OFFICIAL MATCHDAY MAGAZINE OF LOADED WAIBOP UNITED Issue 6, 2015/16
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Sunday, February 7, 2016 FMG Stadium Waikato Kick-off: 4.35pm
Photo: Photosport.
v Canterbury United
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A Few Kind Words Dwayne Barlow
For the second week in a row we play in the middle of a long weekend. This time we’re at home in what is our final match at FMG Stadium Waikato and penultimate home game of the season. While I’m not begrudging everyone another few days off, I’m guessing many will choose to use that time to do something summery like getting away to the beach. That could make it a little challenging to draw a crowd, which would be a shame. Like the Waitakere United game a couple of weeks ago, there is so much at stake today. After dropping points in Wellington last Sunday we just have to win this one. It’s the sort of game that is worth watching, particularly if you remember the corresponding fixture last season. I was at David Farrington Park for the Team Wellington game and it was an interesting old afternoon. The result was the result, and there’s far more qualified people than me to comment on that. Suffice it to say, I thought we were very unlucky to lose. Instead, being a venue I’d never been to before, I was able to watch how one of the ‘big two’ run their match day experience.
My big takeaway was that, with the team of staff and volunteers we have here, we compare very favourably with one of the top teams. This reflects very well on the effort, attitude and commitment of a number of people this summer, so well done us. Also, I was surprised at the lack of people at the game in Wellington. It looked like there was maybe a couple of hundred fans in (if you squinted). It seems crowds are down across the league, but there have been some very good games in Wellington since Christmas, so there’s no excuse about a lack of entertainment. This is something for everyone to address. Football is a game best viewed live and, while it’s superb to have the ASB Premiership broadcast on Sky, it’s just as important to have atmosphere at the grounds so the games translate well on the small screen. If you’ve chosen to come along today we’d like to say a big thank you for your support. Hopefully we can repay your loyalty with a result that moves us back into the top four. We also desperately want to play that song again...
THE RA ANGE E Official Matchday Magazine of Loaded WaiBOP United Editor Dwayne Barlow. Enquiries to dwayne.b@waibop.co.nz Contributors Enzo Giordani, Football Dad, Photosport, NZ Football. Images WaiBOP United unless otherwise acknowledged. Copyright None of the contents of this publication should be reproduced without prior permission. WaiBOP United Brian Perry Sports House, Wintec Rotokauri Campus, Akoranga Road, Hamilton. Board Chair Merv Williams. CEO Mark Christie. waibopunited.co.nz 3
From The Dug Out Peter Smith
Welcome back to FMG Stadium Waikato for the final time this season. What a match we have in store for us today against Canterbury United. After last Sunday’s defeat at Team Wellington we’ve probably used up any breathing space we may have had left if we plan on making the play-offs, so we simply have to find a way to win today. The result in Wellington was disappointing, coming as it did after a really good performance that should have been rewarded with something. But that’s the stage of the season we’re at. It’s all about results now and we learnt last
week, if we didn’t know already, that good performances don’t always get what they deserve. So we not only have to go out and play well today but we also have to find a way to win... which will be much easier said than done against Willy Gerdsen’s high flying Canterbury United side. I’ve watched Canterbury a number of times this year and I’m impressed with the way Willy has them playing. They’ve recruited well and play a tight brand of football, tied together by some excellent players. We’ll have to do most things right today if we want to win.
Loaded WaiBOP United’s Sean Morris tussles with Team Wellington’s Mario Barcia during our 3-1 defeat at Team Wellington on Sunday, January 31. Photo: Photosport.
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Today We Welcome Canterbury United
It would be b fair to say that Canterbury United is back. After finishing outside the play-offs in the last couple of seasons today’s visitors look well on track for a return to the post-season. Canterbury sit in second spot heading into this game, one point ahead of Team Wellington and Hawke’s Bay United, and four ahead of us. Our record against Canterbury United could be a good omen. While we’ve lost all three away matches, including 2-0 earlier this season, we’ve won our two home games. This includes last season’s 4-3 thriller at Cambridge, where we came from behind
three times and won it with a 90th minute strike from Fergus Neil. Coach Willy Gerdsen Player(s) to watch It would be easy to go with Aaron Clapham as Canterbury’s player to watch, because of his status as an All White and general all-round excellentness at ASB Premiership level, but we’ll go with another familiar name - Andre de Jong. Andre, son of Fred, has been a consistent standout for Canterbury this summer, turning in solid performances and scoring five goals in ten games to lead the way for his team. You should keep an eye on Clapham too. He really is very good.
