ILLAWARRA MERCURY PREMIER LEAGUE – ROUND 19 PREVIEW

Saturday 27 July

Coniston FC vs Tarrawanna Blueys @ JJ Kelly Park – 2:30pm

Coniston’s patch of turbulence continued last round, with the side falling to their fourth straight defeat in a 1-0 loss to South Coast United at JJ Kelly Park on Saturday – leaving Jeff Allport’s side stranded in ninth position. While a loss to the Blueys could see Coniston slip into a late relegation battle, the side can confirm their Premier League status for 2020 if they take a point from the encounter and Fernhill fail to beat Wollongong Olympic. However, if Coniston are to net a point against Tarrawanna, they will need to improve their record over teams in the top five, with Coniston only nabbing seven out of a possible 27 points against top-five teams this season – with their last win against a top five side coming all the way back in Round 8.

Meanwhile Tarrawanna produced one of the results of the round last time out, with a Keisuke Hayashi brace and a late Sam Munro strike helping the Blueys nab a 3-2 win over Wollongong Olympic – keeping Tarrawanna in the top five for another week and creating some late drama in the title race. Peter Willis’ side is holding onto their top-five position by a single point and a win against Coniston could potentially see them extend that gap to four points and push the Blueys past Woonona if the Sharks fail to beat Corrimal – but a loss could see them slip as low as seventh.

Interestingly, it was Coniston who last claimed bragging rights between the two sides, with goals from Kody Maude, Matt Tschentscher and Rob Brown helping Coniston to a 3-2 win over the Blueys back in Round 8. While both sides have hit patches of inconsistency since then, the desire to keep their spot in the top five might just be enough for the Blueys to nab the three points in this one.

Prediction – Tarrawanna Blueys

Wollongong United vs Bulli FC @ Macedonia Park – 2:30pm

Wollongong United maintained their late-season pressure on the top five last round, with a solid 4-1 win over Fernhill keeping the team on the edge of finals football. Oli Vrtkovski’s side currently lie in sixth place – a point behind fifth-placed Tarrawanna and a United win against Bulli could see the side move as high as fourth if results fall their way but a defeat could see the side fall four points adrift of the top five at a crucial part of the season. However, United will be keen to keep the goal-scoring momentum from their last match against Fernhill going against a side who struggled defensively last week – with United’s 4 goal haul from last round their biggest return since Round 9.

Bulli meanwhile had a weekend to forget last time out, with the side falling to a huge 6-2 defeat at the hands of Port Kembla – the club’s biggest league loss since June 2013 – just days after pushing past Port Kembla in the Bert Bampton Cup Semi-Final. The result sees Matt Bailey’s side in a tough position heading into the final weeks of the league, with the side now five points off the top-five and needing a win over United to keep themselves in the mix for finals football. However, Bulli will need to quickly snap back to the strong defensive form the side had before their loss to Port Kembla on Saturday if they are to get anything from the encounter – with the six goals conceded last round representing a quarter of all league goals Bulli has conceded this season.

The last chapter in this heated fixture played out back in Round 8, with Wollongong United nabbing a 1-0 victory at Balls Paddock thanks to a 6^th minute Billy Tsovolos strike. With a finals charge on the line for both sides, this match could grind itself out to an even result – not the most ideal result for either side.

Prediction – Draw

Wollongong Olympic vs Fernhill FC @ PCYC – 2:30pm

Wollongong Olympic made a huge misstep in the title race last round, with the side falling to Tarrawanna Blueys 3-2 at Tarrawanna Oval on Sunday – seeing their lead at the top of the ladder cut to five points. While George Antoniou’s side will be unwilling to put themselves on red alert, the side could see that gap close even further to as little as two points with a loss and a Corrimal win over Woonona – but a win will mathematically assure them of a finals spot, a small consolation as they maintain their run at the title.

However Olympic will need to get past a desperate Fernhill side who moved to panic stations last round after their winless streak extended to nine matches thanks to a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Wollongong United. The Foxes now sit four points off eleventh placed Cringila and with Fernhill facing all of the top three sides in their final four fixtures, Bruce Tilt’s side are seeming like they need a miracle to rise out of the relegation zone at this point. However, stranger things have happened in football and with Olympic looking to make their mark on the final few weeks of the competition, Fernhill could easily play spoiler.

Wollongong Olympic did claim victory the last time these two sides faced off back in Round 8, with a sole Yusuke Ueda strike all that separated the two sides in a 1-0 win at Ray Robinson Field. While Fernhill will be keen to upset the apple cart with a result, Wollongong Olympic’s quality should be more than enough to see them grab the result here.

Prediction – Wollongong Olympic

Albion Park White Eagles vs South Coast United @ Terry Reserve – 3pm

Albion Park stuttered yet again in their push for the title last round, with the side needing a stunning second half comeback to grab a point against Woonona in a 3-3 draw at Ocean Park on Saturday – with a Valentino Merxhushi brace and a goal from Robert Delbanco helping the White Eagles to their second straight draw. Paul Carter’s side currently sit in third place – having been overtaken by Corrimal after the Rangers’ win over Cringila on Sunday – but Albion Park can return to second with a win if Corrimal fails to get past Woonona.

