Central League Promotion Match

For anyone that is interested.

Wairarapa United crushed Maycenvale United 4-0 in the first of their central league playoff matches before a large and appreciative crowd at the Pugh Sports Bowl in Masterton yesterday.

It was a stunning performance by Wairarapa United and a giant step towards making it through to the promotion-relegation series against the bottom-placed side from the 2008 central league, Stop Out.

All they need to do now is avoid getting beaten by more than three goals in the return fixture with Maycenvale United in Hastings next weekend and they are home and hosed.

What made Wairarapa United's effort so impressive yesterday was that with an ounce or two of luck they could have stretched their winning margin to six or seven goals, and remember this was against a Maycenvale United side which that had beaten the best Gisborne, Wanganui, Manawatu and Hawke's Bay could offer to reach this far.

It is difficult to recall, in fact, more than a couple of situations when Maycenvale United actually threatened the Wairarapa United goal and it's fair to say they were actually flattered by their four goal loss. They were without their main striker Leon Birnie but their forwards got so little quality ball he would have struggled to make any sort of impact.

The visitors were rocked back on their heels in the opening minutes when Wairarapa United's Carl Shailer fired a shot from all of 25m out into the back of the net.

It was just the start the home team wanted and they almost made it two when striker Seule Soromon threaded his way through the opposition defence and left Sakeo Valevou with an open goal. Unfortunately his shot was high and the score remained at 1-0.

Soromon was again prominent in a move which ended with Anton Ross firing his shot over the crossbar and then Aaron Spierling sent in a high floating cross which was misjudged by Maycenvale United goal keeper Kyle Baxter looking into the sun and went through his hands into the net. Wairarapa United 2, Maycenvale United 0.

That was to the end of the scoring action in the first half but there were several other prime chances created by Wairarapa United.

Pita Rabo had a shot well saved by Baxter, Soromon shot wide with the defence beaten and Anton Ross and Soromon combined in a movement which took the desperate thrusting out of a leg by a Maycenvale United player to keep them out.

The dominance of Wairarapa United was clearly frustrating the Maycenvale United side and on one occasion outstanding midfielder Mieriek Tvaroh earned a penalty after being tackled to the ground in rugby fashion.

The second spell opened just as the first had ended with Wairarapa United calling the tune.

Soromon and Rabo teased the opposition defence with some tricky footwork and nifty ball control which probably should have produced a goal and Tvaroh drew a diving save from Baxter with a powerful drive from well out.

Not surprisingly it was the irrepressible Soromon who scored the Wairarapa United third goal after making full use of space created for him and not long afterwards Tvaroh and Spierling engineered an attack which ended with Soromon scoring again, his 28th goal of the club season.

From then on all Maycenvale United could so was save the embarrassment of any further scoring and that they managed to do although both Rabo and Soromon came within centimetres of adding to their team's total in separate raids.

This was a match in which all members of the Wairarapa United squad could feel well pleased with their efforts but if individuals had to be singled out

for special mention Tvaroh and Soromon would have to be at the head of the list.

Tvaroh's coolness and ability to be in the right place at the right time made him the star of a Wairarapa United midfield which clearly outplayed their much-vaunted Maycenvale United counterparts.

He was top value on attack and defence.

Soromon tormented the Maycenvale United defence with his speed and silky ball skills and he was running as strongly at the end of the game as he was at the start of it.

That magnificent first goal would have been enough to ensure Shailer a plus mark but he did a lot more than that, defending stoutly and showing real urgency when linking with his midfield on attack.

The solidity of Waisake Sabutu in defence and Pita Rabo's willingness to be the ideal foil for Soromon on attack made them major contributors too in what was a truly spectacular team effort.

Wairarapa United soccer coach Phil Keinzley will be citing a couple of examples to his team to help ward off any danger of complacency for their return central league playoff match against Maycenvale United at Hastings this coming Saturday.

