Dalefield coach Craig Nielsen says retention of possession will be vital for his team in their Wellington premier division men's hockey match with Indians at Clareville tomorrow.
Indians, which drew 2-2 with competition favourites Northern United last weekend, have a well deserved reputation for playing the game with pace and flair,
and Nielsen understands the dangers of them controlling the ball for long periods at a time.
"It's one of those games where you have to be solid on the ball, you just can't afford to give it away," he said.
Nielsen said the good results achieved by Dalefield against Indians last season were a definite confidence boost for his players, as was their second half effort against Harbour City-Tawa last weekend. After conceding six goals in the first half of that game they had "drawn" the second half 1-1.
"We just did the basics so much better in that second spell, and we know we have to do the same over the whole game tomorrow," he said. "It's when you make silly mistakes that the top teams take you apart, and that's something we've got to work on."
Curtain-raiser to the men's game at Clareville tomorrow will be a Wellington premier division women's match which will also see Dalefield pitted against Indians.
Dalefield kicked off their 2006 campaign with a 4-2 loss to Hutt last weekend, while Indians caused something of a surprise by drawing 1-1 with the more favoured Victoria University combination.
That latter results certainly suggest Indians will be a greater force to be reckoned with this season than in the past, when they have invariably been amongst the also-rans.
Dalefield, for their part, could take heart from last weekend's display as despite a limited preparation they competed well against a Hutt side which looks certain to make a bold bid for competition honours. Dalefield trailed 3-1 at halftime, but the second half was even at 1-1.
