Stalemate on Saturday — what will today bring?
Hopefully, goals will be the order of the day for local fans when Southern United hosts the Canterbury United Pride in a very quick rematch at Logan Park this afternoon.
The neighbours battled to a 0-0 draw in the national league clash in Christchurch on Saturday.
A point on the road is never a bad result, and Southern will take it to settle in fifth in the eight-team league.
It was a classic southern derby that could have ended in any result, Southern coach Kris Ridley said.
"Both sides had their fair share of chances, that’s for sure, but neither side could hit the net.
"We knew we had the squad to disrupt the Pride and hopefully come away with all three points.
"The vibe in the team is brilliant, and the girls are all focused on developing each week, so to travel there and to return with one point with another clean sheet is actually a small win for us."
Southern has conceded a single goal in its past four games in the league, bouncing back well after two heavy losses against powerhouses to start the season.
"The girls are really starting to gel and I know we’ll upset teams soon enough," Ridley said.
"They have amazing attitudes, and the good old Southern ticker got us the point on Saturday.
"We all know what we want out of this season, and that it’s one-in, all-in. We’ve committed to that."
Southern had looked sharp at English Park on Saturday but could could not quite execute in the moments that counted, Ridley said.
He felt the team’s communication and organisation had been exceptional in recent weeks, and he saw no issues in having to travel home and prepare quickly for today’s rematch with Canterbury.
"We’ll forget we’ve played within 48 hours come Monday and look to get all three points in front of our home supporters.
"We’ll keep enjoying every experience we have each week and focus on improving after every match."
Today’s game kicks off at 3.15pm.
In other games at the weekend, Eastern Suburbs (5-0 over Auckland United) and Western Springs (4-1 over Northern Rovers) each made it six straight wins to start the season — they meet in a blockbuster this Friday night — and Capital beat Central 4-2.
