Third meets second in a crunch game in the NPLWA – Men’s competition tomorrow as Olympic Kingsway host Stirling Macedonia.
The 5pm standalone top-flight fixture is a long-anticipated game in hand from Round 12, with both teams looking to chase down leaders Perth RedStar and remain in the title race.
The pair lost ground on RedStar last week after being held to draws, and Callum Salmon’s side also have a considerably superior goal difference on their rivals. Stirling are three points off top spot and Kingsway six.
With only three rounds remaining after this weekend for either side to mount their title case, Stirling’s Luke Palmateer believes Saturday’s encounter is a must-win which will provide clarity on where they stand.
“For us now, we have to get three points in every game,” the defender said.
“When you do your mental calculations, you are thinking about that game in hand and wondering what it means.
“This is where the truth will hit home for us where we find out whether we join RedStar at the top level on points, or whether we will stay three points behind.”
This is Stirling’s second season back in the top flight, having ended a two-year hiatus with promotion from State League Division One in 2021.
Last year they finished four points behind champions Floreat in an impressive campaign and are right in the thick of it once again in 2023. Palmateer said there have been different challenges to contend with second time around as a leading team in the division.
“If you’re not so zoomed in and review our situation as it is, then it’s another great year. But being in this position, we know we still have to keep winning,” he said.
“Everyone involved at Stirling looks at it the same way. There are so many determined individuals and we’re all pulling in a direction now where finishing second is something we’re not happy with.
“We’ve definitely played a lot more teams this season who have sat deep and looked to counter, and I think if you actually look at our results we perform a lot better against teams in the top half.
“The chances we have created in games have been fantastic, but to me it’s solely down to conversion. There might be an aspect of us knowing the position we’re in, and there’s added pressure where everything counts now. There’s four games left and those chances mean a lot more now than they did before if you don’t take them.”
Palmateer had a spell with Kingsway previously, captaining them to a Division One league and Finals Series double in 2020 under Gary Williams. He is one of several former Olympic players in the Stirling squad and says that provides an added layer of competitiveness on Saturday.
“I’d be silly to say this was just another game because it’s a game which means a lot to the club and also to me personally having played there,” he said.
“We don’t want to go back there and lose. We want to go there, represent Stirling, and get the three points, both with the history between the clubs and for our league position as we look to push forward and try to win the league.
“It’s a real make-or-break game and everyone will be super up for it. We have three or four former Kingsway players at Stirling, so this will probably be the first time a lot of us have gone back to play a game there.
“I think you have to acknowledge they have some talented players and their style of play deserves respect after coming up and being in the position they’re in. We know how much it takes having been in that position last year, but for us we need to dictate the game on our terms. I’m sure we’ll create chances on the day but it’s whether we take them.”
Kingsway, meanwhile, have had an impressive campaign in backing up their promotion to currently sit third with four games left.
After winning the Night Series in March, David Tough’s team started their first NPL WA season in 24 years with three losses in a row, but have found form when it matters most and are currently seven games undefeated.
In that run, they have kept six clean sheets, and skipper Shane Cassidy says that is down to the squad’s confidence which has grown as the season has unfolded.
“From getting promoted last year we knew we had a good squad capable of challenging. The Night Series gave us a boost, but also gave us the Night Series curse!” he said.
“It took us a little bit longer to settle in the league than it should have. But staying up there for so long has been really nice, and it’s all about going into games with the right attitude which is a big reason why we’re seven games unbeaten.
“Top four was the goal (this season) but when you’re up there you always want to aim that bit higher. Despite that, we’re not getting carried away. There’s still four games to go, we’re six points off top with a game in hand, and we probably would have taken that at the start of the season.”
This week’s catch-up game will also see Olympic return home for the first time since Round 10, having been on the road since May due to Denmark using Kingsway Reserve as a training base for the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Cassidy, who won the NPLWA – Men’s title with ECU Joondalup in 2020, said he is looking forward to this weekend’s homecoming and expects a bumper crowd given what is at stake.
“Getting back to our home ground is going to be great. It’s been a while, given we’ve had to play a lot of away games, but we’re expecting a big crowd with it being us and Stirling and a standalone fixture,” he said.
“They look very strong and we always knew they would be up there at the top end of the table. They have a great squad, but so do we. The pitch is looking great and a lot of work has been done by people behind the scenes, so hopefully it’s a cracker of a day and we can go out, put on a show and get the win.”
Saturday's game will be streamed live and free on Streamer: https://streamer.com.au/league/nplwa
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