After winning two of its first three games, Southern United has dropped two straight against Wellington teams - the Phoenix's reserve side and Wellington - away from Dunedin.
Despite the losses, experienced midfielder Tom Connor (26) said the vibe in the camp was good.
Connor, who has more than 60 caps since debuting for the side eight years ago, has had a frustrating start to the season.
After missing last season with a groin injury, he tweaked his hamstring against Canterbury United early in the team's second match in November.
''I just went to sprint up the line and it [hamstring] just went. I was gutted,'' he said.
Connor, who has played for Roslyn-Wakari in the Football South Premier League since he was 16, missed Southern United's 2-1 win over Waitakere United and the 3-0 loss to Auckland City.
He managed 25 minutes off the bench in a 4-3 loss to the Phoenix a couple of weeks ago, and played the second half against Wellington last week.
Connor, a former King's High School pupil and welder by trade, is still seeing a physio for his hamstring but thinks it is 100% healed.
After a couple of appearances off the bench, he hopes coach Mike Fridge will give him a start this week, but said it was hard to make the starting side with stiff competition for spots within the squad.
''I don't have any beef with being on the bench. You have got to earn your spot. We have got a good team,'' he said.
A hamstring injury to Chilean Eder Franchini Pasten last weekend could see an opening in the midfield, but Fridge said, before training last night, he was still a chance to play.
Hawkes Bay is one point behind Southern United in the standings, sitting seventh on five points, and will pose a good challenge, Connor said.
''You can never take a game lightly. Every side in this league is a reasonable side. Anything can happen.''
With just two games left before the Christmas break, opportunities could be running out for Connor to play for the team, as he plans to move to Auckland in the new year.
However, if he is picked to start in Southern United's last eight games, the team will fly him up and down for the matches, he said.
Connor plans to find a club in Auckland to play for in winter, but is not sure what his representative future holds.
As well as defender Matt Joy being ruled out of tomorrow's game through injury, midfielder Tim McLennan and defender David Hayman are graduating and will miss the trip.
''Napier is a difficult place to get to, so we have to leave [today]. Unfortunately that means a couple of guys can't play,'' Fridge said.
The first-year coach is upbeat about his side's chances tomorrow, despite back-to-back losses and said it was important the team finished well before the Christmas break.
''We have had a difficult start playing a lot of the top teams. All games are important, but it would be nice to finish this part of the season off well.
''I'm happy with a lot of aspects of our game and how we are trying to play, but some of the goals we have conceded have been a bit poor.''
The Southern United youth team plays the Waitakere youth side in Auckland tomorrow.
- Robert van Royen
Southern v Hawkes Bay
Napier, tomorrow, 2pm
Southern United (possible): Tom Batty, Craig Ferguson, Jude Fitzpatrick, Ross Howard, Cam Attwood, Taylor McCormack, Josh Stewart, Eder Franchini Pasten, Tom Jackson, Victor da Costa (captain), Tom Connor, Michael Neaverson, Morgan Day, Liam Little, Nick Hindson, Alistair Rickerby, George Milne.
Hawkes Bay United: Joshua Hill, Wade Randle, Ross Haviland, Fin Milne, Ryan Tinsley, Alex Palezevic, Sean Lovemore, Viktor Lekaj, Mario Alberto Barcia, Saul Halpin, Joseph Sowden, Billy Scott, Facundo Barbero, Harry Morton, Kosuke Mimaki, Billy Scott, Fane Morgan, William Stockill.
