Picton Rangers vs Berkeley Sports

Hume Oval

Kick-off: Saturday, 3pm.

Picton Rangers host Berkeley Sports at Hume Oval this weekend in a potential finals preview.

Shell Cove wrapped up the District League Championship two weeks ago but the race for second place has come right down to the wire.

Berkeley remain in a four way competition for the second spot with Warilla Wanderers, Picton and Corrimal Rangers also in the hunt.

Picton will likely seal second place with a win and boss Brett Morley knows how important the game is for his team.

“It’s a massive weekend,” said Morley.

“Depending on what happens in other games if we get a good result then we should be able to nail that second or third spot

“Berkeley have been in red hot form recently as well, they’ve had some really good results and they’re scoring goals as well.

“I think no doubt it’ll be a really close one and they’re going to give our defence a test so it’s going to be the best on the day and hopefully we can get something out of it.”

Rangers carry some hot form into the game with 10 goals in their last two games; the Western Suburbs club have had no trouble scoring goals this season with the competition’s highest tally of 70.

The form comes at a good time for Picton as they enter the finals hoping to challenge an impressive Shell Cove outfit that ran away with the championship this year.

 “We’re not having too many difficulties sticking goals away and hopefully that doesn’t change,” said Morley.

“We’ll certainly be trying to play the same sort of football that we have been recently and try to outscore the opposition.

“The beauty of it is, is that it’s not just one or two goal scorers; we’re spreading them around with a lot of guys on good numbers at the moment.”

Berkeley are in some formidable form themselves with four straight wins heading into the game.

Picton and Berkeley are tied on 51 points but the Southern Suburbs club still have a game in hand after last weekend’s washout and are in the box seat to claim second place.

“Picton are probably the form side in the competition,” said Berkeley boss Jason Higgs.

“They’ve scored a lot of goals and not conceded many at all.

“They are a well-coached side who like to move the ball around and they don’t lose many at home so it will be a good game.

“We’re not looking past Saturday at this point, Wests Illawarra on Sunday will be tough but we’re focussed on the game at hand right now.”

This is the pick of the weekend’s action and could decide who seals that all important second place spot on the ladder.

Both sides take good form into the finals and will be formidable opponents with this game shaping up as an entertaining fixture.

 

Julian Keith

FSC Reporter