Battlewin Premier League Preview | Round Seven

Toukley FC vs Woongarrah FC – Harry Moore Oval

Toukley welcome Woongarrah to Harry Moore Oval on Saturday afternoon with both sides in need of a win for different reasons. Toukley head into the match on the back of two straight losses, already five points adrift of the semi-final positions, whilst Woongarrah need a win to keep pace with the top four sides as they chase leaders Killarney who are three points clear at the top of the BPL table. A disappointing 2-1 loss to Avoca was compounded by last weekend’s 2-0 loss to Berkeley Vale as the Gunners saw the gap between them and the top five sides grow substantially. Toukley have found goals fairly difficult to come by so far this campaign managing only nine in six matches and will need to find some form in front of goal if they’re to trouble a Wildcats side who have taken to life in the Battlewin Premier League comfortably.

Woongarrah head into the match on the back of a hard-fought 4-3 victory over fellow newcomers Wyoming last weekend. The ‘Cats had to show plenty of fight as they clawed their way back into the contest after trailing twice, before taking the lead thanks to Ashley Henderson’s second goal of the match. Striker Kane Woolston appears to be really hitting his straps, netting three goals in his previous two matches to leave him on five for the season and will be crucial to this Woongarrah side if they’re to mount a genuine attempt at the title this season.

Kanwal FC vs The Entrance FC – Wadalba Sports Complex

Sunday afternoon sees five BPL matches played with Kanwal welcoming The Entrance to Wadalba Sports Complex as they look to build on their first point of the season, secured in last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Avoca. After four losses by a single goal in their opening five matches, the Bulls were due some luck and managed to score the equalising goal five minutes from full-time through Brett Adcock. It’s been a tough opening six weeks to the season for the Bulls, facing each of the top four sides in the competition, however the coming weeks should provide them with the opportunity to get their season back on track as they face Toukley and struggling Gosford City after this weekend’s match with The Entrance. The match with The Entrance this weekend is sure the be an intriguing one, with both sides looking fairly evenly matched heading into the contest.

The Entrance head into this weekend’s fixture on the back of a tough loss to an impressive Southern side last weekend. The 4-1 score line appeared to flatter The Entrance, with Southern and Ettalong missing some great scoring opportunities in the first half particularly. This weekend’s match provides The Entrance an opportunity to open up an eight point gap between themselves and the relegation places, affording them a solid platform to set themselves up for a finals push come the end of the season. However, there is still plenty of work to be done between now and then, with tough matches against Wyoming and Killarney in the coming weeks.

Southern & Ettalong United FC vs Berkeley Vale SC – James Browne Oval

In what is certainly the pick of the Round Seven fixtures, Berkeley Vale head to James Browne Oval to face a Southern and Ettalong United side in red-hot form, undefeated in four matches following their big loss to Killarney in Round Two. The Lions have been rampant in front of goal, netting 18 in 6 matches, including four or more in each of their last three fixtures. It’s been an impressive start to the season for Dale Eggleton’s side, sitting second on the table, however he is not letting his young squad get ahead of themselves: ‘We’ve had good runs in the past but then followed them by mid-season slumps. It’s all about consistency from here on’. Having already dispatched Terrigal United this season, this weekend’s fixture will provide a good indication of just how good this Southern side are as they look to keep pace with leaders Killarney.

A routine 2-0 victory over Toukley sees Berkeley Vale approach this fixture with plenty of confidence as they look to close the three-point gap between the two clubs this weekend. A goal each to Troy Mumford and Reece Caira proved enough to secure the points last weekend, and both will need to be at their best on Sunday afternoon as they look to halt Southern’s run of good form. Berkeley Vale, of course, played their mammoth FFA Cup fixture with NPL side APIA Leichhardt on Wednesday night, going down 3-1 in what was an impressive performance from the Wombats. With a relatively unchanged starting side taking the field, it will be interesting to see whether coach Mark Pratt will opt for any personnel changes heading into this weekend’s crucial match.

