The 24-year-old defender was a stand-out performer for the West Aucklanders as they clinched a fourth minor premiership in seven seasons. But with their ‘Super City’ rivals Auckland on the collecting both ASB Premiership and OFC Champions League trophies for the third time in seven seasons, Scott says Waitakere will be out to clinch the title for themselves.
“The media hype it up a bit more but we definitely want to stop Auckland City from winning. You don’t want the opposition to hold that above you and say” No matter what Waitakere did this season, Auckland were champions,” Scott said.
Waitakere United’s run to the minor premiership saw records tumble with the club’s points tally of 36 beating the previous best for a 14 game season of 33 set in 2008-09 season. Inspired by golden boot winner, Allan Pearce, Waitakere also set a new goals for record of 39 and equalled their own goals against record conceding only 12.
Scott says talk of Auckland City clinching the double again threatens to undermine the club’s achievements in a season where Waitakere were beaten just twice during the regular season.
“Players want to be remembered as champions and have a medal to show for it. We broke records for the points we got, goals we scored, goals conceded since the league became a 14-game format – to not win the ASB Premiership in the end would not do ourselves justice – people could question whether or not we were the best team,” Scott said.
With the goal threat of Pearce spearheading the Waitakere attack and pace to burn out wide, Scott says the Neil Emblen-coached side has what it takes to split the trophy haul down the middle.
“We’ve got game breakers in our team that suit our style of play. We counterattack with pace up front and out wide and we’ve got a bit of ‘x’ factor. That can work in our favour against Auckland,” he said.
The ‘Super City’ derby has produced drama and excitement consistently since the two clubs first clashed in 2004-05 season. With trophies and local bragging rights on the line, some encounters have spilled over with emotion. Scott says keeping focus will be a key element to success on Sunday.
“I’ve grown up playing club derbies in Hamilton so it’s nothing new for me to get a physical contest and see a few cards in matches. The ‘Super City’ derby is one of the biggest in New Zealand club football and encourages good competition. Sometimes referees see these matches differently and you get a few cards. In the past few encounters we’ve seen a few red cards but hopefully we don’t see that this Sunday,” he said.
There will be no shortage of personal motivation for a player who made his All Whites breakthrough under Ricki Herbert at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa against Iraq.
Scott’s last involvement with the All Whites came during that historic 1-0 win over Bahrain at Westpac Trust Stadium in Wellington that saw New Zealand qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1982.
A return to university to complete a diploma in secondary school teaching is perhaps a signal that Scott has his eye on other matters in his professional life but the former Waikato FC skipper says he still has an eye on international recognition.
“It’s still the reason I play football. The All Whites is still a go. University is a sign I need to get other things in my life right as well. I haven’t had a ‘real’ job for nearly three years,” he said.
Scott says commuting from the Waikato to train with Waitakere United has also been far from easy. The squad trains twice a week and every second Saturday. Some days he doesn’t see wife Chrissy until after 11pm. Scott says he has his wife’s full support. Throw in a “home” match at Fred Taylor Park and that adds up to ten hours travel on a busy week.
“The commute makes it tough. But I knew what I was signing up for. We train out west in Waitakere by the time traffic settles in it takes a while to get there. It takes its toll on the body but you are alright the next day,” Scott says, “Some days you do look at your watch and realise you’re only halfway there and there is still an hour and a quarter to go. It takes its toll on your mind because you may have other things in your life. It’s not a negative. But once you get there, you’re raring to go.”
With Scott’s life keeping him busy, he could be forgiven if he hasn’t stopped to give his Auckland opponents a proper once over. One player he is wary of is Auckland City’s free scoring forward Manel Exposito. Although no specific plans have been set out to stop the Spaniard, Scott says Waitakere would be taking a risk to not keep an eye on the Auckland marksman.
“We haven’t looked at individuals of any team all season and I don’t think we’ll have anything in place for Manel specifically or anyone else in their team,” Scott says. “But from a personal perspective, when you play a player of that quality, you have to concentrate the whole time because he can pull something out of the bag that you don’t expect. You can’t be slack and leave him alone or he can hurt you.”
The ASB Premiership Grand Final between Waitakere United and Auckland City gets underway at Trusts Stadium, Henderson, on Sunday 10 April, 2011, kick-off 2pm. The match will be broadcast live on Sky Sport 2 with live text updates available at www.asbpremiership.co.nz
ASB Premiership Grand Final
Waitakere United v Auckland City
Sunday 10 April, 2011
Kick Off: 2:00pm
Gates Open: 12:45pm
Tickets details
General Admission
Adult – $10.00
Child (15 years and under)- $5.00
Children under 5 years free
Tickets at the gate or from www.ticketdirect.co.nz
Story courtesy of New Zealand Football.
For more on New Zealand football go to www.nzfootball.co.nz