Waitakere finished fourth in New Zealand’s ASB Premiership, unable to retain the championship title for the fifth year running. After a tense competition against Canterbury United for the last semi-final spot, they bowed out of the play-offs to Auckland City who would go on to win the grand final against Team Wellington.
Drawn in Group A with Samoa’s Kiwi FC, Tahiti’s AS Pirae, and Solomon Islands’ Solomon Warriors, Waitakere will be looking to regain the glory of 2007 and 2008 which saw them win back-to-back OFC Champions League titles.
Player-coach Brian Shelley took some time to speak to us and opened up about United’s expectations and preparations for the Champions League group stage.
OFC Football: How’s the team preparation going?
Brian Shelley: The preparation is going really well, we had a short break after the ASB Premiership season finished and we’ve gone back into training and organised some games, so preparation is going well and we’re looking forward to getting to Fiji.
OFC Football: Have you got any friendlies lined up before the group stage starts?
Brian Shelley: Yeah, just one or two, we played Central United last week and we’ll play Glenfield next week which will be a strong opposition. The rest will be around trainings and doing the walk on the training field really beforehand.
OFC Football: What are your expectations for Waitakere heading into Group A?
Brian Shelley: We’re hoping to go there and give a good account of ourselves and see where it takes us, I think it’s fair to say that Auckland City will carry the tag of favourites into the competition and rightly so based on the season they’ve just had. We obviously lost in the semi-finals of the play-off 8-1 to Auckland City so that’s a big scoreline until we do meet them again in the OFC Champions League. The OFC Champions League is always a little bit of a step into the unknown, because you can do some research on the island teams, which we will do, but obviously they have recruited and there’s some strong teams there, but we’re hoping to go there and compete and do as well as we can.
OFC Football: In Group A you’ve got Pirae, Solomon Warriors and Kiwi FC who are perceived as the underdogs going into the group stage. Do you think it gives you a sort of optimism that two teams could go through to the semi-final from group A?
Brian Shelley: If you’re looking at the groups, it would look like Auckland City’s group is stronger than the one we’re in but it’s hard to pre-empt what you’re going to come up against until you get there. It’s not only the teams that you’ve got under your belt but it’s also the environment we’re going to be playing in, being in Fiji and playing in the hot weather and all the things that are going to be factors for the New Zealand teams, which is going to make the tournament that little bit more difficult for us.
OFC Football: The format’s been changed this year and it’s all going to be held in Fiji, how do you think the heat and other factors are going to affect Waitakere?
Brian Shelley: It’s definitely going to be a factor, and there’s a number of things that’s going to play a part in the games. One is going to be the weather and the conditions. I flew out there a couple of weeks ago just to have a look at the facilities and where we were going to stay, and we went to the ground at kick-off time and it was really really hot so that’s going to be a factor. The other factor is going to be the pitches, I don’t think it’s any secret that the pitches in New Zealand are a lot better than the ones in the islands, so these are things that you’ve got to take into account and some of them will influence the way you play and be a factor in what you’re trying to achieve.
OFC Football: Going back to the domestic league, the ASB Premiership you guys finished fourth on the regular table and it was a difficult season, some would say, for you. What will you be taking from the domestic season into the Champions League?
Brian Shelley: It was a difficult season but I think at the start of the season on day one, we identified this year was going to be a transitional period and our goals were to finish in the top four. We did do that, although we did go out of the playoffs in disappointing fashion, but I think when you look at our squad at the start of the year and you look at it when we finished the ASB Premiership and now you look at it going into the OFC Champions League, there’s been a lot of change. As coaches we’re trying to put our identity and our stamp onto the team and some of that has been through a change in personnel but there were positives throughout the year and we will take them forward with us. I think we really need to draw a line and obviously address things where we can, but we really need to look forward now and look at this as a fresh start. As I said the OFC Champions League is the biggest competition of the year so what happens in the ASB Premiership doesn’t count for anything now.
OFC Football: As you said it’s been a transitional period for Waitakere, you’re listed on the squad list as defender as well as co-coach, how do you switch between going on the field and then analysing the game after or from the sidelines?
Brian Shelley: I think the most important thing there is that we’ve got a good technical team, which we do; we’ve got Paul Temple and Martin Bullock and Kevin O’Leary so we share a lot of the responsibilities but when I’m playing I’m generally focused on playing, and then as you said after the game I can analyse the game with the other coaches. Being a player can be a valuable thing because you’ve got a different perspective on the game when you’re on the pitch, so it’s good to sit down and share all that and yeah, it’s worked out okay so far so hopefully we continue with that.
OFC Football: One last question, the capture of Benjamin Totori is arguably one of the signing coups leading into the group stage, what’s Benji going to add to your squad?
Brian Shelley: I think Benji’s going to add lots to the squad, we have got some creative players but Benji is a really creative player, he scores goals and he can play in more than one position and he’s going to be really comfortable playing in Fiji, which is a real plus. So he gives us that little bit of style and flair that I think we’ll need in the islands to win us games. Everyone’s excited about us signing Benji and we’re all looking forward to playing with him in Fiji.