White City v MetroStars
PlayStation 4 National Premier League Round 7

When: Friday, March 20^th. Kick-Off 8:15pm
Where: Frank Mitchell Park, Cnr of Todville & Minns Stree, EAST WOODVILLE

Form:

White City: W L D

Round 6:Para Hills Knights 0 White City 0, The Paddocks
Round 5:White City 0 West Adelaide 1, Frank Mitchell Park
Round 4: South Adelaide 0 White City 2, O’Sullivan Beach Sports Complex

MetroStars:

Round 6:MetroStars 4 Adelaide City 3, Casadio Park – Mount Gambier
Round 5:Raiders 3 MetroStars 0, Croatian Sports Centre
Round 4:West Torrens Birkalla 1 MetroStars 1, Jack Smith Park

Preview:

White City and MetroStars go head to head on Friday night in Round 7 of the PlayStation 4 National Premier League South Australia.

Both teams lie in the middle of a tightly contested race for a birth in the top six. MetroStars sit one point outside in seventh position, while White City are a win off the pace down in tenth.

MetroStars defeated Adelaide City 4-3 in a thrilling opener in Round 6, while White City played out a nil all draw against Para Hills Knights.

 A win for either side will be crucial, as they look to break away from the pack and gain ground on the teams above them.

The contest will be of extra importance for the visitors, as veteran David Menechella will be making his 350^th league appearance, an achievement he admits he didn’t know about until he was notified by the club.

“To be totally honest I didn’t know, the club notified me and told me it was all happening.

“I’m a little bit nervous, but at the same time it’s just another game.

“When I found out, I looked back and said ‘wow that’s a lot of games’.

“It’s a pretty good achievement.”

After what Menechella calls a disappointing start to their season, Metro will look to build on the momentum established last round with an away win.

“We’ve started off the season a bit up and down, we weren’t really that consistent.

“Beating Adelaide City, and the way we beat them was good for the group as whole since we pulled together and really showed that we could do anything.

“We really need to get the three points this week and put ourselves back into contention.”

That sentiment was echoed by White City vice-captain Miki Petkovic, who is looking for the team to make a quick turnaround after a disappointing result last round.

“Last week, the feeling throughout the team wasn’t too good,” he said.

“We felt we deserved more than one point given the amount of chances we had, and that’s two points we won’t get back.

“Sitting in tenth after six games isn’t ideal, but we’re remaining positive and looking forward, because we believe that we can do something this year.”

White City haven’t won at home yet this season, but anything less than three points on Friday is a failure in the eyes of Petkovic.

“We have to come out really positive this Friday.

“We know Metro are a good team, so every player must be focused one hundred per cent.

“Not having won at home this season, three points is a must for us and nothing less, because we want to make Frank Mitchell Park a fortress and Friday is the perfect place to start.”

A win for MetroStars would be the icing on the cake for Menecehella in his landmark game, but he believes they key battle the must overcome in their quest for a win is the one in their heads.

“If all the boys come with the right frame of mind and give everything they’ve got, I can’t see why we wouldn’t get the win.

“I think that’s sort of where we have been let down a little bit, if we don’t come with the right mindset then we find that that’s when we struggle, but if everyone comes to play we can match it with anyone.

“It’ll that extra bit sweeter for me if we can cap off my 350th with a win.”

Article by Brendan Simpkins