Southern United’s season goal seemed ambitious early on, but now there is a chance it was selling itself short.
When the side steps on to the field against Hamilton Wanderers at Sunnyvale a week today, it will be three weeks since its last game.
However, it has not dropped its intensity as it sets its sights on a fifth-placed finish.
Initially, its goal of making the national football league’s top six had seemed ambitious, after a last-placed finish the season before.
But with two games to go, it finds itself in sixth, just two points behind the fifth-placed Tasman United.
Also in the mix is Waitakere United.However, Tasman and Waitakere still have to play each other, so one will take points off the other.
That leaves Southern in a good spot, with winnable games against Hamilton Wanderers and Hawke’s Bay United left.
Coach Paul O’Reilly said the team had been working hard and was not taking anything for granted.
"It’s crucial that we beat Hamilton," he said.
"Hamilton have actually had some better performances. A lot of their games have been very tight in the last couple of weeks.
"So we need to perform well against Hamilton and try to finish on a high in our last home game.
"Then if we go into the last game with a chance to push on to get fifth, we’ll absolutely be trying to do that."
Despite the lack of games it had been "business as usual" for the side over the past two weeks.
It had been training four to five times a week and went down to Southland for a football festival with junior players and a friendly game against Southland FC last weekend.
In that game it won 4-2, leaving nine of its first-team behind and giving many of its younger players a run.
"It was good to see some of those younger guys on the park who haven’t played a lot of minutes," O’Reilly said.
"And it was also good to get a look at Southland, who have potentially some players who could play for Southern next year.
"So it was good to get the legs moving and get a game under the belt."
O’Reilly said the the passion within the team had not dropped over the break.
While a game the week after the 4-0 win over the Wellington Phoenix Reserves would have been ideal, he remained philosophical about it.
Auckland City and Team Wellington were representing New Zealand at the Oceania Champions League, which disrupted the schedule.
He said players just had to accept it and get on with training.
The side had two players with niggles, in Ben Wade and Nick Treadwell, but it was hoped both would be available for next weekend’s game.
