KEY POINTS:
Auckland City should have few problems in reclaiming third spot on the New Zealand Football Championship points table when they play their catch-up away game with Hawkes Bay United today.
The severely under-strength Bay side will be hard-pressed to contain a fired-up City side licking their wounds after
dropping points in their 1-1 draw with Waikato FC on Sunday.
But Hawkes Bay go into the game on the back of a similar result in their away game against Otago United on Saturday, a result which snapped a three-match losing streak.
Without Ian Hogg, Sam Jenkins, Phil Edginton and Leo Shin - all in camp with the national under-20 squad preparing for next week's Oceania Championship - Hawkes Bay face a huge struggle against the defending champions.
In their only previous meeting this year, City, at home, won 6-2.
Auckland will need all three points this evening to edge past Canterbury United into third place and set up what promises to be the match of the weekend against Canterbury at Kiwitea St on Saturday.
While there might have been some sympathy for Hawkes Bay's plight, there is no provision for dispensation, as their coach, Jonathan Gould, was aware of the situation when he signed the under-20 players at the start of the season.
He has since used the transfer window to sign former Waikato coach Dave Edmondson and former All White Mark Elrick as cover.
Auckland face further disruption to their NZFC programme next week with their scheduled Oceania League first round tie against AS Mont Dore in Noumea on January 20. Their match against Team Wellington, set down for the same day at Newtown Park, is likely to be played on February 8.
City are then scheduled to play Waitakere at Trusts Stadium on January 24 in the first of two keenly-awaited O-League battles.
The match
Hawkes Bay United v Auckland City, Park Island, Napier, 6pm today. Referee Matt Conger.
Hawkes Bay
Mitch O'Brien, Scott Dunn, Dave Edmondson, Michael Frischknecht, Regan Cameron, Luke Firth, Dean Johnston, Willie Stanger, Shannon Dally, Ricky Gillies, Reiner Bauerfeind, Jimmy Cudd, Graham Fyfe, Chris McIvor, David Gearey, Sam Messam, Mark Elrick.
Auckland City
Ross Nicholson, Jason Hayne, Ben Sigmund, Jonathan Perry, Luis del Monte, Jonathan Smith, Paul Urlovic, Grant Young, Neil Sykes, Cole Tinkler, Greg Uhlmann, Chad Coombes, Christoph Pospich, Richard Gillespie, James Pritchett, Liam Mulrooney.