Stefan Sutton

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2 Dec 2027
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Marked for Stefan Sutton

69 Edition

The Hawke's Bay United Courier

22 Nov 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match17 Nov 2027

Hawke's Bay United march on in the cup

Canterbury United are out and Hawke's Bay United go through, 3‑0 the final word. The bracket opens up a little, and everyone allows themselves a look at it.

Player ratings22 Nov 2027

A debut Liberato Sutton will not forget — 8.07

There is exactly one of these per career and it does not usually go like this. 1 on the scoresheet, 8.07 beside the name, and a crowd that had never seen him before chanting it by the end.

Match22 Nov 2027

Hawke's Bay United are in among the leaders

Position 3 and 8 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.

Player ratings22 Nov 2027

No sign of nerves from Marco Smith at 19 — 8.07

The hardest thing about being 19 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Marco Smith did not need any: 8.07, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.

Market22 Nov 2027

Jake Reid asks to leave Hawke's Bay United

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Squad22 Nov 2027

Words exchanged at Hawke's Bay United

Michael Singh and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.

Squad22 Nov 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 Winston McCowatt was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

The terraces22 Nov 2027

The crowd has taken to Liberato Sutton

At 17 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.

The dugout22 Nov 2027

Sam Stamatelopoulos has become a man the manager trusts

Nobody at Hawke's Bay United will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.

In brief

Back issues
68 Edition

The Hawke's Bay United Courier

15 Nov 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Match13 Nov 2027

Hawke's Bay United throw away a 2-goal lead

2 in front and in complete control, and it finished with Southern United the happier side. There is no version of this afternoon that Hawke's Bay United will enjoy reviewing.

Player ratings15 Nov 2027

Michael Singh scores twice — 8.85

Two goals and a mark of 8.85 to go with them. Strikers are judged on afternoons like this one and remembered for far fewer of them than people imagine.

Market15 Nov 2027

Deklan Smith is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Hawke's Bay United is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Player ratings15 Nov 2027

No sign of nerves from Stefan Sutton at 17 — 7.82

The hardest thing about being 17 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Stefan Sutton did not need any: 7.82, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.

Squad15 Nov 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 Winston McCowatt was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

The dugout15 Nov 2027

Sam Stamatelopoulos 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.

Squad15 Nov 2027

A falling-out at Hawke's Bay United

Matt Rufer and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

Match13 Nov 2027

Hawke's Bay United share the spoils with Southern United

A 2‑2 draw with Southern United leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.

The dugout15 Nov 2027

The view from the dugout

“We did not lose. Some weeks that is all you get, and I would rather have the point than not.” Tim Van Hattum chose the glass-half-full version of 2‑2; the supporters left with the other one.

In brief

4 Edition

The Hawke's Bay United Courier

24 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad24 Aug 2026

Chris Reid breaks a bone — 44 days out

Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 44 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.

Market24 Aug 2026

Marco Waine asks to leave Hawke's Bay United

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Market24 Aug 2026

Ryan De Vries has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Hawke's Bay United they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad24 Aug 2026

Words exchanged at Hawke's Bay United

Monty Nelson and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.

Squad24 Aug 2026

A row about effort at Hawke's Bay United

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Winston McCowatt was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

Squad24 Aug 2026

Misaele Naranayanan pulls a muscle — 15 days out

The injury that keeps coming back, keeps being rushed back from, and quietly costs more careers than the dramatic ones. 15 days is the estimate; the honest figure depends on whether anybody is patient.

Market24 Aug 2026

Dane Garbett 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 Dane Garbett stands, which is more than many ever get.

Market24 Aug 2026

Southern United are about to pick up the phone

A conversation is coming this week. Hawke's Bay United will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.

The dugout24 Aug 2026

No hiding place for Dale Edwards

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Dale Edwards, and the manager let it.

In brief

2 Edition

The Hawke's Bay United Courier

10 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Market10 Aug 2026

Hawke's Bay United turn down Auckland City for Michael Singh

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Market10 Aug 2026

Ryan De Vries has said yes to Southern United

The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. Hawke's Bay United have lost him in all but the paperwork.

Transfer targets10 Aug 2026

Kosta Just will not be coming to Hawke's Bay United

Terms were offered and declined. Whether it was the wages, the role or the town, nobody at Waitakere United is saying, and nobody at Hawke's Bay United is enjoying the guessing.

Squad10 Aug 2026

Joe McCowatt signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Joe McCowatt and Hawke's Bay United agree another 4 years.

Squad10 Aug 2026

Tempers go at Hawke's Bay United

Monty 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.

Transfer targets10 Aug 2026

Hawke's Bay United rebuffed over Callum Boxall

Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Waitakere United have kept their man, and Hawke's Bay United go back to a list with one name crossed off it.

Squad10 Aug 2026

Words at Hawke's Bay United training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Winston McCowatt is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.

Market10 Aug 2026

One of our own: Marco Nelson joins the Hawke's Bay United first team

Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Marco Nelson is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.

Market10 Aug 2026

Stefan Sutton steps up from the Hawke's Bay United academy

There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Stefan Sutton 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