No holding back: Coach praises Napier City Rovers after rampant start to the season
The start of the 2024 Central League couldn’t have been much better for Napier City Rovers. Neil Reid reports.
Napier City Rovers have wasted little time laying down a marker to opponents in football’s 2024 Central League.
Six games into the season, the Bill Robertson-coached team goes into Sunday’s clash against Petone FC at Bluewater Stadium on a five-match winning streak.
They’re also one of three teams – along with defending champions Wellington Olympic and Western Suburbs - locked at the top of the points table with 15 points.
Wellington Olympic – who hold the top spot due to goal differential – and Napier City Rovers both have a five-win, one-loss record. Western Suburbs has played an extra match for a five-win, two-loss record.
While the Central League was only a third of its way through, Robertson said he was proud of his players for starting the season so positively, attitude and results-wise.
Given how tight the race for National League spots is looking this year, the coach said those traits would be needed long-term.
“Last year we dropped some points early on and we had to it some really good form in the middle part of the season [to qualify for the National League],” Robertson said.
“Now we’ve won five games on the bounce. We’re in good form already, but as you can see from the points table it’s really competitive at the top.
“It looks like it’s going to be a really competitive season and we’re going to need to keep winning games and give ourselves the best chance of A, looking at a title, or B, qualifying for the national stage.”
Four Central League teams will feature in the 10-team National League later this season.
The Wellington Phoenix Reserves – currently in seventh spot with two wins – are guaranteed a place due to their participation agreement regardless of where they finish.
The remaining places will go to the other three top-finishing sides.
Napier City Rovers’ overall start to the season was matched by the intensity shown in the start to last Saturday’s 3-2 win over fourth-placed Miramar in Wellington.
The Jim Hoyle-captained team was leading 3-2 after just 15 minutes.
Recent comfortable wins over the Wellington Phoenix Reserves and Island Bay United came after the side initially conceded the lead.
Robertson said the squad as a whole had talked about being “mentally switched on right from the first whistle and start games on top”.
That was the case against Miramar, during a frenetic first half that ended 3-2 after the hosts hit back in the 32nd and 38th minutes.
Napier City Rovers’ goals came from Oscar Faulds – who now with 11 goals leads the Central League’s Golden Boot competition – a screamer from near halfway from midfielder Cameron Emerson, and the impressive new recruit Adam Hewson who took on the Miramar defence with a strong run before slamming a shot into one of the corners of the goal.
“We probably only had four shots in the first half. So, to be clinical and score three was a great start to the game,” Robertson said.
“And ultimately, it helped us get the three points.
“Being more clinical and ruthless in front of goal is going to be more important as we get into the latter stages of the season and hopefully the National League against stronger opposition.”
Despite being 3-0 up so early in the game, Robertson said given the nature of the first 45 minutes at times it didn’t feel that the lead would be enough to win the match.
Miramar – who built a strong squad in the off-season – had periods of domination as the half went and hit back with their duo of quick goals.
Napier City Rovers were then able to restrict Miramar to not many goal-scoring chances after Robertson adjusted tactics for the second half.
“We were able to see the game out and secure an important win against a side that’s going to be right up there at the end of the season,” he said.
“It was a good game of football, two good teams going head-to-head, and it was great to come away with the three points.
“Sometimes in football to win games, you’ve got to be resilient, and you’ve got to dig in and you’ve got to show the other side of the game. Our players did that well.
“I was proud of the players, their work rate, their attitude, their character and their desperation out of possession.”
The team’s strong start to the 2024 Central League has intensified what was already strong competition for spots in match-day squads.
Each week, quality players have been unable to break into either Robertson’s starting 11 or nab bench spots.
Robertson said there was “healthy competition” within his squad which left him with “difficult decisions” selection-wise every week.
He understood those yet to cement a spot in the starting 11 would be “disappointed”, but stressed every squad member was “very important for the group”.
The competition for places saw an increase in intensity at training sessions, something which helped whatever side was selected when the pressure came on during matches
“So far this year we’ve had suspensions and we’ve had injuries. That will continue to happen, that’s the nature of football,” Robertson said.
“And people will lose form. And if someone else is ready to step in, and perform, they’ll get their chance.”
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
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.