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Football Dad Fritters and Fanta
The team van screeched into the gravel car park of Seaside Town’s only fish and chip shop, on the town’s main street. Well, it was the only fish and chip shop, as far as Football Dad’s club was concerned. On a previous visit the entire squad had come down with a bad case of gastroenteritis within 12 hours of eating at the other place, out at the bay. This time, the kids were singing. “Sevennnnnn…..nillll” they yelled in unison, a dozen tuneless voices reciting the scoreline. “Ohhhhh…..we won 7-0! Oi oi!” “We’re City United FC and we won 7-0!” Football Dad slammed a sliding van door shut, and bellowed: “Righto, that’ll do ya! Good to win and celebrate but now I have to feed you lot, which is no easy task.” The kids scrambled to the two picnic tables nestled between the chip store and the harbour shoreline. Girls at one table, boys at another. Football Dad strode manfully into the chip store. “$10 worth of chips and seven pieces of fish please,” he said grinning from ear to ear. The wizened little Asian bloke behind the counter spotted the crest on Football Dad’s chest. “Ahhhh, you a play football?” he said in broken English, a broad grin spreading across his face. “I play football, aaa, too!” The smiling chippie tugged at his own shirt, a battered AC Milan repro job from roughly 1998. He swung around to show off the number 4 on his back.
“Ohhhhh…..Maldini, he my favourite!” Football Dad burst with laughter. “Ha ha, he was bloody great all right! I was always a fan as well.” The kids were getting restless. Hungry, thirsty and some beginning to squabble among themselves. Football Dad needed some action behind the counter. “Mate, 14 lemonades too,” he said, tossing $30 in cash onto the counter. “This should cover it. Keep the change.” Swooping down to pick up a stray cardboard box on the floor, he grabbed his stash of lemonades and skipped out the door. His daughter was first to greet him, before the others shoved and barged their way individually to get a drink. “Stoked we won, Dad,” she said, leaning her head on his shoulder as they sat at the wooden table. “I thought we played pretty well. Because, y’know, 7-0 is a bit of a hiding.” He put his arm around his little girl. A moment of pride and quiet reflection. “You were very good today,” he told her. “Set up two of the goals, lots of good distribution…I’m pleased for you, darling.” She looked around at her team mates, content now with their fizzy drink, and able to smell – and hear – their food being cooked through the thin fibreplank wall of the old cheap store. “And I am pleased for everyone, Dad.” Check out issue 7 of The Range for the next instalment from Football Dad. waibopunited.co.nz 7
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Our Charity Macular Degeneration
Macular Degeneration causes progressive loss of central vision but the peripheral vision is not affected. It is the leading cause of severe vision loss. One in seven people over the age of 50 years is affected in some way and the incidence increases with age. The macula is the central part of the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. The retina processes all visual images. It is responsible for your ability to read, recognise faces, drive and see colours clearly. This is something that has the potential to cause functional blindness and yet is
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easily treated if detected early enough. Macular Degeneration is thought to be caused by genetic and environmental factors. People over the age of 50 years are at risk. If you smoke or have a family history of Macular Degeneration, your risk of developing the disease is much greater. You can visit our website for more information, including the simple test to detect vision problems resulting from damage to the macula (the central part of the retina). Visit: www.waibopunited.co.nz/aboutus/our-charity/
My Favourite Year Enzo Giordani
As we get closer to turning off our lights we thought it worth highlighting what this franchise has meant to football fans. Who better than Enzo Giordani, New Zealand’s leading football blogger, to explain in this three part series... Part 3: Our People Smith, Peter Happy clapping The first time I met Peter Smith was shortly after it was announced that he had got the WaiBOP coaching job and I had been invited to do a long form interview with him for my blog. I immediately liked him a lot. He was a gentleman and very generous with both his time and his thoughts that he was willing to share. One of the questions I asked him was “where do you see yourself in 10 years?” He smiled a cheeky Edinburgh smile and said “good question mate…” then, amongst other things, he told me that he wanted to build a legacy at WaiBOP. When I saw him before the Team Wellington game, played on my 39th birthday incidentally, he had a similar cheeky grin on his face. “Hey Enzo!” he exclaimed, “look at this!” He then proceeded to pull a crumpled up piece of paper out of his pocket, which he unfolded and showed me. It was a referee’s report. It detailed how Mr P Smith had been sent from the
technical area at Kiwitea Street the game before because he had “clapped sarcastically”. “Can you believe that??” I had to admit that I couldn’t. I begged him to let me take a photograph of the report but he sensibly declined. He was in enough trouble as it was! And so it was, for this game we were treated to the comical sight of Peter Smith watching on from the top of the stand at the pavilion end of the pitch, clapping and cheering with the crowd as punishment for the sin of clapping the week before. From there he got to witness, once again, his team come back from an early deficit. This time it was to take a 2-1 lead during first half injury time not long after goalkeeper Danyon Drake had managed a superb save from a well struck penalty right in front of where his coach was sitting! The second half was a white knuckle ride to the finish that Peter Smith enjoyed in the same way as the rest of us – living and breathing every second from the cheap seats, surrounded by fans and behaving just as raucously as they were with that Edinburgh grin still plain to see. As for me, if you say to any genuine football fan that all they are getting for their birthday is three points from their favourite football team, nine out of ten will be thrilled with that. Continued on page 15...