After their 4-0 defeat at the Pugh Sports Bowl on Sunday Maycenvale United have to at least win by the same margin to have any chance of stopping Wairarapa United from progressing to the last stage of the playoffs, a promotion-relegation home and away series with the 2008 central league cellar dwellers, Stop Out.

It's a huge ask but Keinzley knows it can be done.

And this season when Wairarapa United needed at least a win or a draw from their last Capital premier fixture with Marist to practically guarantee themselves that title they had to come from behind to draw 1-1, just a week after comfortably beating the same Marist side 4-2.

"A week in soccer can be a long time, things can change pretty drastically from one week to the next," Keinzley said.

"Yes, four goals is a good buffer but it doesn't mean we are homed and hosed & no way."

The Wairarapa United coach said his side would "very definitely" be taking the same attacking approach into the return game as they did on Sunday.

"I know there will be some people out there who will want us to pack the defence but that doesn't suit our style, we are better off looking to score more goals than worrying about how many they might get," he said.

Keinzley said a defensive-orientated game plan would also play into Maycenvale United's hands as they were clearly a team which performed best when allowed time to build their attacking movements.

"They showed on Sunday that they don't operate quite so well when you concentrate on closing them down in midfield and that's where our focus will be again," he said. "We forced them to shoot from a long way out then and hopefully nothing changes this time round."

Keinzley also sees their desperate need for goals influencing Maycenvale United's own game plan with former national league striker Leon Birnie, who didn't play in Masterton, likely to be joined by two others in the striking role.

"Unlike us they have do something different and the odds are they will strengthen their numbers up front," he said.

By doing that, however, Maycenvale United will risk leaving themselves open to the counter attack and Keinzley hopes his side can capitalise on any extra room allowed them.

"Every goal we get makes it doubly hard for them, that's the view we have to take, " he said.

"It we get four more they will have to get eight & then it becomes mission impossible, doesn't it?"

Reflecting on Sunday's match Keinzley was "absolutely rapt" at the way his side responded to the challenge of taking the game to their opposition and he feels a Maycenvale United side which had been in such dominating form recently might have been caught by surprise at their skill levels.

"Looking back, I think they didn't realise just how good we can be, they probably sold us short in that regard," he said.

"And by the time they woke up we had a couple of goals in the bag and they were on the back foot."

Not surprisingly, Keinzley was loathe to single out any players for special mention in what was an effort based around teamwork but, when pressed, he settled on one of the side's younger players in Aaron Spierling for how he coped in the unaccustomed role of what Keinzley described as "holding midfielder".

"We knew they (Maycenvale United) would often have a couple of players seagulling with the idea of catching us by surprise on the counter attack and Aaron's job was to hold his position to make it harder for them to get away," Keinzley said.

"The normal instinct for him is to press forward when we are on attack and it said a lot for him that he adjusted so well."

Pleasing too for Wairarapa United was that they came out of Sunday's match without any injury problems which means that no changes are expected in the starting line-up for the return match.

Bus transport will be available for Wairarapa United supporters intending to travel to Hastings and those intending to make use of that offer should advise Chris Cogdale.

Meanwhile, the Rathkeale College first XI were beaten 3-2 in their Wellington JPL 16-17th grade final against Lower Hutt at Rathkeale on Sunday.

Rathkeale led 1-0 for most of the match and it was only two late goals from Lower Hutt which tipped the scales in their favour, one of them coming from a questionable hand ball call which saw the visitors awarded a penalty. Nick Pearson's strength and speed down the right was always a threat for Rathkeale and Kota Maeno was inevitably on hand to slot the goals.

Earlier the Rathkeale team had placed a creditable fourth in their Trident Trophy secondary schoolboys tourney played in Wanganui last week.

They were beaten 2-0 by Awatapu College of Palmerston North in the semis and then lost 3-1 to Aotea College in the playoff for third and fourth.

Wairarapa United's chances of winning their home and away central league soccer playoff series with Maycenvale United have been given an extra boost.

