Home turf tops United's wish list

TOP TEAM: The Wairarapa United squad which finished their 2014 Central League programme with a 7-4 win over Napier City Rovers on Saturday. Back row: Chris Cox (left), Nathan Cooksley, Matt Borren, Waisake Sabutu, Josh Margetts, Tom Biss (at rear), Hamish Watson, coach Bob Sova (rear) and Omar Guardiola. Front row: Liam Hare, Thomas Hemi, Carl Shailer, Mark Hemi, Aaron Spierling and Adam Cowan. PHOTO/JADE CVETKOV

No question what is top of the wish list for Wairarapa United in the 2015 football season.

Way ahead of anything else is the construction of an artificial turf at Masterton's Memorial Park which, complete with lights, would allow their premier football side to play all their Central League home games in Wairarapa ... a far cry from this year when more than half were staged at Maidstone Park in Upper Hutt because of the lack of suitable grounds and amenities here.

"We've got everything crossed that the artificial turf will become a reality," Wairarapa United president Phil Keinzley said yesterday in referring to a proposal which has already been given the green light to the tune of almost $1.3 million by two major funding agencies, Trust House and Lotteries, and is under consideration by the Masterton District Council.

"It would be huge for us, not only for our players and management team but also our supporters and sponsors. It's been embarrassing to give home advantage away so often and we don't want to have to even think about doing that again, not that we would probably be allowed to anyway."

A remarkable 7-4 win over Napier City Rovers on Saturday after being down 4-1 at one stage means Wairarapa United are virtually certain to come third behind Miramar Rangers and Western Suburbs in this year's 10-team Central League, a commendable effort by any standards but one which Keinzley greets with mixed feelings.

"We've finished ahead of a lot of very good teams and that's great but we started slowly and we were never really in with a chance of winning the title, and that's always the ultimate aim," he said.

"It would have been nice to be challenging for the top spot all the way through but it didn't happen."

The fact the winner of the Golden Boot award, Hamish Watson, wasn't on deck for the first four games didn't help the Wairarapa United cause and neither did Tom Biss missing five games through injury, skipper Adam Cowan missing three through an overseas trip and striker Seule Soromon being suspended on a couple of occasions.

"I know this sort of thing happens to most teams but we don't have the same depth as many of the City sides so when we lose key players it tends to hurt us more," Keinzley said.

Watson was a revelation. A member of the Phoenix wider training squad, he not only made a huge impression with his uncanny ability to find the net from all sorts of angles - 19 goals in total - but he was also excellent value off the field of play as well. "He was a huge contributor, we couldn't have asked for anything more from him," Keinzley said.

Whether Watson will be available for Wairarapa United again in 2015 is very much in the lap of the gods. He is still waiting to hear if he has a contract with the Phoenix and, failing that, is looking at the prospect of furthering his footballing education overseas, possibly in England or Scotland.

Keinzley was also rapt with the progress made by a host of young players who were given Central League experience this season, players like Thomas and Mark Hemi, Chris and Alex Cox and Liam Hare.

"These guys have come on in leaps and bounds and will be very important to us in the years ahead," he said.

Just who will coach Wairarapa United's Central League side next year is still to be decided with Keinzley saying a player-coach role could be created.