Inglewood United may be sitting top of the league but midfielder John Migas knows full well that will mean nothing this weekend. The quest for FFA Cup glory has Inglewood making the short journey to Grindleford Reserve on Saturday afternoon for a quarter-final showdown with a Balcatta side that has won three of its last four games.
“Balcatta have definitely stepped it up over the last few weeks,” commented Migas. “They’ve got a good young team who are continuing to develop and are getting better each week. I played a couple seasons with Balcatta so it will be exciting to play my first game against them since I was last there in 2013.”
“With the team we have I’m confident going into every game that we’re good enough to win and this week is no different. That said, you only ever look ahead as far as the next 90 minutes and in the Cup anything can happen. It’ll be tough and we’ll need to be at our best if we’re going to make it through to the last four.”
Migas came to Inglewood over the summer and was quick to establish himself in coach Taki Nicolaidis’ starting line-up. Prior to this year the 31-year old spent much of his career in defence but this year he’s found himself deployed more often than not in a more central role alongside Jason Barrera and Mark Pritchard.
“Being pushed into midfield was a bit of a surprise,” he admits. “It has taken some getting used to but it is definitely made easier playing alongside Chilli (Barrera) and Pritch. They’re two quality players who you want on the ball as much as possible. When they’re at the top of their game, that’s when we look most dangerous.”
“Even though I’m playing midfield, it’s still more of a defensive minded role where I’m looking to win the ball and get it to our playmakers. So far it’s worked well but we have conceded a few more goals recently than we would have liked. So there is still definitely room for improvement.”
FFA Cup, Round 6
First team
Balcatta vs Inglewood United
Saturday 14 May @ Grindleford Reserve, Balcatta, kick-off 2.30pm
Under-18s
Balcatta vs Inglewood United
Saturday 14 May @ Grindleford Reserve, Balcatta, kick-off 10.00am
