Rabo, Shailer missing from vital Wairarapa United match

Wairarapa United will be without two of their key players for tomorrow's Capital Soccer premier division match with Brooklyn Northern United at Howard Booth Park, Carterton and for the remainder of the season.
Star striker Pita Rabo is sidelined with a crocked ankle suffered in the disappointing 3-2 loss to Waterside-Karori last Sunday and usual left half Carl Shailer had an eye socket fractured after he copped an elbow in the face in the same match.
Replacing Rabo in tomorrow 's line up will be fellow Fijian Lai Gataurua while Troy Burling will move from right half into Shailer's position and his former role will be taken by Hayden Spierling.
Coach Phil Keinzley said it was indicative of the depth in the current Wairarapa United line-up that players of the calibre of Rabo and Shailer could be lost without having too much effect on the team performance.
"They have played well all season and will obviously be missed but the replacements are skilled players on their own account and we don't have to worry about them not measuring up," he said.
Keinzley is hopeful the defeat by Waterside-Karori in what he labelled as Wairarapa's United worst display in two seasons will be a timely wake-up call for his side as they chase second placing in the premier division, and with it promotion to central league in 2006..
"We were basically poor in every part of the game and got the result we deserved,": he said. "Everybody understands how bad it was and hopefully it will mean something a lot better this weekend."
Keinzley isn't under-rating Brooklyn Northern United though.They have one of the best defensive records in premier division and if they "steal" a goal early in the game could prove very difficult to overhaul.
" They don't mind the physical stuff so we're not expecting anything to come easily," he said. "If we don't play a whole lot better than last Sunday we will get beat, simple as that."
The curtain-raiser match at Howard Booth Park tomorrow will see the third placed Wairarapa United seconds up against Capital division three pacesetters Wellington United and Keinzley, who also coaches the seconds, is optimistic of a win.
"It's a big ask but home ground advantage could make all the difference in the end," he said.