Poor start for Athletic

MAIDEN WIN? Ryan Slight, pictured with the ball, and Wanganui Athletic are desperate for the upset today.PHOTO/FILE

First team need home win to get confidence and season on track

HOME IS where the heart is, and there will need to be plenty of heart on display as both Wanganui Athletic teams host visitors on Wembley Park's main ground today.

Devon Homes Wanganui Athletic host long-distance travellers Gisborne Thistle at 2.30pm, as the locals look to shake the hoodoo of a poor start to the Lotto Federation League, while the Athletic Reserves go up against Palmerston North Boys' High School in the curtain raiser kicking off at 12.30pm.

The Athletic firsts will again be desperate to show their true form this weekend in front of the home fans, but it will not be easy task against third-placed Gisborne.

The slight glimmer of hope for the Reds is while Gisborne are three wins from five, they have a tendency to leak goals when they are away from home, with the travel likely playing an effect on the team.

Away losses to Red Sox and Team Taranaki accounted for eight of their 10 conceded goals so far this season.

It will really be down to Athletic's midfield of take advantage of their travel-weary opponents and take control of the game early to set the pace and the direction, if they are to turn around their misfortunes so far this season.

Questions still remain as to whether they have the capability and manpower to do that, with injuries and unavailability potentially affecting the squad today but a home-ground advantage, and playing in front of home fans, might just be enough to lift the Reds to their first win of the season.

While the fortunes of their first team are currently flagging, the Athletic Reserves have started to find their feet and currently sit mid-table, placed sixth in the 12-team Western Premiership.

With a record of two wins, two losses and a draw to date, the Reserves look to be settling into their work and are mounting a solid challenge to push themselves higher on the table.

PNBHS sit just two spots ahead of them but sport a much superior goal difference, having conceded just three goals in their last five matches.

The Reserve side seems to have been steadied in recent weeks by the arrival of Tesco Grunwald, who has provided the perfect outlet for the squad's front men to get themselves on the ball and into good scoring positions.

If Grunwald can continue to be influential in their game today, the Reserves should be able to easily compete against the young Palmerston North team.