Inglewood United and Subiaco AFC have very different motivations for wanting all three points from this weekend’s National Premier Leagues fixture. Inglewood head into the third to last game of the regular season on top of the ladder, albeit with Perth SC, Floreat Athena and Bayswater City within striking distance.
That contrasts sharply with last-placed Subiaco, who have been cut four points adrift of their nearest rival. Inglewood only just scraped past Subiaco earlier in the season – claiming a narrow 2-1 victory on a wet and windy afternoon – and a similarly lacklustre performance at home on Saturday will not be acceptable for Nicolaidis.
“We were very wasteful in front of goal,” Nicolaidis said of the mid-May meeting when Jason Colli and Calum O’Connell netted in the first half. “To be honest, the scoreline was a lot closer that day than the game actually was. But the longer the game stayed at 2-1, the longer Subiaco were capable to stealing a draw.”
“Subiaco have improved since we last met. They’re chasing every point they can to avoid relegation so I’m expecting a tough contest. We will need to be patient and smart in what we do and ensure we capitalise on the opportunities that we create if we are to come away with anything from the afternoon.”
Nicolaidis is pleased with how his squad is shaping up for the closing stages of the winter. “We are getting very close to full-strength again,” he said. “Ash Rosindale and Brian Woodall missed the last two games but they’re back and gaining match fitness, and Kenny Keogh and Jason Barrera are available after missing last week.”
“All the boys were disappointed at losing to Sorrento a fortnight ago but they responded very well last week in a tricky fixture against Armadale. The intensity at training has been high and there’s a positive feeling within the group, as there has been all season … it’s a cliche I know but we are taking it all one game at a time.”
National Premier Leagues, Round 20
Inglewood United vs Subiaco AFC
Saturday 13 August @ Inglewood Stadium
Kick-off times
First team 3.00pm
Under-20s 1.00pm
Under-18s 11.00am
