If adversity reveals a team's true character then Tauranga City United could be primed to explode tomorrow in what's shaping to be a season-defining home game in their hunt for promotion out of the Northern League's lower reaches.
Tauranga suffered their first loss of the season, 2-1 away to Warkworth, lastweekend and their task tomorrow against North Shore at Mt Maunganui's Links Ave hasn't been made easier by illness and the rain that soaked their training ground yesterday, curtailing training.
Co-coach Grant Turner hopes lack of activity won't handicap them. "When you've been starved of football like we have this week it's often the case that a team comes out firing, and I'm expecting our guys to be fizzing tomorrow."
Midfielder Tom Crawford and striker Ian Stringfellow are battling illness and are unlikely to play.
Turner is also struggling with a back injury.
He offered no excuses for last weekend's loss, which has seen Tauranga fall off the pace being set by Mt Albert-Ponsonby, Fencibles, Mangere United and Hibiscus Coast.
"Warkworth were really committed and our 4 -hour bus trip impacted on that, although we were quick out of the blocks and let ourselves down with a couple of lapses in concentration."
Tomorrow's game kicks off at 2.45pm.
