NUAFC 1968-2018

He played schoolboy football and Under-19 reps for
Quillotas Dynamos and will always remember a fantastic shot at
goal where he nearly tore the n e t o ff t h e p o s t s . A ft e r
h i s exhuberance had died down he embarrasingly
walked into the goal to retrieve his boot, the ball hadn't even
moved!
MIKE LIDDLE
He said that he had learned his skills by chasing
Llamas through Chilean police riots squads! In 1976 he and his
brother Jimmy arrived in NZ and t u r n e d o u t f o r F r a s e r
a n d t h e Hamilton Under-19s. He was a member of the Fraser
side that engaged N arra in that infamous Battle of
the Waikato (where most of both teams got really friendly!).
He wa s so impr esse d wi th o ur fighting spirit
that he joined us the following season so he could teach Dave
Hall how to speak Spanish so that more intimate
conversations could be arranged with practicing referees.
MIKE HEAPPEY
Known to many as Snoz and to some as Boof Head.
He started his skills early in life kicking the
family hamster against the side of the house, then going on
to represent Waikato schoolboys from 1965 through to 1969.
Northern League with Claudelands Rovers from 1966 to 1974
came along with a stint in the NZ International Tournment
s q u a d i n ' 6 9 a t t h e M e r d e r k a Tournament (luckily Mike
caught laryngitis and had to stay home!).
He played around with AFF Co R a nge r s f or
f ou r ye a rs bef o re arriving at Narra on a Lend/Lease
arrangement - AFFCo lent him, Narra leashed him!
Mike compliments his soccer with other sports
such as cricket, golf, snooker and darts with equal skills. He
kicks over the cricket stumps, strikes the golf ball with the
outside of his foot, can't get the ball into any of the pockets in
snooker, and needs a long run-up in darts!
An electrician by trade he did a lot of work on the
clubrooms. His legacy is still with us. When we open the
fridge door the stove turns on or the c l u b a l a r m g o e s o ff
w h e n t h e telephone is answered..
He is a two-footed player (both of them the wrong
ones) and was often seen clearing the tops of the pines when
shooting at the southern goal.
KEITH MACKRELL
Known as Snapper, Fish-head and The Flying Ferret
Keith didn't kick a ball seriously until he was 15 having been a
rugby adherant.
P laying f or Ngaruawahia H igh School he top
scored with 37 goals from 9 matches followed the next year
with 16 goals in the Waikato 2nd Division. Known for his
electrifying speed he was often approached to be the hare at
greyhound meetings.
With a desire to succeed Keith trained four
nights a week, twice with the seniors and twice with th e
women's side. He supplimented his training by trying to date
Dave Hall's daughter and had to spend the early parts of his
visits dodging bricks thrown by Dave!
Mike played League at Glen Afton until becoming 13
then changed to soccer under P addy Murph y at Huntly.
At 16 he reverted for two years back to League and then
signed on f or the AFFCo R angers 2nd Division side. During
these formative years he was in the Waikato Reps with Les
Vuletich.
He was nicknamed Sunshine by Dave H a l l ( w h o
c a l l e d e v e r y b o d y Sunshine!) and was known to be a
regular battler. He had more lumps on his legs that a poor
liposuction patient and had a neon-light beard ( off-on-offon).
He claimed he learned all his skills from the Beano and the
Dandy comics e s p e c i a l l y f r o m t he c h a r a c t e r desperate
Dan. Mike had a powerful shot in both feet (but not at the same
time) and loved breaking crossbars, nets and keepers' fingers.
MALCOLM BURT
Bertie (obviously) was born in Upper Hutt but as his
parents loved in the Lower one they sent his food up to him
on a rope.
Bertie has played for many teams, not always
successfully. He spent some time in Fiji with his father
where he used to dribble coconuts amongst the tree. He
tried heading one once, that's why he now wears glasses!
He has played for Melville and has attended
Canterbury University, gaining a degree in something or
other. He then played one season for Huntly and became an
original member of the Green Machine when it was just a
Dinky Toy. He has played at all levels and, as he does not have a
left foot, he has spent most of his playing days at left fullback.
T here was a time when he was moved into the
strikers role. He had a point -blank shot at goal from 2
meters out and creamed the corner flag.
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