However, they will come up against a stiff South Coast United challenge, who continued their fantastic unbeaten streak to seven games last round after a 1-0 win over Coniston at JJ Kelly Park. Greg Valic’s side has risen to tenth as a result of the streak, and while a loss could see the side slip behind Cringila again, a SCU win could see the side move within a point of Coniston in ninth if results go their way and give them some significant breathing room from the relegation battle. The side will be hoping that their strength in defense will again prove decisive, with the side only conceding two goals in their last four fixtures – four less than Albion Park have conceded in the same timeframe.

The last time these two sides faced off it was Albion Park who flew to a convincing 8-2 result – with hat-tricks from Joel Beattie and Cameron Morgan complimenting goals from Shaun Mcrae and Oliver Carrasco for the White Eagles, while SCU found the net through Ricky Bertakis and Tommy Skara. While this match is unlikely to see as many goals this time around, South Coast United’s strong recent form could be just enough to see them nab a result against a White Eagles side that is seeking a late title charge.

Prediction – South Coast United

Sunday 28 July

Port Kembla FC vs Cringila Lions @ Wetherall Park – 2:30pm

Port Kembla avenged their Bert Bampton Cup elimination last round, nabbing all three points against their semi-final opponents Bulli in a resounding 6-2 win, keeping the side within striking distance of a top-five spot. Steven Dimitrievski’s side sit two points adrift of fifth-placed Tarrawanna and a win could push the side into the top-five for the first time since Round 9 if results go their way but a loss could see them drop as much as five points off the finals pace – potentially an insurmountable obstacle at this point in the season. However, Port Kembla will be keen to keep the momentum gained by their strong win over Bulli going against the Lions – with the side now picking up three wins from their last five matches.

Meanwhile Cringila have appeared to return to the rough form the side was in prior to the appointment of Stuart Beedie, with the side falling to a 3-1 defeat to high-flying Corrimal last Sunday at Crehan Park. The Lions have now lost four out of their last five matches and have slipped back into eleventh as a result after South Coast United picked up a win last round against Coniston. While a win against Port Kembla could see the Lions retake tenth, a loss could see them slip within one point of bottom-placed Fernhill if the Foxes manage to nab a result against Wollongong Olympic – a scary position for the side to be in as the league reaches the final few rounds of the campaign.

Port Kembla waltzed to all three points the last time these two sides faced back in Round 8, with a Sandy Lowcock hat-trick punctuated by goals from Brad Acev, Jayden Salucci and Toni Musumeci in a 6-0 win for Port Kembla which was also Zivko Jovanovski’s final match as Cringila coach. While the scoreline may not be as significant as last time around, Port Kembla should be able to take advantage of Cringila’s recent stuttering form and nab a crucial three points as they attempt to stay in the finals hunt.

Prediction – Port Kembla FC

Corrimal Rangers vs Woonona FC @ Memorial Park – 3pm

Corrimal kept themselves in the title hunt last round, with a Van Elia brace and a goal from Tomoki Wada pushing the side to a 3-1 win over Cringila last Sunday at Crehan Park. Rob Jonoski’s side leapfrogged Albion Park White Eagles with the victory to move into second, with the side now five points off league-leaders Wollongong Olympic after Olympic fell to Tarrawanna. Corrimal could cut the gap down to as little as two points with a win and an Olympic loss to Fernhill, but a loss could see the Rangers slip behind Albion Park once again. Corrimal will be hoping they can count on Van Elia once more to help the side over the line – with the Corrimal striker picking up five goals in his last three games.

Meanwhile Woonona will be attempting to return to the winners circle this round after being forced to share the spoils with Albion Park White Eagles after a stunning 3-3 draw at Ocean Park on Saturday – with the Sharks going three goals up in the opening half hour only to concede three goals in the second half. Dan McGoldrick’s side remain in fourth despite the draw, but with the side only two points ahead of sixth-placed Wollongong United, the Sharks need to grab a result against the Rangers if they want to stay above water – with a win potentially drawing them level on points with Albion Park if the White Eagles lose to South Coast United but a loss potentially firing them out of the top-five. Interestingly, the side has been one of the top scoring teams in recent weeks, with the Sharks picking up ten goals from their last three matches, however their defence has been less than solid in that same timeframe, conceding ten goals as well – including seven against league leaders Wollongong Olympic.

Corrimal walked to victory the last time these two sides faced off back in Round 8 – with braces from Matt Galanti and Tomoki Wada plus a Daniel Carreno goal helping the Rangers to a 5-2 win over the Sharks. While Woonona looked to have kicked things up another gear or two since then, Corrimal’s desire to hunt down Olympic may just give them the edge in what promises to be a tight encounter.

Prediction – Corrimal Rangers

Preview by Cal Behrendt, on Twitter @CalBehrendt

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