Page 441 - NUAFC EBook

Senior Coach Appointed for 2015 against all the teams and see a continuous improvement on
Spanish professional an individual basis and the team as whole.
footballer Magi Mas Manresa has “I am from Barcelona, Spain, so it is obvious that
been appointed as coach of our game style will be defined on keeping the ball, taking
Ngaruawahia United for the 2015 care of it, and maintaining a high percentage of possession.
season. “In terms of results, our objective is to go game by
Magi is a left-footed 29- game competing at our best and trying to ensure a good
year-old attacking mid-fielder result.
with the ability to play on either “At Ngaruawahia we are a tight knit family and we
wing. He has extensive coaching are looking forward to a nice season with exciting players
and managing experience at a and football to watch.”
variety of levels from youth Magi Mas Manresa
upwards.
His playing record Farewell to Mat
includes playing in Spain’s This week (May
Division de Honor, the highest 16th) we farewell the
Under18 league in Spain, against Mighty Millwall Menace
such clubs as FC Barcelona, aka Matt Kellett-Smith.
Valencia FC, Espanyol and Villarreal. Having been here a year it
At the end of his youth career he studied and will definitely leave a bit of
qualified in Tourist Management before gaining a starting a hole in the Narra Club
spot for the Fundacio Esportiva Figueres football club. family…I mean who will we
In 2008 Magi was awarded a Full Ride Scholarship take the mickey out of now!
to play in the United States for The Eagles (Embry Riddle Seriously, Matt has
Aeronautical University) where, for three consecutive been awesome, mostly when
seasons, he received the unique distinction of being its not Saturday night, but
awarded both Player and Midfielder of the Year. definitely someone who
Magi’s goal for Qatar’s Alba FC in the 2013-2014 gives as much as he gets and
season won his team the league title. is a big contributor when it
Our new coach is a multi-language speaker comes to subject matter for
(Spanish, Catalan, English, French & Portuguese) and is the gossip columnists in the
looking forward to adding Kiwi-ese to that list. Club.
Not being able to
Magi’s Report drive in this country is a
“This will be a rebuilding season for Ngaruawahia serious disadvantage given our crap public transport and it
United Football Club with many new players to watch must have cost him a small fortune in taxi fares especially
throughout the year. when he was living out in Narra.
“This year’s squad will have plenty of young guys Notorious for his late night antics, he invariably
itching to show their talent. I see this situation as a great ended up somewhat lost and without a ride home which
opportunity for these young players to perform in a resulted in the $80 cab fare.
relatively high-level football competition. I am sure that When he moved to town he actually got himself a
they will make an impact, and what is more important they bike , but that turned out to be about as reliable as his mood
will learn how to compete in a high demanding and swings on a Sunday morning!
physical league. Working for Matt Williams as a brush hand was a
“We have some experienced players that will give real experience for all concerned but we have it on very
us a good balance to the team and lead the younger ones in good authority that his banter will be sorely missed
the training sessions and competition games. Most likely however the pressures of providing lifts for him wont
we will have some newcomers joining the team during the be….ask his mate Scott.
season. We know how much he has loved his stay in NZ
“After a challenging preseason with four games, and we really enjoyed having him here with us but I have a
one win, two draws and one loss, we have seen that the feeling he will miss his new flatmates a little more than us.
team is competitive and can play against any rival. I am Sarah and Kieran have definitely left their mark on
looking forward to seeing us competing in the upcoming him (in more ways than I can politely say) and hopefully
season and I am very excited to see how our players between us all we can convince him to one day return to
perform on the field, specially the young ones. “From a our shores where he will always be very welcome.
coach perspective, my objective is to be competitive

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