WaiBOP United’s youth team is back in familiar surroundings for their latest game in the 2015 ASB Youth League and it’s another must win encounter. Auckland United are our visitors and, while they currently sit in the lower reaches of the table, they will provide stern opposition.
Youth team head coach, Michael Built, was left to reflect on a disappointing trip to Wellington last weekend and is wanting to see his side bounce back immediately. “We didn’t get the result we wanted down there against Team Wellington,” he said of the 4-1 defeat against the ASB Youth League leaders. “They’re a good side and are worthy league leaders, but we weren’t clinical enough and we didn’t keep the pressure on them long enough. Maybe it was the reality check we needed after a decent run of results prior.”
The defeat saw the side drop from second to sixth in a tight ASB Youth League table. “We enjoyed being as high as second, and sixth isn’t much fun, but it’s all about where you finish at the end of the season,” explained Built. “That’s why we have to get back into the winning habit immediately. It’s such a tight league that even one result can move you up or down plenty of places.”
Auckland United will be an interesting test for Built’s young side. “I don’t know too much about them, but we’ve had them watched and have enough information to know what we need to do,” said Built. “But really, for us, it’s all about how we perform and being clinical in front of goal. We certainly haven’t lacked goal scoring opportunities this summer but we’ve missed a few that might have changed some of our results.
“Basically we’ll be looking for the players to be ruthless with the things they can control. If we keep our standards high, make quality decisions and the players trust in their skill and technique then we’ll go okay.”
