Wairarapa set for Olympic battle

Wairarapa United can enhance an already bumper season by beating Bay Olympic in their Chatham Cup semifinal football match at Olympic Park in Auckland tomorrow.
Last year's runners-up, Bay Olympic will start the warmest of favourites after sealing the northern regional competition with three games still to play and having the home advantage to boot, but there is good reason to suggest a Wairarapa United upset is on the cards as they are also in a rich vein of form.
Their 2-1 win over Olympic in a central league fixture last weekend meant they have now gone 10 successive matches without defeat and, what's more, it kept them in contention to win the league title for the first time.
If they beat Petone next weekend, and leaders Miramar Rangers a little further down the track, they will have their name on that trophy.
With success, of course, comes confidence and there is no question the Wairarapa United squad are brimming with that vital commodity as they prepare to fly north tomorrow morning.
In matches of this magnitude, experience can be a vital factor and Wairarapa United compare favourably with their opposition. Their line-up abounds with players who have played at international or national league level.
Skills-wise too, this is a Wairarapa United side who would not be embarrassed in any company on the club scene.
On the score of flair, in particular, they are very well served, with their Pacific Island contingent leading the way. Bay Olympic supporters might be surprised what the likes of Pita Rabo and Seule Soromon get up to when they have the ball at their feet.
Adding further to Wairarapa United's appeal is their proven ability to adopt tactics aimed at nullifying the strengths of their opposition. The willingness of coach Phil Keinzley to literally go the extra mile to watch their forthcoming opposition in action first hand has been a big help. Two weeks ago he was in Auckland to view Bay Olympic play the next best team in the northern league, Three Kings, and the lessons learnt there could prove valuable.
Keinzley is also wise enough not to give too much away as to what his side's tactical approach will be.
Rather, he has been mainly talking up the merits of Bay Olympic.
A personal feeling is that Wairarapa United should take the game to their opposition, simply because they are a side who play their best football when allowed to express themselves in an attacking sense. Being a knockout competition, Chatham Cup matches have to have a winner and, while teams with a defensive mindset can prevail through perhaps scoring a goal or two from breakaways, they are invariably won by teams who place the greater emphasis on putting the ball in the back of the net.
It would seem wise for Wairarapa United to play both Soromon and Adam Cowan up front, for they are both capable of producing goals out of nowhere - Soromon with his unorthodoxy and Cowan with his sheer belligerence. And they also have the luxury of another proven goal scorer in Campbell Banks sitting on the bench.
There is an old football adage that whoever wins the midfield battle wins the game, and Wairarapa United can take comfort from the fact that, with players like Rabo, Dale Higham, Nathan Cooksley, Nobuyishi Ishi and Carl Shailer to call on, there is no shortage of talent in that area either.
Cooksley is the aggressor, Rabo the creator and Higham, Ishi and Shailer the speedsters who can often add extra spark to the attack.
The fact Bay Olympic have a forward line which has all the important ingredients of pace, height and proven scorers means Wairarapa United cannot afford to overlook the importance of a tight, structured defence.
Here the midfield can expect valuable assistance from such as Scott Robson, Waisake Sabatu, Pablo Moya and Adam Milne, all of whom are experienced enough to know the importance of keeping risks to an absolute minimum when the ball is being played out of your own territory. Particularly against a side of Bay Olympic's capabilities.
Of all the defenders in the Wairarapa United side though, it is goalkeeper Matt Borren who will probably attract the most attention, simply because he is the last line of defence and, if he gets beaten, then the odds are goals will be scored. Borren has had a magnificent season to date, with his willingness to put his body on the line often making a huge difference to the end result. His fearlessness and reliability are a comforting thought.