NZ clubs on collision course
Team Wellington coach Jose Figueira isn’t looking past April 7.
But he is still well aware of what awaits after that date, should his side beat Lae City Dwellers in the OFC Championships quarterfinals.
The draw for the top eight was revealed yesterday, with Wellington hosting the Papua New Guinean champions on April 7 and Auckland City hosting Solomon Warriors on April 8.
Having topped their respective groups in pool play, there was zero chance the two New Zealand clubs would meet in the quarters. But their paths could still cross earlier than either team would have liked, with the winner of Wellington versus Lae City set to face the winner of Auckland versus Warriors, in a two-legged semifinal later in the month.
‘‘It’s good to know your passage all the way through and obviously there’s the cliche things of not looking too far ahead and making sure we do the job [against Lae City] first,’’ Figueira said.
‘‘The quality of the teams across OFC is rising every year and we won’t be taking that quarterfinal lightly. And if we get through, and if it is Auckland, it will make for an exciting match for sure.’’
Wellington survived a scare in their opening match against group D hosts Marist, with substitute Angus Kilkolly salvaging a late 1-1 draw, before going on to beat Lupe o le Soaga 7-1 and AS Magenta 5-1 in much more comfortable fashion.
With the temperature soaring into the 30s, Figueira said it was tough going playing away from home in the Solomon Islands, with many of his players describing the Marist clash as the toughest they had ever played.
But they won’t have to worry about the foreign conditions in the quarterfinals, Figueira admitting it was a ‘‘huge advantage’’ to host the playoff in Wellington.
‘‘We arrived in the Solomon Islands a couple of days before [our first game] and even then it still took some time to get used to the conditions, so having that home quarterfinal is big for us and we’re glad to have it.’’
For now, Wellington turn their attention back to the ISPS Handa Premiership, facing Canterbury United in their penultimate match of the regular season this weekend.
Currently sitting one point above Canterbury in second place, a win on Sunday will go a long way towards hosting a semifinal.
‘‘We’re determined to keep the good run of momentum that we’re on but we also recognise that while we’ve been away, and even before that, Canterbury have been on a good run themselves and we’re expecting a big battle,’’ he said. ‘‘We’ve got to be right on our game if we want to try and get the three points.’’
Roy Kayara, who returned to New Caledonia following a family bereavement, is due back in Wellington this weekend but will miss the Canterbury game.