Keinzley promises attacking spectacle

Wairarapa United will be adopting their usual attacking approach when they take on the might of Wellington Phoenix in a football ''friendly'' at Hullena Park, Masterton, tomorrow.
That's the promise from coach Phil Keinzley, who says his players won't be compromising their razzle-dazzle style of play, which has them sitting third on the Central League table. With many in what should be a large crowd likely to be watching top level football for the first time, Keinzley is keen for Wairarapa United to play their full part in what he expects to be a memorable occasion.
''Right now football is on a high and this is our chance to show people exactly why it is called the beautiful game,'' Keinzley said. ''There is nothing better than two teams relying on their skills and flair to entertain and that's what we expect to happen here.''
Keinzley was a spectator in Wellington on Friday when Phoenix achieved an 2-1 win over highly-regarded Argentinian club Boca Juniors. While he wasn't overly impressed at Boca's negative attitude, he saw plenty to like in the Phoenix performance.
''There was a feel of real confidence about the way they played, they made what was meant to be quality opposition look quite ordinary,'' he said.
New striker Australian Dylan Macallister made his Phoenix debut and scored the first goal when he met a well-weighted low cross from fellow front man Chris Greenacre on the six-yard box. It followed fine lead-up work from last season's player of the year, Paul Ifill, and one of the many All White World Cup heroes, Leo Bertos.
Keinzley anticipates Macallister being given plenty of game time again tomorrow by coach Riki Herbert and wouldn't be surprised if he was paired up front with Argentinian Roberto ''Toto'' Cornego, who is still trialling for a place in the Phoenix's Hyundai A-League squad. He played the last 25 minutes or so against Boca Juniors and had only limited opportunities to display his full range of attacking skills.
Cornego will be by no means the only player in the Phoenix squad attempting to impress Herbert enough to cement a spot in the team. Keinzley sees that as a guarantee the match will be treated more than a training gallop.
''Some of the players will virtually be putting their futures on the line so it's important for them,'' he said.
The composition of the Wairarapa United squad for tomorrow's match won't be finalised until the last minute, with injuries to goalkeeper Richard Gillespie and midfielder Miroslav Tvaroh complicating matters.
Gillespie has a quad muscle strain and is probably a fortnight away from playing again. His replacement will be either John Antcliff or Phil Imray, the well-performed Miramar Rangers custodian whose availability had still to be confirmed at the time of writing.
Tvaroh is struggling with an Achilles injury which is threatening to sideline him for the remainder of the 2010 season. With another regular midfielder George Barbarouses in Australia, Keinzley's choices for his replacement seem to be confined to striker Campbell Banks or Aaron Spierling, who has been mostly playing at fullback.
Definite starters in the defensive line for Wairarapa United are Carl Shailer, Waisake Sabatu, Adam Cowan and James Oxtoby. Pita Rabo, Nick Roydhouse and Ian Sandbrook will star in midfield. Two strikers, Seule Soromon and Andrew Abba, are also in line to play.
Keinzley sees keeping possession as crucial for Wairarapa United. A team the calibre of Phoenix will be lethal if they are allowed to counter attack regularly.
''We still have to be patient on the ball, if we start rushing things then the odds are we will lose possession and we will find ourselves defending for long periods,'' he said.
Keinzley believes forwards Soromon and Abba will relish the chance to pit their flair and inventiveness against the aggressiveness of a Phoenix defence likely to be spearheaded by their skipper, Andrew Durante.
''Our guys aren't the sort who worry about reputations, they'll have a decent crack at taking defenders on no matter who they are,'' he said.
Kick-off tomorrow is at 2pm. Phoenix players and management are expected to spend some 30 minutes after the game signing autographs and chatting with local fans.