The Hawke's Bay United Courier
Squad3 Aug 2026
Sidney Mtshweni gets the move he always wanted
Footballers are asked about their boyhood club so often that nobody listens to the answer. Sidney Mtshweni has just signed for Hawke's Bay United, and for once the answer mattered.
Squad3 Aug 2026
Sidney Mtshweni signs on for more
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Sidney Mtshweni and Hawke's Bay United agree another 3 years.
Squad3 Aug 2026
Tempers go at Hawke's Bay United
Jai Nelson was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad3 Aug 2026
Callum Lewis falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Market3 Aug 2026
Hawke's Bay United and Ryan McCowatt are talking past each other
“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.
Market3 Aug 2026
Tim McCowatt is free to find somewhere else
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Hawke's Bay United has been clear about where Tim McCowatt stands, which is more than many ever get.
In brief
- Market Nobody at Hawke's Bay United has picked up the phone to Oliver Bell
- Market Sidney Mtshweni joins Hawke's Bay United on a free