The WaiBOP United Gazette
Squad19 Oct 2026
The knee: Ben Fenton out for 47 days
47 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. WaiBOP United lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Squad19 Oct 2026
Callum Smith stands alone
9 saves, and a scoreline the ten men in front of him had no right to. Goalkeepers only get noticed on the bad days; this was one of the other ones.
Squad19 Oct 2026
Francis Just is a better footballer than he was
Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 20 he is doing things at this level he could not do at the start of the season, and the coaching staff will tell you exactly which of them.
Squad19 Oct 2026
A falling-out at WaiBOP United
Stefan Stamatelopoulos and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Player ratings19 Oct 2026
Nobody could get near Chris Tuiloma
Successful dribbles: 21. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Boardroom19 Oct 2026
5 academy graduates step up at WaiBOP United
Senior shirt numbers handed to boys the coaches have known since they were twelve. Most will not make it and all of them have already done the hard part.
Match17 Oct 2026
Adrian Russell’s goal not enough for WaiBOP United
Adrian Russell scored, and precious little else went right: 1‑2 to Hawke's Bay United, and a quiet walk to the dressing room.
The terraces19 Oct 2026
One of their own: Adrian Russell
He is 23 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.
Market19 Oct 2026
Joe Bell steps up from the WaiBOP United academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Joe Bell has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
In brief
- Market Bill Payne steps up from the WaiBOP United academy
- Market One of our own: Francis Rufer joins the WaiBOP United first team
- Market Sam Van Hattum steps up from the WaiBOP United academy