham Cup semifinals at Gower Park No 1 at 5.30pm on Saturday August 19.

But they will be doing so on the back of two modest northern league away performances in the past fortnight, in which they could only draw with a lowly Bay Olympic which is battling relegation, and then went down 0-2 away to Birkenhead seven days later.

However there were mitigating circumstances in both instances, with a number of players injured, suspended or just rested in preparation for Waterside.

Against Bay Olympic a 28th-minute worldy from 19-year-old winger Ry McLeod earned Melville a 1-1 draw away on artificial turf at Crum Park.

And while a draw may seem disappointing, the point gained did take Melville to 22 points - and history shows that in a 12-team premier league that is usually the mark where you are safe from relegation. 

McLeod took his goal superbly after advancing down the left flank. he chopped inside and  brilliantly curled home a right-footer into the top corner from outside the area.

The Unicorns were without Aaron Scott, who was busy running a marathon as part of a stag night agenda for Dave Samson, a former Melville player of over 100 appearances between 2003 and 2011.

Also missing were Sean Liddicoat (suspended and injured) and Liam Hayes (suspended) so there was an ever greener look than usual to the Melville line-up, though on the credit side Campbell Brown earned his first start in 18 weeks - and it was the first time he and George Brown had started in the same Melville XI. And though he never got on the pitch, young Reserves defender Gus Foy had been called into the squad. 

Indeed, in a throwaway remark coach Jarrod Young even described the Melville team as "Erik Panzer and his grandchildren".

Feature of the Bay game was a very good equaliser from former Melville Academy player Sean Leadley - and it also took a remarkable late save from Max Tommy to prevent Leadley netting again.

Against Birkenhead Scott and Hayes returned but Jerson Lagos was rested and Tommy withdrew after the warmup with a calf complaint for Nate Camplin to stand between the sticks.

Camplin played the Chatham Cup tie against Otumoetai but this was his northern premier league debut.

They've done a lot of development work at Shepherds' Park, but the concrete path is very close to the pitch at the eastern end and when George Brown was bundled into the concrete after about 20 min, he retired for Thomas Cave to come on for his northern league debut.

Late in the game Torhan Kurnaz became the 29th player to turn out for Melville this season when he made his debut.

Melville fell behind in the fifth minute to a strong shot against Birkenhead, and conceded another just before half time, but played some good football in the second half, considering the team's inexperience.

Liddicoat is now out for the season with the knee injury he sustained in the Western Springs tie, but George Brown will be back, as will Tommy, sore calf or not, and Quinton Kipara.

Melville have never played Waterside in the modern era, but parent club Waikato United did beat them 3-0 in the national round of the Superclub Championship at Muir Park in 1993.

Waterside have won the Chatham Cup four times - though not since 1947.

On their road to the semis they have beaten Tawa 2-0 (A), Western Suburbs 1-0 (H), Napier City Rovers 3-0 (A) and Dunedin's Roslyn-Wakari 5-2 (A).

# On Tuesday at 7.30pm Melville are away to West Coast Rangers at Fred Taylor Park in a catch up northern league match. 

# Melville U-18 women beat Fencibles 2-1 under lights at Gower Park on Monday in their girls youth national league qualifying match in Pool B. In a previous round they had been beaten 7-2 by Western Springs. Melville now face Ellerslie away at 12 noon on Saturday August 19.

Article added: Wednesday 16 August 2023