Hekari Utd off to New Zealand today

PNG champions Hekari United will leave today for New Zealand – five days ahead of their second leg of O-League final against Waitakere United, Auckland on Saturday.
Knowing certain obstacle such as freezing weather and Waitakere United 100% success rate in winning at homeground, the Fred Taylor Park, Hekari will jet in to acclimatise themselves in New Zealand before their match.
Franchise owner John Kapi Natto, who had the full blessing from Hekari Holdings board confirmed on Saturday after the club’s fourth successive Telikom National Soccer League (NSL) victory that the team would leave this morning.
Hekari assistant coach Tommy Mana had brushed aside claims that the cold weather would be a disadvantage for his team when they meet Waitakere.
With Hekari just a win away from re-writing football history for the island nations, they will not let the cold weather temperatures in New Zealand ruin their campaign.
“We will take care of Waitakere whatever the weather conditions will be,” he said.
He said his team consisted of international players in the likes of playmaker Alick Maemae, Henry Fa’arodo and Stanley Waita who had played in New Zealand and were expected to lead the side.
The Hekari management is aware that their players need to adapt to the conditions in New Zealand and, therefore, they will leave early to prepare for the O-League match.
Waitakere botched the first leg but they have two key things in their favour for the return match.
Firstly, New Zealand teams tend to make short work of Pacific teams at home in the O-League and secondly, Neil Emblen’s men are unbeaten at home this season.
Beaten 3-0 by the Papua New Guinea champions in front of 15,000 overjoyed fans in 30C temperatures in Port Moresby two Saturdays ago, Waitakere need to bounce back or see their dreams of a third Club World Cup appearance disappear.
“We have given ourselves a mountain to climb,” player/coach Emblem said.
“The initial reaction was obviously one of disappointment with some finger- pointing, but now we have to put that behind us and move on.
In the return leg against Magenta in February, Waitakere fell behind early but then scored four unanswered goals in 55 minutes to win 4-1 after drawing 1-1 in Noumea earlier in the season.
In 2007-08, Waitakere lost 3-1 to Solomon Islands champions Kossa FC in the first leg in Honiara but took the title with a 5-0 home win in the second leg.
In crucial matches at the end of this season, Waitakere won 5-1 in Tahiti; drew 2-2 with Auckland City to take group A on goal difference; and scored a last-ditch 2-1 win over Team Wellington to make Saturday’s NZFC final at Canterbury.