PREMIER LEAGUE - ROUND 6 PREVIEW

Round 6 Preview

With more midweek catches managed this week, we are now just four matches behind schedule in the Illawarra Premier League, and three of those involve Picton Rangers. The good news is that they finally played a home match at Hume Oval on Wednesday night in the FFA Cup so hopefully their catch-ups can also start soon.

There have been some big clashes in recent weeks between sides pushing for top spots in the IPL. Round 6 sees some of the less fancied teams up against the bigger sides, so a chance for new blood to push towards the top five or for those leaders to pull further ahead.

Match of the round

Wollongong United v Cringila Lions @ Macedonia Park – kick-off 2.30pm, Sunday 30 April

Both sides have beaten 2016 Champions Albion Park White Eagles in the last week, the Lions causing a bit of an upset with a late winner in Round 5, while United won convincingly on Tuesday in the Round 1 catch-up fixture. Those results left United right on the heels of the two front-runners, but also left Cringila not far off the pace of the top five.

Daisuke Yuzawa is having a great season for United, scoring in nearly every match they play – Cup or league – and he was joined on Tuesday’s scoresheet by compatriot Taka Noji and by last season’s Youth Grade goal king Bradley Acev.

United may have lost 3-2 to Bulli last weekend, but the win over the White Eagles will have restored any dint in the confidence of Olive Vrtkovski’s squad and I expect them to push on from here.

In beating Albion Park, Wally Savor’s team showed they will be no pushover for the leading sides this year and with newcomers Milan Atlagic and Shin Ichi Takeuchi both getting goals last week, that bodes well for the Lions going forward.

If they manage to get a result at Macedonia Park, I will have to reassess my whole season prediction. So three points for United is my tip, but it could be a good tussle.

Saturday 29 April

Tarrawanna Blueys v Wollongong Olympic @ Tarrawanna Oval kick-off 2.30pm

Olympic have won the last four league meetings between these two, with Yusuke Ueda scoring in both the 2016 matches and getting the only goal in the equivalent tie last year.

He is looking just as sharp this year for Olympic, but is now joined up front by more potent partners in the likes of Nuno Pires, Blake Coates, with John Martinoski causing all sorts of problems just behind the front line too.

Rob Birkin’s side have had a fantastic start to 2017, leading the pack along with Bulli, and only denied top spot by a single goal difference. So this is a tough call for Peter Willis’s Blueys.

Jared Fish seems to be enjoying playing at Tarrawanna, with his third goal of the season last weekend. Sangyu Park is still knocking them in, too. And the new face from Japan, Woo Oh, can also be a threat for Olympic’s defence.

I reckon the Blueys have enough talent – with Rick Goodchild and Darren Stone just behind the front line – to hold the high-flying Olympic to a draw this time, and end that run of defeats against Birkin’s side.

 

Woonona FC v Kemblawarra Fury @ Ocean Park - kick-off 2.30pm

The Sharks caused one of the shocks of 2016 when they beat the Fury 1-0 in the equivalent fixture. They could certainly do with a repeat after a fairly ordinary start to the 2017 season, their only points so far coming from a 2-1 win over Corrimal in Round 3.

Last weekend’s loss to Olympic was a creditable result, though, holding on for a 1-0 defeat after going down early in the game. That will give the Sharks’ defence a much-needed confidence boost, which coach Geoff Foster will be looking to maintain this weekend too.

The Fury have had their own setbacks this year already, letting a three goal lead slip at Bulli and then going down at home to Olympic. But last weekend brought out the best in Luke Maguire’s men, as they fought back from a goal down at Port Kembla to run out 3-1 winners.

Anthony Proia is looking sharp for the Fury and Liam Unicomb will be pleased to have scored his first for his new team.

This looks like a Fury win, but we would have said that for this fixture last year too, and you can’t discount the Sharks.

Picton Rangers v Bulli FC @ Hume Oval – kick-off 2.30pm

Picton lost again in midweek in the FFA Cup but there were lots of positives for coach Brett Morley. For starters, it was good to see Hume Oval playable again, so hopefully Picton can settle into their IPL home fixtures and make up for lost time and ground.

Losing 3-0 at home may not sound a great result, but this was against a top NPL side in Sydney Olympic and two of those goals came from spot kicks. Above all, it gave the Rangers much-needed match practice and will have done their fitness no harm.

They’ll need to be at their peak to stop a high-flying Bulli side which seems to be going from strength to strength this season and is scoring freely even against top teams like Wollongong United and Kemblawarra Fury.

Bulli did the double over Picton in 2016 and that was in a season when the Rangers punched well above their weight. This looks like a banker three points for Bulli as Picton have yet to get into top gear this season.

                                                                                        

Albion Park White Eagles v Corrimal Rangers @ Terry Reserve – kick-off 3.00pm

The mood must be very different at these two clubs from how things were even just a month ago. This is a Must Not Lose tie for both teams, if confidence is to be restored.

Both sides lost 3-0 in midweek, exposing defensive frailties that were not apparent at the start of the season.

For the White Eagles, that was the third time in a row they have conceded three, and that is a run coach Jeff Allport will be looking to stop. Instead of flying high in defence of their crown from 2016, the White Eagles are perilously close to the bottom of the ladder.

Yosuke Toshiro has become lead marksman for the White Eagles this year, with Shohei Okuno still creating as many as he scores. So they are the White Eagles’ best hope of taking flight again.

For Corrimal, they have been hit with suspensions and are missing Luke Picciolini, Nathan Belsito and Steve Stevanovski for this match so their depth will well and truly be tested.

This will be a battle, but I expect the White Eagles to triumph, though maybe only by a single goal.

Other game on Sunday 30 April

Port Kembla FC v South Coast United @ Wetherall Park – kick-off 3.00pm

These two will go into this match in buoyant mood after good wins last time out.

When these two met in Round 5 last year, both were struggling, but it was the match that kick-started Port’s revival in 2016 and launched striker Sandy Lowcock’s First Grade career as he grabbed four goals in Port’s 7-1 win that day.

He has developed now into Port’s top goalscorer and nabbed another brace in the midweek triumph over Corrimal.

But it’s been a rollercoaster season for Noel Spencer’s side so far, with two fine wins but also some poor results, though arguably the defeats have all come against contenders for the title this year.

South Coast have been performing far better than many expected this year and go into this game in fifth spot in the ladder.

The mix of experience – Moto Kinjo a great signing, Steve Dimitrievski still knocking them in – with youth – Josh Brookes and Jason Pappas exciting to watch – makes for an interesting side.

And this could be a very tight match. A draw is quite possible here, but I fancy Port Kembla to take the three points and leap into the top five this weekend.

Report by Simon Duffin




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