The WaiBOP United Gazette
Player ratings19 Oct 2026
Callum Sutton could not have asked for more on his first appearance — 8.84
Debuts are survived rather than enjoyed. This one was enjoyed: 8.84, 1 goals, and a manager already being asked whether he starts again next week.
Squad19 Oct 2026
A one-man rearguard from Jai Smith
There were 6 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Squad19 Oct 2026
Winston 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
Tempers go at WaiBOP United
Bill Cacace 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.
Squad19 Oct 2026
A late step up for Bill Boxall
At 31 the improving is meant to be over. It is not: 3 points better than the mark taken at the start of the year, which is the sort of thing that happens to players who take the boring parts of the job seriously.
Player ratings19 Oct 2026
Bill Cacace runs at them all day
Successful dribbles: 21. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Boardroom19 Oct 2026
Graduation day at WaiBOP United
5 boys move up, and somewhere in the building the people who coached them at twelve are quietly having the best morning of their working year. Nothing about this shows up in a result and it is why the academy exists.
Match17 Oct 2026
Callum Sutton the difference as WaiBOP United beat Hawke's Bay United
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Callum Sutton. 3‑1 against Hawke's Bay United, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
The terraces19 Oct 2026
The crowd has taken to Callum Sutton
At 19 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.
In brief
- Market One of our own: Joe Kirwan joins the WaiBOP United first team
- Market One of our own: Marco Nelson joins the WaiBOP United first team
- Market WaiBOP United promote Francis Sutton from within