Soccer: Sydney FC sure to test novice Knights

When John Adshead led the All Whites fairytale to the 1982 World Cup finals in Spain, he was wise enough not to expect miracles.

Twenty-three years on his expectations are similarly low as the New Zealand Knights embark on their outing against A-League favourites Sydney FC tonight.

The gulf in class and sense of occasion could not be more stark between the World Cup and a Pre-Season Cup kickaround at Aussie Stadium, yet Adshead sees parallels.

"I go back to '82, we were fortunate to be drawn against Brazil in the World Cup rounds. That gave us a million messages and I feel the same about playing Sydney.

"They are the yardstick for the league at this moment."

The match will be purely an educational for Adshead, who puts no emphasis on the score, considering that his squad have assembled just recently.

"I'm not being negative but you have to do a comparison.

"We've been together as a full squad for two weeks, Sydney's been together since March 1 and played 15 competitive games.

"Any team we put out will be the first time it's ever played together. What is good about it is we are new to each other and whatever the result is it will be an honest reflection of who we are and where we are at."

Adshead will be more concerned about margins when the A-League starts on August 28 and appreciates the opportunity to play the competition favourites.

"They've already won the World Club Championships playoff and there's no doubt they want the [Pre-Season Cup] trophy.

"We're not in that mode at the moment. We're not results orientated, we're more interested in individual and team performances.

"It would be wonderful to get a result and if we did it might send a few shockwaves through the league and give me a bit of a surprise as well."

The Knights have had a win (2-0 v a Brisbane selection) and loss (2-0 to A-League rivals Central Coast Mariners) ahead of the Sydney FC clash, a match sure to spark some interest, with former Manchester United striker Dwight Yorke making his debut.

Yorke, who is still not sure what role he will play under coach and German World Cup-winner Pierre Littbarski, vowed to showcase his skills wherever he slots in while also emphasising the team ethic.

"It's important to remember that this is not just about me.

"There are another 19 members of the squad that are here too.

"I just want to put on a good show and I'm sure that we will."

Yorke, who also played for Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers and Birmingham City in the English Premier League, joins a team already riding high from their qualification for the Fifa World Club Championships in Japan in December this year.

Sydney won the Australian qualifiers before beating Oceania's best, and have played 16 matches without tasting defeat, winning 15.

Meanwhile, Littbarski was confident that Yorke was capable of meeting the standards expected of him despite a lack of match play.

"The expectations for him are very high but he is fit ... In training he looks sharp and he should be able to do some good things on the pitch in this week's game."

- NZPA