Football: US uni player's return timely for Blues

TIMELY INJECTION: Harry Morton loves returning home from his US college to foot it for the Rovers over winter. PHOTO/FILE

The Greeks have leapfrogged Western Suburbs by a point but that doesn't mean much to Napier City Rovers who are perched on the top rung.

"They are in a decent form in the league but we're on top. They have talent and we're winning matches, too," says coach Bill Robertson as his Conroy Removals-sponsored team kick off at 2.30pm in the Lotto Central League against Western Suburbs in the capital city.

The Declan Edge-coached hosts held the defending champions Blues to a 1-all draw at the Bluewater Stadium in the premier winter league opener on April 3.

"In the first game we had a few players away with Team Wellington and the national league [ASB Premiership in summer] so on the day the draw wasn't such a bad result," says Robertson, who captained the Matt Calcott-coached premiership to the grand final against perennial champions Auckland City.

But today at Endeavour Park's grass pitch the pecking order of the table will be indicative, in some respects, of what the competition holds - the top five teams are a point behind each other.

The visitors, who have set the goal of claiming the double this season (league and Chatham Cup national knockout bragging rights), will be without solid defender and co-captain Finlay Milne, who is nursing a hamstring injury.

"Fin's definitely out of the game tomorrow [today] but hopefully he'll be all right for the next round," says Robertson as the Rovers will host Wellington Olympic (Greeks) at Park Island in another league clash before reloading a weekend later on the home turf for Miramar Rangers in the third round of the Chatham Cup.

The Danny Wilson-captained Blues will today come off an 11-0 hammering of Lotto Federation campaigners Massey University in Napier on Monday, where several players experienced the warm fuzzies of scoring goals.

They will need that buzz now that striker Angus Kilkolly has gone to Lithuania for trials with professional club FK Panevezys.

The 20-year-old from Hastings, who scored seven goals in the Central League golden-boot race here as the Rovers' key forager, initially has designs on second-division offerings but is hopfeul first-division coaches will like what they see and shuffle him to the top.

Stephen Hoyle is still recuperating from an injury but, on the bright side, Josh Stevenson is finding lots of love from the nets.

So is playmaker Saul Halpin but midfielder Ryan Tinsley needs to come to the party more often.

Teenager Vinnie MacKirdy, who made his debut as a substitute away in the 4-0 win against Petone on April 23, shuffles back on to the bench as a midfielder while Ethan Ladd, a schoolboy defender, also joins him for the first time after making all appearances for the reserves.

"It's a good opportunity for younger lads to get some game time if they're doing well in the reserves or when we have injuries," says Robertson.

Needless to say, the return of versatile player Harry Morton is a godsend during his break from American university Hartwick College in New York state.

"His workrate's very good and he's got pace about him and technically he's sound, too," says Robertson of Morton who can defend or provide impetus on the wings.

Grape pruning, the 21-year-old chemistry/business administration major from Tikokino has helped his college side to their second conference title in a row.

In the NCAA tourney, they lost 1-0 to Dartmouth University in the last three seconds of double overtime.

"They are very athletic and big boys there," says Morton, who prefers the positional play back home "in the awesome weather here" before he returns late next month or early August.

"The Rovers are a top team in New Zealand," he says, looking forward to starting today and the next two top-tier clashes with a club he has played for since he was 11.

WEEKEND DETAILS

For the Lotto Central League matches for round 10:

WHO: Western Suburbs v Napier City Rovers

WHEN: Today, 2.30pm.

WHERE: Endeavour Park, Wellington.

REFEREE: Clavin Berg.

AR1/AR2: Edward Cook/Aaron Clarke.

WESTERN SUBURBS: 1. James McPeake (GK), 2. Mikey Faber, 3. Nando Pijnaker, 4. Jonty Bilderbeck, 5 Tyler Lissette, 6. Will Walker, 7. Ben Sippola, 8 Matt Walker, 9. Noah Billingsley, 10. Harry Edge, 11. Elijah Just, 12. Ahmad Mohammadi, 14. Owen Parker-Price, 15 Daniel Harford-Silas, 16. Jesse Edge, 17. Xavier Green, 18. Callum McCowatt, 20. Ihaia Delaney, 21. Andrew Withers (RGK).

Coach: Declan Edge.

NAPIER CITY ROVERS: 1. Kyle Baxter (GK), 2. Ethan Ladd, 3. Harry Morton, 4. Rob Pearson, 6. Vinnie MacKirdy, 8. Ryan Tinsley, 10. Saul Halpin, 11. Tom Biss, 14. Josh Stevenson, 15. Jim Hoyle, 16. Danny Wilson (c), 17. Fergus Neil, 18. Ross Willox, 19. Bill Robertson, 21. Scott Dunn (RGK).

Player/coach: Bill Robertson.

Ast coach: Chris Greatholder.

Other games

Today, 2.30pm: Palmerston North Marist v Miramar Rangers at Memorial Park (PN).

Today, 3pm: Petone v Wellington Utd at Petone Memorial Park.

Today, 5.45pm: Wellington Olympic v Lower Hutt City at Wakefield Park 2.

Tomorrow, 3pm: Wairarapa Utd v Stop Out at Masterton Turf.

Golden boot

12: Sam Mason-Smith (Wairarapa).

8: Micky Malivuk (Stop Out).

8: Nathanial Hailemariam (Lower Hutt).

7: Angus Kilkolly (Rovers).

6: Noah Billingsley (Western Suburbs).

6: Rauri Cahill-Fleury (Wgtn Utd).

Standings (played/pts): Rovers 9/20, Olympic 9/19, Western Suburbs 9/18, Miramar Rangers 9/17, Stop Out 9/16, Wairarapa 9/11, Wgtn Utd 9/8, Lower Hutt City 9/7, Palmerston North Marist 8/5, Petone 8/1.