United primed for tough match against old foes

DERBY CLASH: Ngongotaha captain Dave Haua and the rest of his team will go up against Rotorua United this weekend at Stembridge Rd. PHOTO/BEN FRASER

The date was August 31, 2013. Spain were still the football world champions, Nelson Mandela was still alive, and nobody had seen the second or third Hobbit films.

It was also the day Rotorua United and Ngongotaha last played each other in the WaiBOP Premiership.

Ngongotaha host the local derby today at Stembridge Rd in round two of the 2015 season.

Last weekend, United lost to Tauranga Old Blues 2-1 while Ngongotaha had a week off. United coach Rich Barter said they wanted to improve after a poor performance.

"I think we were all disappointed ... we played very poorly in the first half, as if we were overly nervous. But in the second half we came back much stronger and scored a goal mid-way through the half ... and looked like we would grab a second but it just did not happen."

They need to focus on keeping the ball.

"I think for us it is about looking after the ball better. We gave away the ball needlessly too many times. So we are going to look to be a lot more positive with our use of the ball and support our attackers."

He expects a tough match against a quality Ngongotaha side.

"They are going to be very strong. They are full of pace and full of quality and they have been together for a long time."

Barter said it was his first derby match in charge of United and he was looking forward to the experience. The match is scheduled to be played at Stembridge Rd at 2.45pm today.