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Home / Whanganui Chronicle / Sport

Athletic firsts back on the road

By Jason King
Whanganui Chronicle·
29 Jul, 2016 11:46 AM4 mins to read

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Wanganui Athletic's Jamie Clark against Port Hill's Shay Wall in April. Athletic will be looking for redemption in the Bottom 4 grade of the Federation League, starting today with Massey.

Wanganui Athletic's Jamie Clark against Port Hill's Shay Wall in April. Athletic will be looking for redemption in the Bottom 4 grade of the Federation League, starting today with Massey.

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After a couple of weeks of hibernation, Devon Homes Wanganui Athletic will finally get to strap on their boots again and take the field as they travel to the Massey University campus today to face the university side in the Lotto Federation league consolation grade.

Meanwhile the Athletic Reserves will be joining them on their trip to Palmerston North as they return to Skoglund Park with the Palmerston North Marist 3rds welcoming them in the Western Premiership.

After sitting about for two weeks, with very few of the squad getting any real game time in that period, the Athletic first team will need to quickly blow out the cobwebs, and get back onto the task of taking a step forward and claiming a win from their season.

With the remaining rounds of the competition effectively splitting into a Top 4 and Bottom 4 teams format, the Reds should have a chance to pick themselves up and prove that they are more than just making up numbers in the competition.

Massey have had the measure of Athletic in each of the occasions the two sides have met, despite the university team being the closest to them on the table, but that should also prove as a good incentive for the men in red to perform today.

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Athletic have shown they have the metal to claim points in their fixtures, and not necessarily just against easy beats.

Their draw against a strong Gisborne side on Gisborne's home ground showed they can close out a game to grab points, and their three goals against competition winners Team Taranaki, which gave them a lead and forced the visitors to step up their own game, displayed the unit's ability to take a game to an opposition and attack with intent.

The key question will lie in whether the self belief still remains within the squad, or whether the remaining games will just be a case of going through the motions to round out the season to forget.

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One would hope the squad still holds to the fact they are out there representing not just their club, but Whanganui football as a whole for a reason to continue to fight to the dying minute and bring some pride back to the proudly defiant region.

The Athletic Reserves will also need to tap into the same mentality after recent adventures on the pitch have not ended well.

Their last two results have been positive in the fact they have contained what could well have been bigger scorelines, but have kept them reasonable beaten margins, and have also found a way to get themselves on the scoresheet as well.

But the Reserves will be without the benefit of the first team player's experience today, so will need to put into practice on their own those things they learned from having those players in amongst their squad.

The young development side will no doubt struggle without that more senior support, but from within their ranks if the players who have shown blossoming leadership ability can truly stand up and be counted, they'll be able to lead themselves to a strong showing.

The Marist 3rds are certainly not going to lay down and let the visitors have their way with them.

A win would be perfect for the Reserves, as a reward for their hard work in the season to date, but it will come down to whether the whole squad can attack in unison, defend as a cohesive unit, and fight for each other until the bitter end if they have a hope of claiming that result away from home.

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