Keinzley upbeat about chances against Petone

An impressive training run on Tuesday has made Anderson Meats Wairarapa United coach Phil Keinzley even more optimistic over his team's chances of beating competition leaders Petone in their Capital Soccer premier division match at Howard Booth Park, Carterton tomorrow.
Keinzley was always hopeful that Wairarapa United would gain the win which would keep them in contention for the premier division title but so enthused was he by the attitude and application at Tuesday's training he says his players will only need to replicate that on match day to be successful.
"We haven't had a better training session all season," he said. "Everybody knows just important this game is and there is a real buzz around the team"
Just how crucial a win is for Wairarapa United is exemplified by the points table with Petone on top with 28pts, Tawa second on 26 and Wairarapa United third on 25.
Three points are awarded for a win so a loss for Wairarapa United would see them six points adrift of Petone and almost assuredly out of the running for the premier division title.
Keinzley says his team's tactical approach tomorrow will revolve around placing sustained pressure on Petone whenever they are in possession of the ball.
"They (Petone) are very dangerous if you let them dictate the way the game is played and we can't afford to let that happen," he said. "We have to be robust and accurate on defence, the more we can get in their faces the better it will be for us."
Keinzley also wants his side to show patience on attack for the defensive skills of their fullbacks are seen as Petone's greatest strength and they are unlikely to be caught napping by any "fancy stuff."
"It's all about waiting for the openings to come and then taking advantage of them," Keinzley said.
"You don't rush things against a team like Petone because they'll just nip in and take the ball away from you. It's all about doing the basic things well and trusting that they will crack somewhere along the line".
As to their own defensive effort Wairarapa United will need to be wary of Petone's habit of using the long ball to lauch their most potent attacks.
"They aren't afraid to go long in the hope they will create extra space for their front runners so it's important that you don't let the mind wander on defence??..you have to be constantly aware any lapse in concentration could be seized upon and turned into a goal." Keinzley said.
The importance of tomorrow's game seems sure to attract a good-sized crowd to Howard Booth Park and Keinzley sees that as being a positive influence on the outcome of the game.
"Visiting teams often talk about how hard they find it playing at our home ground in front of our supporters and hopefully this game will be no different in that respect," he said."It's our own House of Pain and we want to keep it that way."