Ryan Francis does not need to be reminded that Inglewood United’s season will be defined by the outcome of the next five games. The club sits in fifth position but only three points behind Sorrento, who they face this weekend at Percy Doyle Reserve. After that Francis and his teammates come up against for three sides Bayswater City, Balcatta and Perth SC along with National Premier Leagues’ struggler Armadale. “The next five games are vital as our bad start (to the season) hasn’t left us much room for further slip-ups,” commented Francis. “We want to finish as high as possible on the table and win every game we can.”
Inglewood wasted a golden opportunity to close the gap on the top four last week by drawing with a ten-man Floreat Athena. “We were disappointed not to take all three points,” Francis commented. The home side played the majority of the afternoon with an extra player – Floreat custodian Tom Dixon was red carded after only minutes – and went ahead three times, but their failure to hold that lead or capitalise on a host of other chances meant they had to be content with the single point. “We had chances to finish them off but we didn’t play to our standards so let ourselves down by drawing … we know we’re better than that.”
Francis, a former semi-professional with English clubs Arlesey Town and Peterborough Northern Star, joined Inglewood over the summer from Bunbury Forum Force. “I got a message from Graham Normanton asking if I was interested in playing National Premier Leagues. I came down to training and instantly enjoyed being part of Inglewood,” said the 29-year old. “I like to think I’ve contributed to the attacking side of Inglewood’s game, bringing something different and running at players, but I feel I still have more to show. I’d like to thank Normo for seeing my ability, putting me in the middle of the park and giving me the opportunity to play in this league.”
This Saturday Inglewood head to Sorrento, a team Francis admits he knows very little about. “I’ve only played Sorrento a few times, I don’t really know a lot about them other than they seem to play direct and physical,” said Francis, who has no doubt Inglewood can get the better of their hosts. “We’ve got a great mix of lads and team spirit is awesome, we are constantly wanting to improve ourselves and our game. When we are all playing well it’s hard for anyone to get near us (and) if we concentrate on our game this Saturday we will come away with the three points.”
