Battle on for United spots

A TRIAL match to be played at Howard Booth Park tomorrow will have a big say in the make-up of the Wairarapa United squad to contest Capital Soccer's premier division in the 2006 season.
The game, which is to kick off at 3pm, will be an added attraction to the annual pre-season local league tournament, and Wairarapa United coach Phil Keinzley makes no bones about its importance.
"Form will be assessed very carefully?? it could make a difference to a player making our top squad or missing out," he said. "We're at the stage where we need to start finalising who goes where and this will be a big step in that direction."
Keinzley anticipates starting the trial by having members of last year's Capital division one-winning combination playing against a team made up of recent acquisitions to the club and locals keen to strut their stuff on a higher stage.
The recent acquisitions will include internationals Stanley Waita from the Solomon islands, Petero Dauniseka from Fiji and Cook Islands goalkeeper Tony Jamieson, along with Englishman James Oxtoby, who has transferred from Palmerston North club Red Sox.
Keinzley expects that quartet to make a big impression tomorrow, having been delighted at the form they have shown in a couple of training sessions.
"They are all class players, and you'd expect them to be right at the forefront of the action," he said.
Keinzley said it was already apparent that competition for places in the premier division would be red hot, with the right half position providing ample evidence of that. There were at least four strong contenders for that role?last season's stars Troy Burling, Lai Gataurua and Andy Robinson plus Oxtoby.
"It's huge for the club when you have that sort of talent competing against each other for places in the side??it's going to make the selection process really difficult, but that's the way you want it," Keinzley said.
The Wairarapa United coach says fitness will be an issue which will also be put under the microscope tomorrow.
He said premier division soccer would be faster than what division one was, and therefore it would be vital the players were at peak fitness when the inter-club matches got under way in the first week of April.
"We simply can't afford to carry players who are struggling fitness-wise," he said. "Those who struggle in that respect tomorrow won't be doing themselves any favours, that's for sure."