Rivals take Bay beating to heart

When a team goes through a season with very few blemishes, defeat can be especially hard to stomach.
Having conceded just 14 goals in the Capital League this year, champions Upper Hutt City came crashing down to earth last Saturday when they succumbed 3-0 to Cru-Bar Maycenvale United at Akina Park, Hastings, in their bid to gain promotion to the Central League next winter.
"Tuesday had been tough. Firstly because we're not used to getting beat like that," coach Ian Porteous told SportToday yesterday after the Lotto Federation League champions cast a few doubts on how good their Wellington rivals were.
Vale outplayed the visitors on an uncharacteristically firm ground on a blustery day that shifted gears when the hosts played into the southerlies.
"The biggest disappointment was we didn't turn up at the park to give Maycenvale a run for their money," Porteous reflected yesterday.
The Scotsman wasn't going to use travelling as an excuse, considering the farthest the team travelled in their league in the capital city this year was a 40-minute drive to Kapiti.
"Look, when I played I enjoyed playing against new faces and we saw it as a test," said the former Kilmarnock and Aberdeen striker. "Most of our boys have played in Napier, so it's not foreign country for them.
"The younger boys should be seeing it as an adventure," he added as his troops prepare to host Vale at Harcourt Park, Upper Hutt, tomorrow in the 2pm kick-off in the Hastings club's away leg.
For a side that boasted close to 1000 fans during their Chatham Cup encounter against Palmerston North Marist to make the last 16 cut-off, Porteous felt their faithful might shy away a little tomorrow after last Saturday's one-sided affair.
"We've had a proud record at home and we haven't been beaten here but our locals always support us," he said, revealing the team had only two away losses this season in their league.
Upper Hutt goalkeeper Michael Howells was particularly hard on himself, especially after conceding the third goal that makes the Wellingtonians' home-and-away aggregate a bridge too far, with Vale needing to score once to make it almost mission impossible.
"That Solomon Islander [Vale striker Joachim rande] gave us a torrid time, so if we can keep him quiet that'll go a wee way to helping our cause," said Porteous, after Rande scored twice and proved a handful for the Upper Hutt defenders.
However, Porteous yesterday didn't fancy the chances of his centreback, Andrew Setefano, of Samoa, starting tomorrow.
"But we can't feel sorry for ourselves because Maycenvale aren't going to," he said, adding his squad was small but he would find a replacement.
Vale coach Bill Robertson expected captain Chris Greatholder to be in the equation after he trained last night, but was iffy about striker Leon Birnie.
"For Leon it's the physio's call because he's also got the [revamped ASB] National [summer] League in the back of his mind and we do too.
"Of course, he's played for the club for a few years now and he's committed to doing all he can to get Maycenvale into the Central League, but if he's injured then he can't do much."
Ben Simons, who stoked the engine room superbly to starve Upper Hutt of possession, will be Greatholder's backup again.
Robertson, who will also be a backup in tomorrow's otherwise unchanged squad, had got wind the ground was soft but could get even worse with passing showers.
"We've played this season in those conditions at Akina Park, where we adapted to get the results, so we should adapt there too," he said.
Should Vale win tomorrow, they will play against this season's Central League wooden-spooners, Team Taranaki.
They will host Taranaki at Akina Park on September 18 and travel to Merrilands, the home of the New Plymouth Rangers Football Club, on September 25, to decide if the incumbents stay or Vale will make history as the first side from the club to make one of the country's supreme winter leagues.
Napier City Rovers is the only other team from the Bay in the league.
Squads - below.