Passion could be his middle name, and when he hit Mosgiel's winning goal to beat Caversham 2-1 on Saturday, the defender's smiling delight was like a beacon at Bayfield Park.
"I've scored a few goals in my time, but had to wait for about 15 years to beat Caversham, and it feels just great," Abbott said.
In contrast, Caversham trudged off at the final whistle, having dropped to fourth in the Footballsouth Premier League and knowing any glory this season would probably be won in Chatham Cup, or in some still to be decided South Island playoff series.
Yet it was a brilliant match, which kept both sets of supporters on tenterhooks, as attacking play swept back and forward.
Caversham was without Patrick Fleming, who has gone to Sweden for trials with professional clubs, and striker Ant Hancock, suspended due to a red card last week.
Mosgiel had its full squad apart from Reagan Coldicott raring to go. A sometime player this year, coach Mike McGarry said he was happy to watch from the touchline when all his players were available, and they were "up for it" against their rivals.
McGarry's side was three points behind top team Dunedin Technical, and Caversham five points behind the leader, so no quarter was asked.
Referee Jeff Clamp kept control well as some sliding tackles flew in on the greasy ground, but the match was played in good spirit. Early forays by winger Tim Dunn threatened Caversham with his explosive pace, and he managed to get a couple of early shots on target.
Richard Murray's Caversham side also generated passing sequences that found space on the flanks, but Mosgiel's colossus Tom Bekkers was dominant in defence.
Both goalkeepers handled a series of shots and corners, in congested goalmouths that resembled rush-hour traffic.
Dunn seems to have benefited from better delivery by the classy Jordan Swaney and Luke Burgess, and with perfect timing, just before halftime, the powerful winger accelerated through a gap and lashed in a fine shot on the run.
The 1-0 scoreline fired Caversham up in the second half, and Seamus Ryder, Hamish Chang, and Anton Ross buzzed like hornets in midfield.
Tom Jackson uncoiled his superb athletic ability with dynamic runs and leaps which unsettled Mosgiel, and his ability to hurl huge throws was another potent weapon.
Jackson returns to West Virginia this week, but left his farewell mark with a splendid 58th-minute shot on the run that gave keeper Andrew James no chance, and the match was square.
Both teams went for the jugular, losing shape as they pushed forward, and Morgan Day spurned a sitter, then desperate Mosgiel defence had to hack the ball off keeper James' goal line.
Amid a parade of chances, it was the cool head of Steve Kibby that slipped a pass across Caversham's goalmouth with 10 minutes to go, and defender Abbott materialised to sweep in his jubilant winner.
At Sunnyvale, Green Island worked desperately hard to unsettle Dunedin Technical, and found some holes in the maroon defence, but once again, marksman Aaron Burgess speared two goals, and was joined by Richard Smith, Tristan Prattley and Tim Myers for a 5-1 win.
University drew 1-1 with Roslyn-Wakari, with coach Colin Thom's side claiming the ball had gone out of play just before the students scored. Damo Foster got Roslyn's goal, and now, even with three games to go, Roslyn can aim only at second place.
In Invercargill, Grants Braes extended its run to six games with just one defeat. Bara Tabut scored twice for Braes, and for Spirit, Matt Webb and Andrew Ridden goals created a 2-2 draw. In Queenstown, Rovers beat Northern 2-0.
