Andy Traill, right, on the attack against Island Bay. PHOTO/FILE
Andy Traill picked up 3 points for his role in Greytown’s impressive win over Kapiti Coast at the weekend. Chris Cogdale talks to the midfield maestro.
During the week, Andy Traill is climbing trees and trimming branches.
But at the weekends, the arboriculturist is cutting down players and shredding opposition defences for his beloved Greytown Football Club.
Football is in the 32-year-old midfielder’s blood, having started playing as a junior for Featherston, before stints in Wairarapa United age group and reserve teams, and then Masterton Athletic, before he joined Greytown as a foundation member in 2009.
Traill has been with the progressive South Wairarapa club ever since and played an integral role in Greytown convincingly winning the 2020 Wairarapa Division One Championship and earning promotion to Capital Division Four.
After a slow start to their 2021 campaign Greytown ended the season strongly for a fifth-place finish, only five points behind winners Stop Out.
Traill feels that the move to the Capital Leagues immediately paid off with stiffer competition and more variety.
“Suddenly you’ve gone from knowing everyone in the local league you’re playing against to not knowing hardly anyone you come up against,” said Traill.
Greytown started 2022 with a strengthened squad, confident of pushing for promotion to Capital Three, and are on track for a top two finish, nine points behind the unbeaten Wellington United Reserves. However, a change of policy by Capital Football to allow the inclusion of two Wellington Phoenix development teams in higher divisions means only one team instead of the usual two, will be promoted.
Although the chance of automatic promotion is virtually gone, Traill believes there could still be chance and it’s important that Greytown continue to push for a top two finish.
“There are always teams dropping out too, so hopefully we can get through. We’re going really good now, we’re just seem to be getting win after win.
“The guys are putting in a lot of work and Gary [Hewson] the coach has put in a lot of work too, and all the boys seem to be following along.”
Traill reckons that if Greytown do earn promotion, they would be competitive in division three.
“We’ve watched a few of those division three games and from a few guys points of view it looks like cap four could be harder.”
Regardless of the outcome, Traill is just happy to play his part in the family orientated club, where his wife Selena also plays – for Greytown Gems in the Wairarapa Women’s League – and his five-year-old son Tommy turns out for the Greytown Tigers.
Away from football, Traill loves to spend time with Selena, Tommy, and his two daughters – Peyton [eight], and Esther [one].
Otherwise, he is busy working at his business Climb and Cut Tree Services, and yes, he has competed in tree climbing, finishing appropriately in midfield in his only competition.
