• Defender confident Rovers strikers will return to form

Defender confident Rovers strikers will return to form

The question had to be put to experienced Napier City Rovers football defender Fergus Neil in the countdown to tomorrow's first round Chatham Cup clash against FC Western in New Plymouth.

Are Neil (pictured above) and his fellow defenders still talking to the strikers in the Thirsty Whale Napier City Rovers side in the wake of their failure to score in the team's last two outings?

"We all defend together and we all attack together. We are one team ... not two," Neil replied.

That's the response supporters of the Cup holders will want to hear too. They will also be impressed with Neil's confidence in the strikers' ability to start scoring again.

"Last week's game [a 0-all draw with Waterside Karori] was one of those games. We definitely weren't struggling to create chances," Neil recalled.

A Years 4 and 5 teacher at Porritt School, Neil, 29, boasts plenty of Chatham Cup experience with the Blues. He was a member of the 2019 squad which won the Cup and scored in the round four win against Western Suburbs.

Neil was also involved in the silver medal-winning 2015 campaign and scored in the 2011 final which saw the Blues lose 2-1 to Wairarapa United.

"The beauty of the Cup is they are one-off occasions in which anything can happen. We know how important this game is and we will be taking it seriously," said Neil who had little intelligence on the FC Western team.

He pointed out it would be "pretty special" if the Blues could retain the Cup this year and finish in the top three in the Central League to secure a berth in next summer's new-look National League.

"The Chatham Cup means a lot to our club and we're pretty excited because there was no Chatham Cup play last year," Neil added.   
  
Rovers head coach and centre back Bill Robertson was grateful the likes of Neil and others with 40-hour a week jobs were able to secure this afternoon off work so the squad could travel to New Plymouth this afternoon and get the necessary rest before game day.

Like Neil, Robertson was confident his troops could return to scoring mode after failing to find the back of the net in their last two outings. Robertson pointed out the Blues placed a big emphasis on "the end product" during this week's training sessions.

Robertson also admitted his knowledge on the FC Westen team was limited.

"I've got no footage of them. But I know they are unbeaten in the Taranaki Premiership with five wins from as many games, 27 goals in the for column and two in the against. They also beat Whanganui from the Federation League in the preliminary round of the Chatham Cup," Robertson explained.

The full Napier City Rovers squad for tomorrow's 12noon match:
Oscar Mason (GK), Liam Schofield, Luca Barclay, Isaac Belcher, Sam Wall, Cam Emerson, Zac Madsen, Kailan Gould, Ethan Ladd, Josh Stevenson, Jim Hoyle (captain), Fergus Neil, Luke Minshull, Bill Robertson, Ben Wade, Reon Werahiko (GK).