The District League season is now in full swing with all the washed out games from the start of the season being accounted for. Round 7 is an enticing set of fixtures with a free-scoring Helensburgh taking on a battle hardened Thirroul. This round also sees the bottom four sides go head to head, and if Oak Flats and Bellambi pick up wins, Kiama and Balgownie will be cut 4 points adrift.

Match of the round

Helensburgh Thistle vs Thirroul Thunder at Rex Jackson Park, kick off 3 pm, Saturday 6th of May

Helensburgh has surged up the table in the past two weeks with two barnstorming wins over Balgownie and Oak Flats. The form of Naruyuki Kato has been sublime and he was a key figure in their 5-0 win over the Falcons. At this stage, Thirroul looks to be the Thistle’s toughest opponent over the next month so a result here tightens their position in the top five.

Thirroul continues to apply pressure to the league’s top three and their regulation 2-0 win over Kiama is an indication of the determined character of the side. The Thunder boasts the second tightest defence in the league with just 4 goals conceded. Garth Bowley’s side has already faced the league’s big three in Coniston, Fernhill and Warilla and they have proven capable of subduing productive attacks.

Helensburgh is in fine form, but they will do well to pick up a win against one of the league’s heartiest sides.

Prediction - Draw

Saturday 6th of May - all games kick off at 3 pm

Coniston FC vs Wests Illawarra at JJ Kelly Park

Coniston bounced back from their first defeat of the season with an unconvincing 1-0 win away to Bellambi. Willy Alarcon was without striker Dinko Terzic against Bellambi due to a hamstring injury but he expects his talisman to be fit for Saturday’s clash with Wests.

Wests dropped out of the top 5 with their 3-0 defeat to Fernhill. Despite playing Warilla and Fernhill in their past two matches, the Devils still have a tricky run of fixtures over the next month, with no match I would mark them as clear cut favourites.

Wests can draw some hope from Bellambi’s ability to nullify Coniston and they have attacking potential to hit on the break but the return of Terzic should spur on the home side.

Prediction - Coniston

Oak Flats Falcons vs Balgownie Rangers at Keith Bond Oval

It isn’t quite panic stations yet for Oak Flats, but after their disappointing defeat to Kiama, they were battered 5-0 by a resurgent Helensburgh. The Falcons now sit a point off the bottom of the ladder with their round 1 win against Berkeley a distant memory.

Balgownie is in a similar predicament to Oak Flats, currently occupying 11th place. The big difference is the Rangers come into this match on the back of a win which may be the confidence boost needed to kick-start their season.

These are two sides I would have predicted at the start of the season to be tussling for 5th position, they are both underperforming which makes for a tough tie to predict.

Prediction - Balgownie

Kiama Quarriers vs Bellambi Rosellas at Kiama Sporting Complex

Kiama has had a horrible four days. On Saturday they went down 2-0 to Thirroul and on Tuesday night, a match rescheduled from round 1, the Quarriers suffered a 7-1 defeat at the hands of Fernhill. The heavy 6 goal loss drops them below Balgownie to the foot of the table. The only consolation is they became the first team to score against the Foxes.

Bellambi had a productive weekend with a double header against Coniston and University. Tim Hooker’s side managed to frustrate Coniston for large periods of the match before going down 1-0 but their endeavour was rewarded with a rollercoaster 4-3 win over the Students on Sunday. The weekend is likely to give them confidence going into this clash, a result here will be fantastic in their efforts to steer clear of the bottom of the table.

Kiama showed against Oak Flats they are capable of beating sides that are around them but it will be a tough ask to pick up a result on the back of their midweek result.

Prediction - Bellambi

Warilla Wanderers vs Berkeley at King Mickey Park

Warilla put their disappointing draw against Wests behind them by recording a 2-0 win over University. The win keeps them in 2nd but Fernhill’s midweek win has the Wanderers 4 points behind the early frontrunners. The experienced Barney King will be well aware that it is a 22 game competition so he is unlikely to be too worried just yet.

After putting together back to back wins, Berkeley suffered a demoralising defeat to Balgownie who were in last place when the match kicked off. Paul Mears’ side is still within touching distance of the top five but their loss to the Rangers will hurt given this match begins a tough run of fixtures.

Berkeley will need to be impeccable in defence to claim any points out of the league’s second best attack.

Prediction - Warilla

Fernhill Foxes vs University FC at Ray Robinson Field

Things are looking all too easy for the Fernhill Foxes. A solid 3-0 win against Wests on Saturday before backing up on Tuesday night and putting 7 goals past Kiama in a 7-1 victory. The goal they conceded against Kiama puts an end to a run over 510 minutes of not conceding a goal in the league. The win sees them 4 points clear at the top of the table and with the league’s best defence and attack, it will take some effort to catch them.

University had a double header over the weekend. On Saturday they had a 2-0 defeat at home to Warilla which made their Sunday match against Bellambi a crucial clash. In a high scoring affair, they went down to the Rosellas 4-3 which means they have 3 defeats on the spin. A positive for the Students is they are just a win outside the top five.

I can’t see anything other than a comfortable Fernhill win.

Prediction - Fernhill

Preview by Dylan Arvela on Twitter @dylanarvela