Already strong after their 4-0 win in the first of the two matches played at the Pugh Sports Bowl in Masterton on Sunday they have been improved by the discovery of a rule which says the first goal scored in away games is actually worth double that amount (Surely they have heard of this before)

What this means in effect is that if Wairarapa United score even just the solitary goal in this Saturday's return match Maycenvale United would have to score at least four in reply to stop them from having a clear advantage on goal aggregate and with it a ticket to the promotion relegation series with the bottom-placed team in the 2008 central league, Stop out of Wellington.

And with Wairarapa United having the remarkable record of having scored at least one goal in all of their matches so far this season-including the Hilton-Petone pre-season tourney the odds are heavily in favour of them taking advantage of the "double goal" rule in Hastings.

"I have to say it's music to the ears as far as we are concerned," Keinzley said. "And it obviously makes it harder for the opposition & and we're pleased about that too!"

Wairarapa United were already planning to go into the return game intent on playing their usual attacking style of soccer and the "bonus point" for scoring a goal gives even greater credence to them adopting that stance.

"We were always going to push hard in the first 20 minutes for a goal or two to put them further behind the eight ball and we've now got an extra reason to do that," Keinzley said. The Wairarapa United coach actually has visions of Saturday's match being a high scoring affair with Maycenvale United having little option but to throw caution to the wind in their search to make up lost ground.

Keinzley sees the Hastings-based side increasing their number of strikers from two to three and having even their defensive players push forward on a regular basis to add greater numbers to their attack.

And if they do they will be taking the risk of exposing gaps in their defence and allowing proven goal scorers like Seule Soromon and Pita Rabo the chance to cut loose.

"It's got all the makings of a very entertaining game & I can see six or seven goals being scored," he said "Hopefully a good share of them by us."

The starting line-up for Wairarapa United on Saturday will be exactly the same as that which initially took the field at the Pugh Sports Bowl.

Keinzley admits he was giving some consideration to having Guiseppe Cagliari and Paul Gregory start in midfield rather than on the reserves bench but both were unable to make Tuesday night's training session and that made the decision easy for him. They will be on the reserves bench again.

THE WAIRARAPA UNITED TEAM WILL THEREFORE BE:

Matt Borren, Carl Shailer, James Oxtoby, Andy Robertson, Waisake Sabutu, Sakeo Valevou, Miriek Tvaroh, Aaron Spierling, Anton Ross, Pita Rabo, Seule Soromon. Reserves: Paul Gregory, Guiseppe Cagliari, Anaru Te Rangi, Kota Maeno.

Wairarapa United are taking nothing for granted in their return central league playoff soccer match with Maycenvale United in Hastings tomorrow.

All the talk in the Wairarapa United camp this week has revolved around them producing another top-notch performance rather than dwelling on the 4-0 win secured at the Pugh Sports Bowl last weekend.

They know a Maycenvale United side, needing to win by at least four goals to have any prospect of stopping Wairarapa United from making it through to the central league promotion-relegation match with Stop Ou,t will be fired up, and that they have the attacking skills to take full advantage of any complacency.

"Last weekend is gone, it's tomorrow we have to focus on," Wairarapa United coach Phil Keinzley emphasised. "We got four goals in one game and so can they, it's not over yet."

Keinzley is hoping however that in their desperation for goals Maycenvale United will be so intent on pushing players forward they will leave holes to be exploited in their defence.

"The odds are we will have counter attacking opportunities and we need to make the most of them, "Keinzley said. "It's just a matter of staying patient and waiting for them to come."

Even scoring just the one goal will be a big help to Wairarapa United's cause as under the playoff rules the first goal scored by the visiting team is actually worth two, a system which is apparently common in Europe for similar competitions. The idea being to encourage teams playing away from home to be more attacking in their approach.

So if Wairarapa United score only the one goal tomorrow Maycenvale United will actually need six to force a penalty shootout & a huge ask in anybody's language.

