Yamaros desperate

The National Sports

By ISAAC LIRI
AFTER six rounds of the National Soccer League, Yamaros are still searching for a win.
The last four games of the NSL are crucial for the side as manager Micah Kaneng revealed their hunger to win this weekend’s clash with the youthful Besta United in Port Moresby.
“We really need a win this weekend and we’re prepared to take our chances,” Kaneng said.
“The players know that it’s a must win game for us and we have to deliver.” With that sound of desperation the match-up looks set to be a shootout with a desperate Yamaros ready to put it all on the line to salvage their season.
The last time the two sides met was in the second week of the competition with the PNGFA Academy side storming back to force a 1-1 draw in Lae.
Yamaros were the better side for most of that fixture but let the game slip in the final quarter as a fired up Besta, spurred on by the home crowd, surged back.
Despite being impressive in spots in all their matches, Yamaros are yet to put on a complete 90-minute performance.
They have floundered when the heat has been on and it is a sticking point as their results have shown – they were thrashed 6-2 by defending champions Lae City Dwellers in round three; PS United kept them scoreless in their 2-0 win in round four; they fell 4-3 to Madang in an entertaining mid-week fixture last Wednesday and got skittled 3-2 by Buang three days later.
To Kaneng the close score lines suggest that Yamaros can be competitive with the majority of teams in the competition but only lack the ability to close out games.
“Finishing off our plays has been one of our major problems that has brought us down and we’re keen on stepping up this weekend,” he said.
Kaneng said the side would need to be at their best with star striker Patrick Aisa unavailable for the match at the Bisini soccer grounds.
“Not having Patrick is a big loss for us but we have some exciting players coming and we’re expecting them to do well.”
Round 7 fixtures: 1230 Besta United v Yamaros, 1500 PS United v Madang (Bisini); 1500 Lae City v Buang (PNGFA Academy).