Soccer: Coach wants best cup run to continue

Seule Soromon could be an asset for Wairarapa. Photo / APN

Waitakere City will be hoping recent history goes in their favour when they tackle Wairarapa United in tomorrow's ASB Chatham Cup quarter-final in Carterton.

Twice in the last four years Wairarapa have been bundled out in extra time by Western Suburbs and Miramar Rangers who went on to reach the final with Rangers winning last year and Suburbs going down to Central United in a penalty shootout in 2007.

Coach Phil Keinzley is hoping his team's best cup run continues and on paper has the firepower to fully test three-time winners Waitakere.

"We have a good mix with former All White Campbell Banks, Vanuatu international Seule Soromon and Fijian reps Peter Rabo and Waisaki Sabatu along with a number of players from YoungHeart Manawatu," said Keinzley.

"We have had a good run and interest down here is pretty good."

Home advantage will not, however, be a huge plus for United.

They were forced off their regular home ground when the council started preparing for cricket. They switched to the Sports Bowl, also in Masterton, but vandals wrecked that a couple of weeks ago. They will now play at nearby Carterton.

Keinzley watched Waitakere last Saturday and said the most obvious difference is in the standard of the competition the two teams play in.

Auckland is well-represented in the quarter-finals with Onehunga Sports at home to Caversham, Bay Olympic away to Dunedin Technical and Manurewa facing the tough trip to play Napier City Rovers.

Like Waitakere, Napier (four times), Manurewa (twice) and Dunedin Technical (once) are former Cup winners while Bay Olympic were last season's beaten finalists.

Onehunga Sports coach Brian Turner has concerns about the Waikaraka Park pitch his team is due to play on tomorrow.

"It is not in great shape after the recent bad weather," said Turner. "I feel we should have an inspection on Saturday and if the referees feel it is not up to the standard required we should look elsewhere."

On the playing side, Turner's main concern is in finding adequate cover for Colin Murphy and Sean Lovemore who are in the United States en route to the Fifa Under-20 World Cup in Colombia.

Turner will look to his left back and captain Mitch Healy who played in the national league with University Mt Wellington and in Otago while at University to give much-needed experience as the club continues their most productive Cup run.

* Wellington Phoenix striker Chris Greenacre will wear two hats when the new A-League season kicks-off following confirmation yesterday of his appointment as Ricki Herbert's new assistant coach.

Greenacre, 33, will remain on the playing staff but will also take the first steps in what he hopes will be a successful coaching career.

"It is a fantastic opportunity and I would have been crazy not to jump at it," said Greenacre who already holds a Uefa B coaching licence.