Round Nineteen of the Battlewin Premier League sees another two big clashes between sides in the top six, as well as a big match at the bottom of the league that could have huge ramifications on the relegation picture! The round nineteen fixture list is as follows:
Sunday 4/8: U/21’s 10:45am, RES 12:45pm, First Grade 2:45pm:
Wyoming FC vs Terrigal United FC – Alan Davidson Oval
Berkeley Vale SC vs Southern and Ettalong United FC – Mingara Club Oval
Gosford City FC vs Avoca FC – Gavenlock Oval
East Gosford FC vs Killarney District SC – Hylton Moore Oval
The Entrance FC vs Kanwal FC – Pat Morley Oval
Woongarrah FC vs Toukley FC – Hamlyn Terrace
Wyoming FC vs Terrigal United FC – Alan Davidson Oval
This weekend’s clash with third placed Terrigal United is the first of Wyoming’s two big remaining fixtures in this seasons Battlewin Premier League season, with the other coming in two weeks’ time when they host Killarney in the penultimate round of the premier league season. After three losses in a row the Tigers bounced back emphatically, putting seven goals past The Entrance last weekend to force their way back into the BPL’s top five as they look to finish in a finals position in their first season back in the top flight. Separated by just four points on the competition table, Wyoming will realistically look at this fixture as one they need to win if they’re to have any hope of finishing in the all-important 2nd/3rd positions come finals time.
Currently third, Terrigal took a huge leap towards ensuring finals football this season after they defeated competition leaders Killarney on their own patch in a match that produced seven goals. The win, their second over the Terriers this season saw them open up a four-point gap between themselves and sixth position with just four matches left to play. A narrow 1-0 loss to the Tigers earlier in the year will see them hungry to overturn that result, especially given, including this weekend, the side face three finals competitors in their remaining four matches.
Berkeley Vale SC vs Southern and Ettalong United FC – Mingara Club Oval
Berkeley Vale will be kicking themselves after they dropped back out of the premier leagues top five after a 0-0 draw with the eighth placed East Gosford Rams last weekend, as they now look ahead to a tough fortnight that sees them face Southern and Ettalong United and Terrigal United back-to-back. They welcome the Lions to Mingara this weekend, a side they narrowly lost out to earlier in the season suffering a 2-1 defeat at James Browne Oval. If the ‘Bats could manage four points from these next two fixtures they’d place themselves in a strong position to finish the season in the top five, given their last two fixtures see them face Kanwal and Gosford City, although two bad results could leave them with too much ground to make up come the final two weeks of the campaign.
Southern head into Sundays match after going down narrowly to seventh placed Avoca at Pluim Park last Sunday afternoon. The loss saw the Sharks become the only side to have beaten Southern in both meetings this season. Killarneys loss to Terrigal United means the sides remain separated by just three points as the league championship looks to go down to the wire this season. Playing their third game in a week including a tough FFA Cup clash with NPL heavyweights APIA Leichhardt, Berkeley Vale pushed the Lions for the full 90 minutes in their last clash, despite playing a majority of the match with 10 men, an effort they’ll look to replicate this weekend. Southern will, however, be without forward Jacob Caban who serves a suspension this weekend.
Gosford City FC vs Avoca FC – Gavenlock Oval
Gosford City face off with Avoca at Gavenlock Oval on Sunday afternoon after turning in a much-improved performance against Woongarrah last weekend. After a 9-0 defeat to Killarney the week previous, the young Dragons side produced a much-improved performance against the ‘Cats, going down 1-0 to the legitimate title contenders. This weekend they’ll have the opportunity to put a significant dent in Avoca’s hopes of finishing in a finals position as they look to finish the season on a positive note. The last time the sides met the Dragons went down 2-1 in a competitive match, they’ll be hoping to go one better this time around.
Avoca’s push for finals football continues after they became the first side to defeat Southern and Ettalong United in both meetings this campaign with a 3-2 victory at Pluim Park last weekend. Sunday’s win was their fifth in a row as they continue to try and break into the BPL’s top five, with this weekend possibly producing their best opportunity to do so. The Sharks currently sit in seventh position, locked on 33 points with Berkeley Vale and Wyoming, both of whom face matches with top three sides this weekend.
