National Premier Leagues: Capital Football
Round 12 – Preview

Sunday 29th June
FFA COE v Belconnen United (AIS Grass Fields)
League leaders Belconnen United will be out to extend their advantage over the inactive Cooma Tigers when they travel to the AIS Synthetic Field to take on the FFA Centre of Excellence in Round 12 of the National Premier Leagues: Capital Football competition this weekend. The Blue Devils leads the Tigers by one point on the ladder, having played a game more, but with the Tigers having the bye Belconnen could extend that gap to four points come the final whistle. But that’s easier said than done against an FFA COE team who surprised the competition in Round 3 with a battling performance at McKellar Park that ended in a narrow 3-2 defeat. That proved to be a third win of the season for Belconnen who, since last dropping points in Round 8, have won three on the bounce to emerge as contenders at the top end. Indeed, the double is very much on for Belconnen who roared into the Federation Cup Final on Tuesday evening with a comprehensive 5-2 thrashing of Canberra Olympic at Hawker Football Centre, a result all the more meaningful considering it came without a couple of their leading lights including the suspended Dustin Wells. Wells will be back for this match however and his form and influence on the encounter could be the difference.

Woden Valley v Canberra City (Kaleen Enclosed)
The bottom two clubs in the National Premier Leagues: Capital Football competition meet at Kaleen Enclosed on Sunday afternoon as Woden Valley clash with Canberra City in a game where much pride will be on the line. For City a defeat would almost certainly condemn them to the wooden spoon whilst three points for Woden would give them a chance of reigning in the clubs above them to improve their league position. City had a week off last weekend as their prospective match with Tuggeranong United was cancelled due to an unsafe playing surface at Gungahlin Enclosed and that may have given them time to regroup and refocus ahead of what should be an open and exciting match. Woden meanwhile was falling to a 0-2 loss to leaders Belconnen United, performing admirably and only seeing any hope of a point slip by the wayside in the final minutes of the match. In the corresponding fixture at the Riverside Stadium in late April the teams fought out a 1-1 draw with Regan Walsh rescuing a point for Woden. The draw gave City their only point from what has been a wretched season in terms of results. There have been some shining lights for City, notably the form of teenager Gimale Essacu, and the return of Sam McDonald should give them added potency. Even so, Woden will enter the encounter as the favourites to claim the points. To deny them, City needs to be at their ruthless and stingy best.

Tuggeranong United v Canberra FC (Kambah 2-1)
Canberra FC heads to Kambah on Sunday afternoon in Round 12 of the National Premier Leagues: Capital Football to take on a Tuggeranong United team who are sitting fifth on the ladder only four points behind their visitors heading into the clash. For both teams this has the making of an important fixture. Canberra FC is currently seven points adrift of leaders Belconnen United with their game in hand a potentially tricky tie against Cooma Tigers. To keep in touch with the leaders, and keep alive their hopes of retaining the League Championship won in some style in 2013, FC needs a positive result here. United meanwhile are harbouring ambitions of their own. With an exciting FFA Cup First Round tie looming, the club are on the cusp of the top four, trailing Canberra Olympic on goal difference only – a markedly different outcome to the struggles of last season when they ended up with the wooden spoon. There is no doubt that Canberra FC will be heavily favoured to take the maximum return having shaken off a belligerent United at Deakin Stadium in Round 3 turning a narrow 1-0 half-time lead into a comprehensive 7-0 hammering. But FC does not enjoy the cramped surrounds of Kambah 2 and have struggled there in the past. If Tuggeranong are to upset the form book again they need to be solid at the back and take their chances when they come.

Monaro Panthers v Canberra Olympic (Riverside Stadium)
Canberra Olympic must shrug aside the disappointment of defeat in the Federation Cup semi-finals on Tuesday evening as they aim to bounce back to winning ways and keep the pressure on those above them in the National Premier Leagues: Capital Football ladder as they travel to the Riverside Stadium to face Monaro Panthers in Round 12. Olympic would have been eyeing off a place in the Cup Final in midweek and the manner of their 2-5 loss to Belconnen United will have come as a blow to a team that was finally finding its groove and putting together a run of form that pushed them back into title contention. That said, a fixture away to Monaro Panthers should hold little fear for Olympic who trounced the Panthers 6-1 in the first meeting of the season at O’Connor Enclosed in Round 3. Their run of form has been derailed by back-to-back defeats in league and cup but the fact remains that they are still only seven points off the top spot with a game in hand. The Panthers meanwhile performed well in the opening half against a strong Canberra FC last weekend, surprisingly leading 2-1 at the break before the well-drilled FC saw them off with a second half barrage. A similar opening against Olympic would have the Monaro supporters pleased, but they need to learn to defend their advantage.

TABLE

LEADING SCORERS
10 Daniel BENNETT (Canberra FC), Robbie CATTANACH (Cooma Tigers)
9 Jason UGRINIC (Belconnen United)
8 Alex OLORIEGBE (Canberra FC)
7 Dustin WELLS (Belconnen United), Robbie DEELEY, Mark SHIELDS (Canberra Olympic), Stephen DOMENICI (Cooma Tigers)
6 Goran JOSIFOVSKI (Cooma Tigers)
5 Tom McLACHLAN, Goran MUKEVSKI, Michael TAURASI (Belconnen United), Philippe BERNABO-MADRID, Domenic GIAMPAOLO (Canberra FC), Own GOALS
4 Aaron EVANS, Peter KEKERIS (FFA COE), Thomas JAMES (Monaro Panthers)
3 Jamal REINERS (FFA COE), Josh CALABRIA (Monaro Panthers), Michael JOHN, Jon TOOLE (Tuggeranong United), Lukas COLE (Woden Valley)
2 Jack BLACKLEY (Belconnen United), Gimale ESSACU, Misko NAUMOSKI (Canberra City), Michael REEVE, Callum SMITH (Canberra Olympic), Ian GRAHAM, Josip JADRIC (Canberra FC), Julian BORGNA (Cooma Tigers), Daniel ARZANI, Daniel MASKIN, Kosta PETRATOS (FFA COE), Darian McGARRY-WATSON, Deng PADIET (Monaro Panthers), Daniel COLBERTALDO, Muad ZWED (Tuggeranong United), John GIBSON, Regan WALSH (Woden Valley)
1 Taylor BEATON, Aisosa IHEGIE, David KEMP (Belconnen United), Adam DOBELL (Canberra City), Ryan KEIR (Canberra FC), Nick BOBOLAS, Daniel FULTON, Josh GASPARI, Oliver WIEDERKEHR (Canberra Olympic), Jordan LANDO, Lianel LAUPER (Cooma Tigers), Nicholas D’AGOSTINO, Charlie DEVEREUX, Jamie DIMITROFF, Kye ROWLES, Zak WATERS (FFA COE), Kamal AHMED, Martin DENG, Pepe VARGA (Monaro Panthers), Sean KIDDEY, Harry PETTIT (Tuggeranong United), Conor NOLAN, Andrew SLAVICH, Mitch STEENBERGEN (Woden Valley)