Hekari eye Hienghene scalp for redemption

Sports

Papua New Guinea giants Hekari United will count on the experience and  cool heads of their leadership group when they face defending champions Hienghene Sport in a must-win match for both sides in at Port Moresby’s Sir John Guise Stadium today.
And they won’t have to look much further than their inspirational midfielder Michael Foster, who is ready to step up to keep his side’s Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) Champions League hopes alive.
Following defeats on the opening day, both sides will be fighting for their survival in front of a big and vocal crowd which will expect a closely contested and tense encounter.
And the majority of them will be hoping for 34-year-old Foster to lead by example.
The talismanic international, who holds the record for the most games for his country with 27 caps, has plenty of big-game experience.
He was part of the 2010 Hekari side that created history by becoming the first side outside of Australia and New Zealand to represent OFC at the Fifa Club World Cup following their title winning campaign in Oceania’s premier club competition.
Unsurprisingly, he is delighted to be back to compete again for regional supremacy.
“It’s great to be back in the Champions League,” he said.
“It’s been a while for Hekari so it’s a big bonus for the team and also for the country and the fans as well.
“We are overwhelmed by the support, it great for the players.”
But Foster is not here just to make up the numbers and he is ready to take on extra responsibilities to deliver on the big stage.
“We have a few experienced players like David Muta, Koriak (Upaiga) plus myself.
“We also have two Brazilians and Solomon Island players and Samoan Vito Laloata so together, we bring a wealth of experience.
“We share the leadership roles.
“Koriak is a defender so he mostly talks to the defenders, David and I are looking after the strikers and midfielders to keep them focused.
“We have a lot of new players so we try to prepare them in terms of the level of the competition compared with the league here and what to expect.”
Despite a loss to Eastern Suburbs in their opener, Foster insists the mood in the camp is still positive and confident.
“We came out happy because we knew we fought till the final whistle,” he said.
“Even thou we were a man down, we didn’t concede a goal in the second half so the boys are happy.
“The first game is gone and we just need to concentrate on the next one.” Foster is adamant the local favourites have what it takes to defeat Hienghene Sport and keep their campaign on track.
“Every game is a final to us and after losing the first one, we have to be more focused in the second.
“It won’t be easy, we are playing the defending champions. We know they also lost in their first game and I’m pretty sure they are going to come at us hard.
“We both want to win the next game so it’s going to be very hard.
“We have to prepare ourselves well.” – OFC