Few players get to play Central League and Chatham Cup football without training with the team they play for in these competitions.

Thirsty Whale Napier City Rovers forward Kaelin Nguyen (pictured above) is an exception. The 18-year-old first year architecture student at Victoria University has been secured as a loan player for the Chatham Cup holders to help compensate for their lack of depth.

Nguyen, who is the son of a Vietnamese father and part Indian mother, travels to Napier on the day before home games and meets the Blues in the capital on the day of away games. Despite his lack of trainings with Rovers he was still able to score their only goal in last weekend's 4-1 loss to Western Suburbs in Wellington.

"Yes it's not normal to miss out on trainings and get the game time I'm getting with Rovers. Not many players get these opportunities. Being this young it's a really good experience in my first year out of school.

"As for the goal that's what I'm here for," Nguyen explained.

It was easy to gauge Nguyen's high excitement levels in the countdown to the Blues doubleheader this weekend. They will take on North Wellington in a 3pm 10th round Central League match at Wellington's Alex Moore Park on Saturday and Wairarapa United in a Chatham Cup defence from 2pm on Monday at Masterton's Rathkeale College.

Monday will be Nguyen's first taste of Chatham Cup play but he pointed out it was crucial Rovers focused on Saturday's match first. The Saint Bernard's College, Lower Hutt old boy who started playing football as a three-year-old at the Petone club has been playing against North Wellington teams since his 11th and 12th grade days.

"They will be skilful and quite physical ... especially at home," Nguyen said.

A Phoenix Academy squad member, Nguyen, made his debut for the Phoenix Reserves during the 1919-20 summer at Sky Stadium but didn't make the team last summer.

Last year Nguyen played Central League football for Lower Hutt but didn't get to play against Wairarapa United. He is unsure what to expect on Monday.
His long-term goal is to play for New Zealand at the 2023 Under-20 World Cup. Next summer he hopes to crack the Phoenix first squad. 

Rovers head coach and centre back Bill Robertson (pictured below) admitted the doubleheader will test the depth of the squad. His troops will do a return trip to the capital on Saturday and then another to Masterton on Monday.

"We did question New Zealand Football about the concerns around player welfare and raised the possibility of being able to stay in Masterton on Saturday and Sunday nights. But there were too many barriers and we are playing in amateur competitions," Robertson explained. 

The Rovers squad for Saturday's 3pm match in Wellington and Monday's 2pm Cup defence in Masterton is:
Oscar Mason (GK), Liam Schofield, Luca Barclay, Isaac Belcher, Sam Wall, Cam Emerson, Zac Madsen, Kailin Nguyen, Ethan Ladd, Josh Stevenson, Jim Hoyle (captain), Fergus Neil, Luke Minshull, Bill Robertson, Ben Wade, Reon Werahiko (GK).