Battlewin Premier League Preview | Round Fourteen

Saturday 22/6: U/21’s 3:00pm, RES 5:00pm, Firsts 7:00pm:

Woongarrah FC vs Kanwal FC – Hamlyn Terrace

The second edition of this seasons Woongarrah/Kanwal rivalry kick’s off tomorrow night under the lights of Hamlyn Terrace. The reverse fixture, played back in round three, saw a crazy encounter in which the Bulls led their rivals 2-1 heading into stoppage time, before goals to Blake Small and Jamie Bartlett, in what could only be described as an eternity of additional time snatched a 3-2 victory at Wadalba. The ‘Cats managed to return to winning ways with last weekend’s 2-1 win over The Entrance, and they’ll be looking to continue that form as they look to shore up their finals position, sitting just one point ahead of sixth placed Berkeley Vale heading into Saturday night’s match. The derby is the start of a particularly tricky run of fixtures for the ‘Cats, as they face finals rivals Berkeley Vale, Terrigal, and Wyoming over the coming weeks.

The Bulls head into Saturday night’s fixture on the back of a hard-fought draw with finals contenders Terrigal United at Wadalba Sports Complex last weekend. In a match that they led for the best part of an hour, Kanwal were denied their second victory of the season after an 89^th minute goal to Terrigal’s Josh Menzies rescued a point for the visitors. To add insult to injury, the late goal not only stripped them of two competition points, but also took six valuable Club Championship points from the side, and with other results not falling their way the Bulls slipped back into the relegation places level on 73 points with Toukley. This weekend’s matches with rivals Woongarrah are crucial for the Bulls, especially given they face a tough trip to EDSAAC next weekend to face competition leaders Killarney.

Sunday 23/6: U/21’s 10:45am, RES 12:45pm, Firsts 2:45pm:

Toukley FC vs Killarney District SC – Harry Moore Oval

Fresh off a crucial 4-1 win over relegation rivals Gosford City, Toukley welcome competition front-runners Killarney to Harry Moore Oval on Sunday afternoon where they will look to take another step towards securing their top flight status. The big win, coupled with a win in reserve grade proved enough to see the Gunners climb out of the relegation places, albeit marginally, with the club sitting 10^th on the club championship table based on first grade form alone. Toukley will be out to improve on the last meeting between the sides, in which they were handily beaten 4-1 at EDSAAC, although the margin could have been much larger. The Gunners will look to the next few weeks as a pivotal period of their season as they face sides around them on the BPL table, before closing out the final four weeks of the campaign with matches against sides currently entrenched in the top five.

Killarney conceded their first goals in over four weeks of football during last weekend’s crazy 3-3 draw with second placed Southern and Ettalong United. Unbeaten in their previous four, the Terriers were made to work hard for their point with 20-year-old substitute Jayden Radford securing the draw late into stoppage time. They head into this weekend’s match with the Gunners under-strength as both Andy Klijn and Brendan Hall serve suspensions from last weekend’s fiery match with Southern, in which both sides finished the match with nine men. Sundays match provides the Terriers another opportunity to increase their lead atop of the Club Championship table (currently 23 points), with nearest rivals Southern facing another tough weekend of fixtures against Terrigal United.

East Gosford FC vs Avoca FC – Hylton Moore Oval

The Rams will look to bounce back from last weekend’s disappointing 3-1 loss to Wyoming when they host Avoca at Hylton Moore on Sunday afternoon. After taking a first-half lead through top-scorer Rob Walton, the East Gosford side went onto give up three second-half goals to the Tigers in what proved to be their seventh loss of the campaign. The last match between the Rams and the Sharks was a typically tight affair, with Avoca’s Ben Green managing the only goal of the match. One loss in their last five suggests East Gosford will be a difficult proposition for the Avoca side, who will probably see this match as a ‘must-win’ if they are to keep their hopes of snaring a finals position alive come seasons end.

After a run of seven matches without defeat, Avoca now find themselves three matches without a win after back to back losses to Killarney and Berkeley Vale over the previous fortnight. After a slow start last weekend at Pluim Park, the Sharks grew into the game throughout the second half and at one stage looked like they might snatch the points, however they ultimately fell just short. Currently six points adrift of a finals spot with nine matches to play, Avoca will need to capitalise on games against sides below them on the competition table, with matches against Toukley and Kanwal to follow in the coming weeks.

