KEY POINTS:
Most New Zealand Football Championship teams will be dancing to a different tune in the next few weeks with gaps left by the loss of players to the Oceania Under-20 Championships.
How well the affected teams cope with the reshuffle will determine results in some key encounters.
Waikato FC, as an example, have lost Cole Peverley and Tim Schaeffers to the New Zealand team and Damian Fonoti to Samoa. If coach Roger Wilkinson is able to plug those holes, he could steer his side to their first win of the season.
They are at home to Hawkes Bay United who have lost four players to the national side and are without Mark Elrick and injured Graham Fyfe tomorrow in a game which means nothing in the championship race but plenty for the table-bottom battlers. Bay had their only win of the season, 2-1 over Waikato FC, in round seven.
Otago too have tasted scant success this season, the last of their two wins, 2-0 over Hawkes Bay, in round five.
They will struggle to make it three this afternoon when they run on to Trusts Stadium to play leaders Waitakere United. Otago's chances lessen with the continued absence of Cameron Richardson (concussion) and influential midfielder Michael Eisenhut (shin injury).
The southerners have a poor record against their northern rivals, winning once in seven and scoring only three goals - one of those in the 2-1 home loss earlier this season.
Two-from-two this year, over YoungHeart Manawatu and Hawkes Bay, has given Waitakere momentum. Newcomers Mikael Munday and Marcel Isakowitz have impressed and again persuaded coach Steve Cain to start them and leave Graham Pearce and returning defender George Suri on the bench.
The Team Wellington v Auckland City game has been delayed until February 7 as City play their O-League opener in New Caledonia this afternoon.
In the other match of the weekend, Canterbury United have home advantage in the key clash with Manawatu. A second loss in as many weeks will severely dent their playoff hopes.
Canterbury have lost defender Jack Pelter to the under-20s, have Blair Scoullar unavailable and Nathan Knox struggling with a groin injury. They must bounce back from a 6-2 loss to Manawatu in round seven.
That loss did, however, spark a streak of five successive wins for Canterbury before they slumped 0-2 to Auckland last weekend.
Six points behind Manawatu in fourth place, Canterbury cannot afford to drop points as the second of the three rounds ends. Manawatu have lost Adam Cowan to suspension but are otherwise at full strength and looking to add to the 36 goals they have scored in 13 games this season.
Should Manawatu lose and Waitakere win, the gap at the top of the table would stretch to seven points, a handy position for Waitakere and a decent boost ahead of the much-anticipated O-League clash with Auckland City at the same ground on Wednesday.
