Even diehard Otago fans will regard Waitakere United's match against Solomon Islands club Kossa FC in the O-League final tomorrow as the most important game of the year.
A 2-0 home win would allow Waitakere to progress through to claim Oceania's place in Fifas's Club World Cup in Japan and, much more importantly from a Southern perspective, there would be another cash bonus spread among New Zealand clubs.
Otago United has benefited in the past from the US$500,000 ($NZ640,000) spread among the eight New Zealand Football Championship clubs and head office at New Zealand Football.
Therefore, Otago United's management board will be quietly praying that Waitakere can reverse the upset 1-3 loss it suffered in the first leg in the tropical heat of Honiara.
Today's Soccersouth Premier League matches may not be quite so critical but, even at this early stage of the season, club statisticians are sharpening pencils to keep a check on what could end up as vital goal-difference figures.
An error in some league tables credited Dunedin Technical with one goal short of its correct prodigious scoring tally of 33 goals in four games, and immediately telephones were ringing to correct the error.
Re-starting this year, the end of season play-off versus Mainland's best two finishers has added zest to the local SPL competition.
But not as much drama as in the Mainland Premier League itself, with Ferrymeade Bays losing eight points for playing an ineligible player in four games under new coach Steve Bignall.
In the Soccersouth Premier League, Dunedin Technical, Roslyn-Wakari and Green Island all have 12 points with Caversham lurking in fourth place on nine.
At the Gardens, Roslyn-Wakari plays Northern today at 2.45 pm in an SPL match which also doubles for the S. Brownlie Memorial Trophy.
Northern earned its first win last week beating University 2-1 and will be hoping to ruin Roslyn's unbeaten record.
Still smarting from last week's loss, Mosgiel visits Tonga Park intending to upset Caversham at 2.45 pm and,while coach Steve Fleming's side starts favourite, the Plainsmen are capable of snatching at least a point.
Dunedin Technical plays Grants Braes in the late match at Ocean Grove, and could give some fringe players such as Ben Lamont a chance to show potential.
In the only early game at the Caledonian Ground, University and the Otago Youth side are both perched on three points, and both sets of coaches fancy their chances of a win.
