Wade eager to press on for Southern
National premiership
Southern Utd v Team Wellington David Farrington Park, Wellington Tomorrow, 2pm
BEN Wade has been smiling all week.
The 21yearold had only just come on when he buried the ball in the back of the net for Southern United against Hamilton Wanderers last Sunday.
It was the decisive moment in a strong performance, as Southern went on to win 10 and claim its first points of the season.
The goal was Wade’s second at senior level and he admitted to not being able to take the smile off his face.
‘‘I was only on a few minutes, but I managed to be in the right place at the right time,’’ he said.
‘‘The ball got played through and I managed to stick it in the corner. It felt good.’’
He has proved a handy impact player over the past two years and is hoping to make a difference against Team Wellington in Wellington this weekend.
It will be a tough game for Southern, but Wade felt the side was capable of taking points.
Now in his third year of national premiership football, he was enjoying playing against the top sides.
After growing up in Blenheim, Wade moved south to Christchurch, where he was on a scholarship at Christ’s College. From there he moved further south to Dunedin and is one exam away from completing a nursing degree.
Wade, who was initially in Southern’s national youth league team, linked with the men’s team after his second season.
He then became a fulltime men’s squad player last season, scoring his first goal against Auckland City.
It was a pathway he said had worked well for him.
‘‘It’s definitely been good and I think Paul [O’Reilly] and the rest of the coaching staff have done an amazing job bringing young players in and training with the first team.
‘‘It makes that step up less of a shock and more of a straightforward transition.’’
Producing players for the senior team was the primary goal of the youth team.
It was great to be a product of that system, he said.
Wade had worked hard and now felt he was getting the rewards.
Possessing pace and the ability to create opportunities on attack, he has proved a valuable addition to the men’s side.
Alongside playing for Southern, he played his club football for Caversham.
Wade hopes to secure a job in Dunedin after finishing his studies. His goal is to break into the Southern lineup on a consistent basis.