Football: Anything short of 3pts will hurt Bay Utd

SIMPLE: Coach Brett Angell expects his men to combat, bring the ball down and pass it around. PHOTO/FILE

It's opposition like Southern United that teams need to be wary of in the national summer league because they have nothing to lose.

Sitting last on the ASB Premiership table the football franchise from the deep South have just three points to their name from one victory so far this season.

When Hawke's Bay United kick off at midday tomorrow at Forsyth Barr Stadium it's fair to say anything short of three points on the flight back will hurt like a torn hamstring muscle.

"You don't get any more points for beating Southern or Auckland," is the reasoning of Hawke's Bay United coach Brett Angell.

It seems, as far as Angell is concerned, the tick in the box on the name against Southern was there even before the draws were made.

"It means nothing if we don't perform again," he says, after captain Finlay Milne and his troops slayed the Dragons 3-1 in Christchurch last Sunday. In fact, Angell prefers to take it back a further round to the 2-2 stalemate against Team Wellington at Park Island, Napier, to bag four points from six.

The former English Premier League striker stresses it's the tricky stage of the premiership where if they miss out on games then it'll be tantamount to playing catch-up footy.

He expects his men to simply combat, get the ball down and pass it around. Defender Harrison Nash is under an injury cloud dating back to the Wellington game on January 10 and they were monitoring Zane Sole's niggles but it's hard to imagine the solid midfielder won't play any game. The following Sunday, the Bay host premiership leaders Auckland City after their 1-1 stalemate in the season opener before travelling to Newtown Park on Saturday, February 6, to play rectify another drawn (5-5) affair against Wellington Phoenix Reserves.

"I'll use the two games after this to rotate the squad," he says.

Southern United: Tom Batty, Ross Howard, Shawn O'Brien, Jude Fitzpatrick, Jack Caunter, Seamus Ryder (c), Andrew Ridden, Sam French, Lewis Jackson, Zane Green, Stuart Kelly, Tom Connor, Harley Rodeka, Michael Hogan, Regan Coldicott, Morgan Day.

Hawke's Bay United (probable): Josh Hill, Sean Liddicoat, Kohei Matsumoto, Fin Milne, Harrison Nash, Cory Chettleburgh, Thomas Biss, Zane Sole, Khair Jones, Godwin Addai, Sam Mason-Smith, Hamish Watson, Martin Canales, Birhanu Taye, Fabien Kurimata, Jarrod Hastings.