Battlewin Premier League Preview | Round Seventeen

Saturday 20/7: U/21’s 2:00pm, RES 4:00pm, Firsts 6:00pm

Toukley FC vs Berkeley Vale SC – Harry Moore Oval

The Gunners face off with Berkeley Vale under the Saturday night lights of Harry Moore Oval as they look to bounce back from last weekend’s narrow 2-1 loss to Avoca. Desperate for Club Championship points as we enter the final stages of the season, the gunners will be disappointed they couldn’t claim a result of some sort on Sunday afternoon, however wins in both lower grades meant they made significant progress towards that all important 10^th position, currently trailing The Entrance by just 9 points. Currently eighth, the Gunners only have one fixture against sides sitting below them on the competition table, with their last four matches against current top five sides. A win over the Wombats on Saturday night would certainly make for an interesting last few weeks to the season as they look to escape the relegation places.

A crucial win over Killarney last weekend will ensure the Wombats head into Saturday’s clash full of confidence as they remain hot on the heels of the top five. Just two points currently separate the ‘Bats in sixth and Terrigal United in third as the finals race looms as a seven teams into five equation. Whilst welcoming back midfielder Reece Caira from suspension, the ‘Bats will be without fellow midfielder Darren Cooper who serves a suspension in Saturday night’s match. A 2-0 result the last time the sides met back in round six will see the Wombats head into the weekends clash as favourites to pick up the three points as they continue to search for an avenue into the BPL’s top five.

Sunday 21/7: U/21’s 10:45am, RES 12:45pm, Firsts 2:45pm

Kanwal FC vs Avoca FC – Wadalba Sports Complex

The Bulls return to Wadalba again on Sunday afternoon where they’ll look to build on their 1-0 win over East Gosford last time out. After experiencing a week’s break over the designated washout weekend, Kanwal will be set on continuing a good string of performances that have seen them legitimately push a number of finals bound sides over the previous month. This weekend represents another in what seems like a string of tough matches in succession as they face an Avoca side who maintain genuine finals ambitions.

Avoca head into the weekends match on the back of three successive victories, the latter being a narrow 2-1 win over Toukley last weekend. Currently just three points outside the Battlewin Premier Leagues top five, the Sharks continue to pick up results to leave them within striking distance of a finals position. Of their remaining six matches this season, Avoca are still to face three of the top five meaning they’ll need to capitalise on matches such as these against the sides eliminated from finals contention. A 1-1 draw the last time the sides met in addition to a good run of form suggests the Bulls will make Avoca work hard to continue their progress towards the final’s positions.

Terrigal United FC vs East Gosford FC – Duffy’s Oval

Terrigal United will be looking to bounce back from last weekend’s disappointing 3-2 defeat to Woongarrah when they face East Gosford at Duffy’s Oval. After finding themselves 2-1 up in the second half, a combination of ill-discipline and poor defensive decisions saw them surrender their lead, going down 3-2 in a performance that manager Martyn Griffiths described as his sides worst defensive performance since he took charge. Eager to maintain their hold on third position, the side will be looking for a big performance as they look ahead to crunch matches with Killarney, Wyoming, and Berkeley Vale over the coming weeks.

The East Gosford Rams season of mixed results continued in their last outing, going down one-nil to Kanwal in a match they struggled to grow into. It was a disappointing result considering the Rams are about to enter a considerably tough month of fixtures to round out the season, beginning on Sunday afternoon at Terrigal. Matches with Berkeley Vale, Killarney, and Southern and Ettalong United follow Sundays match with Terrigal as the Rams look to finish the season in eighth position, the best of the sides no longer in finals contention.

Killarney District SC vs Gosford City FC – EDSAAC North

After suffering just their second loss of the season last weekend to rivals Berkeley Vale, Killarney will be out to extend their lead at the top of the premier league table when they face bottom placed Gosford City at EDSAAC North on Sunday afternoon. Reduced to 10 men in the opening half of last weekend’s match, the Terriers conceded two goals from set pieces (a penalty and a free-kick), before scoring a penalty of their own. The loss didn’t affect their league position, with the side still leading the competition on goal difference with a game in hand against Toukley, of which will be made up this coming Wednesday night at Pluim Park. Wins over Gosford on Sunday and Toukley on Wednesday night would see the Terriers put daylight between themselves and second place once again before next weekend’s tough match-up with Terrigal United.

On the back of a 3-2 loss to The Entrance in their last match, Gosford City will face another difficult match at EDSAAC on Sunday afternoon as their hopes of avoiding relegation continue to slip. Pluim Park hosted the last meeting between the two clubs, a night that saw the sides compete for the Coast Shelter Cup. An extremely promising opening half saw the Dragons well in the mix for a result, however they were ultimately overrun in the second period as Killarney ran out 5-2 victors. Sunday looms as a tough day for a club desperate for club championship points as their opponents lead the competition in each of the three premier league grades.

Southern & Ettalong United FC vs The Entrance FC – James Browne Oval

A last-gasp winner from Keith Gumbs saw Southern collect a crucial three points against Wyoming last weekend, a feat they’ll be looking to replicate when they host The Entrance at James Browne Oval on Sunday afternoon. The win saw them join Killarney on 35 points at the top of the Battlewin Premier League table as the 2019 finals series nears. The Lions recorded a rather routine 4-1 win the last time the two sides met with the Caban brothers responsible for three of the four goals. With a number of winnable games to close out the season the Lions will be looking to well and truly lock down a top-two finish ahead of the finals.

The Entrance secured their third win of the season after they dispatched Gosford City 3-2 in their last match two weeks ago. The win coupled with a win in the Under 21’s and a draw in reserve grade provided the club with a huge boost in their bid to avoid the drop as they continue to maintain a nine-point buffer between themselves and Toukley in eleventh place. The battle between the two sides looks like it is going to go down to the wire this season, although The Entrance appear to have an easier run in, on paper at least. They’ll be looking to recuperate some club championship points this weekend after emerging empty handed back in round six.

Woongarrah FC vs Wyoming FC – Hamlyn Terrace

Premier League football returns to Hamlyn Terrace for the fifth consecutive round as the two newly promoted sides face off for the second time this campaign. The last meeting between the sides saw a high-octane 4-3 thriller play out at Alan Davidson Oval, with the ‘Cats emerging with the three points on that occasion. Woongarrah enter the weekends match on the back of a five-match unbeaten streak, with the two most recent fixtures including wins over finals rivals Berkeley Vale and Terrigal United that have lifted them to fourth position on the Battlewin Premier League ladder. Woongarrah will be desperate to cash in on their next four fixtures, each of which are against sides below them on the competition table before they end the season with matches against the competitions front-runners, Southern and Killarney.

Unlike their opponents, Wyoming enter the weekends match after suffering back-to-back loses for just the second time this campaign, going down to Avoca and Southern and Ettalong United in their last two outings. The two results have seen them slip from second place to fifth place on the competition table, however positions are so tight that one win could see them jump back to third. The Tigers will be looking to overturn the result from the sides first meeting this season after leading twice before suffering a 4-3 defeat. This match looks to have the biggest bearing on the make-up of the top five from the round seventeen fixture list, with first-grade set to kick off at 2:45pm!