East Gosford FC vs Killarney District SC – Hylton Moore Oval
On the back of a hard fought 0-0 draw with Berkeley Vale last weekend, the East Gosford Rams face another difficult task on Sunday afternoon when they host Killarney at Hylton Moore. The point obtained from last weekend’s draw with Berkeley Vale saw the Rams jump up into eighth position on the Battlewin Premier League table, the highest position they’ve occupied so far, and the highest they will occupy this season given the 19-point gap between seventh and eighth place. The last time the Rams faced the league leaders they came away with a very respectable 1-1 draw. The side could have a significant impact on the race for the league championship this season considering they face second placed Southern and Ettalong United next weekend.
Killarney suffered just their third loss of the campaign last weekend after Terrigal United defeated them 4-3 at EDSAAC North, in doing so becoming the only side to defeat the Terriers on both occasions this campaign. The loss quashed the Terriers opportunity to open up a six-point lead over Southern at the top of the premier league table with just four matches to play, instead only hanging onto their three-point lead thanks to Southern’s loss. Killarney will target this weekend’s fixture with East Gosford and next weeks with The Entrance as opportunities to shore up first position ahead of a tough final two weeks of the season, in which they face Wyoming and Woongarrah, of whom it will be expected will be locked in a battle for a finals position.
The Entrance FC vs Kanwal FC – Pat Morley Oval
Another big match for The Entrance this weekend sees them host Kanwal as they look to extend the 6 point lead they hold over Toukley in the Club Championship relegation fight. With Gosford City all but relegated, the race to avoid the second relegation position looks to be restricted to Toukley and The Entrance, with Kanwal currently 28 points clear in 9th. The last meeting between the two sides saw Kanwal record a convincing 3-1 victory at Wadalba, however with much more on the line this time around you would expect The Entrance to bounce back, especially given they are coming off the back of two big defeats to Southern and Wyoming.
After recording their third victory of the season last weekend with a win over Toukley, Kanwal will be looking to secure their position in next seasons Battlewin Premier League with positive results over the coming fortnight. The Bulls next two matchdays see them face The Entrance this weekend and Gosford City next, where, if they’re able to open up a 37-point gap over those fixtures, will see them secure their premier league safety with two matches to spare. Last weekend’s victory over Toukley saw them leapfrog Sunday’s opponents into tenth position on the first-grade ladder, with another win this weekend likely to send them to eighth, a respectable position given their poor start to the season.
Woongarrah FC vs Toukley FC – Hamlyn Terrace
Woongarrah extended their unbeaten run to seven matches with their 1-0 win over Gosford City last weekend as they prepare to face Toukley this weekend at Hamlyn Terrace. Last weekend’s win over the Dragon’s saw Woongarrah draw level on points with third placed Terrigal United, as they enter a difficult final four weeks of the season. This weekend’s clash with a desperate Toukley side is to be followed by matches with Avoca, Southern and Ettalong United, and Killarney as the ‘Cats look to secure a finals position in their first ever appearance in the Men’s top flight competition. A narrow 4-3 win saw Woongarrah collect three points from Harry Moore Oval last time around, however they’ll be without both Mark Harmsworth and Matt Johnson this weekend, both of whom serve suspensions.
The Gunners head into Sundays match on a run of five successive defeats, as they try desperately to muster up club championship points to save them from relegation next season. Toukley have managed just two goals over these five defeats, a statistic that doesn’t bode well as they head into the toughest run-in of all sides in the Battlewin Premier League. The Gunners face Woongarrah, Wyoming, Terrigal, and Southern and Ettalong United, four of the competitions top five sides over the final month of the campaign. The side may be forced to lean on their lower grades to pick up Club Championship points, however Toukley’s sides are positioned below all bar Woongarrah in the reserve grade competition, indicating points may also be tough to come by down that avenue.