While delighted with last weekend's effort Keinzley believes there is still scope for improvement for Wairarapa United, particularly in the speed in which they move the ball from one side of the field to the other.

"We did use the width of the field well last weekend but we could have been quicker in the pace we did it," he said.

That Wairarapa United will field the same starting line-up tomorrow as they did at the Pugh Sports Bowl is hardly surprising with youngsters Aaron Spierling and Anton Ross deservedly being retained in midfield.

Spierling was seen in a more defensive role than usual last weekend and handled it splendidly while Ross was an absolute livewire on attack, firing in the high cross which a leaping Maycenvale United 'keeper allowed to slip through his hands and into the net and coming close to score on another couple of occasions as well. Reports are he is heading to Otago University next season and his infectious enthusiasm will be missed.

The full Wairarapa United squad is:

Matt Borren, Carl Shailer, James Oxtoby, Waisake Sabutu, Andy Robertson, Sakeo Valevou, Miriek Tvaroh, Aaron Spierling, Anton Ross, Pita Rabo, Seule Soromon. Reserves: Paul Gregory, Guiseppe Cagliari, Anaru Te Rangi, Kota Maeno.

The Wairarapa United under-19 side will play Tawa in an Ivan England Trophy match at Rathkeale College on Sunday. They were forced to default to Lower Hutt last weekend because it clashed not only with the central league playoff fixture but also the Wellington JPL final involving the Rathkeale College first X1 and now sit third on the competition table.

It's easy to jump to conclusions when stereotyping Nick Lucas on a soccer field.

He can come across as a show pony on the paddock, prancing about and mouthing off at the referee and others _ not that the expressions on the face of his Cru Bar Maycenvale coach, Grant Hastings, ever gives anything away.

But the 33-year-old striker is at pains to emphasise to SportToday while personal goals motivate him, it's never about him. His persona is merely a part of the total of what the men in orange are all about.

He's mindful a pat on the back is only a few vertebrae away from a kick on the behind when things don't go according to the script in a sport where individualism surfaces like a niggly hamstring before a crucial match.

A bit brutally, their campaign to ascend from the Hawke's Bay-heavy Homeworx Pacific Premiership to Central League level next season stuttered last Sunday in Masterton when they crashed 4-0 to the other hopefuls Wairarapa United.

``It's got to click on Saturday. We've got to get five goals and I don't care how we do it,' says the Hastings engineer of the match that will kick-off at 2pm at Akina Park in the final away-and-home match against the Capital Premiership champions to determine who will play against this season's woodenspooners Stop Out, of Wellington.

Having already scaled the dizzy heights of Central League and National League akin to other experienced teammates such as Leon Birnie, Chris Greatholder, Dion Adams, Brendan Razos and Sam Stove, Lucas knows the significance of lifting the Rod Pelosi Trophy for their younger teammates.

Some how the burden of responsibility will fall on him and his fellow seasoned campaigners.

``I'll be arrogant. If we don't win then I'm prepared to take the rap for our failure,' says Lucas, who has tasted a treble Central League victory with Napier City Rovers from 2003-05.

In the last year he was part of the Rovers outfit who won the Chatham Cup and finished runners-up in the then winter National League.

It annoys him in the 2007 season, after Vale nailed a double premiership and knockout, the Hastings club didn't pursue a Central League berth.

``I lost interest in the Rod Pelosi Trophy after I heard the committee was not interested.

``You know you have to pull finger because it doesn't matter how much it costs - it's always about the [younger players coming through],' says Lucas, whose talented 17-year-old son Dakota, who was named player of the premier national secondary schools' tournament in Napier last week, is now studying and playing in Auckland to pursue his footballing dreams.

``I'm not negative about sport because if there's any doubt about losing then you shouldn't be playing it.

``If after a match you fail then it doesn't matter because you teach the younger players, as [coach] Grant [Hastings] would say, that if you believe it'll happen [win] then it will,' he says of the ``turning up to the park' mentality that won't be enough to combat a Wairarapa who boast a ``Polynesian-Maori' mix with flair.

