With the pressure on, Napier City Rovers discovered a new hero to nail their spot in New Zealand Football’s elite National League. Neil Reid reports.
Napier City Rovers have qualified for football’s National League for a third successive season.
And in the process of Sunday’s round 17 Central League win over North Wellington – which secured their place in the 10-team National League with one round still to play – the side sensationally rediscovered their attacking form in the 6-1 rout.
A big part of that was thanks to Ben Stanley who capped his recall to the starting 11 by scoring two goals and playing a leading role in others scored by teammates at Bluewater Stadium.
A big man with a big motor, Stanley used his speed, size and footwork to beat defenders with both power and flair.
The smile was unmissable from Stanley post-match as coach Bill Robertson and Napier City Rovers players congratulated him on the pitch for his man-of-the-match performance.
Stanley said it had been a “surreal” day where he had stepped up in a season-defining match for the side.
“I feel like all season I’ve just kind of wanted to come and do that for the boys,” he said.
“It’s nice to have a moment like that.”
Napier City Rovers’ spark on attack had earlier been missing in back-to-back Central League match losses to Miramar Rangers and Petone FC. Those losses threatened to see Miramar overtake them on the points table.
The dip coincided with sharp-shooter Swedish-born Kiwi Oscar Faulds flying to Europe to trial for a Danish second division team, having caught their eye after scoring 21 goals in just 14 league matches.
But Stanley brought an X-factor to the side’s attack on Sunday in a victory that sealed their spot in the 2024 National League.
For the past month, they have been locked in a tense battle with Miramar Rangers for a spot in the Central League’s top three, a position which would secure National League qualification.
Miramar’s failure to beat Waterside Karori last Saturday meant a win by Robertson’s team 24 hours later would secure Napier City Rovers at least third spot on the table.
Stanley has struggled for consistent game time in the Central League in 2024 largely due to his lack of a New Zealand passport.
Despite arriving in New Zealand with his family when he was just 6, the 23-year-old English-born player is classified by New Zealand Football as a foreign player.
His application for citizenship is with Immigration New Zealand and once granted the young footballer who has called New Zealand home for 17 years will finally be classified as a local player.
Clubs in New Zealand Football’s top-flight leagues can only field four players its rules deem as foreigners.
Stanley hasn’t been part of that quartet for the majority of the Central League, with most of his appearances coming in the Chatham Cup where coaches don’t have the same selection restrictions.
Sunday’s showing from him was the perfect example of not letting a golden chance slip away.
“Doing something like that for the team today, and I am always looking to score, makes the game so much fun,” he said.
“But getting the National League spot today was all that mattered. It’s [trying to play in the National League] is everything I’ve come here for this season. Qualifying is all I could ask for.”
Stanley wasn’t the only player to be a menace for North Wellington’s defence.
After the Wellington club opened the scoring in the 10th minute, Napier City Rovers led 2-1 at the break after a penalty to Harry Mason and then an own goal near halftime.
Then came a four-goal blitz in the final 16 minutes that included Stanley’s double, then late goals to Adam Hewson and Stephen Hoyle.
Hoyle’s goal came during an outstanding 90-minute performance where he was both uncompromising on defence and again highlighted his outstanding distribution skills to repeatedly set his teammates on to the attack.
Napier City Rovers now face Western Suburbs in the final round of the Central League on Saturday. A three-goal win would be enough to see Rovers finish in second spot.
Meanwhile, Faulds’ trial in Denmark was unsuccessful, being unable to train fully after catching Covid-19.
Within days he was in Sweden, starting what he hoped would prove to be a successful trial with Utsiktens BK.
The club plays in the Swedish Superettan, the European nation’s second division.
With Faulds’ contract hunting a pro deal in Europe, Robertson has to wait until any deal is confirmed until he can recruit another New Zealand player to replace him.
A sign of the striker’s dominance in the Central League is that he still holds a six-goal lead in the race to be its top-scorer despite not playing in the competition since late July.
Watch the Inside the Rovers video series:
Episode One: Back to Work
Episode Two: The Darkest Days
Episode Three: Skin Deep
Episode Four: Good as Gould
Episode Five: The Hard Yards
Episode Six: Leaving a Legacy
Episode Seven: Fun and Games
Episode Eight: Game Day
Episode Nine: The Great Dane
Episode 10: Back to Back
Episode 11: Long Road Back
Episode 12: Total Commitment
Episode 13: The Bravest Boy
Episode 14: Love of the Game
Episode 15: A Rapid Rise
Episode 16: Mixed Emotions
Episode 17: Cup Fever
Episode 18: 50-Year Love Affair
Episode 19: The Music Man
Episode 20: Sammy’s On Fire
Episode 21: A Burning Desire
Episode 22: Cup Heroics
Episode 23: The Captain
Episode 24: On The Road
Episode 25: A Heartbreaker
Episode 26: Oscar’s Big Chance
Episode 27: Fabulous Ferg
Neil Reid is a Napier-based senior reporter who covers general news, features and sport. He joined the Herald in 2014 and has 30 years of newsroom experience.