The Ramon Tribulietx-coached Aucklanders have lost 3-1 to Wellington Phoenix Reserves after two goals to ex-Bay United striker Nathaniel Hailemariam, who was also provider to Joel Stevens for the other Nix goal.
The Navy Blues pipped Wanderers Soccer Club 1-0 on Wednesday.
"It's always a bit tough," says Tribulietx. "It's mental fatigue rather than the players so it'll take a few weeks for them to regain that."
It can't be easy to be competing against the best clubs in the world one minute and return to the humdrum of a national league the next.
The Spaniard is hoping his troops will snap out of the doldrums although Bay United captain Ross Haviland, returning from a one-game suspension last weekend, will rather they won't tomorrow.
"Last night [against the Wanderers] we were okay," Tribulietx says.
Playing against elite footballers is one thing but returning to the New Zealand brand requires a different approach, something not lost on the coach.
"It's readjusting to a style of football. It's a lot rougher here," he explains, adding the game against the Wanderers yielded a lot of fouls.
"We're getting used to it once again."
Returning to the harsh reality of eight-hour jobs after an exhausting campaign also has taken its toll on the Ivan Vicelich-captained players.
Tribulietx doesn't expect much respite from Hawke's Bay tomorrow or its unforgiving, energy-sapping 30C dry heat.
It'll be the referee's prerogative to grant more drinks to players during the two halves.
"Hawke's Bay [are] a brand new team and getting together quite well," he says of the Brett Angell side who succumbed 3-2 at Kiwitea St in the opening round on November 2.
Tribulietx suspects striker Sean Lovemore, unavailable because he was attending a friend's wedding last weekend, will be the Bay's go-to man.
"Lovemore, especially, is pacey so part of their game is capitalising on that [hitting teams on the counter].
"They are a defensive-minded team and are well known for that. They've lost a lot of players," he says of Bay United, whose fans are still suffering from the hangover of losing history-making coach Chris Greatholder and his stable.
A lion's share of players is now competing for other franchises while Angell has had to muster non-Bay players to keep the franchise going.
The Bay franchise is offering free entry to all fans tomorrow in what will without doubt be the biggest football match in the province this year.
Comments posted on the Hawke's Bay Today website confirm there's still some disenchantment among fans.
"There's a whole lot of people still very miffed with all at HBU and won't go back while the current people are in place and why should they? Sad but true," BigDave says.
Reacting to the offer of free entry, "Bayday" asks: "A thank you from the board or panic stations because no one wants to watch them anymore and crowd numbers are embarrassing?"
Chimes in "ABC": "Or maybe it's just a sorry for charging $15 for the Phoenix which was actually just a bunch of up-and-coming Central League players making a mockery of the Bay United team.
"I'll only come along if we get enough people to chant that the board don't know what they're doing. Thanks but no thanks."
It's hard to imagine football lovers staying away but politics aside the prudent will argue Auckland City are ripe for the picking.
Bay United Argentine winger Facundo Barbero is oozing confidence.
"We have a chance to beat them. Auckland are a good team but we can do it," Barbero says.
Tribulietx says he "has a lot of respect" for the Bay United side but it'll require a dose of disrespect from the hosts tomorrow to do the unthinkable.
Asked if he was keen on assuming the mantle of All Whites or Wellington Phoenix coach, Tribulietx took the option of taking things "day by day" on the task at hand pending any offers.
"We'll see. In the game of football people forget things very quickly," says the man who was enigmatically left out as a "coach of the year" nominee for the Halberg Awards early next month.
"As a coach I've always said I'm ambitious," he says, but he emphasises that although he's keen to even look offshore to pursue his career it would have to be a special proposition because he is very content with Auckland City.
MATCH DETAILS
WHO: HB Utd v Auckland City FC
WHEN: Tomorrow, 2pm.
WHERE: Park Island, Napier
HAWKE'S BAY UTD (from): 1 Joshua Hill (GK), 2 Wade Randle, 4 Ross Haviland (c), 5 Finlay Milne, 6 Ryan Tinsley, 8 Alex Palezevic, 9 Sean Lovemore, 10 Viktor Lekaj, 11 Mario Alberto Barcia, 12 Saul Halpin, 14 Rudi Bauerfeind, 16 Leon Birnie, 19 Facundo Barbero, 20 Harry Morton, 21 Kosuke Mimaki, 22 Billy Scott, 23 Bayley, Chadderton, 24 Fane Morgan.
Coach: Brett Angell.
Ast coach: Leon Birnie.
AUCKLAND CITY (from): 1. Tamati Williams (GK), 3. Takuya Iwata, 5. Angel Berlanga, 7. James Pritchett, 8. Tim Payne, 9. Darren White, 10. Ryan de Vries, 11. Cam Lindsay, 13. Joel Moreira, 14. Sanni Issa, 15. Ivan Vicelich (c), 17. Marko Dordevic, 19. David Browne, 20. Emiliano Tade, 23. Sam Burfoot, 24. Jacob Spoonley (GK), 25. Fabrizio Tavano.
Coach: Ramon Tribulietx.