Welcome and thank you to our 100 Club Members Cambridge FC, Peter & Tanya Lawrence, Allfast Solutions, Rose Lynn Fashions, Phil Rogers Builders Ltd, Dincel Construction Systems, Bettle & Associates, DBMM, Davies Foods, Jet Creative, Printhouse, The Soccer Shop, H3 Group, Crombie Lockwood, Ebbett Volkswagon, MTF Vehicle Finance, Media Works, Fairfax Media. waibopunited.co.nz 11
#Ia amWaiBO OPUniited Federico Marquez (#10), Adam Mitchell (#5) and Alexis Varela (#18) were key performers during our superb 5-0 win over Waitakere United on January 21. Unfortunately captain Mitchell suffered a serious shoulder injury late on in that game. Photo: Photosport.
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VW
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...from page 11
And that’s a real statistic. There’s a study and everything (there really isn’t but there might as well be). On 31 January 2015, Roma drew 1-1 with Empoli, but that’s ok because my Italian team still finished second that year. And as for my New Zealand team: WaiBOP United 2, Team Wellington 1. Peter Smith was the first ever coach of WaiBOP United and he will still be the coach when the last person out the door turns off the lights in a couple of months from now. That’s not a bad legacy really, being the only coach ever in the entire history of a club! Certainly makes his odds pretty short on being the subject of a pub quiz question or two in coming years. But his real legacy will be that he took a franchise of easy beats and moulded them into semi-final contenders. Jones, Mark Player power You might think I blog every game I watch, but I don’t. Sometimes I go just for the simple pleasure of watching and being a fan without tweets to send, photographs to take or write-up angles to ponder. It’s nice to just relax, let off a little steam, and it reminds me what being a fan is really all about. And guess what happened? We came from behind just for a refreshing change of pace! Wanderers SC 1, WaiBOP United 2. It just so happened that this was the first leg of yet another double header for me. At full time I jumped in my car and headed straight across town from North Harbour Stadium to Bill McKinlay Park where the New Zealand Women’s National Team were playing Korea DPR. I did have media accreditation for that and was due to shoot from the sideline. I’m sorry, but I must digress here to tell you that I’m a terrible stalker. To exemplify this, a few months ago I tried to have breakfast at the hotel Roma were staying at in Melbourne for the purposes of meeting
a player or two. It was a disaster. I had to leave without seeing a hair on any of their heads because essentially I was a nervous wreck and couldn’t handle the jandal. To make matters worse, later that day I was strolling along the banks of the Yarra when Miralem Pjanic and Mattia Destro wandered along right towards me in their team tracksuits enjoying the sunny day. They looked straight at me in my Roma hoodie and, to my eternal shame, I just froze. Tragically, there was no selfie. I will feel like a failure for the rest of my life. But at least Pjanic kinda smiled at me, which was nice. I think it was mostly a look of pity but that’s not nothing… The point of this story is to illustrate that not only am I weak willed and basically hopeless, but also that one of the many wonderful things about being a football fan in New Zealand is you don’t have to stake out players at their hotels to meet them – although, on the flip side, taking a selfie with one would probably be seen as slightly lame… I dunno, maybe I’ll try it sometime and report back… But the point is, I think I could probably do that without freezing if I was a sad enough bastard. Our sportspeople, be they All Blacks or lawn bowlers, are all accessible and approachable in ways you wouldn’t see in Europe. And for the most part all our footballers are exceptionally nice people. They can’t afford not to be – they all have day jobs too! And even though our footballers walk amongst us, it’s still a bit of a thrill when they kind of know who you are without any stalking required! As I was sitting at Bill McKinlay Park waiting for the Football Ferns v Korea DPR game to begin, I heard a voice say “hey, you’re Enzo right?” I looked around and it was Mark Jones – no doubt in attendance to watch his partner Sarah Walker, who is one of New Zealand’s top referees, run the line. “I like your work and so do all the guys – we really appreciate it!” I grinned back my thanks. The moral of the story is that not only do you not have to stalk players in New Zealand Continued on page 17... waibopunited.co.nz 15
Thank You To our partners for the 2015/16 ASB Premiership
Loaded WaiBOP United is pleased to have a number of organisations join our football family for the 2015/16 ASB Premiership season. The companies with ads in this issue of The Range, as well as those shown on this page, plus others, are backing football in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty region. Scan the QR code to ďŹ nd out more about our partners.
