Promotion now the focus for United

The chances of Anderson's Meats Wairarapa United qualifying to play in next season's central league men's soccer competition could depend on the result of their Capital premier division match with Tawa at Tawa this coming Saturday.
The two top premier division sides at the end of the 2006 season will automatically gain promotion to central league status and competition leader Petone seems certain to be one of them.
Which basically leaves second placed Tawa and third placed Wairarapa United fighting for the other spot.
And with just two points separating them on the competition table -or at least there should be after Wairarapa United play a catch-up match with Waterside-Karori - and three points available for a win the importance of their upcoming clash is patently obvious.
Making a Wairarapa United victory even more important is that while they have already played Petone twice this season - losing both times - Tawa have only played them once.
So it is fair to assume that any advantage Wairarapa United have over Tawa on the points table after this Saturday's clash will be further enhanced when the latter come up against Petone a second time.
Wairarapa United coach Phil Keinzley said promotion to central league was now clearly the main focus for his side although they had not completely given up hope of claiming the premier division title as well.
However, the latter objective was dependant on Petone losing at least twice to other teams and that seemed very unlikely judging on past results.
Keinzley said playing at central league was the highest honour available to Wairarapa United and because of that the retention of their better players would be made easier if it was attained.
"We have had top players move out of the area because they wanted to try themselves out in the central league and that wouldn't need to happen if we were playing at that level ourselves," he said.
Keinzley is confident the bulk of his current side would be capable of performing well in the central league and is optimistic most of them will be available again for Wairarapa United in 2007.
But whether Keinzley himself will be there to guide them in the coaching role is very doubtful as he has already made a commitment to resign that post should Wairarapa United not win the premier division title this season, and intends to stick to that promise.
"No, I can't see anything making me change my mind," he said yesterday. "We are as good as any side in the premier division and if we don't win it then the coach hasn't done his job, that's all there is to it."