The Canterbury United Gazette
Market10 Aug 2026
Hawke's Bay United come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Canterbury United did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Market10 Aug 2026
Terms done: Stefan Wood is going
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and WaiBOP United waiting with a shirt. Nobody at Canterbury United is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
Squad10 Aug 2026
Jai Payne signs on for more
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Jai Payne and Canterbury United agree another 3 years.
Squad10 Aug 2026
Liberato Garbett in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Canterbury United this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Transfer targets10 Aug 2026
Hawke's Bay United tell Canterbury United: Jake Lockyer is not for sale
The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.
Transfer targets10 Aug 2026
Canterbury United ask about Ryan Hughes
A loan enquiry to Southern United: cover, or a look at somebody the club cannot afford to buy yet. Either way the answer will come back inside the week.
The dugout10 Aug 2026
Jai Payne knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Canterbury United, and both men came out saying it was fine.
The dugout10 Aug 2026
The manager makes an example of Stefan Waine
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Market10 Aug 2026
No place for Owen Barbarouses in the plan
“The manager did not use many words, and he did not need to.” Owen Barbarouses has his answer from Canterbury United; what he does with it is the next window’s story.
In brief
- Market 24 months and counting on Noah Stamatelopoulos
- Squad The training reports on Clayton Fenton are not good