Central defender Scott Blackmore is expecting a tough time on Sunday afternoon against National Premier Leagues new boys Joondalup United. The northern suburbs outfit have made a strong start to their first season in the top flight, unbeaten after five games having taken points off competition mainstays Cockburn City and Balcatta.
Blackmore, who featured when Inglewood United and Joondalup drew 2-2 earlier in the year, has a fair idea of what the visitors will bring to Perth Plasterboard Centre Stadium on the weekend. “We played Joondalup in pre-season and it wasn’t the prettiest of games, being fairly scrappy,” Blackmore said. “I’m expecting a similarly tough game on Sunday.”
“They’re a fairly physical side, full of running, quick to get men behind the ball, hard to break down and then fairly direct when they’re in possession. We’ll show them the respect they deserve, but I am confident that we’ll be up for the challenge and come away from the afternoon with a positive result.”
It’s no secret that Inglewood haven’t started the season as planned. After six games Blackmore’s team sit in eighth position with a single win and three draws to their credit. The 31-year old is quick to dismiss suggestions the season is starting to get away from his team, saying there is enough time for Inglewood to re-energise their campaign.
“It’s a long season, especially with two new teams and the added rounds,” he reasoned. “It’s not ideal to be letting any teams get too many points on us, but it’s probably a bit too early to be looking at the table as an indicator of where we or anyone else will be placed at the end of the season.”
“We had a pretty dramatic 2016 season with teams moving up and down the table every week. And the league wasn’t won until the last few minutes of the very last game. We’ve still got a lot of games in front of us and if we can string a few good results together, build some confidence and play to our potential, the results will look after themselves.”
National Premier Leagues, Round 7
Inglewood United vs Joondalup United
Sunday 2 April @ Perth Plasterboard Centre Stadium (Hamer Parade, Inglewood)
Kick-off times
First team 3.00pm
Under-20s 1.00pm
Under-18s 11.00am
