Duncan delivers blunt message | Canterbury Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Canterbury

It's time for Canterbury United to deliver.

That's Jamie Duncan's message to his team-mates on the eve of his 50th national league match for Canterbury United against Manawatu at Palmerston North on Friday.

The 22-year-old is the first Canterbury United player to reach the half century ? he's missed only one match for United, when he played for New Zealand under-23 in its loss to Japan in Kobe in 2003.

The team itself reached the 50 milestone in Friday night's 1-2 loss in Wellington.

That match gave Duncan a rare "home" game. A radiographer at Wellington Hospital, he has to travel for both home and away games.

It also affects his training, since he does not have a club to train with.

"The worst thing is not being able to train with the team, and I feel I am not in touch," he said.

"At the start of the season I was not playing particularly well and it was frustrating, because I had no place to put things right."

While he does lots of running ? he's now swapped the hills for flat runs around Oriental Bay ? and gym work, he does not get the ball work he would like.

The Wellington loss made it four matches without a win for Canterbury, and as a play-off place slips away Dunc slammed their form.

"Things do not seem to be clicking at the moment ? we play quite well in patches but not for long enough," he said. "We are conceding too many soft goals. Teams are not beating us with their ability."

They "did not turn up" in the first half in Wellington, and in the home match before that against Otago they could not hold a two-goal lead, he said.

Canterbury had been at the same sort of level for three seasons now ? "always threatening but not quite delivering. We have had opportunities to make strides up the table."

They had been talked of as a young team before, but could not use that as an excuse. However, Duncan has not written off Canterbury's play-off chances yet.

"Definitely not," he said. "All it needs is a couple of results to go our way and we are right back in it." In the final leg of the championship he is one of the players who could turn things around for Canterbury. This season the versatile youngster has had spells playing left midfield, left back, and central midfield, but is now back in the left midfield role he prefers.