Western Suburbs
Encyclopedia
Western Suburbs is an association football club in Porirua
, New Zealand
. They play their home matches at Endeavour Park in the Porirua suburb of Whitby
and compete in the Central Premier League
.
Western Suburbs have won the Chatham Cup
thrice (1935, 1971, 2006) and the Central Premier League
on five occasions (1996, 1998, 2005, 2007, 2009).
in 1970. That year they lost the Chatham Cup
to Blockhouse Bay after a replay, but achieved success for the second time in their history the following year, beating Wellington City
3-2 in the 1971 final.Western Suburbs were relegated from the National League at the end of the 1971 season.
. Porirua United won the Central League title in 1974
The 2001 season was an up-and-down season under Ken Cresswell
. After a poor start the team managed to get back on track and at one stage, had a chance of winning the title. Following the loss of nearly half of the 2000 Championship winning team, most people wrote Wests off as contenders and they surprised many with a respectable 3rd place finish. The highlight of the season was probably beating Olympic both home and away.
2002 brought a new coach, a new attitude and a few new faces to Wests. Ex-Wests captain, Martin Disley, took over as coach from Ken Cresswell, who had gone to Wellington United in the off-season. Under Disley, with the help of Assistant Coaches Andrew Eales and Brendan McIntyre, Wests regained a reputation for playing attractive and attacking football. This was best displayed in the latter stages of the season where Wests scored 27 goals in their final 5 games of the season, conceding just 7. With just 2 games remaining, Wests took the lead from Lower Hutt and needed a win against Petone in the final game of the season to secure their 4th League title in 6 years. Following their 2002 League Title, Wests went on to dispose of Havelock in the Regional Playoff 11-0 on aggregate. The National League Promotion Playoff was a mixed bag for Wests, picking up a win, a draw and a loss against Waitakere, Glenfield and Caversham respectively.
In 2003 and 2004 the club performed well losing only 3 and 2 games in each season. However it was not good enough to win and only second and third placings were achieved in the Capital Premier Competition.
2005 saw the return of the Central League after the dissolution of the National League in favour of the New Zealand Football Championship
competition. Western Suburbs became the first team to win the renewed competition, however the team was controversially knocked out of the Chatham Cup in the 3rd round for fielding a supposedly ineligible player.
In 2006, the centenary year of the club, the club failed to defend their Central League title, finishing runners up. However Wests managed to reach the Chatham Cup final, winning the trophy after defeating Eastern Suburbs 3-0 on penalties aftewr a scoreless draw. Western Suburbs was officially recognised as Porirua City’s Team of the Year.
The 2007 season saw Western Suburbs winning the Central Premier League title, however they failed to defend their Chatham Cup title, losing to Central United 10-9 on penalties after a scoreless draw.
Porirua
Porirua is a city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand, immediately north of the city of Wellington, with their central business districts 20 km apart. A large proportion of the population commutes to Wellington, so it may be considered a satellite city. It almost completely surrounds...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. They play their home matches at Endeavour Park in the Porirua suburb of Whitby
Whitby, New Zealand
Whitby, a large suburb of Porirua City, New Zealand, located along much of the southern shore of the Pauatahanui Inlet of Porirua Harbour was comprehensively planned in the 1960s and it has been continuously developed since, with current landscaping and expansion in the hills behind the eastern...
and compete in the Central Premier League
Central Premier League
The Central League is a semi-professional status league competition run by for Association football clubs located in the southern and central parts of the North Island, New Zealand...
.
Western Suburbs have won the Chatham Cup
Chatham Cup
The Chatham Cup, currently known as the ASB Chatham Cup for sponsorship purposes, is New Zealand's premier knockout tournament in men's football...
thrice (1935, 1971, 2006) and the Central Premier League
Central Premier League
The Central League is a semi-professional status league competition run by for Association football clubs located in the southern and central parts of the North Island, New Zealand...
on five occasions (1996, 1998, 2005, 2007, 2009).
