Solomon Kings FC head coach Ben Cahn says his side has more work to do ahead of the second circuit round of the inaugural OFC Professional League, which kicks off this coming weekend in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.
Cahn’s comments follow Kings’ 1–1 draw with Tahiti United FC in the final matchday of the first-round circuit on Saturday at North Harbour Stadium in Auckland, New Zealand.
Speaking after the match, Cahn admitted his side fell short of their own expectations.
“In all honesty, we’re a bit disappointed. We wanted to see a slightly better performance and probably weren’t at the level we expected to be coming into the game,” Cahn said.
“We tried to create a good spectacle and speed the game up from restarts, but unfortunately that can’t be said for both teams. It was a pretty ugly game to watch. We’ve got a bit of work to do before we get to PNG.”
The match was played in wet and challenging conditions and featured two goals from the Tahitian side that were disallowed. Cahn acknowledged the weather also had an impact on his team’s performance.
“The conditions definitely made it difficult. We didn’t execute our final passes well, and even some of our build-up play across the field was really sloppy. The energy wasn’t quite there today, but there’s a lot of learning for us,” he said.
With a week to reset before the second circuit begins, Cahn said the break presents an opportunity for reflection and improvement.
“It’s still very early in our journey as Solomon Kings. This is a chance for us to reflect, understand where we’re at, and make as many improvements as we can before heading to PNG,” he added.
The second circuit round will see Solomon Kings open their campaign in Port Moresby against Bula FC on February 1, before facing South Island United on February 4.
They will close out the round on Saturday, February 7, against current league leaders Auckland FC.
By TIMOTHY INIFIRI JNR
Solomon Star, Honiara
