Soccer: Testing time for City, United

Left licking their collective wounds after one-goal home losses last weekend, Auckland's New Zealand Football Championship teams must quickly regroup. They face testing road trips tomorrow to do it.

Auckland City, beaten 1-0 by Otago United, head to Wellington's Newtown Park and a game crucial to both sides while Waitakere United, smarting from their 2-1 loss to Waikato FC, have an even more imposing task further south against Canterbury United.

Team Wellington are just about in the desperation stakes aware a loss tomorrow would leave their play-off hopes in the balance.

City, on the other hand, need maximum points to keep themselves in the championship race.

"That's all that really matters," said City coach Allan Jones. "Winning the league is everything. That's the real route to the Oceania Club Championship, not going through the play-offs which can be a lottery."

Jones is well aware of the threat Mick Waitt's Team Wellington poses.

"I watched them last week and I know they will come at you for the first hour. That's what they did against Manawatu before flagging.

"The players have trained very well but you win soccer matches at four o'clock on Sunday not six o'clock on Thursday," said Jones.

"They [players] would not like to lose three in a row but there are times when you have to give credit to the opposition. It will need a team effort to turn it around.

"There is a feeling at times they are not working as hard as they were. We are not holding on to the ball for as long as we need to."

Jones is without striker Paul Urlovic who continues to struggle with a toe injury - he has needed injections to get through the last couple of games - and will choose between Chad Coombes or Reg Davani to partner Grant Young.

Keryn Jordan is back running and Jones hopes his star striker will see some action before the play-offs.

Waitakere, clinging to fourth place, will need a big effort against Canterbury United to keep hopes of a play-off.

Against Waikato, Waitakere showed glimpses of their better form. There were not many who could own up to a full-on 90 minutes.

A repeat against a Canterbury side who will farewell ace striker Brent Fisher after the match, will again leave them short and in danger of missing out on a top-five finish.

Waikato will test new leaders YoungHeart Manawatu at Links Ave but would need to step up from what they showed at Trusts Stadium on Sunday to seriously challenge the super-confident visitors who are within sight of the big prize.

Otago United, like Waitakere, Waikato and Team Wellington in the top five mix, can steal a break with a win, as expected, against Hawkes Bay United in Napier this afternoon.