Football: Mess with Waitakere history at your peril

Bench player Godwin Addai is biding his time for when he makes the starting XI for Bay United. Photo / Warren Buckland

Waitakere Utd v HB Utd QEB Stadium, Auckland

Now that the euphoria of a 10-goal affair has subsided it's time to take stock in a short turnaround phase for the Hawke's Bay United footballers.

Sure, coach Brett Angell's men are sitting on the top perch of the ASB Premiership table before today's televised match against last-placed Waitakere United in Auckland.

But it would be extremely dangerous to take three points for granted at the QEB Stadium before the 7.35pm kick off, not that the visitors are naive enough to go down that slippery path.

Okay, the hosts have had their fair share of turmoil with the sacking of Brian Shelley as coach late last month and technical director Paul Smalley falling on his sword amid the under performance of a proud franchise that used to have a monopoly on the two O-League berths with Auckland City.

"Our goal is to perform and be respectful because every team on any given day can beat anyone," says Bay United bench midfielder Godwin Addai.

The 25-year-old Montreal-born player, who has been living in England and Ghana, believes Waitakere have a good history and have the propensity to turn their season around in the blink of an eye.

No doubt, Bay United won't want to be that worm on their chart of misfortunes.

However, Wellington Phoenix Reserves on Sunday showed that underdog trait, exposing Bay's frailties repeatedly from the right flank and across the face of the goal to the far post - wind or no wind.

Addai, whose Ghanaian father, Samuel, is a former professional player, acknowledges the prowess of the teenage Nix brigade.

He steals cricket's slogan of "anything can happen" to impress the need for his teammates to "focus and be disciplined".

His uncle was a professional in Ghana as well and brother Jeffrey, 22, just played for Ottawa against American giants New York Cosmos in the NASL, a tier below the Major League Soccer in the US.

He sees himself as "a general in the midfield".

"I'm defensively strong and I have vision. I'm relaxed on the ball and keep things simple."

No doubt he is frustrated sitting on the bench but cheerfully sings Angell's mantra of putting the collective first and biding one one's time for that golden opportunity.

"Brett has a system so we all have to do our part individually."

Another midfielder, Jade Mesias, came off the bench against Nix and didn't put a foot wrong last Sunday so Addai knows there's competition.

The health and exercise graduate from Spring Arbor University in Michigan loves "small-town Napier" compared with his big city trappings.

"I'm not missing Canada at all," he says of winters there that court temperatures around the minus 20-30 degrees mark.

Match details

* WHO: Waitakere Utd v Hawke's Bay Utd.
* WHEN: Today, 7.35pm kick off.
* WHERE: QEB Stadium, Auckland.
* REFEREE: Nick Waldron.
* ASST REFS (1 &2): Glen Lochrie, H Tutbury.
* 4th OFFICIAL: John Rowbury.
* Ref ASSESSOR: Mark Hester.

* Waitakere Utd: 1 Daniel Robinson (GK), 3 Aaron Scott, 4 Ross Haviland, 6 Thomas Shaw, 7 Brandon Barnes, 8 Chad Coombes, 9 Nathaniel Bowen, 11 Sean Lovemore, 14 George Curry, 16 Marcel Nolde, 17 Jake Butler, 20 Sam Regan, 23 Michael Gwyther, 24 Eder Franchini Pasten, 25 Ryan Elder, 26 Jake Porter.
Coach: Chris Milicich.

* Hawke's Bay Utd: 1. Joshua Hill (GK), 2. Sean Liddicoat, 3. Kohei Matsumoto, 4. Finlay Milne (c), 5. Harrison Nash, 7. Cory Chettleburgh, 8. Tom Biss, 9. Kyle King, 10. Zane Sole, 11. Khair Jones, 13. Godwin Addai, 14. Jade Mesias, 15. Samuel Mason-Smith, 16. Hamish Watson, 18

Martin Canales Ramos, 19. Birhanu Taye, Jarrod Hastings (RGK).

Coach: Brett Angell.