It may not make the young bucks in the Hawke's Bay United stable particularly happy but it's just a matter of time when veteran Paul Ifill will become a permanent fixture in the engine room of their campaign.
It remains to be seen if coach Brett Angell will start his newly appointed player/assistant coach when they kick off against Canterbury United in Christchurch at 1pm tomorrow.
The 36-year-old Englishman, who played for the Wellington Phoenix in the A-League for a few seasons before retiring to run an academy and coach in Wairarapa, made his debut last Sunday in the 2-2 stalemate against Team Wellington in Napier when the ASB Premiership resumed after the Christmas break.
The Finlay Milne-captained Bay side were disappointed not to come way with three points after leading 2-1 at one stage although their first goal was controversial after video footage revealed goal scorer Sean Liddicoat was deemed to be offside.
However, the fourth-placed Bay United must push for a victory at Football Park tomorrow because they are sitting three points adrift of the Dragons in second place on the premiership table.