Terrigal United FC vs Wyoming FC  – Duffy’s Oval

Terrigal United return to Duffy’s Oval to face Wyoming on Sunday afternoon as they look to extend their three-match unbeaten run to four in the league. A brace from Erik Riquelme last weekend was enough to see them past East Gosford, before narrowly falling to NPL side Blacktown City in the FFA Cup on Wednesday night at Pluim Park. It was a great performance from the Terrigal side as they twice took the lead against their more fancied opposition. They gave Blacktown a tough physical match pushing them right to the end, unfortunately going down 3-2. Hopefully the physicality of the extra midweek match won’t have too much of an impact as most of the players will be expected to back up for their third match in seven days. The match with Wyoming this weekend will provide another tough test as the Terrigal side fight to keep pace with Killarney at the top of the BPL table. Things certainly don’t get any easier for Martyn Griffiths side as they face fixtures with Killarney and Berkeley Vale following Sundays match.

On the back of two straight losses, Wyoming will be desperate to get back to winning ways and may target Sundays match with a fatigued Terrigal side as an opportunity to do just that when they visit Duffy’s Oval. It’s been a strange start to the season for the Tigers, struggling for consistency for the most part, however a win this weekend and a win in their round two washout fixture (to be played Wednesday 8^th of May at Pluim Park) against East Gosford would see them certainly keeping pace with the top five, especially given they look forward to a string of winnable games.

Avoca FC vs Gosford City FC – Pluim Park

Avoca return to Pluim Park for the first time since their round two loss to Berkeley Vale as they welcome struggling Gosford City for a match that will see both teams desperate to pick up the three points. Avoca have responded well after their 8-2 mauling at the hands of Wyoming in Round Four, managing to remain unbeaten, positioning themselves in 7^th position, five points outside the top five. They were unlucky not to take all three points last weekend as Kanwal managed an 85^th minute equaliser to take a share of the points. Neal Hide’s side will be looking to capitalise on an opposing side that is no doubt suffering from a lack of confidence after a string of poor second half performances have seen them ship 18 goals in their last four matches.

Sundays match at Pluim shapes as a must win match for Errol Bakers side, only 7 matches into the new campaign. Last weekend’s performance against Killarney in the ‘Coast Shelter Cup’ showed that they’ve certainly got the talent to match it with the sides in the top division, however have been regularly let down in the second half of matches, struggling to put together a convincing 90 minute performance. Sunday’s match at Pluim may just provide them with the opportunity to break through for their first win, which would likely see them rise from the bottom of the table.

Killarney District SC vs East Gosford FC – Edsaac North

Killarney District welcome East Gosford to Edsaac North with their record still unblemished after 6 weeks of the new campaign. Six wins from as many fixtures so far this season sees the reigning premiers three points clear on top of the BPL table. They’ve had no trouble finding the net so far, bagging 24 goals from their 6 fixtures, six more than anyone else in the competition. The Terriers will have to compete with a short turn-around after they were knocked out of the FFA Cup on Thursday night, defeated by Hazelbrook FC on penalties 4-3 after 120 minutes of gruelling football on a noticeably poorly maintained pitch. However, the Terriers did rest a host of their regular first team players for the match on Thursday night, so fatigue probably won’t play as big a factor in Sundays match with East Gosford as would have been expected.

The Rams head into the match on the back of a 2-1 loss last weekend to Terrigal United, their third loss of the season by just a single goal. They certainly look to be showing signs of improvement after early season struggles, however coach Chris Powell will be looking to begin picking up some points as the competition nears the 1/3 mark. Notably, the Rams have been struggling in front of goal, managing only four goals from their opening five matches, considerably worse than the second lowest scorers The Entrance who have managed eight. Killarney have also been fairly tight defensively so far this campaign, indicating it could be a tough afternoon for Powell’s men, however stranger things have happened.