His simplistic summary of scoring goals offers a great insight on his mental fortitude in what he calls ``the game of chance'.

``The way I see it most goals take two to three passes in less than a minute and a game is won in the first half. ``If you're not winning by that stage then you're fast running out of time.

``It's not just about winning but winning well.

``People often go to the pub after the game and go on about thrashing a team, but that's not a thrashing - Leon scored two freakish goals but we can't just rely on him all the time,' says Lucas who believes they should have gone into damage control mode against Wairarapa last Sunday.

The former Hastings Boys High School pupil playing soccer at the now defunct Hastings City Rovers club in 1979 where his cousin, Steve Lucas (who was more like an uncle), was a coach.

A rugby player, Steve coaxed him to stick with the round ball ``because you're a natural and the best player in your age group'. When his cousin moved to Vale the following season Lucas followed.

``I'm an All Black fan and I watch international footy [soccer], not New Zealand soccer.'

A Bay age-group soccer rep, he fondly recalls the traditional rivalry with Napier Boys' High first XI, who had Peter McGlashan Snr at their helm while HBHS had the services of ex-National League player Dave Waugh until 1992.

In the final year the Havelock North Wanderers with promise of Central League beckoned the 18-year-old and, inevitably, Napier City Rovers put their welcome mat out to their under-19 side as a guest player - an invitation that also got him into the New Zealand under-20 squad.

``Carrying on in Central League with the Wanderers might have been a mistake,' says a talented Lucas, who also faced the dilemma of choosing between softball (NZ U20 rep), soccer, gymnastics and athletics.

``In 2006 I did a double with Vale, but Jonny Gould [Hawke's Bay United head coach] didn't re-sign me so I did decathlon. I once finished fourth in New Zealand behind guys like Simon Poelman and Doug Pirini who qualified for the Olympics so I quit.'

It wasn't easy reconciling a sense of betrayal in leaving his city of birth to play for a rival city but his loyalty had withstood the time-trial. From 1992 to 2002 the Wanderers wore the bridesmaid's tag six times and were third twice in the Central League competition and every time Lucas convinced himself that the winning season was only a next time away.

``You've got to give it to Napier City Rovers and you know when they go for a championship season and when they are rebuilding.

``Everything was second and I turn up to play for them and in the first season we come first.

``When you are with the Rovers a player just worries about himself but if you're there then you're focus on the club,' says Lucas, who relished playing with former Rovers such as All White Shane Smeltz, Jimmy Cudd and Dean Johnstone, as well as absorbing words of wisdom from Charlie Howe (pictured left) and Perry Cotton at the helm.

Under Gould his flirtation with the summer franchise in 2005 as a centreback (``I do what's best for the team') wasn't memorable although, in the big scheme of things, he still harbours that dream of a recall with Bay United. It didn't help that travelling to Napier for a year-long training session while working placed immense pressure on time for the father of two. His son Shelton, 15, is in Gould's under-15 academy squad and an age-group rugby player).

Resignation, punctuated by a sense of realism, takes hold and Lucas turns his attention to the job at hand.

He doesn't need a reminder of the five drawn affairs in the premiership.

Nothing short of a stoic defensive effort from the likes of Brendon Adema, Razos and Stove will ensure that they can comfortably score goals at the other end.

``That's when Leon [Birnie] will have to step and fire. No pressure, bro,' he says with a laugh.

dirty Stop Out here come the Fijians

Parochialism has its place in sport when Come On The Bay filters through the sound system of different sporting venues in the region.

But there are times when no tunes or blinkered horse-drawn positive bandwagons can rob the admiration of the opposition.

This story is about a slick Wairarapa United outfit who graced Akina Park, Hastings, on a balmy Saturday and taught Cru Bar Maycenvale United premier side a soccer lesson, although the 3-2 score doesn't reflect that. It is also a story about protagonists who have assumed the mantle of luminaries.

