Soccer: Knights can ruin Dwight's big night

The Knights' Jeremy Brockie will tonight get to back up his recent good form. Picture / Brett Phibbs

A new-look New Zealand Knights will attempt to turn party-pooper when they tackle Sydney FC at North Harbour Stadium tonight.

Back in action for the first time since their 1-1 away draw with Queensland Roar exactly four weeks ago, the Knights will take the same determination into tonight's game against a Sydney side sitting five points out of the Hyundai A-League lead in second place.

"There is a good feeling among the players," said Knights coach John Adshead. "It will be very much back to reality against Sydney FC.

"All the teams we play over the next six weeks will be desperate for points, none more so than Sydney."

Apart from Neil Emblen's return after his long injury break - in for the now-departed Simon Yeo - Adshead has made no changes from the squad who went to Brisbane.

And, it seems, the starting line-up too will closely resemble the team who took the field at Suncorp.

That means Jeremy Brockie gets to back up his recent good form in front of goal.

The difference will be in the Knights' playing strip, which will sport the name of new sponsor Just Marketing, which has come on board for the remaining weeks of the inaugural season.

"Our partnership with Just Marketing is so much more than just a name on the front of the shirts," said Knights chief executive Steve O'Hara. "It is clearly a huge boost to the club at this late stage of the season."

Most interest tonight, however, will centre on the highest-profile player in the league.

Dwight Yorke, who did not play for Sydney on their September 2 trip to Auckland, has been on holiday in England and was expected last night to rejoin his teammates after their fifth placing in this month's Fifa World Club Championship in Japan.

"Our players were given a week off after Japan," said Sydney FC spokesman Dave Mason. "Apart from Andrew Packer who has a back injury, they are all fit."

Sydney are here on the back of the heaviest schedule of all teams, having played 29 competitive games including the league, Oceania and World Club Championships.

Yorke has also led Trinidad and Tobago to next year's World Cup finals but can be expected to turn it on tonight as Sydney chase the top spot and with it that all-important home advantage for the play-offs.

Adshead said he had nothing special planned for Yorke.

"There is no point in looking to go man-to-man with him because he covers too much ground.

"Earlier he played as a straight-out striker. These days he is more mobile. That is something we will have to deal with."


The lineups

NZ Knights v Sydney FC
* North Harbour Stadium, tonight 8pm

Knights (likely):
Danny Milosevic; Darren Bazeley, John Tambouras, Frank Van Eijs, Ben Collett, Jeremy Christie, Zenon Caravella, Jeremy Brockie, Noah Hickey, Sean Devine, Kris Bright. Substitutes: Glen Moss, Neil Emblen, Cole Tinkler, Naoki Imaya.

Sydney FC:
Clint Bolton, Alvin Ceccoli, Iain Fyfe, Mark Rudan, Mark Milligan, Steve Corica, Ufuk Talay, Terry McFlynn, David Carney, Sasho Petrovski, Dwight Yorke. Substitutes: Justin Pasfield, Matthew Bingley, Jacob Timpano, David Zdrilic.