Hawke's Bay Utd v Waitakere Utd
Park Island, Napier
Every team has no-frills players who simply carry out their tasks without much fuss.
It seems Alex Palezevic fills that portfolio for the Hawke's Bay United team with aplomb in this summer's ASB Premiership.
The centre-mid, who has played a little in defence, isn't someone who sticks out on the park because he is too busy stoking the fire in the engine room.
"I'm a ball distributor. I win the ball and take a good defensive shape but overall I'm a good ball feeder," Palezevic says before the Brett Angell-coached Bay United kick off against Waitakere United at Park Island, Napier, tomorrow.
The 18-year-old came off the bench to help Bay United eke out a 1-1 draw away against Waitakere in December.
"They're a very strong side and are contenders for the top four so you never know what they can bring but it should be a good game," he says of the 2pm start to the round 14 game at Bluewater Stadium.
The visitors are coming off a morale-boosting 6-3 victory at home over Wellington Phoenix Reserves last weekend.
The powerhouses of yesteryear are sitting in third place on 17 points with WaiBOP United on 16 and Bay United a point below, coming off a bye but winning 3-1 against Wanderers Soccer Club on February 1.
Auckland City are setting the pace again on 27 points with Team Wellington a point behind them as the two O-League campaigners.
Palezevic is in his maiden premiership season, coming off the bench but has started in the past five games although he isn't taking anything for granted in future selections, let alone tomorrow in the Ross Haviland-captained side.
He is the Kiwi-born son of Serb immigrants Diana, a recruitment agency worker, and Ratko, a software developer, who live in Wellington.
His sister, Ivana, 25, was born in Serbia when their parents arrived here about 16 years ago.
Palezevic started hoofing around a ball when he was 5.
"My dad always loved the game but he never played in a serious environment - just socially."
Through the age-group phase, the senior Palezevic chauffeured him to matches and was always on the sidelines supporting him and the Setoun team.
The teenager has played for Tawa AFC and Island Bay FC before taking it to the next level for Western Suburbs in the Lotto Central League during winter.
He was part of the New Zealand under-17 football squad who competed at the World Cup in United Arab Emirates in 2013 but didn't come off the bench.
"It was a little disappointing but still a good experience to be part of the team," says the midfielder who went on to play a friendly for the national under-20 side.
Former Suburbs coach Lloyd O'Keefe informed him Angell was interested in recruiting him.
With a cutthroat situation in the capital for one premiership franchise, Palezevic grabbed the opportunity to play here.
"The team chemistry is quite high and we're good mates on and off the pitch."
He senses he is developing to a good standard in his first premiership outing.
Coming to the "incredible weather" in the Bay is a bonus, although he's noticed Wellington hasn't been too bad this summer.
His biggest influence in the code, apart from his father, has been former Ole Academy football director Nate Winkel.
"He brought me into an environment of fulltime training," he says of Winkel who has returned to his birth country of the United States.
Palezevic, who is still with the academy he joined in 2010, gave him a dose of training twice a day after school every day of the week.
"It was a professional training environment so it was a big influence because no other place offers that kind of training."
He wants to take his passion to a professional level, whatever that may be.
He hopes to enrol at a tertiary institution as a back-up stance in case his football career is curtailed but he isn't sure what discipline he wants to pursue yet.