A banker's extracurricular activities were revealed to work colleagues on a World Cup stage.
The first time a number of Andy Barron's workmates knew he was an All White was when he took the field against Bahrain in that World Cup qualifier last November.
Some of his closest colleagues knew but for many, he was that reasonably athletic-looking guy in the wealth division on
level 12 of the Westpac building on Lambton Quay.
Now he's that guy who's going to the World Cup.
"I like to fly under the radar," Barron says in a break from work as a senior operations administrator with the wealth division of Westpac bank.
"Quite a number of people didn't even know I played and I'm not the type of guy to blurt it out.
"Some were quite surprised. The head of wealth didn't know I was an All White and left a message on my phone. He saw the game and admitted he nearly fell off his chair [when he saw Barron playing]. It was quite hard to keep it under wraps after the game."
It's fair to say most within the office are now aware of his plans for the next three months.
Interspersed with some work investing clients' money in stocks, bonds and special funds, he will take part in a domestic camp in Auckland later this month and an altitude camp in Austria on the eve of the World Cup. He will then head to South Africa for at least three weeks for the biggest tournament on the planet.
There will be some in the 23-man squad who won't see any game time against Slovakia, Italy and Paraguay - including several professional players.
But Barron is one of two amateurs in the All Whites squad who can expect to see some action as back-up to central midfielders Simon Elliott and Tim Brown.
Ivan Vicelich is the other coach Ricki Herbert will have no difficulty calling on at the World Cup.
Vicelich played as a professional at the highest level in the Netherlands for Roda JC, as well as having a stint with the old Football Kingz.
He's officially an amateur again after returning home and combining some coaching and playing for Auckland City. Barron fits football around a full-time job.
"It's a little bizarre, really. I can't imagine there being too many going to the World Cup in my boat," he says. "It's certainly surreal, a bit of a dream, especially having grown up in New Zealand.
"When I was growing up, we had to get past Australia and then a South American team [to qualify for the World Cup]. It was as if we would never get to a World Cup again. But a few things change and, boom, you're there. I'm still trying to comprehend it all, really."
That's not to say Barron will be overawed in South Africa. The 29-year-old has accumulated 14 caps since his debut against Malaysia in 2006. Among those are games against Bahrain, Italy, Mexico and Venezuela and he was also a member of last year's squad to the Confederations Cup.
Barron has also had stints as a full-time professional player.
After graduating with a degree in business finance from William Carey University in Mississippi, he played a season for Belfast side Lisburn Distillery in the Northern Ireland Premier League.
They finished third that year, qualifying for the Intertoto Cup, and he learned as much about football as he did where not to go in Belfast.
"It's a rough place, a real eye-opener," he says. "You're warned everywhere not to walk down the wrong street at the wrong time because you never know what might happen. The kerbs on the side of the road are either the Irish tricolour or the red, white and blue of the British. You know where you should or shouldn't be.
"The football was brilliant. It was a pretty tough league. Most of the players come from England; pros who didn't quite make it. It was a good level and a good learning curve for me, having just come from college and playing age-group stuff. You don't take any more than two touches in that league or you find yourself in the air."
It was part of the reason why Barron took up an offer to join Canterbury United for the 2005-06 NZFC, despite never having been to Christchurch. It paid off, because he made his debut for the All Whites.
He played the next season with Team Wellington before signing as a professional again with the Minnesota Thunder in the American second-tier USL.
"The idea was to try to cement my place in the All Whites," Barron explains. "You're more of a chance if you're playing professional football. That was the thinking, anyway.
"It didn't help at all because the only way Ricki could see how I was going was by reading reports on the internet.
"It also wasn't a great experience. The coach got fired halfway through. It was all a bit Mickey Mouse."
He returned to Wellington when he joined Westpac and began the difficult existence of juggling work and football as best he could.
The football side has worked out well - he earned an All Whites recall in 2009 on the back of his form for Wellington. If he's not playing or training with Team Wellington, he's doing extra sessions with the Wellington Phoenix.
"You don't get a lot of time for anything else," he says. "I work nine to five and, in season, you're giving up four or five days a week for football.
"It's straight from work to training and I'm not usually home until 9pm. By the time you've eaten, it's time for bed. You do it all again the next day. The missus will be happy when I retire.
"Thankfully, I don't think it's crucial I do overtime in my role [at work]. That's where colleagues also pick up the slack. Any time I'm away, the rest of the team can take up what I'm doing.
"Last year, I had 10 weeks off. This year will be seven weeks for the World Cup. Work are really good about it.
"I have to take some annual leave but they have also come to the party with a sports leave. They have met me halfway there."
It's a lot easier when his bosses know why he wants the time off. Playing in a World Cup is a pretty good reason.
ANDY BARRON
Age: 29.
Club: Team Wellington.
Position: Central midfield. (He has also played right back, right midfield and left midfield for the All Whites.)
Caps: 14.
Goals: 1. Barron made his All Whites debut against Malaysia in 2006 and scored a late winner in just his second match to seal a 2-0 series victory over the Asian side.
