Wairarapa United look for another Wellington scalp

Wairarapa United will have the opportunity to take the scalp of another higher-graded side in their Chatham Cup elimination third round match to be played at the Pugh Sportsbowl in Masterton on the Monday of Queen's Birthday weekend.
Hard on the heels of their stunning 1-0 victory over central league team Stop Out last Saturday comes the news that their next Cup opponent will be Wellington United, who also compete in the central league series.
The Capital premier division competition in which Wairarapa United play is one tier below the central league but with his side having already proved once that they are capable of rising above their status Wairarapa United manager Phil Keinzley sees no reason why they shouldn't repeat the effort.
"Obviously we will be the rank underdogs again but that's not a bad way to be," he said. "It means all the pressure is on the opposition and we can use that to our advantage."
Current form would suggest Wellington United will provide a sterner test for Wairarapa United than did Stop Out.
The central league points table sees them sitting fifth equal on 10 points after winning three and drawing one of their seven games while Stop Out has yet to chalk up their first win and sits in eighth place in the 10-team competition with four points from four draws.
Keinzley expects Wellington United to come to Masterton intent on placing the emphasis on attack as their forward line contains one of the most prolific scorers in the central league and they will expect him to have a big impact against a premier division side.
With that in mind, Keinzley says the huge self belief Wairarapa United took out of their win over Stop Out will be a big assist when Wellington United comes to town.
"They (Stop Out) threw everything they had at us to get the equaliser and they never really looked like scoring a goal," he said. "Our defence was outstanding and it's just a matter of continuing in that fashion."
But while another Cup success would be welcomed by Wairarapa United, Keinzley is quick to emphasise that their first priority is to take out the Capital premier division title.
They presently sit in third equal position, four points behind leaders Petone, and to mount a serious bid for the championship need to string wins together there from now until the end of the season.
"Realistically we don't have the depth in playing resources to go all the way in the Chatham Cup but we are capable of winning the premier division title, and that's clearly the main objective for us", Keinzley said.
That being the case the timing of the match with Wellington United couldn't be better as Queen's Birthday sees premier division and central league sides still involved in the Cup having to play double headers, the first of those games being played two days before on the Saturday.
Up against Wairarapa United then in a premier division match will be Island Bay, who are a definite threat to their title aspirations.
Keinzley admits he was concerned the draw could have been the other way round with the Chatham Cup match being played on the Saturday and the premier division game on the Monday.
"It's worked out well for us?we'll have fresh legs for the Island Bay game and that's the way we wanted it," he said.
And an extra bonus for Wairarapa United was the opportunity to host a Chatham Cup match at home, a boost not only for the team but for their supporters as well.
"The bigger the crowd and the more vocal they are the better for us," Keinzley said.
Meanwhile, the Masterton AFC are holding their sponsors, supporters and old timers day at Hullena Park in Masterton on Saturday, June 9.
Proceedings will kick off with Masterton United playing Masterton President's and Wairarapa Evergreens playing Carterton Social at 12.40pm and the feature game at 2.30pm will feature Trevs Sports Masterton Athletic up against McAuleys Masterton. Plans are for a light luncheon to be held at 1pm and for some extra socialising to be done late into the evening.