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Home / New Zealand

United: Next win key

By Gary Caffell
Wairarapa Times-Age·
19 Aug, 2011 04:00 AM5 mins to read

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The equation is simple for Wairarapa United heading into their Central League football match against Miramar Rangers in Wellington tomorrow.

Win and they will become the favourites to take out the league title for the first time in the club's history, lose and the best they can do is second.

It is important, however, to remember that even a victory provides no absolute guarantee of the major spoils.

Wairarapa United will have Petone to play in their last game in two weeks and if they lose that then their Chatham Cup final opponents Napier City Rovers could sneak in through the back door, or Miramar Rangers could do likewise through having a better goal differential.

The main obstacle facing Wairarapa United tomorrow is more mental than physical.

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With the Chatham Cup final just eight days away it is going to be difficult for the players to keep their minds on the job.

Miramar Rangers, for their part, have no such worries. They won the Chatham Cup just over 12 months ago - beating Bay Olympic in the final - but were eliminated in the earlier rounds by Napier City Rovers this time around.

To say they will be going into tomorrow's game in a determined frame of mind would have to be a gross under-statement as they will see winning the Central League title as a must if they are going to come out of their 2011 campaign with their heads held high. The effect of what is likely to be a heavy playing surface will have on the tactics of the two teams is interesting.

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Both sides would normally look to adopt an attacking mentality from the word go, but it would be no surprise if they were somewhat more conservative on this occasion, at least until one of them has worked out to a lead big enough to force the other to push the panic button.

The ground conditions are also likely to test the discipline of the players in a defensive sense. If, as expected, the short-passing game is the favoured form of ball movement, the temptation will be for defenders to go in hard on the tackle, and that generally brings the referee into play.

Wairarapa United had to endure the last few minutes of their gripping Chatham Cup semifinal against Bay Olympic with 10 players after experienced midfielder Pita Rabo picked up his second yellow card and they won't want a repeat of that situation again. Bay Olympic might not have been able to take advantage of that situation but the chances are Miramar Rangers will be quick to capitalise should it arise again this weekend.

Rabo has to sit out tomorrow's game and Wairarapa United won't want any of their squad in the same boat leading into the Chatham Cup final.

Also out of action tomorrow is the speedy Dale Higham and here too discipline is part of the problem. He might have struggled to recover sufficiently from a hamstring strain in time anyway, but it his four yellow cards which is probably the main reason for him not being risked. Another one and he would have been watching the Chatham Cup final from the sidelines.

Losing players of the calibre of Rabo and Higham would hurt most club sides but the depth of the Wairarapa United squad is such that while they will be missed it's by no means a doom and gloom scenario, simply because of the depth of talent available to them. This is something which has undoubtedly been a huge influence in them having now gone 11 successive games without defeat.

Another big plus for Wairarapa United is the versatility of their players, something evidenced by Adam Milne being moved tomorrow from the fullback spot he filled so impressively against Bay Olympic to central midfield.

It is as a cricketer in the pace bowling department that Black Cap Milne has made his biggest impact in sporting circles but he has proved to be no mean footballer either, certainly good enough to be a prospect for national league selection within the next season or two.

With Milne moving to the midfield Pablo Moya, who has been a regular in the starting line-up for most of the season, will return to his specialist position of fullback and Higham's place on the wing will be taken by the diminutive Nobuyishi Ishi, who had a strong game when he entered the fray against Bay Olympic.

At the start of the 2011 season the Central League title was the prime objective for Wairarapa United with a good run in the Chatham Cup seen as a bonus.

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Amazingly they now have the chance to take out the double, but their feat does pose the question, which is now the bigger challenge of the two.

And just as amazingly the answer to that is probably the Central League, simply because Miramar Rangers - despite results this season suggesting otherwise - are a more powerful unit than Napier City Rovers and therefore should be harder to get past.

A win tomorrow and the dream of the double comes one big step closer to reality.

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