White's whirlwind 24 hours typifies Auckland effort

Words: ACFC Media

Sunday 29 January 2017

Picture: Hong Kong FA

HONG KONG - Darren White barely had time to catch his breath after Auckland’s epic win over FC Seoul on Saturday night before jumping on a plane home – 24 hours after arriving in Hong Kong.

The fullback’s tireless 90 minute shift belied his schedule which saw him fly 11 hours after a full days’ work as a sales rep on Friday arriving at the hotel late on the eve of the Nike Lunar Cup opener. After the match, he went back to the airport straight from the stadium in order to ensure he’d be ready for when the work week begins.

White says like many players, he has to put work first and he was thankful that the club was able to arrange a way to accommodate those commitments and still let him contribute to another famous upset.

“Obviously work commitments stopped me flying in on Wednesday with the team,” said White before he departed.

“It is what it is and I really appreciate getting a spot in the starting line-up despite having not trained with the side over here. It was definitely a tough game and I’m glad we got the win because everyone worked pretty hard.

Cramps during the second half made life a little uncomfortable as FC Seoul pushed hard for an equaliser but clinching the upset victory made the pain and draining itinerary worth it.

“Oh, one hundred per cent and I can definitely assure you I’m pretty knackered right now, I’m dead on my feet.”

The balancing of their work and football lives is typical of Auckland City players with others in similar situations to White on this trip.

Cam Howieson was another late arrival, touching down early on the morning on Saturday’s game while other squad members like Harshae Raniga weren’t able to make the trip at all.

Navy Blues coach Ramon Tribulietx says it’s just a fact of life for Auckland City.

“I’m pretty sure the manager from Seoul doesn’t have to deal with this. He’s brought in 30 players and they’ve got no worries. They’re all full time professionals.

“We all aspire to be in that position one day. Hopefully at Auckland City we can have that opportunity.

“It’s all about how you take things. If you sit down and cry about it you’re not going to go anywhere. You’ve got to accept and get the best out of everyone within the circumstances you’ve got and think we’re pretty good at doing that.”

“In normal circumstance you wouldn’t expect someone to come off the plane then play a fantastic game like Whitey did against the standard of team we had to face. When a team has the calibre of players like former Arsenal and Celta Vigo players Park Chu Young they can hurt you if you’re not at your best. But it wasn’t the case and Whitey was fantastic yesterday.”