Wairarapa United skipper Adam Cowan will be playing for Hawke's Bay in the ASB national league football competition which gets under way on October 22.
Cowan, whose versatility allows him to fill any position from fullback to centre forward, has transferred to his new province after setting a record for premiership appearances by appearing for Manawatu 121 times there, many of them as captain.
His switch comes hard on the heels after leading Wairarapa United to an memorable success in the Chatham Cup knockout competition.
A second current Wairarapa United player in the Hawke's Bay squad is pacy midfielder Dale Higham while goalkeeper Richard Gillespie was a regular for them two seasons ago.
Cowan's loss is a big blow to Manawatu but they will still have six Wairarapa United players in their national league line-up, goalkeeper Matt Borren, fullback Pablo Moya, midfielders Pita Rabo, Nobuyishi Ishi and Nathan Cooksley and striker Seule Soromon. Taking over the role of captain will be Cooksley.
