Football: Wellington Utd another Suburbs-type of litmus test says Rovers import Liam Schofield

English import defender Liam Schofield has found a new lease with Napier City Rovers since arriving here from Barnsley. Photo/Warren Buckland

Liam Schofield knows all about the honour of receiving a man-of-the-match award in the beautiful game.

Thirsty Whale Napier City Rovers defender Schofield was a recipient in the game against Advanced Electrical Western Suburbs in Napier last Sunday.

But what is it like to accept it when the Blues lost 2-1 to the Ultra Football Central League defending champions?

Needless to say the 24-year-old English import wears it like a badge of honour because the Declan Edge-coached lads gave him and the rest of the Blues Beefeaters a solid workout at Park Island.

"It's a great achievement," says Schofield, seeing the merit in winning the award in a losing match where they had to put up the shutters in the eye of a storm, as it were.

The 1.75m defender doesn't mind the challenges, making up what he lacks in height with a compact set of lungs and pace almost in wingback fashion.

"It was hard work, you know," says the leftback from Barnsley. "They are pretty awkward to play against."

The trick, he believes, is to keep possession a bit more than they did against Suburbs.

"We're creating chances but we're just not finding that goal."

Edging out Stop Out 2-1 on Wednesday was vital for lifting their morale but he says that opposition aren't the ideal preparation for Wellington United.

"They were more direct and physical side but we had more possession so it should have been three or four goals to us at halftime," he says, reiterating the need to be more clinical at the coal face.

The Rovers, he says, will need to be more better in possession and smarter in the way they penetrate the Wellington defence.

Schofield says the return of classy winger Wesley Cain last weekend also is timely because he adds urgency in infiltrating the defence.

"We could have done with him against Western Suburbs."

Stephen Hoyle, a former Rover and brother of Blues defender James, recommended Schofield to player/coach Bill Robertson because they had been teammates at Stocksbridge FC in Barnsley in South Yorkshire.

The pair also are former Kirk Balk Academy school mates.

Liam Schofield believes the Rovers will have a better account of Wellington United if they keep the ball a bit longer tomorrow. Photo/Warren Buckland

It's Schofield's first stint abroad and he finds the Bay is "brilliant".

He was beginning to fall out of love with the game when the Central League offer came through to reignite his passion.

"I just needed to get away from football ... because I wasn't really enjoying it."

He is enjoying Robertson's brand of the game which is different from the "more direct" style in England.

"It was more long balls," he says, adapting "really well" since arriving here.

However, the English approach has prepared him better for the physicality stakes here.

Schofield hopes to play in the national summer league, the ISPS Handa Premiership, but he hasn't had any thoughts about a team.

He knows Thirsty Whale Hawke's Bay United coach Brett Angell is around but hasn't met him yet.

"I got the man of the match [against Western Suburbs] that Sunday so, hopefully, he saw me," he says with a laugh.

Schofield's father, Dean, was a goalkeeper at social competitive level but he didn't follow in his footsteps because he wasn't tall enough although he was a midfielder until he was 17.

He joined Barnsley FC at 12 before turning semi-professional at 16 at Fiekley Athletic. Stints followed with AFC Emley, Ossett Albion, Stocksbridge and Goole before he returned to Emley.

"I had a dream [to play at an elite level] but it never worked out, really."

He pursued sports coaching qualifications for two years but spent time working as a painter/decorator.