The penultimate round of the NPLWA – Men’s competition sees the race to win the league title, qualify for the Top Four Cup and avoid relegation still at play going into Round 21.
With two weeks of the season remaining all 12 teams still have something to play for, with the two still gunning to win the league being Perth RedStar and Stirling Macedonia.
RedStar have found form at the right time with five wins in a six-match unbeaten run handing them to a two-point lead at the summit. This weekend they are away to Perth Glory at Lark Hill, where 60 goals have been scored in 10 NPL games in 2023.
Callum Salmon’s team can win the league this weekend if they win and Stirling lose at home to Perth. Even if Stirling draw, three points for RedStar will all but confirm a second title in four years given their significantly better goal difference.
Perth RedStar are in the driving seat heading into the final two games of the season. Photo by Tom McCarthy
It likely means Ian Ferguson’s Stirling side will need a favour from his former club, while they need to take care of business against Perth SC at Macedonia Park.
Stirling have lost only once in eight games but three draws in that run, including a stoppage-time concession to Bayswater last week, have left them two points off the pace.
Perth, meanwhile, still have qualification for the Top Four Cup in their own hands as they start the weekend ahead of fifth-placed Bayswater on goal difference.
Stirling’s game with Perth is the season’s second DT38 fixture, which is played between the two junior clubs of former Australia U17 international Dylan Tombides, who passed away in 2014 aged 20 following a battle with testicular cancer.
The captains of the two teams will lead their sides out in DT38 t-shirts while donations can also be made throughout the afternoon. Stirling Macedonia won the earlier season meeting 4-0 at Dorrien Gardens with Daniel Faichney scoring twice.
Below the battle for the post-season finals, there is an almighty struggle to avoid both the automatic relegation place and the play-off spot for the side that finishes second bottom. Currently, there are just three points between Floreat Athena at the foot of the table and sixth-place Armadale, who travel to Balcatta Etna with the winners knowing they are probably safe.
Armadale broke a run of four successive defeats last weekend with a 3-1 win over Floreat in Alun Vernals’ first game as head coach. Balcatta, who are eighth and on the same points as Armadale and Glory, are seven games without victory.
Below those three there are two teams on 24 points. Sorrento FC were dragged back into the mix with last week’s 3-0 home loss to Inglewood United.
The Gulls are only one point above the dotted line after one win in six, and are away to third-place Olympic Kingsway on Saturday. David Tough’s side are heavy favourites to reach the post-season in their first year back in the top flight and a win will guarantee they cannot finish lower than third.
On the same points as Sorrento are Cockburn City, who start Round 21 a point above 11th-placed Inglewood who they meet at Inglewood Stadium.
Cockburn sit just above the dotted line in 10th after one win in six games, while Inglewood’s 3-0 win at Percy Doyle Reserve last week took them off the bottom.
Finally, defending champions Floreat Athena face a critical final two games with the first of those at home to finals-chasing Bayswater.
Vas Vujacic’s team had won back-to-back matches in Round 18 and 19 to jump out of the bottom two, but defeats to Perth SC and Armadale have plunged them back into the automatic relegation spot.
The good news for Floreat is three points will definitely lift them off the foot of the table given the two sides directly above them play each other elsewhere.
All of Saturday’s games are live and free on Streamer: https://streamer.com.au/league/nplwa
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- This weekend's games are part of Hyundai Raffle Round, when clubs are encouraged to promote the 2023 Hyundai Community Football Raffle ahead of and on the day of their matches.
The raffle is a great source of funding for grassroots football with clubs retaining 100% of all funds raised from sold raffle tickets.