Wins to WaiBOP United and Wanderers SC last week put those teams on 10 points, opening up a gap that leaves Southern United trailing the field in bottom position on seven points.
So it was not a great week off in terms of positions in the table for the Dunedin-based side.
However, Southern coach Mike Fridge points out the team is still only five points away from third place on the table, such is the congested nature of the competition in which five points cover the seven teams behind leaders Team Wellington and Auckland City.
''We have to keep our nerve, and produce the football we are capable of playing, to climb back into contention,' said Fridge, who clearly believes in positive thinking, especially with four home games in the remaining eight fixtures.
Certainly in the 1-0 loss to WaiBOP two weeks ago, although the team did not initially play well, the players improved throughout the game, and finished strongly.
Possibly too, coach Fridge got a look at some new faces, as he made substitutions that gave Jude Fitzpatrick, Alistair Rickerby, Josh Stewart and Taylor McCormack a chance to impress.
Other fresh-faced options in the 2015 mix are new signing Queenstown midfielder Will McIntyre, who has moved back south from the Team Wellington Youth side this season, and is training alongside Lewis Jackson and Nicki Meglinski.
But Fridge's worries will continue, regarding his injured key Chilean midfielder Eder Franchini who limped off in the last game, and clearly the Southern team misses the defensive presence of injured captain Matt Joy.
Tomorrow's opponent, Canterbury United, lost the first two games of the season to Southern, but recovered to earn wins over WaiBOP, Waitakere, and Wellington Phoenix, plus draws with Hawkes Bay and Team Wellington to gain 11 points under new coach Sean Devine.
Canterbury lost last week in injury time, when WaiBOP grabbed all three points in a 4-3 cliffhanger of a game in Cambridge at the John Kerkhof park.
Last week's results raised a few eyebrows as both WaiBOP and Wellington won 4-3, and Wanderers upset Waitakere 2-0.
Former Green Island player Joel Stevens leads a posse of scorers in the Phoenix ASB side.
Stevens, Nat Hailemariam and Tyler Boyd have all scored five goals to lead the golden boot race this season.
Southern United v Canterbury United
Tomorrow, 2pm, Forsyth Barr Stadium
Southern United (from): Tom Batty, Craig Ferguson, Cam Attwood, George Milne, Taylor McCormack, Eder Franchini, Andrew Ridden, Tom Jackson, Victor Da Costa, Tim McLennan, Thomas Connor, Liam Little, Morgan Day, Alistair Rickerby, Jude Fitzpatrick, Michael Neaverson, Will McIntyre, Lewis Jackson, Josh Stewart.
Canterbury United (from): Adam Highfield , Dan Terris, Anthony Jones, Julyan Collett, Tom Schwarz, Mark Peers, Miles John, Aaron Clapham, Roussin Nkoy, Dan Schwarz, Thomas Boss, Ash Wellbourn, Adam Dickinson, Stu Kelly
