 Needing regular football, he accepted an offer to move to New Zealand, a move that he initially expected to be short-term.However, he settled so well, playing for Wellington side Waterside Karori, that he was able to ignore reported interest from Scottish giants Celtic.A couple of years later, personal reasons saw him return to England, and he joined Southport, where he had some success until he suffered a broken hand, the third of his career.