Wairarapa Utd relish chances

The euphoria surrounding Wairarapa United's stunning 4-1 win over Waitakere City in their Chatham Cup quarterfinal football match at Howard Booth Park, Carterton, on Sunday has provided a problem for coach Phil Keinzley.
He now has to find a way to bring his jubilant players - and their army of supporters for that matter - back to earth before they play Maycenvale United in a central league fixture, also at Howard Booth Park, this weekend.
Victory in that match is essential for Wairarapa United if they are to maintain their late charge for the league title, a charge that has them six points (or two wins) adrift of leaders Miramar Rangers but with two games in hand.
It's a situation that could brighten their second-round clash with Miramar Rangers at the very end of the league season with all the trappings of a grand final, providing Wairarapa United don't trip up beforehand.
Keinzley admits having the Chatham Cup-central league title double still very much on the radar means his squad will be under enormous pressure over the next month or so.
As in any sport, football can be fickle in the sense the form of teams can fluctuate dramatically from week to week and for Wairarapa United the challenge is to produce the sort of performance they showed against Waitakere City until the end of the season.
"Consistency hasn't always been our strong point so, yes, it is going to be a big ask for us," Keinzley said yesterday. "But at the same time it's exciting for the players to actually have two goals in sight. It's the sort of thing which gives an extra edge to training in that everybody is keen to be part of the action. They know what could happen if they keep playing well. Their destiny is in their hands."
Keinzley was "absolutely rapt" with the discipline of his side against Waitakere City, both on and off the ball, and he is quick to stress the importance of that standard being maintained in the crucial matches ahead.
"Obviously opposing teams are going to go out of their way to try and get in our heads so we need to stay strong, physically and mentally," he said. "We can't afford to let little things upset us. We have to keep the bigger picture in mind all the way through."
Keinzley was delighted, too, with the manner in which Wairarapa United stuck rigidly to their game plan in Sunday's match. In the wet, cold conditions and on a surface made soft by persistent rain the tactics were to focus on accuracy, especially in the passing department. "We talked a lot about building our attacks through short passes rather than relying on the kick and chase. We knew that the more we denied them possession the more frustrated they would get. We wanted the ball carrier to have two or three options every time so the support play had to be spot on, and it was."
The tightness of the Wairarapa United defence also pleased their coach with the speedy Waitakere City front-runners being given few opportunities to strut their stuff.
"I thought the composure on defence was outstanding. There was no sign of panic there at all."
With just 12 players in their squad another big plus for Wairarapa United was they appeared to come out of Sunday's game without any major injury hassles. Striker Seule Soromon did limp from the field late in the second half with what seemed to be a hamstring strain but it is not thought to be serious.