Roslyn v Wanaka 

Roslyn Wakari coach Terry is in anticipation of Wanaka’s visit this weekend, “We’re looking forward to the challenge, Belly has got them running quite well.” Boylan is unsure what his matchday squad will look like, “There are a couple of injury concerns and some players unavailable but I’ll see who we have at training on Thursday. We have a good depth to the squad and it’ll be a good game.” 

Wanaka coach Ian Bell is relishing his side’s trip to Ellis Park. “It will be a challenge and we expect the talented Roslyn playing and coaching staff to give nothing away on their home patch.”  Wanaka will be bolstered by the return of captain Thomas van Hees along with the experienced Paul Hodgson to bolster the squad and there will be late fitness tests on Levi Fletcher and Fletcher Cavanagh. If all fit, the returning quartet will give the travelling squad a much-needed boost.  Bell feels his team aren't far off delivering a match winning performance and expects his players to respond with a more clinical approach this weekend. 

Queenstown v Uni 

Queenstown take on University at the Queenstown Events Centre this weekend with Varsity coming off the back of their first loss of the season and Queenstown having triumphed over Wanaka in Round 5’s Central Otago derby. Whitmarsh reflected on Varsity’s loss to Green Island, “My initial thoughts were they’d be the strongest teams, I’m surprised by their 5-0 loss, Uni have started strong.” Whitmarsh expects Saturday’s game to be difficult, “I like the way they play, they always play an appealing, attractive game. They cherish the ball, they’ve got good movement and really good players.” 

Uni coach Darren Hart is looking forward to travelling to Queenstown and hopes his side will have recuperated from their endeavours at the Tertiary Futsal Championships. The University of Otago side consisted of many Varsity players including Tim O'Farrell who was awarded MVP of the tournament.  Hart expects to be missing a few players, "We might be a touch light for the QT game, that's just the nature of football,we want to get back into the saddle." He reflects that travelling to Queenstown is always a challenge, " It's always hard to go to Queenstown, they're stronger at home, we're under no illusions that it will be an easy game. We just need to forget aobut last game and go back to what we've been doing the rest of the season"

Northern v Mosgiel 

Northern’s coach Arran Wilkinson is looking forward to another Forrester Park fixture and for his side’s fans to be back in droves, “We’ve got our fans back as they were away for the Hyde St party.” He expects Mosgiel to be a difficult outfit, “Cam McPhail will have them organised, and they’ll be tough, they’ve had some pretty good draws.” Wilkinson will miss several players with suspensions, injuries and other commitments. 

His Mosgiel counterpart Cam McPhail is desperate to get a first win for his side, “For us it’s another must win game, we haven’t quite got that yet! We’re well aware it’s going to be tough.” He believes Northern are a much improved side, “They’ve made massive strides under Arran, we’re in for a real battle, especially at Forrester Park with the atmosphere. McPhail was impressed with his squad at recent training, “I’ve got some selection headaches, this is the closest to full strength side we’ve had and I’ve got players back from the Futsal tournament.” 

Royals v Green Island  

Richard Murray is looking forward to the visit of last season’s Champions Green Island, “They're in good form, it’s going to be a good wee challenge to see where we’re at.” Murray expects his opposition to be feeling strong ahead of Saturday’s encounter at the Caledonian, “They’re a confidence team, we saw last year in the one round comp, once they get confidence and momentum they can fire, we can fire too.” Murray reflects he has a few players missing, “We’ve got a few injuries but every team has – our best 11 players are those on the pitch.” 

Green Island have been buoyed by their 5-0 victory over University this week with coach Shane Carvell delighted with the win, “The Uni game was important for us to keep us in the pack. To get the Blair Davidson shield was real nice, it has a special significance for me as I worked closely with Blair.” 

Carvell feels his side clicked against Uni and they will be bolstered by Matt Brazier’s return to action.  We just clicked, even with Matt Brazier. “Royals will be a tough challenge, Richard Murray is a pretty seasoned operator and the merging of two powerhouses makes them quite a colossal team to come up against.” As well as the return of Matt Brazier, GI have Byron Heath and Joe Carvell back in action after the pair got their first game time in a while against Varsiy following long stints on the sideline with knee injuries. 

Seconds v Roslyn Wakari

Seconds take on Roslyn this weekend with the bottom of the table side looking for their first points of the season. Seconds put in an impressive performance in the first half of their match against Tech, leading 1-0 at half time thanks to a goal from Jasmine Prince. Coach Arnon Tapp is excited for their game against Roslyn, "We have put in a 2 really good performances in our last games and look to push on again this weekend. We know Roslyn will be tough and have some good players but we are well up for the challenge." Despite their lack of points, Tapp is happy with his team's progress, " We now just need to get the results to show it.

Hamish Philip is hoping his Roslyn side can display flair against Seconds this weekend. Following last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Queenstown, Philip is hoping his girls can push on, “We need to want it more and show our passion, it’s bringing out their best strengths.” He has two players missing, with Grace Cotter unavailable and Jemma Wilson sidelined for a minimum of 6 weeks after breaking her wrist in the Queenstown match. Philip expects Seconds to be a challenge, “They’re no pushovers considering they can score against Tech and hold a half time lead. Hopefully we can tire them out but they’ve got some good players like Emma Andrews and one of our former players Rebecca Hill.” 

Green Island v Dunedin Tech

Green Island are at home to Dunedin Tech this weekend and coach Matthew Holdridge is glad to be back at Sunnyvale, “The team is really excited and looking forward to the challenge of playing Dunedin Tech.” Holdridge expects Tech to dominate, “They've got quality players throughout and we respect them as the top team in our league. We'll need to be really patient and we'll need to be clinical and take opportunities that come our way.”  

Tech’s coach Craig Johnson is hoping to have a stronger first half than his side displayed against Seconds last weekend. He believes his attacking options have grown, “We’re starting to get better in front of goal with new combos.” He reflects that the match at Sunnyvale will be tough,  “GI at home are always difficult. In the past, GI have set up very defensively against us, under Matt this looks like it has changed to a more flowing style.” Tech will be without several players with some away and some unwell.  

Mosgiel v Premiers

Mosgiel are looking forward to returning to the fold after their bye week and coach Malcolm Roberts reflects they have some tough fixtures ahead, “Obviously it’s a big challenge in next couple of weeks with two games against frontrunners, but we’re steadily going about our work and things are moving along nicely for us!” 

Roberts has been boosted by having his full squad available for the first time this season, “We have everyone fit healthy and eligible for selection, which is hugely exciting for us!” Roberts hopes to counter Premiers’ strong side, “Uni have some pretty obvious threats, we’ll hit them everything we’ve got!” 

Premiers coach Stu Moffatt believes his side have already made big strides this season, "We've worked hard on finishing in training and that's starting to show now at this point in the season and we are putting away more chances now. We will be looking to take that into this match as we expect Mosgiel will have worked on denying us opportunities." Moffatt believes Mosgiel have come a long way in the past few seasons, "They've been improving as a side for the last couple of seasons and we won't be taking them lightly."

Article added: Wednesday 21 April 2021