Marist need urgent form reversal

FOOTBALL: Nothing less than full scale commitment and a hard-nosed approach will be acceptable when Palmerston North Marist host Wairarapa United in the Central League at Memorial Park on Saturday.

Marist’s place in the top regional league looks precarious, after Petone shocked Wairarapa last week to move to within three points of Marist, who were embarrassed 7-2 by Wellington Olympic.

Marist won’t want to be left waiting for the two league games they still have to play against Petone to decide either team’s fate for next season.

The thought of being relegated back to the Federation League, which would be to the detriment of Manawatu football, should be enough to spur the Marist players on to fight for every point they can muster.

Wairarapa will be different than the team beaten 3-0 by Petone, with the league’s top scorer Sam Mason-smith, as well as Cory Chettleburgh, back from suspension.

A win by

Palmerston North Marist Reserves

on Saturday will give them fourth place in the Federation League, although they do face a difficult trip to third-placed

Gisborne Thistle. Palmerston North Marist

should keep up their challenge for the women’s Central League title, despite a trip to New Plymouth to play on Sunday. The Marist players and management will surely have an ear to their phones to see the outcome of the big game of the round, when league leader Wellington United host national knockout semifinalists Upper Hutt. The Wendy Henderson-coached Upper Hutt team has beaten Marist twice this season, once in

Moturoa

the national knockout cup quarterfinal. Such is the dominance of the top three Central League sides, Wellington United (27 points, nine games played), Upper Hutt (27, 10) and Marist (24, nine), that the next-best team Stop Out has seven points with the remainder scattered down to Massey University on four points. The three teams have also scored massive 156 goals and conceded just 20 goals, which shows that if Upper Hutt can’t at least draw with Wellington, then Marist will have to beat Wellington twice to win their first league title.