11 Jan 2011

PNG football side buoyed by upset win

2:35 pm on 11 January 2011

Papua New Guinea are back on the training paddock after yesterday's upset win over Fiji at the Oceania Under 17 football championship in Auckland.

The 2-1 win had kept PNG in the hunt after a first-up loss to Vanuatu and team manager, Wayne Taylor, says it's done wonders for their confidence.

"It's lifted the morale of the team and everybody associated with the team and back in Papua New Guinea - the families and the wives - it's given us enormous hope now. Yesterday was like a grand final for us - if we'd lost yesterday we were out of it. No disrespect to American Samoa but we're eagerly looking forward to that game and posting another win."

Wayne Taylor says it's still an uphill battle with the like of New Zealand in the pool but all they can do is focus on each game and hope results go their way.