Young Kiwi Oscar Faulds made no secret he wanted to make an impact with Napier City Rovers. Neil Reid reveals after scoring 21 goals, he’s been flown to Denmark for a pro trial.
Sharp-shooter Oscar Faulds’ days of creating nightmares for Kiwi goalkeepers could be over – flying to Denmark to try out for a full-time professional contract.
Having early sparked the interest of scouts from new A-League club Auckland FC, and then completing a week’s trial at the Wellington Phoenix, the 22-year-old Napier City Rovers striker has been flown to Europe by a second division Danish club.
The Swedish-born Kiwi was plucked out from the relative obscurity of Sweden’s fourth division by Napier City Rovers coach Bill Robertson for the 2024 season, where the club hopes to secure a spot in the National League for a third successive season.
Faulds has become a sensation, scoring 21 goals in 14 games in the Central League; making him the leader in the race for New Zealand Football’s (NZF) domestic golden boot award.
For Napier City Rovers – who face Petone FC on Saturday, six days on from a gutting 3-2 loss to Miramar Rangers – Faulds’ opportunity was bitter-sweet.
While it is great that one of their players had the potential pathway to a fulltime pro deal, if he is snapped up it would rob them of the most potent member of their strike force for the final three games of the Central League, then, if they qualify, the National League.
“We wish him all the best,” Robertson said.
“But yeah, it’s obviously disappointing and quite disruptive. You recruit a group of players at the start of the season with the view of having them available for the full season. But that’s not how it’s worked out.
“We’re not a fully professional league, so players are free to come and go as they please. And when professional contracts and opportunities come up, we’re not going to stand in their way.”
Faulds’ 21-goal haul is the most scored by anyone in the Northern, Central and Southern Leagues; the three competitions where the 10 qualifiers for New Zealand Football’s 2024 National League come from.
Oscar Faulds is having a fantastic season with @NCR_fc in the Central League!
— NZ National League 🏆🇳🇿 (@nzleagues) July 24, 2024
The striker already scored 21 goals in 14 matches so far in the competition 🔥
Will he be able to score in this weekend’s Chatham Cup quarter-finals? 🤔#NZNationalLeague #NZFootball #Striker pic.twitter.com/HLfsPJQuIR
He is also the only Kiwi in the top three.
Second spot is held by Irish striker Garbhan Coughlan, who plays for Cashmere Technical in the Southern League; the country’s least competitive league where winning margins exceeding 10 goals have occurred this season.
Wellington club Western Suburbs’ American striker Lucas Meek – who has played for Inter Miami’s second team and was previously on a short-term deal with the David Beckham co-owned club’s first team – is in third.
Robertson said the rise of Faulds was a “great story” for the potential Napier City Rovers could offer young talent.
NZF regulations state clubs in our top leagues can only pay players a maximum of $150 a match. The average professional football player’s wage in Demark is about $100,000.
Last month Faulds spent a week trialling under Wellington Phoenix coach Giancarlo Italiano. It is understood that the A-League team were keen for him to return for another trial.
“Oscar’s had a fantastic season for us,” Robertson said.
“He’s come from obscurity, really, from the Swedish fourth tier. We’ve given him a platform to perform well, he’s scored a lot of goals and now he’s got some opportunities that are coming his way.
“We hope it works out for him. If it doesn’t, he’d always be welcome back.”
NZF allows clubs to recruit a replacement for any New Zealand player who signs a professional contract.
“Dependent on how quickly we can do that is dependent on how Oscar’s opportunity goes,” Robertson said.
But if Faulds doesn’t get signed by the Danish club, and remains in Europe without a club, he can’t be replaced.
“We need to move on and make sure the players that we have got here are going to replace those goals Oscar was scoring,” Robertson said.
“We need to replace those goals, whether that be through one player, or it being shared through the rest of the group.”
Fellow forward Max Chretien scored again during the loss to Miramar.
Recent English addition Jordan Annear is yet to score in his first three matches for the club; a trio of games that includes his debut off the bench against Island Bay last month. Annear looked strong in the air on Sunday.
Other options up front could be Stephen Hoyle moving up from the back, unleashing the power, size and strong running of Benjamin Stanley, or giving a starting spot to Harry Mason; who scored a cracking freekick after coming off the bench in the earlier 7-1 win over Waterside Karori.
The side needs to be firing up front ahead of its final three games of the Central League, and the National League if they qualify.
A top-three finish is needed to reach the country’s top domestic football league.
Sunday’s loss to Miramar has them in third spot, just three points ahead of Miramar.
The best-case scenario for Robertson’s team this weekend would be for them to beat Petone FC, and Miramar to lose to Central League leaders and 2023 National League champions Wellington Olympic.
That would mean just a point would be required from their final two games – against eighth-placed North Wellington or second-placed Western Suburbs – to secure a National League spot.
Two defensive lapses cost them during the 3-2 loss to Miramar Rangers.
After conceding a goal in the opening minute Napier City Rovers fought their way back into the match.
The contribution of captain Jim Hoyle was immense; clearly lifting his players both with his words when they were under the pump and also his involvement in the game both on defence and charging runs upfield.
Robertson said while the loss was “disappointing”, the team remained upbeat in the fact that their National League hopes were still in their own hands.
“We probably didn’t perform at our best and I think the players know that,” he said.
“I could tell the players knew themselves that it wasn’t our best game, but I don’t want to criticise the players. They’ve been really good all season, very consistent.
“They’re an honest group of players.”
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
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.
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