"It was the most horrendous thing ever," says Randle, who had the onerous task of keeping Krishna at Bay when the striker represented Waitakere United in the summer league and he for the now demoted Youngheart Manawatu.
"I was 16 then and came off the bench. He was lightning quick and I just couldn't get a foot in.
"He just keeps accelerating. It's not ideal to mark him."
With Krishna providing the yardstick, it's fair to deduce it takes something exceptional to faze Randle.
The Ross Haviland-captained Bay are third on the premiership ladder on 21 points, one ahead of Waitakere after a 4-2 victory over the Phoenix Reserves in Wellington last weekend.
The Bay have exorcised their demons from their first-round meltdown to the Nix when they inexplicably succumbed 5-2 to the Reserves in Napier on December 13.
"We have to keep a clean sheet. We can't gift soft goals if we want to make the play-offs."
Southern are last on the table, having secured only two wins and a draw from 13 matches.
On that basis, the visitors should return with three points, but the pragmatic will urge caution on the foundation of the hosts' penchant for inflicting pain on rivals when they least expect it, especially in Dunedin.
"We don't seem to start games the way we want to," Randle says. "We need to start with more urgency."
With Haviland and Fin Milne at centre back and Billy Scott at right back, Randle reckons they have forged an equitable checkpoint of sorts.
While they can be guilty of nodding off at times to concede soft goals early, the fresh-faced team have found a modicum of collectiveness as the season progressed.
"Billy, Ross, Fin and myself stay in the same home [in Napier] with Sean Lovemore," he reveals, considering the defenders travel at the end of the week to train at Park Island.
Randle's preferred position is right back but he has no qualms about switching to the left if it helps the team's cause.
"It's not natural but I can play although I'd rather play on the right," says the exercise sports science student at UCOL polytech in Palmerston North, who is the starting left back.
"I'm getting more comfortable in turning on my left foot."
For a team that creates a rash of opportunities, especially from counterattacks, but doesn't always find the net, Randle says they are now averaging three to four each game.
"We should come away with three points from Southern if we keep doing the same things we've been doing."
He emphasises, though, there are no easy-beats in the premiership.
"We can't wait to be back at the Bluewater Stadium, which is the best park in New Zealand."
Someone who went through the Central Football age-group grades under Angell, Randle caught the coach's eye last winter while he was playing for his Palmerston North Marist side in the Lotto Central League.
With the demise of Youngheart, the former New Zealand under-17 and under-20 triallist grabbed the Bay United lifeline.
"I've been training a lot better and they [Bay United] expect more from you.
"They expect us to win every week and nothing less," he says, thriving in a competition where better players keep him honest.
"I'm not the best because I'm still quite young," says Randle, delighted to soak up Angell's EPL experience and assistant coach Leon Birnie's vast elite knowledge up to national level.
The coaches have impressed on him the need to be stronger on the ball if he wants to be taken seriously as a defender.
Randle hails from Normanby, a village not far from Hawera, in south Taranaki.
His father, John, played rugby while mum Tina was into netball.
When Randle was 9 the family moved to Palmerston North, where his mother took him to a kids' football training.
"She asked if I could join in but I turned out to be a decent player."
He has missed the cut to the NZ U17 and the U20 World Cup squads but is determined to soldier on in football.
His biggest thrill so far was to play for a Wynrs NZ invitation team (through Wynton Rufer's soccer academy) to compete at the 2013 Blue Stars Fifa Youth World Cup in Switzerland, which included powerful clubs such as Borussia Dortmund, Zenit St Petersburg and Manchester United.
"It was definitely an eye opener," says Randle who believes Bay United will be among the top premiership teams in a couple of seasons.
MATCH DETAILS
WHO: Southern United v Hawke's Bay United.
WHERE: Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin.
WHEN: Tomorrow, 1pm kick-off.
SOUTHERN UNITED: Josh Dijkstra, Liam Little, Tom Batty, Ross Howard, Craig Ferguson, Cam Attwood, Matt Joy, George Milne, Andrew Ridden, Tom Jackson, Josh Stewart, Al Rickerby, Jude Fitzpatrick, Nick Hindson, Tim McLennan, Taylor McCormack, Will McIntyre, Tom Connor, David Hayman, Morgan Day, Michael Neaverson, Nikita Meglinski, Lewis Jackson.
Coach: Mike Fridge.
HAWKE'S BAY UNITED: Joshua Hill (GK), 2. Wade Randle, 4. Ross Haviland (c), 5. Finlay Milne, 6. Alex Palezevic, 7. Ryan Tinsley, 8. Troy Pennycooke-Morgan, 9. Sean Lovemore, 10. Viktor Lekaj, 11. Mario Barcia, 12. Billy Scott 14. Rudi Bauerfeind,16. Leon Birnie, 21. Saul Halpin, 22. Sean Liddicoat, 26. Kyle Baxter (RGK).
Coach: Brett Angell.
Assistant coach: Leon Birnie.