WaiBOP United’s youth team hit the road again this weekend for their latest game in the 2015 ASB Youth League and it’s another tough one. We visit current ASB Youth League leaders, Team Wellington, in a match between the league’s current top two sides.
The side picked up their third win on the trot last weekend in what was the most impressive result of the season for head coach Michael Built’s side. “We did well down in Dunedin. The boys recovered from adversity several times and ended up grinding out a very, very good result,” he said. “We gave up an early goal but bounced back to lead 3-1 at the break. Southern then levelled things up, before we went down to ten men, and I guess we could have taken a draw then, but the boys came back at them once again and we found a winner.
“While I’m not a huge fan of giving up strong positions, I was impressed with the character of the players. We went down there to win and, despite the massive test provided by Southern, we got what we wanted.”
Now the attention turns to what is looming as an even tougher test for Built’s young side. “We’ve put ourselves in a great position to challenge for the title, but the table’s so tight that a loss, or even a draw, could see us tumble back into the middle of the pack,” said Built. “This will be a real test of the improvement we’ve shown. The league leaders and form team away from home… it should be daunting but I’m quietly excited. It’s a good test for me as a young coach and it’s a great opportunity for the players to show if they’ve got it in them to give this league a good shake.”
This is the first of a Loaded WaiBOP United versus Team Wellington double header this weekend. The first teams of the two franchises play each other on Sunday in their opening 2015/16 ASB Premiership match, which kicks off at 4.35pm at Hamilton’s Gower Park.
