Young defender Alex Ishida-Livings believes last week’s break in fixtures gave his team the chance to catch their breath ahead of a final push for the league title.   Inglewood United have risen up to fifth on the National Premier Leagues ladder on the back of a seven-game unbeaten run.

And while the run was ended a fortnight ago by ECU Joondalup, Inglewood are just seven points off top spot with six games to play, including a home date with leaders Perth Glory early next month.   Ishida-Livings says the fortnight break was as much a mental rest for the players as a physical one.

“The week off came at a good time as it’s given us an opportunity to refresh ourselves head of the final run-in to the end of the season,” Ishida-Livings commented.   “We’ve tried to make the most of this extra time by focussing more on our tactical approach toward the upcoming games.”

“(Coach) Andy (Keogh) has made it clear that we need to win all of our remaining six games in order to finish on top of the ladder.   We cannot afford to drop any more points or let slip any more opportunities to leapfrog the teams ahead of us given how tight the gap is between the top five teams at the moment.”

“We let ourselves down before the break at ECU Joondalup but prior to that we’d been performing like a title-winning team.   Our defence has been strong and we’ve been creating plenty of chances.   I believe we can bounce back from last week’s disappointment and come out victorious tomorrow against Floreat Athena.”

National Premier Leagues, Round 21

Inglewood United vs Floreat Athena
Saturday 21 July @ Perth Plasterboard Centre Stadium, Inglewood

Under-18s 11.00am
Under-20s 1.00pm
First team 3.00pm