Armadale Soccer Club will be looking to keep themselves in title contention this weekend when they face Stirling Macedonia in Round 16 of the NPLWA – Men’s competition.
John O’Reilly’s team sit fourth, one point clear of top-four chasing Olympic Kingsway and Perth SC, while a raft of teams below harbour similar ambitions of making the post-season.
But Armadale also remain in the title mix, particularly if they can bridge the current three-point gap to this weekend’s opponents, who currently trail top-of-the-league Perth RedStar on goal difference only.
Back-to-back draws for Armadale against Inglewood United and Kingsway mean points have been left on the table recently. But their unbeaten run is now four matches and O’Reilly is pleased with where they stand in the overall context of the season.
“It is tight around the league, but at the moment we’ve got points on the board and are where we want to be, even if we would obviously like to be a little further up,” the Armadale head coach said.
“There have been games where we’ve dropped points but with the league as it is, it’s difficult for teams to get ahead of one another. Looking at other teams relative to their expectations, we’re doing well, and now we’re looking to find that consistency to see if we can ride the wave until the end of the year.
“On the same day we gave up a two-goal lead (against Kingsway), Glory gave up a three-goal lead, but they’re results that maybe aren’t as surprising as they would have been in years gone by.
“Obviously when you take a 2-0 lead you want to carry it through, but we were playing one of the teams who I feel will finish in the top four, so it was always going to be a hard game. When they got their noses back in it before half-time I knew it wasn’t going to be a stroll and that it would be a fight.
“Both teams had their chances and I reluctantly say 2-2 was probably a fair result considering the effort both teams put in.”
With 40 goals in their 15 games this season, Armadale’s attack has played a key role to get them to the position they’re in. O’Reilly says new personnel have taken to a system which often delivers opportunities within games.
“We talk about progress but the aim of our football has always been the same since I arrived,” he said.
“A lot of times we get bogged down in possession percentages, but I feel the game I try to implement is about creating chances and the manner in doing that is irrelevant whether it’s 20 short passes or one long ball.
“The more chances you create, the more opportunity you have to win. We have a nicely rounded group of front players who are sharing the workload and those goal opportunities was part of the selling point for the players coming in and continuing that trend.
“We have Amir (Ajan), Chris (Jackson) and Tim (Berger) who have arrived, Pieter (Jacobsz) will always score goals, and now we’re getting a few from set-pieces mean we’re dangerous all over the park.”
Those moments in front of goal will be key this week for Armadale when they take on a Stirling side with the division’s best defence - they have let in just 15 goals in 14 games. O’Reilly is hopeful his team can rise to the challenge at the weekend and expects it to be a closer game than the earlier season meeting.
“With regards to can we beat Stirling, we have in the Night Series this year and usually we have had close games against them,” he said.
“The exception being this year’s (Round 10) game which goes against that, where they smashed us 5-0. We had a couple of injuries and a player sent off which didn’t help our cause.
“But going into this game, as things sit, we have a fully fit squad and I’m feeling quite confident we can go there, play our game and get a good result.”
The team Stirling and Armadale are chasing are RedStar who look to defend their lead at Cockburn City.
The Cockerels are four points off fourth spot going into the weekend having put together a three-game unbeaten run. They also beat Callum Salmon’s team 1-0 at Dalmatinac Park in the Australia Cup thanks to Jesse Lazarro’s goal.
Sandwiched between Stirling and Armadale are third-placed Balcatta Etna who make the trip to Floreat Athena. The defending champions are second bottom and occupy the relegation play-off place looking to make up three points on 10th-placed Glory.
These teams also met in the Australia Cup with Athena emerging 1-0 at Grindleford Reserve, while the league fixture at the same venue ended goalless.
At Frank Drago Reserve, Bayswater City host Olympic Kingsway with both teams looking for victories which could move them into the top four.
Kingsway are on the cusp of finals having earned promotion to the NPL last year, sitting just one point off fourth with a game in hand. Bayswater were back in the winner’s circle against Inglewood in Gary Williams’ first game at the helm, and he will be up against his former club on Saturday, having guided Olympic to a State League Division One and Top Four Cup double in 2020.
Splitting that pair are Perth SC, who go to Inglewood full of confidence after coming from three down to defeat Glory 4-3 last week in Rockingham. The Azzurri will hope to close in fourth, while Inglewood need points to bridge a four-point gap to safety which opened up in Round 15.
The weekend’s final match sees a repeat of the Regional Festival of Football clash between Perth Glory and Sorrento at Lark Hill.
With Glory sitting a place above the drop zone they need a win to steer clear of danger, while the Gulls sit three points from fourth and will have an eye on revenge after the youngsters got a last-gasp winner in that May fixture.
Round 16 fixtures (all 3pm)
Bayswater City v Olympic Kingsway
Cockburn City v Perth RedStar
Floreat Athena v Balcatta Etna
Inglewood United v Perth SC
Perth Glory v Sorrento
Stirling Macedonia v Armadale