Bogey team next on Uniteds hit list

Wairarapa United soccer coach Phil Keinzley says his team's Capital premier division match with Tawa at Queen Elizabeth Park oval this Sunday will give a good gauge on where they are at.
Tawa were runners-up and three places above Wairarapa United on last season's league table and, interestingly enough, have never been beaten by a Wairarapa United side under Keinzley's command.
"I think it's fair to say they are our bogey team, we have always struggled to compete with them, "Keinzley said "I'm not sure exactly what it is, they just seem to bring out the worst in us."
Keinzley watched Tawa beat Upper Hutt City 2-1 on Saturday and while not overly impressed with their performance said they had dominated possession and deserved their win.
"They did enough to get the points and that's the sort of side they are, they aren't that flashy but they generally get the job done," he said.
Keinzley said Tawa's style of play would very probably see Wairarapa United make changes to their tactical approach from that which gave them an encouraging 4-0 win over Kapiti Coast when they opened their own 2008 premier division campaign at the park oval on Sunday.
"We will be looking to do certain things differently, we have to make sure we cover their strengths without nullifying ours," he said. "It's nothing major, just tweaking here and there."
Keinzley agrees that while a four-goal win reads impressively on paper Wairarapa United should have had even greater reward for its efforts against Kapiti Coast with a number of prime scoring chances going to waste, especially in the first half which ended with them only 1-0 up.
But at the same time he is quick to defend his team's attacking force for sometimes being guilty of being too "cute" with the likes of back heeled passes too often finding the feet of opposition players.
"Quite honestly I don't have a problem with that sort of thing being tried in the attacking third of the field because it can catch the opposition unaware but when it's done in the defensive third&&.well, that's another story", Keinzley said. "When you have the flair we have though you have to expect the unexpected, not everything is going to be done according to the book and we're happy to live with that."
For Keinzley the most satisfying aspect of Sunday's victory was the tightness of a defence in which goalkeeper Matt Borren and Carl Shailer played leading roles.
"Scoring goals should never really be a problem for us but it's important we also do well at the other end of the field&&.you can't expect to have good results if the defence isn't up to scratch too," he said.. Keinzley said Borren had recently received tuition from a former outstanding Masterton 'keeper in Phil Athow and Sunday's effort indicated he was a quick learner. "Matt's growing all the time,he's a big strength for us."
Pleasing for Keinzley too was the favourable comments from all players and officials regarding the park oval as a soccer venue. "Everybody loved it, the condition of the grounds, the size of the crowd and the atmosphere," he said.