That Hawke's Bay United head coach Jonathan Gould was on the sideline and later sounded out a few players is in itself a compliment.

A delighted Keinzley said centrebacks Waisake Sabutu, a Fijian international, and James Oxtoby were in the Bay frame.

The reality is others have been quicker on the player market. Vanuatu international striker Seule Soromon, captain/centremid Pita Rabo, another Fijian international, and leftback Carl Shailler are Team Wellington-bound while goalkeeper Matt Borren is already on the YoungHeart Manawatu list for the New Zealand Football Championship (summer league).

But amid all the player powerpulling, Wairarapa have unfinished business - to challenge Central League woodenspooners Stop Out, of Wellington, in a promotion-relegation match.

Said Keinzley: ``Losing Pita is a huge loss for us but Stop Out will be a tough team to beat because their Olympic Games trio are back.'

Rabo was out in the 21st minute of Saturday's game and Keinzley said a hospital check-up revealed the midfielder had dislocated his shoulder and broken his collarbone in two places.

Needing just to lose by a less than four-goal margin and scoring one away goal after dishing out a four-nil hiding to Vale the previous weekend in Masterton, Wairarapa played like they were the ones with their backs to the wall.

It was Soromon who mesmerised the defenders with the speed and agility of a gymnast that often left Vale defenders in sixes and sevens and Palmerston North referee Matthew Conger busy.

Soromon, who scored two brilliant individual goals, could have scored more had it not been for his peacock antics as he grinned and shook his head to the delight of the small but vociferous contingent of Wairarapa fans on the sidelines.

It was inspirational Vale striker Nick Lucas who drew first blood in the 27th minute after rising to head the ball a metre outside the 18m box over an advancing keeper Borren, following a Matt Camp freekick from almost midway on the right flank.

But within three minutes rightback Andy Robinson equalised with a cross from out wide after Camp failed to clear and the ball caught keeper Kyle Baxter flat-footed.

Amid Vale players questioning the ref's decisions and clumsy tackles from centreback Sam Stove, Soromon latched on to a through ball, dribbled past rightback Brendon Adema and turned centreback Camp inside out to blast the ball past Baxter.

In the 38th minute, centre-mid Leon Birnie equalised from a goalmouth melee off a Lucas cornerkick and a tap from Adema. It wasn't until the 86th minute that Soromon, after a minute earlier outfoxing four defenders and unselfishly pushing the ball to an off-target left-mid, Anton Ross, scored the winner from point-blank range before celebrating with cartwheel flips.

Soromon, who Vanuatu didn't want until this season, came to Wairarapa on the recommendation of his Fijian teammates after playing in Suva.

``I went for a 4km run yesterday so that's why I couldn't run faster,' he explained, pointing to his strapped-up knees.

The striker, who honed his skills from soccer videotapes in Vanuatu as a child, revealed he now kept fit and supple by hip-hopping and breakdancing.

Admitting an athletic Wairarapa had several ``exceptional' players and just as many ``very good' ones, Vale coach Grant Hastings said his players needed to lift themselves to an A level.

``Some of them need to ask themselves that question before the next season,' he said. Upbeat otherwise, Hastings is looking forward to the Knockout Cup match against HBE Napier City Rovers.

The loss of inspirational skipper Pita Rabo with a suspected broken collarbone took some of the gloss of Wairarapa United's gutsy 3-2 win over Maycenvale United in their return central league playoff soccer match in Hastings on Saturday.

The victory gave Wairarapa United a decisive 7-2 advantage in the home and away series to decide which of the two sides would go forward to the two promotion-relegation matches against the bottom-placed side in the 2008 central league, Stop Out of Wellington.

It followed a 4-0 win to Wairarapa United at the Pugh Sports Bowl in Masterton the previous weekend.

"It did not look good, right now I would say he has no more than a 10 per cent chance of being right," Keinzley said yesterday. "But he's a tough bugger so you never know, we'll just wait and see what happens in the next 48 hours or so."

