Wairarapa United’s strong start to the W-League season will be put to the test when they meet Wellington United at Newtown Park for a lunchtime kickoff on Saturday.

Wairarapa didn’t win a game last season, but have started this year’s W-League campaign with two wins and a draw to sit second, two points behind Wellington.

Wellington have been solid in their three wins, getting the better of Palmerston North Marist 3-0 in their last hitout two weeks ago. Wairarapa warmed up for this one with a 13-0 hammering of Stop Out in the Kelly Cup last weekend.

Palmerston North look to get their season back on track with a clash against last season’s champions Upper Hutt City on Saturday. Upper Hutt got their first win of the season two weeks ago when beating Western Suburbs after a loss to Wellington and draw against Wairarapa.

Wests and Seatoun will both be looking for their first wins of the season at Seatoun Park in Saturday’s other match, with Wests one point above their opponents by virtue of a draw against Palmerston North.

In the Ultra Football Central League, two blockbuster Saturday afternoon clashes should help provide further clarity to the top of the table.

First up is second-placed Stop Out hosting third-placed Western Suburbs at Hutt Park.

Stop Out come into the match on the back of a 7-2 thrashing of Wellington Olympic, while Wests will need to recover quickly from their 1-0 loss to Miramar Rangers last weekend.

Once that game is finished, the focus will then switch to the end of the encounter between fourth-placed Wellington United and fifth-placed Olympic, which starts at 3pm at Newtown Park.

Both teams sit on nine points, three behind Stop Out, and six behind leaders Napier City Rovers. A loss for either would make it difficult for them to claw their way back into title contention as the midway point fast approaches, although Wellington United do have a game in hand, to be played against Lower Hutt City at Fraser Park on Wednesday night.

Lower Hutt have flown slightly under the radar due to a slow start and having that game in hand, but a win in their match on Saturday against second-bottom Waterside Karori would take them to 11 points. Further success on Wednesday would place them right in the title hunt.

Desperation wins will be chased in the later game in Masterton by both Wairarapa United and Miramar. Both teams sit on seven points and a fourth loss of the season for either would further dent their title aspirations. Wairarapa have lost their last two by a combined score of 11-4, while Miramar have four points from their last two games after that win over Wests.

Sunday’s match sees last-placed Havelock North Wanderers host leaders Napier City Rovers in the Hawke's Bay derby.

In the Capital Premier division, a top five/bottom five split has been established, with a four-point gap between fifth-placed Lower Hutt City and sixth-placed Western Suburbs.

That gap could increase as three matches on Saturday see top-five teams face those down the bottom. The only top-five teams to face-off are leaders North Wellington and Lower Hutt. The bottom five clash is Wests against Upper Hutt City, while Miramar, Petone and Island Bay United face Kapiti Coast United, Tawa and Olympic respectively.

In Women's Premier action, the headline match sees the unbeaten Victoria University side travel to Newtown Park to face the, also unbeaten, Wellington United Sapphires. The home team lead the competition on goal difference with 21 goals through their opening three games. Uni have been strong on defence and they'll need to keep that record up to hold out the Sapphires.

The other unbeaten side, Waterside Karori, will be looking to keep their good start to the season going against Kapiti Coast United who put up a strong showing against Wellington United in the last league game. Elsewhere Stop Out and Island Bay meet in a contest between the competition's two winless teams and Petone and BNU will continue the mid-table tussle.

Fixtures

W-League round four

Saturday
Seatoun v Western Suburbs, Seatoun Park at 12pm
Wellington United v Wairarapa United, Newtown Park at 12pm
Palmerston North Marist v Upper Hutt City, Memorial Park (PN) at 2.30pm

Ultra Football Central League round seven

Saturday
Stop Out v Western Suburbs, Hutt Park at 2.30pm
Wellington United v Wellington Olympic, Newtown Park at 3pm
Lower Hutt City v Waterside Karori, Fraser Park at 3.30pm
Wairarapa United v Miramar Rangers, Masterton Memorial at 5.30pm

Sunday
Havelock North Wanderers v Napier City Rovers, Guthrie Park at 1pm

Capital Premier round seven

Saturday
Kapiti Coast United v Miramar Rangers, Weka Park at 2.30pm
Petone v Tawa, Petone Memorial at 3pm
Upper Hutt City v Western Suburbs, Maidstone Park at 3pm
Island Bay United v Wellington Olympic, Wakefield Park at 3.30pm
Lower Hutt City v North Wellington, Fraser Park at 5.30pm

Women's Premier round four

Sunday
Wellington United Saphires v Victoria University, Newtown Park at 12pm
Waterside Karori v Kapiti Coast United, Wakefield Park 2 at 1pm
Stop Out v Island Bay United Flames, Hutt Park 2 at 1pm
Petone v Brooklyn Northern United, Petone Memorial at 1pm