The Hawke's Bay United Courier
Market15 Feb 2027
Owen Smith puts it in writing
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Hawke's Bay United, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad15 Feb 2027
A falling-out at Hawke's Bay United
Bill McCowatt and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad15 Feb 2027
A row about effort at Hawke's Bay United
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Kosta Fenton was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout15 Feb 2027
The manager makes an example of Sam Nelson
“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.
The dugout15 Feb 2027
Owen Smith knocks on the manager’s door
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Owen Smith trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Squad15 Feb 2027
Sam Nelson wants out of the dugout
“I did not sign to watch. Nobody does.” The oldest complaint in the game, and Hawke's Bay United will have to answer it with minutes or with a move.
In brief
- Market The market said no: Owen Just stays put
- Squad Questions about Chris Cacace on the training pitch
- The dugout The manager plants his flag on Francis Just