Cup fever hits Dunedin tomorrow afternoon, with four matches in the Chatham Cup and Kate Sheppard Cup competitions being played in the city.

In the Chatham Cup, there are two fascinating local match-ups in store. At Ellis Park, Roslyn Wakari host Premier League rivals Mosgiel, while Green Island travel to Ocean Grove to face a talented young Grants Braes squad.

Division one side Grants Braes have been dealt an interesting draw in the cup so far - round one saw them travel up to Geraldine, before journeying down to Invercargill for a round two clash where they defeated a strong Old Boys AFC.

After clocking up 1,000km so far in the cup, Grants Braes manager Michelle Moss says the team are looking forward to hosting a home game at Ocean Grove tomorrow.

"Its' very good to be playing at home; the club, the team, everyone is really excited to have a home game, and is up for the challenge", said Moss ahead of their match.

Their two cup wins in the opening rounds is the first time the club has won two consecutive cup matches this century - a testament to the talent that has been fostered by coach Rob Mitchell.

"We've got a very young squad", said Moss. "I think the oldest player in our squad this year is 23, so it's going to be a great experience for them coming up against a Premier League team - they're all really excited".

"Most of the boys are locals who our coach Rob has brought through from youth teams at the club, which is pretty special".

If they are to advance to round four, they will have to defeat a Green Island side brimming with talent of their own.

Although this season has seen Green Island not quite repeat last season’s impressive league form, when they finished in second place behind Caversham, they did defeat Caversham in round two of the cup this year.

A good crowd is expected at Ocean Grove with both clubs actively promoting the match, and Grants Braes providing a cup atmosphere that everyone is welcome to be a part of, including a BBQ and activities for the kids.

Meanwhile at Ellis Park, Premier League (and soon to be Southern Championship) rivals Roslyn Wakari and Mosgiel clash at Ellis Park in what is expected to be a tight affair.

When the two teams met in the Premier League in April, Roslyn Wakari won 2-0, but Mosgiel ended the season very strongly - earning a 2-2 draw with Caversham, hammering University 7- 2, and then becoming the only team to take points off Southern Football League qualifiers Southland United at their home ground in Invercargill.

Mosgiel have plenty of attacking talent, with Riley Anderton and Regan Coldicott scoring 13 goals between them in the team's eight Premier League matches.

Meanwhile, Roslyn Wakari duo Nick Treadwell and Cam Anderson matched that tally, with striker Tennessee Kinghorn also chipping in with four goals. Kinghorn and Treadwell both found the net in Roslyn’s epic round two cup victory over Dunedin Technical.

Mosgiel didn’t contest the Chatham Cup last year, but came up against Roslyn Wakari in round two of the 2016 competition. Roslyn won that match in nail-biting fashion, winning 5- 4 on penalties after the scores were tied 3-3 after 120 minutes.

Both of tomorrow's cup matches kickoff at 2pm.

Article added: Friday 22 June 2018