• Rovers captain Hoyle knows "bogey" team will be tough

Rovers captain Hoyle knows "bogey" team will be tough

The question had to be put to Napier City Rovers Central League football team's captain and defender Jim Hoyle.

What does he rank as the priority for his Thirsty Whale Napier City Rovers team this season ... retaining the Chatham Cup or qualifying for next summer's National League with a top-three finish in the Central League?

"If I had to pick one it would be qualifying for the National League. That's because it's the first year with a qualification process ... every other year it would be the Chatham Cup," Hoyle (pictured above) replied.

So it was no surprise Hoyle, 25, stressed the need for his fifth placed side to beat seventh placed Waterside Karori in Sunday's seventh round clash at Napier's Bluewater Stadium.

"It's going to be a massive game and it's nice to be coming to our grass pitch where we have had our best performances this year," Hoyle said.

"Waterside Karori have been a tough side for us during the last few years. They are like our bogey side but we have got enough talent to get past them ... we have to if we want to make the top three," Hoyle (pictured in action below) explained.

 

A 2015 and 2018 Central League winner with Rovers as well as a Chatham Cup winner in 2019 and Chatham Cup silver medallist in 2015, Hoyle, pointed out his side created plenty of scoring opportunities in their last two matches, both away losses.

"We need to take those chances. In the last couple of weeks it was unfortunate we were beaten by good goals from the opposition or penalties."
"If our strikers are on we will win the game," Hoyle said after another day on the job with Gearey Painting.

Rovers midfielder Liam Schofield is his foreman.

"Liam gives me the orders at work and I tell him what to do on the field," Hoyle quipped.  

Rovers head coach and centre back Bill Robertson is confident forward Ben Wade and utility Zac Madsen will be available this week after missing last weekend's match with their respective groin and ankle injuries.

Like Hoyle, Robertson, has plenty of respect for the Waterside Karori side which will include three former Hawke's Bay United players in utility Ben Lack, midfielder Josh Murphy and striker Jack Parker.

The full Napier City Rovers squad for Sunday's 2pm match:
Oscar Mason (GK), Liam Schofield, Luca Barclay, Isaac Belcher, Tai Barham, 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).