Struggling Wainui will give their all

Forget the idea that Wainuiomata will be easy pickings for Wairarapa United in their crucial end-of-season Capital Soccer division one match at Howard Booth Park, Carterton, on Saturday.
Wairarapa United and Wainuiomata are virtually at the opposite ends of the points table with Wairarapa United holding down first place on goal difference from Western Suburbs and Wainuiomata having only Seatoun behind them.
Consider that and also that in their first round encounter Wairarapa United romped home 7-0, despite Wainuiomata having the home advantage and you could be forgiven for thinking that Saturday's match will be all one-way traffic, couldn't you?
Especially when you add into the equation that victory on Saturday will almost certainly guarantee Wairarapa United the division one title and promotion to premier division for 2006 , an incentive for a top performance if ever there was one
But it's that word incentive which will also be making Wairarapa United wary of counting their chickens before they are hatched
Wainuiomata too will have that in bucketloads as a shock win to them would probably see them avoiding relegation, something which will befall the bottom two sides at the end of Saturday's play. Currently they are only one point behind the team immediately above them, Olympic.
Wairarapa United coach Phil Keinzley is anticipating Wainuiomata throwing everything bar the proverbial kitchen sink at his side.
"When you are staring relegation in the face there is no other way to go," he said. "They have their backs to the wall and will come out fighting. Nothing is surer than that."
Keinzley believes it could be dangerous to read too much into the size of Wairarapa United's first round success over Wainuiomata as whereas his side produced some of their best soccer of the season Wainuiomata had an off day.
"We know they (Wainuiomata) very probably won't play that badly again so the scoreline should be closer this time round," Keinzley said. "It would be nice to think we'd get seven again but we certainly can't count on it."
In Wairarapa United's favour is that through most of this season they have reacted positively to pressure situations, something evidenced by the fact that many of their games have been won through below-par first half efforts being followed by strong second half displays.
"We have finished better than the opposition in most of our games and that's been a testimony to the mental hardness and fitness of the players," Keinzley said.
Against Wainuiomata, however, Wairarapa United will be looking for early goals to blunt their opposition's enthusiasm .
"The more we allow them to build momentum the harder it will get for us," Keinzley said. "The sooner we dent their confidence the better."
The only regular member of the Wairarapa United line-up who won't be playing on Saturday is Fijian striker Pita Rabo, who incurred a two week suspension a week ago for picking up his fifth yellow card.
But while Rabo's absence is a blow it has been softened by the news that talented utility player Troy Burling has recovered from injury and will be able to take a full part in proceedings.
A probable starting line-up is: Charles Kendall, Robbie Bull. Paul Watkinson, Evan Shailer, Troy Burling, Aaron Spierling, Andrew Taylor, Murray Burling (captain), Carl Shailer, Lai Gataurua, Sakeo Valevou. Reserves: Andy Robertson, Anton Ross, Niki Keinzley, Anaru Te Rangi.
If Wairarapa United do win on Saturday and earn promotion to premier division they will need to learn from lessons of a few seasons back when they achieved that status courtesy of winning a promotion-relegation match.
After just one season in the premier division they were forced to withdraw through a lack of players either willing to or capable of playing at that level.
Keinzley is "very optimistic" the same woes wouldn't befall them again.
Indications are that the three Fijians?Lai Gataurua and Sakeo Valevou ? who have made such a huge impression this season will again be available in 2006 with the main proviso being that employment can be found for them.
Encouraging too has been the progress made by a string of younger players including Aaron Spierling, Anaru Te Rangi, Niki Keinzley and Anton Ross and the fact that a development team functioned successfully in the Wairarapa local league.
Whether more "imports" will need to be introduced next season is a question still to be answered with Keinzley saying that would very much depend on the quality of local players who were available for selection.
"Premier division is a big step up from what we are playing now and obviously we'd need to look closely at our resources and decide whether we could go with what we've got, or try to cover any deficiencies from outside," he said. "Right now though we have to win on Saturday before we start thinking too seriously about that."