Areal struggle for Manawatu¯ teams
Men’s football in Manawatu¯ looks to be headed into a winter of discontent this season judging by early Federation League results.
Going into the fifth round this weekend, there is a yawning chasm opening up between table-topping Palmerston North Marist and the rest, who seem to be finding it hard to score a goal or two, never mind win a game.
The upshot is the league ladder is propped up by three of the four local sides in the competition, whose return for their efforts has thus far been meagre.
That might change this weekend for at least one of them though, when North End and Red Sox meet in a derby clash at Memorial Park tomorrow.
On the bright side, unbeaten Marist meet last year’s league winners Havelock North Wanderers at Palmerston North’s Arena, with striker Nick Carrick showing he is in lethal scoring form and well in the running already for a second consecutive Golden Boot title.
But Marist coach Kenny Santy is wary of Wanderers, even though they were beaten by Levin in the second round.
‘‘It’s a big game for us,’’ said Santy, who rates Wanderers as Marist’s biggest test since they met New Plymouth Rangers in the first round.
He said Marist had been working on their tactical game after last weekend’s home effort against Levin, when in the first half they tended to sit back and let the visitors come at them.
Marist didn’t get into full attacking mode until after the break and in the end won comfortably enough, 5-1.
But if Levin had nicked a goal early it might have been a different story.
The Marist lineup for tomorrow is unchanged apart from the absence of injured defender Jaeden Shaw, while winger Jordan Joblin-hall is returning from injury and may play from off the bench.
The North End-red Sox encounter promises to be a dogfight between two groups who know each other well and who are both desperate to score goals and post some points.
They’re the two bottom sides in the league so anything less than a win to one of them will be the last thing they need.
North End coach Garry Hodge said they’d done a video analysis of their heavy loss to Rangers last weekend, which had ‘‘helped a lot’’ in figuring what they needed to work on.
Conceding goals from set pieces such as corners was one such issue.
North End would be missing incisive frontrunner Jono Steele, but would have Dave Mccorkindale back in the midfield, Hodge said.
Red Sox coach Shane Rufer said they would be missing the injured Rhys Janes, a blow to their firepower, but Yaypay Tha was back for the defence.
‘‘I think it will be a tough game for both teams,’’ Rufer said.
‘‘We’ll need to match them in all areas to get anything out of it.’’
Massey are at home again this weekend, hosting high-flying
Whanganui Athletic, who are unbeaten so far this season.
Coach of the students Donald Piper said he was scrambling to put together a squad because of the semester break – and so ‘‘dire’’ was the situation he might have to lace up his boots himself.
One certainty will be the absence of Lachie Cameron, with a dislocated shoulder.
But with only a solitary point on the board after four outings, the students needed something from the game, Piper said.
Rangers host Napier Marist in the round’s other match, while Levin have the bye.
■ Palmerston North Boys’ High School swamped New Plymouth’s Francis Douglas College 12-0 in an interschool fixture during the week.
Frontrunners Joey Thomas, Ben Mori and Jaiden Meyer scored nine of Boys’ High’s goals between them.
Boys’ High last week thumped Kapiti College 10-1, so have amassed 22 goals from two games on the Arena artificial turf.
Coach Steve Dawson said their first two games at the start of the next term would be more difficult, coming against tier one teams from Wellington College and Rongotai College.
Boys’ High are in third place in the men’s Horizons Premiership.