By Bob Pearce / nzfc.co.nz

The Waitakere and Waikato coaches will be sleeping under the same roof on Saturday night but there will be no favours asked or given when their teams run out at Fred Taylor Park on Sunday.

Che Bunce and his family are coming north to get together with Waitakere player-coach Neil Emblen and his family, who are long-standing friends. No doubt the two player-coaches will talk about their first seasons as coaches in the NZFC that have brought contrasting results.
 

Waitakere United lead the league by a point from Auckland City, while Waikato are two points adrift of YoungHeart Manawatu at the foot of the table.
 

In their last regular season games Waikato could lift themselves out of the cellar if Manawatu lose in Dunedin on Saturday, while Waitakere know they must win to keep the pressure on Auckland, who have games in hand.
 

But Bunce would like to see the final round of games played at the same time. "I think all games in the final round should be played at the same time. But I know there are scheduling problems and flights to be arranged."
 

"Since Christmas our performances have been strong. Although the results haven't always gone our way teams have struggled to deal with us. We set targets this year and we can still achieve them."
 

Bunce has several injury worries and defender Mark Jones is unavailable because of pre-arranged travel plans, but he will be bringing north three players very familiar to Aucklanders - Jeff Campbell, Mike Gwyther and Shaun Van Rooyen.
 

Emblen will be hoping for a less frustrating weekend than Waitakere endured, travelling to Tahiti last week for an O-League game that was postponed because the weather made the pitch unplayable.
 

"All our preparations were good, we had a nice hotel and good surroundings but the weather was atrocious," he said. "They could probably have told us before we flew up there."
 

The postponement upset Emblen's carefully crafted plans to ensure everyone in his squad had game time before the NZFC semifinals. This Sunday he will be without captain Jake Butler, who has an ankle strain and is also sitting on three bookings.
 

He will be replaced by youngster Zane Sole, who has been showing excellent form in the youth team.
 

Emblen is uncertain whether he himself will start in a defence well served by Aaron Scott, Jack Pelter and Jason Rowley. His last game was against Magenta on February 20.
 

When the teams met at Ngaruawahia, Waitakere prevailed 3-2, resisting a strong comeback by the home side.
 

"They gave us a good game," said Emblen, "and we don't take anyone lightly."
 

One bonus for both teams is the ground at Fred Taylor Park in rural Whenuapai. The playing surface has been exemplary despite one of Auckland's driest summers, which should mean an excellent vintage from the nearby vineyards.