North Force manager Dean Wheatley has set his troops the task of rediscovering their winning ways tomorrow, as they take on Hibiscus Coast at Kamo.
It certainly won't be the easiest of challenges after the side were beaten 4-1 by Hibiscus Coast, in the Chatham Cup second round, on Monday.
But Wheatley
said: "After a poor performance last Saturday I was pleased with the way the boys played [on Monday] so hopefully this weekend we can get back to our winning ways." He said events - and some poor refereeing - had conspired to see the better team beaten on Monday after the teams were locked together at 1-1 at half-time.
"We were certainly the better team on Monday. In the end we were unlucky to concede the second goal, which seemed to be offside.
"Then they got a penalty, which was an awful decision, and suddenly we're 1-3 down. Their last goal was also blatantly offside but it was all over by then."
Wheatley said just how the team should turn their fortunes around was not the issue. "How we do it isn't that important, it'll be nice to get in front and stay in front."
The importance of the match between third-placed North Force and fourth-placed Hibiscus is obvious.
North Force will be without talisman defender Scott Burgess after he was sent off in Monday's match, meaning a reshuffle for the team before the game.
Burgess will probably only cop a week's suspension for the dismissal and Wheatley is hopeful there will be no suspension at all for Mark Ruddell, who was sent off after the same incident that produced a red-card for Burgess.
"Apparently the referee admitted he had made a mistake and didn't put the card through so it looks like Mark won't be suspended, but we still have to wait to have that confirmed," he said.
Jeremy Rintoul also picked up a knee injury on Monday and is unlikely to start and Wheatley hoped the rest of the team would stay injury free.
"With the lack of depth in the squad it makes life difficult. We can't do what Glenfield Rovers did - go out and sign five new players - we've just got to go with what we've got. That's not an excuse, that's just the way it is."
The match kicks off at 3.15pm, with Whangarei referee Luke van Pomeren handling the whistle.
