The 1976 Chatham Cup was the 49th annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.

1976 Chatham Cup
Tournament details
Venue(s)Queen Elizabeth II Park, Christchurch
Dates4 September 1976
Final positions
ChampionsChristchurch United (4th title)
Runner-upEastern Suburbs
← 1975
1977 →

Early stages of the competition were run in three regions (northern, central, and southern), with the National League teams receiving a bye until the later stages of the competition. In all, 146 teams took part in the competition - a record for the time. Note: Different sources give different numberings for the rounds of the competition: some start round one with the beginning of the regional qualifications; others start numbering from the first national knock-out stage. The former numbering scheme is used in this article.

The 1976 final

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Christchurch United, coached by Terry Conley, became only the second team (after Waterside in 1938–40) to win the cup on three successive occasions. Seven players played on all three winning sides, among them future New Zealand captain Steve Sumner. Three of these players (Graham Griffiths, Brian Hardman, and Ian Park) had also played in Christchurch United's winning side in the 1972 final.

The final against Eastern Suburbs was a one-sided affair (United had had a harder task in their semi-final against Blockhouse Bay). The South Island side scored four, though the first of these was an own goal by Suburbs' Tom Bell. Norman Moran picked up a brace before the scoring was completed by Mark McNaughton.[1]

Results

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Third round

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Glen Carron (Palmerston North)1 – 0Kiwi United (Palmerston North)
Manawatu United (Palmerston N.)1 – 0Taranaki United (New Plymouth)
Massey (Auckland)0 – 1Cornwall (Auckland)
Petone1 – 1*Seatoun
Queens Park (Invercargill)1 – 8Dunedin City
Shamrock (Christchurch)1 – 8Rangers (Christchurch)
Waterside (Wellington)2 – 1North Wellington

* Won on penalties by Whangarei (5-2) and Petone (3-0)

Fourth round

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Manurewa2 – 4Eastern Suburbs (Auckland)
Stop Out (Lower Hutt)7 – 2Island Bay United

* Won on penalties by Mt. Wellington (4-2)

Fifth round

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Dunedin City0 – 0 (aet)*New Brighton

* Won on penalties by Blockhouse Bay (4-3), New Brighton (4-3), and North Shore United (4-3)

Sixth Round

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Semi-finals

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Semi-final replay

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Final

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Christchurch United4 – 0Eastern Suburbs
Moran 2, Bell (o.g.), McNaughton
Referee: T.G. Delahunty

References

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  1. ^ Hilton, T. (1991) An association with soccer. Auckland: The New Zealand Football Association. ISBN 0-473-01291-X. pp. 77-78