MTF Matamata
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...from page 15
if you want to meet them, but also sometimes they stalk you! I might complain about the government sometimes, but I do love this country. Fred, The The inevitable conclusion You would think that the arch nemesis of any Waikato football team playing in the ASB Premiership would tend to be Auckland City FC. Weirdly, it’s not. It’s Waitakere. There are a few reasons for this, but mostly it boils down to history. Stick a pin in any calendar that shows Waikato football punching above its weight and have a look at who it was that ultimately crushed our little dreams with a steam roller. Nine times out of ten, it was Waitakere. It’s always Waitakere. Even when they didn’t directly do it, I promise you they were happy about it. Another thing too, I’ve never heard more anti-Hamilton nastiness come from the mouths of spectators as I have at some Waitakere games against Waikato opposition. I guess that’s because it takes bogans to know bogans… I should know. I’m from Hamilton and I live in Waitakere, five minutes’ drive away from the dreaded Fred Taylor Park – the scene of so many of those steam rollering occasions… I’m a bit of an unusual WaiBOP fan in that I don’t mind The Fred. I guess some of the underlying gripes around the perception of its location being in the middle of nowhere don’t really apply to me. And given I have chosen to live in the neighbourhood, treasonous as it might well be, there must be something about the place I quite like! Fast forward to 21 February 2015 and, as it so often does, it all came down to Waitakere. Unlike previous years, while WaiBOP needed to win here to keep our semi-final hopes alive, this wasn’t a Waitakere side to be particularly feared. They weren’t having a great year and we had every reason to expect three points to be well within our grasp.
But straight from the opening goal, it all started going wrong. Former Waitakere player Chad Coombes seized the early lead for WaiBOP in the 14th minute. I was ecstatic. Looking back, I shouldn’t have been happy about it at all. It’s just not how we roll. How can we play well, take an early lead and then expect to win a game? At Fred Taylor Park! I must have been out of my football addled mind. All was not lost though! We duly conceded nine minutes later thanks to a defensive brain fart and just like that, we were back in the hunt! Our second half performance was sublime. Seriously – we actually played really well, looking for all money like we would get the winner. For the last ten minutes we were raining shots down on the Waitakere goal like hail. Their keeper was working overtime – parrying left, parrying right, tipping over the crossbar, right up until FOUR MINUTES INTO REFEREE’S TIME ADDED ON WHEN…… Waitakere dinked a few counter attacking passes back down the other end and took a stab. Danyon Drake deflected it out for a corner. The corner flew into the penalty area and found the head of Derice Richards, who did exactly what Waitakere does. Waitakere United 2, WaiBOP United 1. So it ended in tears, of course it did. What else did you expect? But despite that it was, by a country mile, the most enjoyment I have ever gotten out of a National League season in New Zealand. The challenge now is to Hamilton Wanderers – better that for me and about 2,500 other people. If you can do that, you will have done a bloody fine job. The secret is not rocket science. He tangata. He tangata. He tangata. It is people. It is people. It is people. And if you want to go ahead and win the league – that’s ok with me too. Just so you know. For more from Enzo you should visit www.in-the-back-of-the.net. Really, you should. waibopunited.co.nz 17
Meet the Team Loaded WaiBOP United - 2015/16
Peter Smith Head Coach Peter Smith is in his third season as Head Coach of Loaded WaiBOP United. He took the franchise to 6th in its debut season (2013/14), 5th last season and hopes to go at least one spot better in 2015/16.
