Keinzley concerned over desperate cellar-dwellers
22.07.2008
By Gary Caffell
Appearances are deceiving as Wairarapa United bids to win the Capital Soccer premier division title, and with it the chance to challenge for a place in next season's central league.
With just four matches to be played and Wairarapa United three points clear at the top of the competition table you would have to fancy their prospects of overall victory.
Even more so when you look at the draw and find their remaining games are against the three teams at the bottom of that table, Western Suburbs, Lower Hutt City and Marist, who they have to play twice on successive weekends.
However, it is that very fact which is worrying Wairarapa United coach Phil Keinzley who says their desperation to avoid relegation from premier division will be a huge incentive for those teams to produce something special against his own side.
And it is also likely to lead to at least two of them, Western Suburbs and Lower Hutt City, dropping players down from their central league sides to help their cause in that respect.
As Keinzley points out neither of those clubs are now in a position to win the central league and so are sure to look seriously at boosting the strength of their premier division teams so they can retain their current status, something which is allowable under the rules.
According to Keinzley it is possible, in fact, that Western Suburbs could field up to nine central league players when they host Wairarapa United in Wellington this coming Sunday.
"We wouldn't be at all surprised if that was the case & in fact we are working on the basis it probably will happen," he said. "Obviously it will make life a whole lot tougher for us but that's the way it is, we have to cope."
Keinzley was delighted with the way Wairarapa United adapted to the boggy ground conditions when they scored a 2-0 win over "bogey team" Upper Hutt City at the Pugh Sports Bowl on Sunday.
The surface was so water-logged the referee was actually keen to postpone the game but after some discussion he gave the two teams the opportunity to make that decision and they were in agreement that play should proceed.
"We didn't really want another postponement, we knew how hard it would be to play good soccer but we were still keen to press on," Keinzley said. "And they (Upper Hutt City) were of the same mind, they were happy to take their chances too."
All the pre-match talk in the Wairarapa United camp centred on the importance of maintaining their structure and composure despite the conditions and they did that magnificently, scoring one goal in each half and having another two possible goals disallowed.
Particularly impressive was the manner in which their Fijian players like Pita Rabo, Waisake Sabutu and Sakeo Valevou handled the mud and wet, considering they are much more at home on the rock hard surfaces which allow them to better exploit their speed and flair.
Several times they were seen to scoop the ball out of the mud with their feet before moving it on and once Rabo even had the audacity to put on a juggling act in the face of a bemused Upper Hutt defence before looking for his supports.
The solidity of the Wairarapa United defence pleased Keinzley with an Upper Hutt City side in which a former Wairarapa United player Troy Burling was one of the most dangerous attackers ensuring they were kept on their toes on a regular basis.
"They did stretch us at times but only once or twice did they actually look like scoring," Keinzley said. "Defence could be crucial over the next few weeks so that was a big plus