Keinzley said Wairarapa United took all of the first half to show anything like their best form in the Hastings match.

As expected Maycenvale United came out firing and while they strung some fine attacking movements together Keinzley believes they were helped by some nervous Wairarapa United play.

"I think the importance of the game got to some of our players, they weren't quite as composed as they needed to be, "he said. "The idea was for us to attack but we ended up playing more conservatively than we wanted to do."

Wairarapa United did, however, open the scoring with striker Seule Soromon finding the net somewhat against the run of play. However, Maycenvale United struck back with a goal scored while Rabo was being attended to and Wairarapa United was down to 10 men and they made it 2-1 when after a succession of corners they capitalised on some messy Wairarapa United defence.

Keinzley admits to thinking his side could be in trouble at this stage because the more Maycenvale United attacked the more their confidence grew but then came a welcome stroke of good fortune, a high kick in by Andy Robertson creating confusion in the home team's defence and the ball ending up in the back of their net. At halftime then it was 2-2.

The discussions in the Wairarapa United camp over the break revolved around the importance of playing their normal attacking style of soccer in the second spell, and Keinzley was delighted with the way they responded to that call.

"We were a completely different team, there was a lot more confidence there," he said. "We actually started to take the game to them for a change and that was exactly what we needed to do."

It was appropriate that the only goal of the second half should be scored by Soromon as Keinzley considers the Vanuatu international produced his best 45 minutes of the entire season, and that really is saying something for he has been an outstanding performer on a regular basis.

"He was electric, absolutely electric," Keinzley said of Soromon. "He tormented their defence big time, they had a hell of job trying to contain him."

Also impressive for Wairarapa United in an attacking sense were Anton Ross and Rathkeale College student Kota Maeno, who partnered Soromon in the striking role, while Miriek Tvaroh and Paul Gregory who replaced Rabo were grand value in the midfield.

Stop Out's move to concede home advantage in the first of their two central league playoff promotion-relegation soccer matches with Wairarapa United suggests a positive mindset on their part.

At least that was the take of Wairarapa United coach Phil Keinzley after learning this coming Saturday's encounter would be played at the Pugh Sports Bowl in Masterton, a decision allowed Stop Out through them currently holding central league status.

"I think it shows how confident they are that they have the measure of us," Keinzley said. "They obviously think they can blow our own confidence by beating us up here before finishing the job at their own ground.

Stop Out may have finished bottom of the 2008 central league but they have two current New Zealand Olympic players in their squad and possibly if rumours are to be believed three others as well.

Not surprisingly then they are expected to provide much more formidable opposition than Maycenvale United, the team Wairarapa United beat 7-2 on aggregate in the first of the central league playoff series.

"They (Stop Out) are used to playing at the higher level, you'd have to expect them to be quicker and smarter," Keinzley said.

"And they won't lack incentive, they have a very proud history as a club and losing to a team like us wouldn't sit well with them at all."

Whether Wairarapa United will have skipper Pita Rabo on hand for Saturday's game was still a matter of conjecture yesterday. He suffered a suspected broken collarbone in the first 10 minutes of the return fixture with Maycenvale United in Hastings a game won by Wairarapa United 3-2 but the severity of the injury probably won't be determined until tomorrow at the earliest.

Having waited four seasons for Wairarapa United to reach the stage where central league is a distinct possibility the inspirational Rabo is "desperately keen" to play both matches against Stop Out but Keinzley said medical advice would dictate his availability.

"If Pita had his way he would be playing no matter what but, really, it's a matter of wait and see," he said.

Just who would replace Rabo in the starting line-up should he not be fit enough is difficult to predict too.

It would probably come down to Keinzley having to omit one of three players all capable of filling a midfield or striker's role, Guiseppe Cagliari, Paul Gregory and Kota Maeno.

Tactically, the emphasis will still very much be on attack for Wairarapa United although Keinzley does see them returning to the conventional 4-4-2 format against a Stop Out side expected to use that format as well.

