KEY POINTS:
Between them, Allan Pearce and Daniel Ellensohn scored three of the four goals when Waitakere United came back from 0-2 to beat Team Wellington 4-2 in the opening round of this season's New Zealand Football Championship.
Coach Chris Milicich will not be able to call on their goal-grabbing abilities in the return at Trusts Stadium tomorrow but is more than confident he has adequate cover.
Pearce is out for another few weeks with the injury he copped in the 2-1 loss to Adelaide at the Fifa Club World Cup in Tokyo last month and Ellensohn is on trial in Austria.
"Sure Allan Pearce is a big loss," said Milicich yesterday. "But we didn't have Roy Krishna then. I'm not saying Krishna is better than Pearce but we do know what he brings."
Milicich said his players had welcomed the Christmas break.
"They were really fizzing at training last night and looking forward to the rest of the season. We have something like 17 games in the next three and a half months so there is plenty of football coming up."
United will be without regular central defenders Danny Hay and Jonathan Perry but again Milicich is not too perturbed.
"It gives us the chance to play young Tim Myers at the back alongside Neil Emblen. I have no problem with that. People will soon realise Tim Myers is an outstanding defender - pure and simple. Neil enjoys playing alongside him so I don't see any problems."
Left back Neil Sykes will need to pass a fitness test before taking his place.
After missing matches through O-League and World Cup commitments, Waitakere are being forced to play catch-up.
In the opening match of the eighth round, YoungHeart Manawatu are at home to Canterbury this afternoon.
In other matches tomorrow, leaders Waikato FC entertain Hawkes Bay United at Ngaruawahia's Centennial Park and Auckland City play Otago United in Dunedin.
