Spierling joins special band in 100th appearance

Aaron Spierling will become the second member of his family to make 100 appearances for Wairarapa United's premier men's soccer team when he takes the field in their central league fixture with Western Suburbs this Sunday.
Spierling, 20, will join a select band of players who have brought up their "ton" for Wairarapa United, one of whom is older brother Hayden Spierling who these days confines himself to local league action.
Completing the quintet will be Matt Harvey and two other members of the current central league squad, Carl Shailer and Andy Robertson. Sunday's match will also be of special significance for Miriek Tvaroh who will be playing his 50th game in the Wairarapa United colours.
It was as a 14-year-old that Aaron Spierling actually made his debut for Wairarapa United's top team and he quickly became an integral part of a side which last season became the toast of the Wairarapa sporting community through first winning the Capital premier division title and then later the promotion-relegation series which took them into the central league.
His ability to perform well in just about any role has seen Spierling regularly swapping positions in the Wairarapa United line-up. He himself prefers playing in the midfield but like any good team man he is quite prepared to slot in wherever the coach wants him.
"I know some players like to specialise but, quite frankly, I don't worry too much about where I play," Spierling said. "I just want to be there, that's the important thing."
Spierling is enjoying the challenge of competing at central league level but readily concedes it has been something of a culture shock for Wairarapa United in terms of fitness and physicality.
"It's definitely a lot quicker and players are more aggressive both on and off the ball," he said. "It's taken us a while to adjust to it but we are making progress, we seem to be heading in the right direction."
There is no question, however, that Wairarapa United will be the rank underdogs when they continue their central league programme Western Suburbs. This game was originally scheduled for the Pugh Sports Bowl in Masterton but remedial work on the playing surface is still in recovery mode and it has been transferred to Queen Elizabeth Park Oval, starting at 2pm.
Western Suburbs lead the central league competition table on goal difference from Miramar Rangers and with Wairarapa United currently in eighth place anything but a comprehensive win to the visitors would be a huge shock.
In fact even the normally optimistic Wairarapa United coach Phil Keinzley was taking a more conservative stance than usual when asked yesterday to assess his team's prospects of victory.
"A draw would certainly be a good result for us," Keinzley said. "They (Suburbs) have quality players all over the park and, to be honest, if we play like we have been we will come a distant second. It's as simple as that."
Wairarapa United will again be without their star striker Seule Soromon who is resting a leg injury and while his absence weakens their attack Keinzley isn't keen on having his side tinker with their usual free-flowing style of play.
"History shows we play better when we are in an attacking frame of mind and I don't see us changing that to any great degree, " he said. "Even without Seule we have any number of players who can put the ball in the back of the net and it wouldn't make sense not to give them that chance.
The starting line-up for Sunday's game won't be finalised until after tonight's training session but, here too, Keinzley doesn't anticipate things changing much, if anything, from last weekend's fixture when Wairarapa United lost 4-1 to Olympic after being 3-0 down at halftime
"The guys really lifted their effort in the second half and what's needed now is for them to go the whole way in that sort of form on Sunday," Keinzley said.