Australia Cup Round of 32 entrants Inglewood United and Floreat Athena will look to start their rise up the table in Round 14 of the NPLWA - Men’s competition on Saturday.
Inglewood reached the national stage for the first time on Tuesday night following a 3-0 win over Sorrento FC in wet and windy conditions, and then Floreat followed them into next Wednesday’s draw with a 2-1 victory over Cockburn City.
Both teams will also meet in September’s State Cup final, which will be one of the first fixtures played at the new State Football Centre.
The cup success should provide a boost to both teams who currently find themselves at the wrong end of the table. But with nine points separating bottom side Inglewood and leaders Perth RedStar, there is still plenty to play for in the remaining months of the season.
Michael Domfeh scored two of Inglewood’s goals over Sorrento and the striker is hopeful the preliminary semi-final triumph can be a catalyst for United to get moving up the league, starting this weekend at home to Armadale.
“I’m extremely proud of the players and the club,” the striker said.
“The league position obviously isn’t what we want it to be and that’s been a little bit tough to take throughout the year, but winning in the cup against a solid team like Sorrento will give us confidence and it’s a great achievement.
“For me, I’ve never been to a State Cup final, and myself or the club haven’t been to the Round of 32 either. To get that chance to travel interstate with your mates is an opportunity anyone wants and even having a team come here creates that bit of interest.
“It’s exciting because these are all opportunities where there’s something on the line and now there’s a chance to try and win some silverware. We’ve got a young team and now we’re starting to get some players back for the end of the season.
“We’ve got nine games left in the league and want to get in a position where we can push into mid-table and then hopefully the top four after that. It’s one step at a time, but now it’s the time to try and build on the positive momentum.”
Inglewood face a stern challenge with fourth-placed Armadale arriving at Inglewood Stadium off back-to-back wins. They are also the league’s highest scorers and sit two points off leaders RedStar.
Floreat Athena are the other team from WA to progress to the national rounds after qualifying for a fourth time on Wednesday with their gritty win at Dalmatinac Park.
Vas Vujacic’s team have had a difficult defence of their title with several injuries curtailing their progress, but their cup form has stood up once again in 2023 as they reached a third State Cup final in four editions.
“It’s a great feeling and a massive achievement for the club to reach the Round of 32 for a fourth time and hopefully we can go one step further than the previous years,” goalkeeper Jason Saldaris said.
“It was a tense game and we’re super proud of what we’ve achieved with the injuries we have. To get that win hopefully sparks a positive run moving forward.
“It will give us a little boost for the upcoming fixtures which are all going to be six-pointers for us. We haven’t been the most consistent through the league but then again, who has? For me, the league is still open and there’s plenty of points to play for.”
The big games are coming thick and fast for the defending champions with the current top three teams next up in the league. That starts with a fixture against old rivals Stirling Macedonia this weekend, who have won three of their past four games to move back into title contention.
Elsewhere, RedStar host Sorrento in a northern suburbs derby at RedStar Arena.
The Gulls were eliminated at the semi-final stage of the Australia Cup for a fourth successive season this week, but they will want revenge on Callum Salmon’s team who won 7-1 at Percy Doyle Reserve in Round Three.
RedStar’s loss at Stirling last week means they sit only goal difference ahead of Balcatta Etna in the standings with only two points separating first to fourth.
Should the leaders lose, Balcatta will go top if they beat Olympic Kingsway at Grindleford Reserve. Etna are the division’s form team and are without defeat since Round Seven, while Kingsway are sixth and only five points off the pace following alternating wins and losses over their past five matchdays.
Perth SC will also be looking to swoop in on the top four teams with the fifth-placed Azzurri travelling to Cockburn on the back of three wins in four games.
The run has taken them to just outside the playoffs, while the Cockerels sit second bottom and only two points clear of the automatic relegation spot. That said, they will go equal points with Perth should they win on Saturday.
Perth Glory host Bayswater City in a meeting between two out-of-form teams looking to get their seasons back on track. Glory have lost four of their past five, while Bayswater are winless in five.
Round 14 fixtures
Saturday (3pm)
Balcatta Etna v Olympic Kingsway
Cockburn City v Perth SC
Inglewood United v Armadale
Perth Glory v Bayswater City
Perth RedStar v Sorrento FC
Stirling Macedonia v Floreat Athena