United expecting stern challenge

Trust House Wairarapa United can expect a stern challenge from Waterside-Karori in their Chatham Cup knockout football match at the Pugh Sports Bowl in Masterton tomorrow.
Waterside-Karori might play one tier below Wairarapa United in the Capital premier division competition but their form certainly suggests the claiming of a Central League scalp is well within their capabilities.
Particularly when they are confronting a Wairarapa United side without two of their regular defenders, goalkeeper Sacha Nathu, who is on suspension, and fullback Carl Shailer, who is injured.
Anybody wanting confirmation of Waterside-Karori's strength in the goal-scoring department only need to refer to last weekend's premier division matches when they walloped Kapiti Coast United by 7-0. That was their fourth win of the season and they drew one of their other two games.
Little wonder then Waterside-Karori will be travelling over the Rimutakas tomorrow confident they can thoroughly test a Wairarapa United squad still similar to that they beat once in premier division play last season.
Wairarapa United, for their part, will want to reproduce the form they showed in the second half of their Central League match with Napier City Rovers in Napier last Sunday.
They trailed 2-0 at halftime in that game after a very ordinary first 45 minutes and were 3-0 down early in the second spell when NCR successfully converted the penalty awarded after Nathu was sent off for retaliation.
From then on, however, Wairarapa United played some of their best football of the season, clawing two goals back and nearly getting the equaliser late in the game when they had just the nine players on the field.
Just how much the loss of Nathu and Shailer weakens the Wairarapa United defence seems certain to have a major impact on the outcome of tomorrow's clash.
Replacing Nathu in goal will be seconds team 'keeper Matt Steele and this will be his chance to prove he can produce the goods at the higher level.
With Shailer out the versatile Adam Cowan will take up the central defender role with James Oxtoby and that will mean Waisake Sabatu, who was so impressive in Napier, joining Miriek Tvaroh in the central midfield.
The questions marks around their defence should see Wairarapa United applying tactics aimed at giving talented front-runners like Seule Soromon, Pita Rabo and Sakeo Valevou every opportunity to demonstrate their attacking qualities as they might need to score three or four goals to win this one. Which, of course, they are well capable of doing .
Kick off is at 2.30pm.
Feature match in the Wairarapa division one football competition tomorrow is if only to the two teams concerned the battle between Carterton Skulls and Gladstone Lions at Howard Booth Park No 3, also kicking off at 2.30pm. Carterton Skulls have generally been acknowledged as the social-light of local football but word is they are now being challenged for that distinction by the Gladstone Lions.
Efforts yesterday to ascertain the make-up of the two line-ups came to nothing because of the huge security blanket covering both sides but inquiries indicate several the players are relatively new to soccer and tend to play with a rugby mindset.
While bragging rights will ensure the game is played in a mildly serious manner it is understood the attire worn by many of the spectators will attest to the social atmosphere both sides like to engender, and so will the quantity of liquid consumed afterwards!
Current competition points in the local leagues are:-
Division one: Masterton Athletic 12, White Sawan Greytown 12, Douglas Villa Magpies 7, Carterton Skulls 6, Douglas Villa Offsiders 3, Masterton Gladstone Lions 3, Masterton Presidents 2, A1 Homes 1.
Division two: Douglas Villa Sports Arena 12, Carterton Wanderers 9, Carterton Redbacks 9, Masterton McAuleys 6, Carterton Social 6, Evergreens 3, DV Wairarapa 3, Wairarapa College 0.