Top two placing unlikely after capital mudbath

Wairarapa United battled their way to a 2-2 draw with Marist Wellington in their Capital Soccer premier division match at Kilburnie Park,Wellington on Sunday, with battled being the operative word.
One half of the field was so muddy it was almost unplayable and it was no wonder that all four goals were scored by the team playing with the firmer part of the ground in their favour.
"It was so difficult to defend because of the mud - you could hardly move the ball through the mud," Wairarapa United coach Phil Keinzley said..
Keinzley was happy with the end result considering the conditions, the fact that Wairarapa United had to draw on four members of their development squad because of regular players having work commitments and their playing the last 20 minutes with 10 men after Aaron Spierling had been sent off.
Both Wairarapa United goals came in the first half with the first going to Lai Gataurua after he latched onto a cross from Pita Rabo and the second being deflected into the net by a Marist defender under heavy pressure from Evan Shailer.
It was development team player Shailer who emerged as Wairarapa United's player of the match while others to impress were Troy Burling, Guiseppe Cagliari and Robbie Bull.
The draw, coupled with second placed Tawa's surprise win over competition leaders, Tawa, means that Wairarapa United's prospects of qualifying automatically for the central league next season have greatly diminished..
The two top teams earn automatic qualification but while Wairarapa United still holds third place the points gap between them and front runners Petone and Tawa has become almost unsurmountable.
However, under restructuring proposals being considered by Capital Soccer there is now a good chance that the top three premier division teams will be in the central league in 2007 and so the prime objective for Wairarapa United over the next month will be to maintain their third position. Whatever happens though Keinzley will not be coaching the premier division side next season and the position is being now being widely advertised, both within and outside the Wairarapa.