Wairarapa United and Team Manawatu develop relationship

Wairarapa United are in the process of developing a close working relationship with Team Manawatu which contests the national summer league soccer competition.
Preliminary talks between the two have included the possibility of any "imports" in the Team Manawatu side being made available to play for Wairarapa United during the winter season.
And pathways are being explored which could allow for Wairarapa United players not selected for Team Wellington being made available to play for Team Manawatu in the summer league, either at under-19 or senior levels.
Wairarapa United manager Phil Keinzley said any relationship with Team Manawatu could be "win win" for both parties.
Currently it was difficult for Wairarapa United players to force their way into Team Wellington teams because they were playing in the Capital premier division competition rather than in the higher-graded central league.
"Central league players certainly seem to have the advantage in Wellington in that respect & teams like us don't get much of a look in," he said.
Keinzley said discussions with Team Manawatu boss, former All White Shane Rufer, suggested they rated a number of Wairarapa United players highly enough to see them as serious contenders for their summer league sides
Even more than that, Rufer had suggested too that his "imports" could play for Wairarapa United over the winter months as a means of maintaining their fitness.
"They (Manawatu) usually bring in two or three very talented players and obviously it would be nice for us to have them on tap as well," he said.
At the same time though Keinzley was "chuffed to bits" with the performance of Wairarapa United in their Chatham Cup fifth round match with holders Western Suburbs at the Pugh Sports Bowl on Sunday, a match won by Western Suburbs 2-1 in extra time after the teams were level pegging at 1-1 at the end of 90 minutes.
"I'm not the sort of guy who ever really appreciates coming second but I had no complaints whatsoever this time," he said.
"Every single player gave 100 per cent, you couldn't have asked for anything more."
Keinzley was delighted with the way in which his team stuck to a game plan which required them to be more defensive orientated than what would normally have been expected of them.
"We knew they (Western Suburbs) would anticipate us coming out firing on all cylinders so we took pretty much the opposite tack," he said.
"We set out to frustrate them by forcing them to come to us and it worked, they took a while to suss things out."
As it happened Wairarapa United created as many, if not more, prime scoring opportunities than Western Suburbs during the 120 minutes of play-including 30 minutes of extra time and came mighty close to forcing a penalty shootout when a shot from substitute Blair Thompson rocketed off the posts early in the second half of extra time.
"In the end I suppose you could say the main difference between the teams was they were more clinical in their finishing work," Keinzley said.
"They had two really good chances and took both of them, we weren't quite as efficient in that area."
Keinzley believes though that had Wairarapa United not had striker Lai Gataurua sent from the field for a tackling offence during the second half the locals may well have caused a major upset and made it through to the Cup quarter-finals themselves.
That is not to suggest, however, that he is blaming referee Jamie Cross or Gataurua himself for the loss, nothing like it in fact.
Indeed he thought Cross had a fine game and that Gataurua's offence was more bad luck than bad management.
"He went for the ball but his feet slid over it and connected the player, it was just one of those things", he said.
But with Western Suburbs already down to 10 men through star striker Adam Birch being sent off for dissent it meant Wairarapa United no longer had the advantage of an extra man.
"I'd have been backing us if it was 11 against 10 right to the end," Keinzley said.
"There was a lot of energy being expended out there and having that extra man could have had a big say in the end result."