Lae to host soccer trials tomorrow

By LARRY ANDREW
FOOTBALL fans in Lae will be treated to a weekend of soccer action as four National Soccer League teams face off in trial games tomorrow.
The games will be played at Sir Ignatius Kilage Stadium.
Besta United FC will take on Toti City FC (formerly Lae City Dwellers) at 12pm in the first match of the double header.
The second match will be between new kids on the block FC Morobe Wawens and Madang FC.
The games will be an opportunity for the four franchise coaches to make amendments to their line ups.
The NSL season will start on Jan 13.
Morobe Football Association president Peter Seske welcomed the announcement made by PNGFA vice-president John Wesley Gonjua, saying the decision to move the start of the competition to Jan 13 was good for all franchises.
“Giving one more week will help all the franchises to get prepared for the NSL season without any hiccups. I also want to announce that the SIK Stadium will be the home ground for the FC Morobe Wawens,” Seske said.
Meanwhile, Madang, under the helm of former representative Maurie Wasi, will be travelling up the highway to give the newcomers Wawens a run for their money.
Wasi has some of the unknown talent to unleash against the Morobeans but with the home crowd advantage, Wawens could disappoint the visitors.
City, the three time NSL champions, will use the trial game against Besta United to tune their combinations.
Coach Peter Gunemba said the team had been in training for a long time and were set for the trial against Besta.
Gunemba said he would use the game to iron out the team’s weak areas.
“We were in training for the Oceania Football Confederation Champions League and our aim is to top our pool and play in the quarter-finals and this trial game will help us know where we are,” Gunemba said.
He is expecting a strong challenge from Besta United as the youngsters had made it to the semis last year.
Gunemba said it was not about winning but using the 90 minutes of football to work out the team’s combinations.
Gunemba also confirmed to The National that Andrew Rarangia of Mungkas had joined the team and would be play in the trial.