The Southern United Herald
Match9 Jan 2027
Callum Singh wins it after the whistle should have gone
90 minutes played. Callum Singh found the finish in time that only existed because of earlier delays, and WaiBOP United went from a point to nothing inside one movement.
Market11 Jan 2027
Southern United turn down Auckland City for Clayton Nelson
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Squad11 Jan 2027
Ben Colvey 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 Southern United this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad11 Jan 2027
Alex Nelson 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.
The terraces11 Jan 2027
The crowd has taken to Tim Bell
At 20 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.
Match9 Jan 2027
Southern United get the job done against WaiBOP United
A 1‑0 win over WaiBOP United, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
The dugout11 Jan 2027
A satisfied Callum Cacace
“The players deserve the credit. My job was easy today.” It was not, and everybody in the room knew it; after 1‑0, Callum Cacace could afford to be generous.
The dugout11 Jan 2027
Ryan Van Hattum gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Player ratings11 Jan 2027
The chances came and went for James Bell
14 shots, and a count that reads like a good afternoon until you check the other column. Strikers survive weeks like this on the understanding that the chances keep arriving; the day they stop is the day it becomes a problem.
In brief
- Squad The weekend belonged to James Bell
- Market No place for Joe Garbett in the plan
- Squad Callum Singh, 15, is the weekend’s best young player