If Wairarapa United does manage to beat Stop Out on goal aggregate over the two games they won't be the first Wairarapa-based club to make the central league but they will become the first to play there since the central league became second only in importance to the national league & and the highest possible competition Wairarapa United can aspire to.

In previous years when Wairarapa teams were involved there was a national league, a central premier league and three divisions of what could be called the ordinary central league. And it was in the latter where the Wairarapa teams played.

Meanwhile, coach Keinzley is blaming himself for the 5-3 loss suffered by the Wairarapa United under-19s in their England Trophy match with Tawa College at Rathkeale College on Sunday morning.

He said he had taken the gamble of allowing some of their key players also involved in the victory over Maycenvale United the previous day to celebrate the win with the "senior pros" and they struggled to display their usual enthusiasm as a result.

"Tawa are a very good side and we never got to the intensity we needed to beat them," he said.

"In fact, you could say the crossbar was our best player & I'd hate to think how many of their shots deflected off there."

Andrew Traill and Kota Maeno (2) were the goal scorers for Wairarapa United and players to stand out were Aaron Spierling, Gin Kwon, Leighton Calkin and Mitchell Scaife.

It's the news Wairarapa United didn't want to hear.

The injury inflicted on skipper Pita Rabo during his team's 3-2 return central league playoff match with Maycenvale United at Hastings last weekend will sideline him for up to six weeks.

Which means the popular Fiji international won't be available for either of Wairarapa United's central league promotion-relegation games with Stop Out over the next fortnight, the first of them at the Pugh Sports Bowl this Saturday and the second in Wellington a week later.

Rabo was the victim of a late tackle just 10 minutes into the Hastings game.

X-rays show the collarbone to be shattered in three places.

Wairarapa United coach Phil Keinzley said no one was more disappointed than Rabo himself.

"Pita has had central league as a goal ever since joining up with us four years ago he's devastated he won't be there for the two games which decide whether we finally make it," Keinzley said.

"He probably still thinks we should risk him but it's out of the question, the injury is way too bad for that."

Keinzley said Rabo who has also played rugby sevens for Fiji offered so many things to Wairarapa United leadership, composure, vision and goal-scoring potential amongst them.

"He's inspirational, he gives confidence to those around him. Everything about him is positive."

With an eye to the promotion-relegation matches though, Keinzley says Wairarapa United's effort to beat Maycenvale United last Saturday without their captain for all but the first 10 minutes was a morale booster.

"They were a bit like headless chooks once he was gone but we talked at the break about players having to take greater responsibility for their own actions and they did exactly that in the second half," he said.

"Obviously we are better off with Pita but it's not all doom and gloom because he won't be there we got the result we wanted last weekend and we can do it again."

Actually Keinzley still sees Rabo playing a huge part in the promotion-relegation games but as assistant coach rather than player.

"We always talk things over tactically anyway&.he reads the game so well.And having him right there on the sideline will be an incentive for the players." Saturday's is Wairarapa United's last home game of what has been a hugely successful season, a season which has seen them win both the Hilton Petone Cup pre-season tourney and the Capital premier division title for the first time in their history.

And with the result so pivotal to Wairarapa United's dream of attaining central league status, also for the first time, hopes are for a record crowd at the Pugh Sports Bowl for the 2pm kickoff.

Keinzley says the vocal support of a big crowd was instrumental in his team scoring their memorable 4-0 win over Maycenvale United at the same venue a couple of Saturdays ago, and he is keen for a similar atmosphere this weekend.

"Wouldnt write wairarapa off.. They are still dangerous and have a good chance with out Rabo.. Going to be a close game.. Im worried about stop out there strikers are very average and there is  hesitation  to go foward amongst the team that ive watched alot this season.. If that 3rd pom they brought out is playing or that fat costa rican  we (stop out) are buggered...

As I have said in the past, join the committee or just stop posting here. You make the rest of us look bad that care.

By the way, we all now know who you are.