Wairarapa Utd favoured to win

Waitakere City coach Neil Emblem says Wairarapa United should have the favourites tag going into the Chatham Cup quarter-final football match at Howard Booth Park, Carterton on Sunday.
It's a comment which anybody taking even a cursory look at the history of the two clubs would debate but Emblem believes other factors suggest a home team win is on the cards.
"Honestly, they [Wairarapa United] have to be the fancied ones. You only have to look at the make-up and form of the two sides to see that," Emblem said. "I know it's 90 minutes of football and anything can happen but we're clearly up against it."
Emblem, who himself will be part of the Waitakere City defence, says his side consists mainly of young, inexperienced players whose long-term goals are to make one of the country's top summer league sides, Waitakere United, who, incidentally, also have Emblem as their head coach.
"We are more of a development type team than anything else these days, there's still a lot of raw talent there but Chatham Cup games often come down to experience and we don't have a lot of that."
Not helping the Waitakere City cause either is that four of their better players won't be travelling south because they are on duty with the national under-20 side.
"Obviously we'd love to have them with us but it's even better they are being given the chance to play at the top age group levels, you can't deny them that."
Emblem describes his side's form in the 2011 northern premier league as "up and down", with good results being mixed with disappointing losses. At the moment they are seventh of the 10 teams, having won five of their 13 matches, drawn three and lost five. Tactically, as befits such a youthful line-up, Waitakere City like to place the emphasis on attack and Emblem admits the onus on Sunday will be on their three southern African strikers, Denver McDonald, Sheldon Pillay and Keegan Linderboom, to carry their team to victory. "They are all young guys with plenty of zip, hopefully they can do the job for us."
As for Wairarapa United, Emblem has done his homework, noting that any team still in contention for the central league title and containing players of the calibre of Adam Cowan, Seule Soromon and Campbell Banks had to be rated highly. Cowan, especially, has impressed him while playing for Manawatu in the national league.
"I like what Adam offers. If he ever wants to come to Auckland I wouldn't mind talking to him."
Emblem also considered Wairarapa United will be helped by playing at home in front of what he was expecting to to be a huge crowd of loyal fans.
"I think everybody knows how much they have done for the region and how important this game is for them, they'll have heaps of support for sure."
Emblem is also aware of the hassles Wairarapa United have had in finding a suitable ground on which to play Sunday's match but he doesn't expect the playing conditions to worry his side, no matter what they are.
"Talk to any club from up this way and they'll tell you anything you want to know about having to train on grounds not exactly conducive to good football," he said.
The Waitakere City coach is confident too that travel arrangements which will see his side flying out of Auckland at 6.40am on Sunday morning and then bussing to Carterton from Wellington won't be a bother to his players either.
"Young guys tend to take those sort of things in their stride, they'll be ready to go by kickoff".
Meanwhile, Wairarapa United coach Phil Keinzley reports that temporary seating for up to 700 spectators will be brought into Howard Booth Park for the quarter-final fixture.
 
Waitakere City Roll of Honour
2010: Third in Northern Premier League.
2009: Northern Premier League runners-up, Chatham Cup quarter-finals, National Nike Cup (under-15) champions.
2008: Chatham Cup quarter-finals.
2004: Chatham Cup runners-up.
2003: Northern Premier League runners-up, National under-19 youth champions.
2000: Chatham Cup quarter-finals.
1999: Chatham Cup runners-up, North Island League runners-up.
1998: National under-19 youth champions.
1997: National League champions, National under-19 youth champions.
1996: National League champions, Chatham Cup winners.
1995: Superclub grand final winners, Chatham Cup winners.
1994: Chatham Cup winners.
1993: Chatham Cup quarter-finals, Superclub final runners-up.
1992: National League champions.
1991: Chatham Cup quarter-finals.
1990: National League champions, Chatham Cup quarter-finals.