Hospital AFC
Western Suburbs was established in 1906 as Hospital AFC, initially as a recreational outlet for staff at Porirua Mental Hospital, winning the Chatham Cup in 1935, beating Christchurch’s Western 2-0.Western Suburbs (1956-1973)
In 1956 the name of the club changed to Western Suburbs, reflecting it's player base from Porirua and Tawa. Led by Hungarian born coach Imre Kiss, who had represented New Zealand for one official international in 1967, the club won the Central League First Division title in 1968 and again in 1969, qualifying for the inaugural season of the National LeagueNew Zealand National Soccer League
The National Soccer League is a name given to competitions in which New Zealand's top soccer clubs play each other, at least two times, on a home and away basis . At the completion of the competition, the best-performed team is declared as the New Zealand champion...
in 1970. That year they lost the Chatham Cup
Chatham Cup
The Chatham Cup, currently known as the ASB Chatham Cup for sponsorship purposes, is New Zealand's premier knockout tournament in men's football...
to Blockhouse Bay after a replay, but achieved success for the second time in their history the following year, beating Wellington City
Wellington United
Wellington United AFC is an association football club in Wellington, New Zealand competing in the Capital Premier League.-Wellington Diamond United:Wellington Diamond United was the result of the merger of Diamond and Zealandia/Wellington United in 1968....
3-2 in the 1971 final.Western Suburbs were relegated from the National League at the end of the 1971 season.
Porirua United
The club name was changed to Porirua United in 1973 when Porirua gained city status. Shortly after, a faction within the club broke away to form rival club Tawa AFCTawa AFC
Tawa AFC is an association football club in Tawa, Wellington, New Zealand. They are competing the Central Premier League, which they last won in 1994.-External links:**...
. Porirua United won the Central League title in 1974
Porirua Viard United
At the end of the 1983 season Porirua United and Viard amalgamated to become Porirua Viard United. The women’s team were joint National Champions in 1987, drawing the grand final with Auckland’s Eden. In 1992 Porirua Viard United amalgamated with Mana United, forming Western Suburbs.Western Suburbs (1992-present)
The rebirth of Western Suburbs saw a return to the heady days of the late sixties and early seventies. Over the last 10 years, the club won two Central League First Division titles, participated in the North Island League in 1999, finishing 8th. Wests also won the inaugural Capital Federation Championship in 2000.The 2001 season was an up-and-down season under Ken Cresswell
Kenny Cresswell
Kenneth "Kenny" Grant Cresswell is an association football player who represented New Zealand internationally, appearing in all 3 matches of New Zealand's first FIFA World Cup finals appearance....
. After a poor start the team managed to get back on track and at one stage, had a chance of winning the title. Following the loss of nearly half of the 2000 Championship winning team, most people wrote Wests off as contenders and they surprised many with a respectable 3rd place finish. The highlight of the season was probably beating Olympic both home and away.
2002 brought a new coach, a new attitude and a few new faces to Wests. Ex-Wests captain, Martin Disley, took over as coach from Ken Cresswell, who had gone to Wellington United in the off-season. Under Disley, with the help of Assistant Coaches Andrew Eales and Brendan McIntyre, Wests regained a reputation for playing attractive and attacking football. This was best displayed in the latter stages of the season where Wests scored 27 goals in their final 5 games of the season, conceding just 7. With just 2 games remaining, Wests took the lead from Lower Hutt and needed a win against Petone in the final game of the season to secure their 4th League title in 6 years. Following their 2002 League Title, Wests went on to dispose of Havelock in the Regional Playoff 11-0 on aggregate. The National League Promotion Playoff was a mixed bag for Wests, picking up a win, a draw and a loss against Waitakere, Glenfield and Caversham respectively.
In 2003 and 2004 the club performed well losing only 3 and 2 games in each season. However it was not good enough to win and only second and third placings were achieved in the Capital Premier Competition.
2005 saw the return of the Central League after the dissolution of the National League in favour of the New Zealand Football Championship
New Zealand Football Championship
The New Zealand Football Championship is the national association football league in New Zealand. It is a professional/semi-professional status Association football sports Franchise league that is operated by New Zealand Football...
competition. Western Suburbs became the first team to win the renewed competition, however the team was controversially knocked out of the Chatham Cup in the 3rd round for fielding a supposedly ineligible player.
In 2006, the centenary year of the club, the club failed to defend their Central League title, finishing runners up. However Wests managed to reach the Chatham Cup final, winning the trophy after defeating Eastern Suburbs 3-0 on penalties aftewr a scoreless draw. Western Suburbs was officially recognised as Porirua City’s Team of the Year.
The 2007 season saw Western Suburbs winning the Central Premier League title, however they failed to defend their Chatham Cup title, losing to Central United 10-9 on penalties after a scoreless draw.