Holding National Premier Leagues leaders Bayswater City to a scoreless draw has provided Inglewood United a timely boost in their quest to play finals football. Inglewood responded to a difficult week, in which the loss of three competition points due to a technicality was followed by defeat at Sorrento, with a polished display that served to highlight their top four credentials according to Greg Sharland. “I was really pleased with just how well we played against Bayswater,” said Inglewood’s 32-year old captain. “We matched them in every department and probably had the better chances in the game.”

Last weekend’s meeting with Bayswater was played in truly atrocious conditions which Sharland rates as being akin to what he experienced as a teenager with English club Charlton Athletic. “It was probably the worst conditions I have played in in Perth, it reminded me of my time in England,” the midfielder commented. A torrential downpour in the hours leading into Saturday’s game combined with two games earlier in the day to leave the Intiga Stadium surface in a dreadful state. “When we walked out for the second half the pitch was nearly unplayable.”

Despite the weather and a worsening pitch, Inglewood still managed to assert themselves through the hard-working central unit of Ryan Francis, Andrija Jukic and Sharland. “Normo’s (coach Graham Normanton) teams have always been based around a strong core, especially in midfield,” said Sharland before paying tribute to wide players Ryan Clarke, who was absent last weekend with a knee complaint, and David Sesay. “They are possibly the quickest players in the league and both are having great years. I’ve played on the wing a lot in my career and when confidence is high you really get the most out of your wide players.”

Sharland will be hoping all Inglewood players are firing this Saturday when they visit second-from-top Balcatta, who triumphed 4-1 when the sides met earlier in the season. “We had a really bad start to the year with four losses from four games and Balcatta were one of those teams,” he said. “We dominated possession, however, they really hurt us on the break and that’s something we need to be wary of if we’re to get a result. This is a game we need to win … to rectify our earlier loss to Balcatta and to return to the top four.”