Football
Normally a draw wouldn't be enough to enthuse hard-nosed Wairarapa United football coach Phil Keinzley.
So when he describes the 1-1 result achieved by his squad in their Central League fixture with Miramar Rangers at Dave Farrington Park, Miramar, on Saturday as "very pleasing" you know his team must have at least performed up to his always lofty expectations.
Not that Keinzley's enthusiasm wasn't understandable.
Miramar Rangers have yet to be beaten in Central League play this season and lie second on the points table behind the only other unbeaten side, Wellington Olympic.
Wairarapa United are just one place behind them in third but the points gap is 10 to Olympic and six to Miramar Rangers and fairly indicates the mixed results they have achieved thus far in 2013.
Considering that, and also the fact that over Queen's Birthday Weekend Wairarapa United will play Olympic in a Central League match at Howard Booth Park on the Saturday and Miramar Rangers in a Chatham Cup elimination game at Miramar on the Monday, the need to get something positive out of their latest league fixture was justifiably foremost in Keinzley's mind. And while a win would have been the ultimate result a draw was a good second best.
What Keinzley liked most about this effort was that for about the first time this season Wairarapa United produced 90 minutes of quality football.
"We'd had some really good periods in games but had not gone the full 90 and that was the prime objective for us, to start well and keep the foot on the pedal all the way through, " Keinzley said. "Miramar are a top side and we knew what would happen if we relaxed at any part of it."
Just how good Miramar are was shown by the fact that while they played their best football of the year Wairarapa United trailed 1-0 going into the last three minutes of the game, at which stage one of their latest recruits, Frenchman Alesseny Cissako, produced the equaliser.
Keinzley believes the drawn result was a fair indication of the merits of the two sides.
"We might have had a touch more possession but I'd say it was about even as far as scoring chances were concerned, there was very little in it."
Cissako and fellow Frenchman, striker Charles-Francois Mallmann, have been with Wairarapa United for about a fortnight but they both made a big impression in the win over Napier City Rovers in their debut appearances and were even better against Miramar Rangers.
But even they had to take a back seat to midfielder Miroslav Tvaroh for the player of the match award this time round.
He was a tower of strength defensively and linked well with his forwards on attack.
National World Cup Under-20 player Dale Higham and skipper Adam Cowan were two other Wairarapa United players to shine in what Keinzley labelled a "very pleasing" all-round performance
Meanwhile the news was not so encouraging for Douglas Villa in their Capital second division match with Naenae at the Jeans Street grounds in Masterton on Saturday. They lost 2-0 but still retain second place on the points table, three points behind Island Bay United.In Capital third division matches played on Saturday, White Swan Greytown drew 4-4 with Wainuiomata and Gardner Electrical Masterton went down 3-2 to Petone Armanis.