Soccer: All they want for Christmas is some rest

Allan Jones and his Auckland City players are looking forward to Christmas but it has nothing to do with presents.

After tomorrow's round of New Zealand Football Championship matches there is a three-week break which all coaches will welcome. None more so than Jones.

"We are really struggling with injuries and I'm not talking broken legs," said Jones. "These are more stress and strain-related. It is, as I have said all along, the result of players playing too much football.

"The clubs they play for in winter are not equipped to handle the injuries. The workload mounts up and up until we get into this.

"I'm now in the situation of saying enough is enough. You can't work a dead horse. They need a break."

But Jones will not use injuries - or anything else - as an excuse if City lose to Canterbury United at Kiwitea St.

"We have not been able to put out what I would call a first choice XI so far. This is no different," said Jones. "But what it does mean is that I'm having to look to my senior players which in turn means making changes to the way we play."

That is likely to see Jones opt for Grant Young, Keryn Jordan and Paul Urlovic in his initial line-up and go with a 4-3-3 formation.

It promises to be a spirited contest with both teams coming off last-round losses.

The visitors will be without ace striker Brent Fisher - overseas for trials - but should otherwise be at full strength in their attempt to repeat their earlier win at Kiwitea St.

Struggling Waitakere United face their second long trip south to play Otago United without their player of the moment Richie Cardozo who is out for one match after being red-carded for retaliation in Napier last Friday.

Coach Steve Cain will welcome him back after the break to team up with brother Pablo and probably their other Australian, Shannan Cole, who has missed all but two games through injury.

Cain is struggling to assemble a team for today's flight and their date with an Otago team who won their earlier encounter 1-0 at the same ground.

After last weekend's rash of upsets, Jones reiterated his early claim that there are no easybeats.

"The difference between the top and bottom is zero. "I don't care whether we play Waikato or Canterbury, there are no easy games."