Wellington wary of Wai United

Wellington United accept they will be favourites to beat Wairarapa United in their Chatham Cup third round men's soccer match at the Pugh Sportsbowl in Masterton next Monday but they admit to being "very wary" of the home side.
Manager Bob Minshull has been involved in Chatham Cup fixtures with Wellington United, either as a player or as an administrator, for longer than he would care to remember, and he doesn't need telling that early round games, in particular, have a habit of throwing up surprise results.
"It's the sort of competition where the underdog can never be discounted," he said.
"You might be the higher graded side but it's never a matter of just turning up and getting a result, you have to be focused otherwise you can come a cropper."
Minshull said Wairarapa United had already provided a classic example of how upsets can occur, having ousted Stop Out 1-0 from Cup contention in 2007.
Stop Out, like Wellington United, play at central league level, one tier above Wairarapa United who are contesting Capital Soccer's premier division competition.
And Wellington United didn't have it all their own way in their second round game either, beating Upper Hutt, who also play in the premier division by just the one goal.
Minshull labelled Wellington United's effort of winning three and drawing one of their eight central league so far this season as satisfactory considering they were in a rebuilding phase after losing the bulk of last season's squad.
Including among them was the winner of the league's Golden Boot award for four consecutive years , Dominic Rowe, who, along with two key players in Chris Alderace and Rob Kirkness transferred to central league rivals Miramar Rangers.
"Obviously we were disappointed that players chose to go to other clubs but there's nothing you can do about it," Minshull said.
"You just have to pick yourself up and go again"
Goalkeeper Nick Tarrant has been one of the stars of the Wellington United line-up this season.
The national under-15 and under-20 representative has an ambition to play at professional level and Minshull for one has no doubts he has the skills to do so.
A new acquisition to the club from Otago in Eddie Mason has been impressing with his speed and penetration on attack while Andy Groom is a midfield dynamo whose high workrate makes him a key player on both attack and defence.
A former Wairarapa United player in Steve Dornan is also part of the Wellington United squad.
Minshull described him as a "typically solid" defender who because of his versatility had been forced to often take up other roles in central league matches . "It's always handy to have players like him, you can slot him in anywhere and know he'll do a decent job.
"We're expecting a big game from him in Masterton, he'll be keen to show the locals what he's made of."
Minshull said Wellington United were still in the process of developing the style of soccer best suited to their skills but, in general, the emphasis was on creating scoring opportunities rather than a safety-orientated stance.
"You don't win games by sitting back and waiting for things to happen.
"You have to make them happen yourselves," he said.