Southern & Ettalong United FC vs Terrigal United FC – James Browne Oval

Southern and Ettalong United face another tough test after last weekend’s clash with Killarney, welcoming Terrigal United to James Browne Oval on Sunday afternoon. After coming within minutes of taking three points from Killarney last weekend, the Lions will look to continue their good form, which has seen them unbeaten in their last five matches, into this weekend’s clash with Terrigal United. They will, however, be without the league’s top-scorer Keith Gumbs who will be forced to sit out after receiving his marching orders in the second half of last weekend’s clash with Killarney. The last time these two sides met the Lions emerged victorious, with goals to Todd Balneaves and Jacob Caban securing the victory.

Terrigal United enter Sunday’s clash on the back of an impressive unbeaten run, however they will be disappointed that they haven’t secured more competition points in the process. They enter the match unbeaten in six, however three of those were draws, each against sides situated below them on the competition table. Last weekend’s draw with eleventh placed Kanwal would have been particularly disappointing, as a win would have seen them cut the gap to second placed Southern to just two points. Although clear of suspension trouble, injuries look to be a concern for Martyn Griffith’s side, as they were forced to play out the remaining half an hour of last weekend’s clash with Kanwal with 10 men after injuries churned through their three allocated substitutions. The match at James Browne looks the pick of Sundays BPL fixtures, with the result potentially having a significant bearing on the make-up of the top five considering how close the top six sides are on the Battlewin Premier League table.

Wyoming FC vs Gosford City FC – Alan Davidson Oval

Wyoming and Gosford City meet in this season’s second edition of their rivalry, with Alan Davidson Oval to host the round 14 fixture. Wyoming emerged from their last meeting with all three points after goals from Matt Hall, Ben Farrell, and Pat Mills secured a 3-0 victory in the clubs second match back in the Premier League after a two season stay in the Division One competition. Unbeaten in three, Wyoming have responded well after their 2-0 defeat to Killarney, conceding just three goals in the process. The Tigers will be looking to this game as a great opportunity to close the gap to the top two, with a tough run of fixtures to follow against Avoca, Southern, and Woongarrah over the coming weeks.

Four losses on the bounce precede this fixture for Gosford City as time runs out for them to escape the drop. Last week’s 4-1 loss to, what was their nearest rival on the Club Championship table, Toukley, would have been particularly disappointing, especially given they found themselves three goals down by half-time. Currently 48 points from safety on the CC table, the Dragons desperately needed results from their three fixtures last weekend, particularly given they face Wyoming this weekend before travelling to Southern next weekend. The Dragons will be without Boden Addy for this weekend’s derby with Wyoming as he serves his suspension after being sent off in last weekend’s clash with Toukley.

Berkeley Vale SC vs The Entrance FC – Mingara Club Oval

Berkeley Vale host The Entrance on Sunday afternoon at Mingara as they look to build on last weekend’s 3-1 win over Avoca at Pluim Park. The Wombats have struggled for consistency so far this season, unable to string together back-to-back wins since the opening two weeks of the season, however, last week’s win over Avoca ensured they remain just the one point outside a finals position ahead of Sundays match with tenth placed The Entrance. Last time these two sides met The Entrance emerged with a shock 1-0 win at Mangrove Mountain, a feat Berkeley Vale will be looking to ensure doesn’t happen again this time around. They will have to do so without central defender Damien Lobb, who will miss the match through suspension after being sent off late in last weekend’s encounter.

The Entrance’s winless streak was extended last weekend, going down to Woongarrah 2-1 to extend that run to eight matches. After picking up six points from their opening five matches, The Entrance have gone on to collect only two from their following eight, finding themselves well and truly embroiled in the relegation fight. The club currently sit only five points clear of the bottom two on the Club Championship table, a very precarious position given there are as many as 18 points on offer each weekend. The first grade side will be looking to repeat the effort that saw them knock off the Wombats in round three, however both their Under 21’s and reserve grade sides currently sit above Berkeley Vale in their respective tables, indicating The Entrance may well be able to pick up some valuable Club Championship points this weekend.