Soccer: Start of the endurance test

Auckland City kick off their third New Zealand Football Championship season tomorrow widely touted as first-past-the-post certainties.

Already assured of the chance to defend their Oceania Club Championship early next year, the pressure for City, who are chasing three in a row, will be winning the spot in the 2008 Oceania Champions League.

It puts new coach Roger Wilkinson, picking up the reins from Allan Jones, in an unenviable situation.

Win, and it will be because of the team he inherited. Lose, and he will be seen as a dud by Kiwitea St fans.

And given their commitments to the NZFC, Fifa's World Club Championship in Japan in December and then the rigorous home and away Oceania Champions League in the New Year, Wilkinson and his side face a testing 32-match programme in the next six months.

Wilkinson has strengthened his squad with Jason Hayne, Ben Sigmund and Bryan Little figuring as more than useful signings. Dean Gordon - a former Crystal Palace, Middlesbrough and Coventry defender - will alos boost the side, although he is on a two-week suspension carried over from his winter exploits with Albany United.

Home advantage will further help when they step out against a much-changed Otago United side who improved from a first-up seventh to fifth last season.

Terry Phelan is back to coach United but with 16 new names in his extended squad and with last season's leading scorer, Blair Scoullar, moving to Canterbury, the southerners face a tough season-opener.

Team Wellington and Canterbury United are seen as perhaps the biggest threats to Auckland City.

Mick Waitt is back to coach Wellington but will need to turn in a stronger start than they managed last season if they are to challenge. Their poor home record - just seven wins in 21 games at Newtown Park - has also counted against them.

With Graham Little now playing without brother Bryan, the pressure will be on. In luring Andy Barron, Michael Wilson, Jimmy Cudd and goalkeeper James Bannatyne, Waitt has done well. They must quickly turn that promise into goals and points.

A home game against YoungHeart Manawatu allows Team Wellington to ease their way into the new season.

With Shane Rufer taking over from Colin Tuaa in Palmerston North, there is an unknown factor at Manawatu.

They have lost last season's top goalscorer, Commins Menapi, to Waitakere but have another Solomon Islands international, Nelson Sale, joining fellow countrymen Benjamin Totori and Alick Maemae.

Canterbury United have lost key players including Barron and Bannatyne and Michael White (to the Knights) but in come Scoullar, ageing Batram Suri, American Nick Van Sicklen, Henry Fa'arodo and goalkeeper Adam Highfield to bolster Danny Halligan's squad.

A home game against last season's wooden-spooners Hawkes Bay United offers a comfortable start for Canterbury, who were toppled in a dramatic grand final penalty shootout last season.

The last match of the opening round will be played at Mt Maunganui's Links Ave ground on Sunday with Waikato FC at home to Waitakere United.

Waikato, too, have looked to the Solomon Islands to strengthen their squad with Stanley Waita expected to add some bite to the attack. New coach Dave Edmondson has had a real clean-out with 18 players from the 2005-06 squad gone.

Former English professional Dan Robinson, who played for Gisborne City in the winter and before that Derby County and Blackpool, takes over in goal.

There will be other changes but that still might not be enough to get Waikato into the top four.

Waitakere, the under-performers in season two, have been busy with their off-season signings.

On paper they appear competitive but given last season's dismal effort from what appeared a more than useful lot, no one out west will be holding their breath.

Coach Steve Cain is well aware of the task at hand but unless he can get his team fired up sufficiently to hit the ground running, it could soon become another long season.