Rovers Ready For Bellies

Jimmy Five Bellies will be the toughest opposition yet this season as Zephyr Rovers aim to improve on their current third place in Monday's fixture. "I'm expecting this to be a tough one and we'll have to be on peak form" said Rovers Manager Steve Hall (pictured) "we have Matty Cantwell back and Rob Purcell is back so we have some older heads in the team besides mine". Hall said after the excitement of all the outdoor football over the weekend it would be difficult to readjust to playing inside the Shed of Dreams. "It has been beautiful weather for a change in Wellington so will probably be a bit warm I imagine" said Hall "but we will have to put all that watching superstars stuff out of our head or we will be watching the ball go into our net". Hall said he thought Rovers had advanced a notch since last season and Rovers should be very competitive in this fixture. "We're looking to pick up the points" said Hall "and we have the fire power to do it I think".

Nash Urged Not To Strip

Zephyr Rovers Manager Steve Hall was urging George Nash not to take his shirt off after the game on Monday with Jimmy Five Bellies after David Beckham did the honours at Westpac stadium tonight. "I think if George wants to we could look the other way" said Hall "but I'm not sure how the team will react if we get a streaker like we did in Saturday night". Hall said the match between LA Galaxy and Phoenix was an entertaining evening out and Beckham impressed with his long passing and a penalty in the 4 - 1 win. "We don't have any need for long balls in indoor to be honest because Shed 1 isn't big enough" said Hall "but if he worked on his short game we'd have a look at the lad". Hall said it remained to be seen if Shed 1 was big enough for a female streaker but he was expecting the five bellies on Monday to be all from the opposition.

Hall Meets Beckham

Zephyr Rovers Manager Steve Hall "met" David Beckham last evening at the Westpac stadium. "Phoenix had just scored a penalty and I decided on a quick dash to the loo" said Hall "I raced out into the corridor to discover that the Beckham entourage was swooning down the corridor and the kid next to me yelled out to Beckham so he stopped to talk to him". Hall said this held up his journey by some minutes. "What do you say to a Superstar who gets between you and the toilet during a home fixture" said Hall "I know I wanted to suggest he talked to the kid some other time". Hall said he was gutted by the way Phoenix lost but he would be there again tonight to see the Galaxy versus Phoenix match. "They didn't win the game that mattered so hopefully they will win the one that doesn't tonight". said Hall "and I'll be looking at a few pointers from Ruud Gullit on football management".

Beckham Hits Town

Zephyr Rovers Manager Steve Hall welcomed David Beckham to Wellington but said he hadn't got time to organise an exhibition indoor match at Shed 1 because of other commitments. "I've got a lot on at the moment so I apologise to David for not getting out to the airport" said Hall "and I apologise as well for the Chairman who took off to some swanky function in Taupo". Hall said he'd get along to the match at the stadium on Saturday night and would be available to give Beckham pointers if needed. "England just lost to Croatia so I could probably give him at bit of advice" said Hall "but we're happy to have him in town and just hope he doesn't distract Phoenix from winning tomorrow night". Hall said if Beckham insisted on playing for Rovers he'd give him five minutes of the bench. "We're not sure of his indoor pedigree" said Hall "but we'd give him a crack if we got a free kick".

75 Today

Injured Zephyr Rovers player Colin "Chopper" McIntosh today became officially the oldest player in Wellington Indoor history when he celebrated his 75th birthday quietly at the Zephyr offices. "We had a quiet crate or two to celebrate" said Zephyr Rovers Chairman George Nash "it's a small wonder he isn't a fossil by now and let's face it the opposition often say he feels like stone as he clatters into them". Nash said Chopper was at his football peak before the war but had done well to stay active by playing football. "There will those who will be sceptical that Chopper really is seventy-five" said Nash "but these are the same people who don't think he had a major part in Lord of the Rings, and I don't mean the film". McIntosh confirmed he had no plans to retire at this point.

Mystery Matt In Doubt

"Mystery" Matt Cantwell may yet again be unavailable for the fixture against Jinny Five Bellies. "He's missed the last two games because of other commitments and we've been going ok" said Zephyr Rovers Manager Steve Hall "he's a wizard on the ball but he's not exactly a legend in the passing the ball stakes". Cantwell was last reported to have passed in 1973 when he mistook a fellow player for the goal. "Apparently he last passed the ball when he spun through eight defenders and got dizzy mistaking one of his own players for the goal" said Hall "and even then he managed to get the ball straight back from the startled player". Hall said after many years of playing with Cantwell he'd learnt to get extra exercise by picking the ball out of the net after he scored. Hall said Cantwell had thought about passing the ball to him once for a tap in but had "decided to beat ten defenders and circle the referee himself instead".

Oh So Close

Zephyr Rovers were leading almost start to finish of their match today against Whites at Shed 6 before succumbing to an equaliser with the last kick of the game. "We were the better team for much of the match but didn't get far enough ahead to kill them off" said Zephyr Rovers Manager Steve Hall "and then we tired in the last three or four minutes and were hanging on with one minute to go when they got a penalty for the five fouls rule". Hall said remarkably they missed the penalty and when the the referee called seven seconds to go Rovers were still leading by one. "I thought we'll keep them out for seven seconds but they got the ball across to a free player and he smacked it in the top corner" said Hall "it was gutting to see that one fly past me". Hall said he thought it was a good performance and it was unfortunate the three points wasn't in the bag. "I felt like I played for the Phoenix" said Hall "I now know what Ricki Herbert (pictured) feels like now".

Final: Rovers 7 Whites 7