The Team Wellington Gazette
Squad18 Oct 2027
6 saves: Noah James was the team
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 6 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
The dugout18 Oct 2027
Kayne Razmovski says Team Wellington went back on their word
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Boardroom18 Oct 2027
5 academy graduates step up at Team Wellington
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.
Squad18 Oct 2027
A row about effort at Team Wellington
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ruon Tongyik was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad18 Oct 2027
A falling-out at Team Wellington
Marco Rojas and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Market18 Oct 2027
Team Wellington promote Sam De Vries from within
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Sam De Vries has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
Market18 Oct 2027
Marco Reid steps up from the Team Wellington academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Marco Reid 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.
Market18 Oct 2027
Team Wellington promote Joe Payne from within
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Joe Payne has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
Market18 Oct 2027
One of our own: Tim Payne joins the Team Wellington first team
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Tim Payne is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
In brief
- Match Waitakere United take the points off Team Wellington
- Boardroom A promise the Team Wellington board did not keep
- Player ratings Gabriel Sloane-Rodrigues beats them one at a time