Fijian ace to debut for United

Fijian international Valerio Nawatu will be available to make his debut for Wairarapa United in their Central League top-of-the-table clash with Miramar Rangers at Queen Elizabeth Park Oval in Masterton on Sunday but there are no guarantees he will play.
A prolific goal scorer who took out the Golden Boot award at the Fiji Cup tourney at North Harbour earlier in the year when he netted 14 goals in just five games for Lautoka, Nawatu would normally be a first choice selection for any Central League club.
But so well have Wairarapa United been performing in 2011 that even a player of Nawatu's calibre will probably have to play himself into the starting line-up.
"He [Nawatu] knows it's not a case of just walking into the team, that he has to prove himself better than the players who are already there," Wairarapa United coach Phil Keinzley said yesterday.
"We have a hell of a lot of talented players in the side and he's just one of them."
Keinzley won't actually settle on his squad to play Miramar Rangers until later in the week but right now he sees Nawatu, and another notable acquisition, Japanese defender Nobuyoshi Ishi, starting on the bench, if even making it that far.
"We'll have 18 players to pick from so at least a couple of them will have to miss out altogether ... it's a nice headache to have."
Strong as the Wairarapa United squad are, however, Keinzley recognises Miramar Rangers will still start favourites for their upcoming match.
As the Chatham Cup holders they can lay claims to being the number one club in the whole of the country and Keinzley doesn't need to be told that they invariably reserve their best efforts for the big occasion.
"They'll be up for this one, we know that," Keinzley said.
"These are the sort of games where they come out with all guns blazing and we have to be ready for them, that's the key."
It's not only their premier side keeping Wairarapa United fans on good terms with themselves this season.
Their second team have been making big waves in the Capital fourth division competition with Saturday's 2-0 defeat of Island Bay Massey taking them to the top of the points table. Both Wairarapa United seconds and Wainuiomata have 16pts, followed by Karori Cougars 14, LH Ancient Ones 12, Tawa Devilz 10, University Scarfies and Island Bay HHH 9, Island Bay Massey and Island Bay United 5 and Brooklyn Northern United 1.
Capital third division matches also continued on Saturday with Douglas Villa being on the end of a 3-1 beating from Paekakariki. Leading that points table are Petone Armanis on 16, followed by Lower Hutt City and Paekakariki 11, Island Bay United 10, Douglas Villa, Karori Barcodes and Petone all 7, North Wellington 6, Marist 5 and Kapiti Coast United 1.
Masterton Trevs Sports Athletic maintained their lead in the Wairarapa football championship when they scored a 7-1 victory over Carterton Redbacks but the goal they conceded would have disappointed them as it was the first scored against them this season.
That leaves Masterton McAuleys as the only team with a clean slate. They have won four from four and have scored 27 goals without conceding any.
Saturday's Wairarapa championship results:
Greytown White Swan 2, Greytown A1 Homes 2; Douglas Villa Laser Electrical 1, Douglas Villa Good Beginnings 1; Masterton Trevs Sports Athletic 7, Carterton Redbacks 1; Masterton McAuleys 5, Evergreens 0; Carterton Shoe Clinic Social 0, Masterton Pacific United 0; Greytown Turkey Red 8, Masterton Farmlands Presidents 3; Masterton-Gladstone Lions 6, Douglas Villa Wairarapa Funeral Services 0; Carterton Skulls 7, Douglas Villa Hasbeens 1.
Points are: Masterton Trevs Sports Athletic 15, Greytown White Swan 13, Masterton McAuleys 12, Carterton Skulls 12, Douglas Villa Good Beginnings 11, Greytown A1 Homes 9, Greytown Turkey Red 9, Douglas Villa Laser Electrical and Masterton-Gladstone Lions 7, Douglas Villa Hasbeens 6, Carterton Redbacks and Masterton Farmlands Presidents 3, Carterton Shoe Clinic Social 2, Masterton Pacific United 1, Douglas Villa Funeral Services and Evergreens 0