Introduction
Timothy John Payne (born 10 January 1994) is a New Zealand footballer who plays for Eastern Suburbs in the New Zealand Football Championship and internationally for New Zealand. Tim can play anywhere in midfield, usually in the attacking roles but often plays defensive midfield for the National team.
Early life
Auckland City and Waitakere United
Born in Auckland, Payne attended Sacred Heart College and started his youth career with ASB Premiership club Auckland City FC before switching to play for rivals Waitakere United. Payne played a major role in Waitakere United's success in the ASB National Youth League in 2010.
Blackburn Rovers
After impressing at the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup Payne trialed with Premier League side Blackburn Rovers and then spent several months training at the club.
Then days after celebrating his 18th birthday Payne signed a two-and-half-year contract with Rovers in January 2012. Due to work permit issues that prevented him from playing for Rovers, he was released at the end of his contract.
International career
Payne represented New Zealand at Under-17 level. He played 90 minutes in each of his sides four matches at the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Mexico.
In May 2012 Payne received a call up from Ricki Herbert to the All Whites alongside fellow youngster and U-17 teammate Cameron Howieson. Payne made his first appearance for the senior national team in a 1–0 win against Honduras on 26 May 2012, he came on as a substitute for Leo Bertos and played the final 15 minutes of the match. He subsequently made an appearance off the bench in the OFC Nations Cup 2012. Payne was named in New Zealand football team for the 2012 Olympics.
International goals and caps
New Zealand's goal tally first.
| International appearances and goals | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Result | Competition | Goal | Match Report |
| 2012 | |||||||
| 1 | 26 May | Cotton Bowl Stadium, Dallas |  Honduras | 1–0 | International match | NZ Football | |
| 2 | 4 June | Lawson Tama Stadium, Honiara |  Papua New Guinea | 2–1 | 2012 OFC Nations Cup | NZ Football | |
| 3 | 6 June | Lawson Tama Stadium, Honiara |  Solomon Islands | 1–1 | 2012 OFC Nations Cup | NZ Football | |
| 4 | 10 June | Lawson Tama Stadium, Honiara | Solomon Islands | 4–3 | 2012 OFC Nations Cup | NZ Football | |
| 5 | 7 September | Stade Numa-Daly Magenta, Nouméa |  New Caledonia | 2–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifier | NZ Football | |
| 6 | 13 October | Stade Pater Te Hono Nui, Pirae |  Tahiti | 2–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifier | NZ Football | |
| 7 | 14 November | Hongkou Football Stadium, Shanghai |  China PR | 1–1 | International match | NZ Football | |
| 2013 | |||||||
| 8 | 22 March | Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin | New Caledonia | 2–1 | 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifier | NZ Football | |
| 9 | 26 March | Lawson Tama Stadium, Honiara | Solomon Islands | 2–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifier | 2 (2) | NZ Football |
International career statistics
| New Zealand national team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 2012 | 7 | 0 |
| 2013 | 2 | 2 |
| Total | 9 | 2 |