Guardiola, who starred for Nelson Marlborough Falcons in the national youth league before being signed by Wairarapa United, showed glimpses of pure class. His rapid acceleration and clever footwork made him a constant threat to the Petone defence and he seldom came off second best in one on one confrontations.
It would have been unfair to expect too much from Lopez who literally had set foot on New Zealand soil only a few hours before game time but he still managed to impress with his ability to make room for himself in a confined space.
The individual star of the Wairarapa United effort, however, was Nick Roydhouse, who last played for the club five years ago and has played little, or any, serious football in the last two. He had a huge workrate on both attack and defence. There was a lot to admire too about the penetration shown by Soromon up front, the promise of 16-year-old Liam Hare in midfield, whose vision and coolness belied his age, and the soundness of Nathan Cooksley and Shailer at the back in defensive situations.
