Cory Chettleburgh has been training with Bay United teammates while serving his seven-week suspension from winter. PHOTO/Duncan Brown
EVEN now Cory Chettleburgh is in the dark about why he is coming off a seven-match suspension during winter to kick-start his summer campaign.
"I'm not really sure, to be honest. You'll have to ask them that," says Chettleburgh when asked what his indiscretion was as Wairarapa United captain during the away Lotto Central League game against Western Suburbs.
"The ref sent me off so Capital Football decided to give me a seven-week ban," says the 25-year-old midfielder from Masterton.
Chettleburgh is set to make his first appearance in the Stirling Sports Premiership tomorrow for the Brett Angell-coached Thirsty Whale Hawke's Bay United against Wellington Phoenix Under-20s at Bluewater Stadium, Napier, in the 1pm kick off.
Surely there must have been an exchange of heated words on the field or a crude tackle deemed to be reckless, never mind taking the law into one's own hands.
"Well, the ref kind of made up his own report and then Capital Football made up its own rules as it went along so that's how it ended up as a seven-week ban, really."
Did you lose your rag because of the ref's decision? What brought the red card into play, mate?
"No, I wouldn't say I lost my head, no," he says but something's still amiss.
It takes an action for an official reaction, never mind a player hung out to dry for seven weeks into the summer season.
"Our goalkeeper, Josh Hill, got his ribs broken in a tackle and I asked the question and the ref didn't like the question I asked so he just sent me off."
Okay, the fog has started to lift a little on what transpired on the field.
So did Chettleburgh or Wairarapa United lodge an appeal?
"Nah, Capital Football didn't give us too much information about it all. They just kind of made their decision and did what they wanted with the whole thing, really.
"It was run pretty poorly by that organisation."
The Paul Ifill Football Academy coach at Masterton says it's his first ban in Central League but, as it turns out, he is no stranger to altercations with officials.
In 2010, he was reportedly cited as a YoungHeart Manawatu player in their loss to Canterbury United in Christchurch.
Chettleburgh had reportedly said to ref's assistant, Paul Cook, "put up your flag" after a foul on him but agreed he coloured it with swear words.
"I've said heaps worse things to linos and refs before," the Manawatu Standard had reported, amid allegations Cook had pushed him in the face.
Instead Chettleburgh prefers to describe himself as a "passionate" bloke.
So does he use colourful lingo?
"Oh I try not to."
Having played in Wellington for three years he's used to fans engaging in banter but he realises it's imperative to stay focused and not let them get under his skin.
"If you can walk away with three points you can give them a bit of stick yourself but you can't until you win," he says, believing a sense of humour is crucial.
Capital Football communications manager Angela Eglinton says she isn't at liberty to go into the specifics of the Chettleburgh case as part of the league process on judicial matters prevents anyone from doing that.
"Both he and the club received a full report of the rationale and reasons behind his suspension," says Eglinton, adding she would hate to see the issue take over a match preview.
From Capital Football's persective, the matter was dealt with independently through its disciplinary hearing committee through members inside and outside of the organisation, based on the ref's report.
" ... Cory has all the details as to why and from that perspective it's interesting he should be baffled when there was quite a detailed report that was full and complete," she says.
On that note, let's move on to tomorrow's match then through Chettleburgh.
The former national age-group representative says he has been training with the Bay United squad during his ban and watching every game bar the away one against Tasman.
"Obviously it's been frustrating from my personal perspective but I've tried my best to support the boys and the organisation in any way I can while I was off the field in those six games."
With striker Sam Mason-Smith living in Wairarapa as well, the pair have been training daily.
"I've been doing something everyday so I'll be expecting to go the full 90 minutes if Brett chooses to use me this weekend," he says, although Angell has made his intentions clear that the nuggety player will add zest to their engine room after two wins, three losses and a draw.
The hosts dropped from the fifth rung of the 10-team premiership ladder to eighth place after a hesitant 1-0 away defeat to Auckland City last Saturday.
Chettleburgh should assume the mantle of vice-captain after Mason-Smith deputised while he was away.
With the stripes comes a sense of responsibility on his shoulders as he prepares to add value to his worth from last summer.
"I thought I did okay [last season] so, hopefully, I can do a little better this [season]," he says, stressing it's something he attempts to do incrementally from game to game.
He was on the bench against Auckland City at Kiwitea St and agrees conceding a goal so early in a game isn't ideal and makes the task an uphill one.
"I thought the boys went okay but, possibly, we were a little tentative. We didn't want to go full tilt against them and we were a little conservative in our approach."
He reconciles that with Angell injecting some youthful players who are rookies in the league.
"With the games we haven't won or haven't got points with this year we've definitely shown what we can do with a lot of that so it's all positive in my eyes."
The Phoenix are coming off another inspiring 1-0 victory over Southern United to sit in fifth place on 10 points, three ahead of Bay United
In many respects, they are the giantkillers having pipped defending champions Team Wellington 2-1 and Auckland City 1-0, something the Finlay Milne-captained Bay United have done in the past two seasons.
The visitors will play a possession-based game with youth and vigour and aren't afraid to forage for goals although they have lost games they should have won.
"They use some pretty young guys who have matured with some familiar faces so they have kind of grown with the team and they are a force to be reckoned with," he says although he had watched Nix draw 1-all with Tasman United.
Chettleburgh is mindful the opposition have the luxury of bringing any of their A-League squad members coach Ernie Merrick will not want for this weekend's match.
"Another factor that adds to their quality is that they can bring those five pros into the match-day squad, depending on what the first team needs and doesn't need."
He emphasises you can't take any team lightly because three points are always at stake, regardless of whether they are a strong or weak outfit.
Angell, he says, tries to foster a free-flowing, passing brand of football from the back to the front to create scoring chances as opposed to relying on long balls.
Defender Martin Canales Ramos returns from a red-card suspension.
Chettleburgh says discipline is good and it's vital for Bay United players not to give officials reasons to ping them by not making poor decisions.
MATCH DETAILS
■ WHO: Hawke's Bay Utd v Wellington Phoenix U20.
■ WHEN: Tomorrow, 1pm kick off.
■ WHERE: Park Island, Napier.
■ REFEREE: Anthony Riley.
■ AST REFS: Mark Rule, Gareth Sheehan.
■ FOURTH OFFICIAL: Ashley Davenport.
■ HAWKE'S BAY UTD: 1. Joshua Hill (GK), 2. Sean Liddicoat, 3. Kohei Matsumoto, 6. Alex Palezevic, 7. Cory Chettleburgh (vc), 8. Finlay Milne (c), 9. Facundo Barbero, 10. Sam Mason-Smith, 11. Saul Halpin, 12. Ross Willox, 13. Ethan Dent, 14. Martin Canales Ramos, 15. Ben Everson, 16. Angus Kilkolly, 17. Fergus Neil, 19. Nile Walwyn, 26. Ruben Parker Hanks (RGK).
Coach: Brett Angell.
■ WELLINGTON PHOENIX U20: 30. Oliver Sail (GK), 6. Dylan Fox, 14. Alex Rufer, 15. James McGarry, 18. Ben Litfin, 24. Logan Rogerson, 25. Sarpreet Singh, 26. Jack-Henry Sinclair, 27 Joe Bell, 28. Max Mata, 29. Liam Wood (c), 37 Liberato Cacace 38. Ruairi Cahill-Fleury, 40. Luke Johnson, 42. Luke Tongue, 1 Keegan Smith.
Coach: Andy Hedge.