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Barry Gardiner Assistant Coach
.Neil Mouncher
Sunz Singh Trainer
Goalkeeper Coach
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Kirsten Laurence Physio
Janina Aricheta Physio
Graeme Kinney Manager
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.Brock Radich Manager
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01 Neil Achary
Scott Hilliar Defender
Goalkeeper
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Tyler Lissette Defender
Finn Cochran Defender
05 Adam Mitchell
06 Sam Redwood
Defender
Defender
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Mark Jones Midfielder
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Sanni Issa Forward
Ryan Tinsley Midfielder
09 Dylan Stansfield
10 Federico Marquez
Forward
Forward
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Mario Ilich Midfielder
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13
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Israel Whitley Defender
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Robert Gallegos Midfielder
James Hoyle Defender
17 Stephen Hoyle
18 Alexis Varela
Forward
Midfielder
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Wade Molony Midfielder
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Diego Viera Defender
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Maksim Manko Midfielder
Xavier Pratt Midfielder
21 Sean Morris
22 Cory Mitchell
Midfielder
Midfielder
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Zac Speedy Goalkeeper
ASB Premiership Wrap Round 10
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ASB Premiership Standings & Fixtures
2015/16 ASB Premiership Table P Auckland City 10 Canterbury United 10 Team Wellington 10 Hawkes Bay United 10 LOADED WAIBOP UNITED 10 Waitakere United 10 Wellington Phoenix 10 Southern United 10
W 8 6 5 5 5 4 1 1
D 2 1 3 3 0 0 1 0
L 0 3 2 2 5 6 8 9
F 27 19 23 21 22 17 17 6
A 9 14 16 15 16 23 31 28
Pts 26 19 18 18 15 12 4 3
2015/16 ASB Premiership Fixture List Date Nov 15 Nov 19 Nov 26 Dec 6 Dec 10 Dec 20 Jan 9 Jan 14 Jan 21 Jan 31 Feb 7 Feb 14 Feb 20 Feb 28
Opponents Team Wellington Waitakere Utd Hawkes Bay Utd Southern Utd Canterbury Utd Auckland City Well Phoenix Southern Utd Waitakere Utd Team Wellington Canterbury Utd Hawkes Bay Utd Well Phoenix Auckland City
H/A Home Away Home Away Away Home Away Home Home Away Home Away Home Away
Venue Gower Park, Hamilton QBE Stadium, Auckland Owen Delany Park, Taupo Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin ASB Football Park, Christchurch FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton Newtown Park, Wellington FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton David Farrington Park, Wellington FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton Bluewater Stadium, Napier Links Ave Stadium, Mt Maunganui Kiwitea Street, Auckland
Result 2-3 loss 5-1 win 0-1 loss 2-1 win 0-2 loss 0-2 loss 4-3 win 3-0 win 5-0 win 1-3 loss 4.35pm 3.00pm 1.00pm 4.35pm
* Please check for any alterations at www.waibopunited.co.nz/ďŹ xtures
P2P Physio The complete one stop physiotherapy shop in Tauranga for all your injury needs and preventative solutions. Phone: 07 571 1911. Web: p2pphysio.com. 22 waibopunited.co.nz
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Head Coach Peter Smith 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 25
Neil Achary Scott Hilliar Finn Cochran Tyler Lissette Adam Mitchell Sam Redwood Mark Jones Ryan Tinsley Dylan StansďŹ eld Federico Marquez Sanni Issa Mario Ilich Israel Whitley Maksim Manko Robert Gallegos James Hoyle Stephen Hoyle Alexis Varela Wade Molony Xavier Pratt Sean Morris Cory Mitchell Zac Speedy
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Match Officials Referee Chris Kerr Asst referee Hayden Tutbury Asst referee Carl Watkins 4th official Anna-Marie Keighley
Next home game v Wellington Phoenix Saturday Feb 20 1pm Links Ave, Tauranga
Head Coach Willy Gerdsen Ruben Parker Hanks Dan Terris Danny Boys Julyan Collett Tom Schwarz Dan Schwarz Arkin Kaua Aaron Clapham Michael White Gary Ogilvie Juan Chang Jesse Dingjan Daniel Ede Andre de Jong Jacob Allen Brock Messenger Aaron Spain Andreas Wilson Sam Maoate-Cox Angus Kilkolly Jackson Brady Coey Turipa Meysum Shafahi
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