The 2024 Northern Inland Premier League season is approaching the business end of the campaign as the clubs line up for round 13 matches on Saturday.
Fixtures will be played all across the region as Tamworth, Armidale, Narrabri and Inverell all host matches, and one in particular has caught the attention of many as being a clear standout for the match of the round.
Northern Conference heavyweights Armidale City Westside and Demon Knights will go head-to-head at Harris Park in an Armidale derby clash where first place is on the line.
Westside are currently ranked first with 25 points following eight wins, one draw and one loss so far this season, while DK are ranked third, locked on 23 points with second-placed Inverell following seven wins and two draws.
The undefeated Demon Knights have a game in hand on the two sides ahead of them and would be already first if they had played and won that one, and they can climb to the top or at least second place with a win this Saturday.
Adding to the occasion of such a highly-anticipated clash is Armidale City Westside Football Club’s inaugural Indigenous Round celebrations at Harris Park, which will be proudly sponsored by Armidale Aboriginal Cultural Centre and Keeping Place. Westside will run out in special jerseys designed by their very own Bobby Blair, there will be a Welcome to Country conducted by club life member Cyril Green and a Smoking Ceremony held prior to the Premier League matches, and junior games will kick off early on Saturday morning and run during the day before the senior matches get underway from 1pm.
Westside committee member Jamie Langenbaker said that the club were excited to host their maiden Indigenous Round celebrations.
“It’s the first time we’ve ever done something for Indigenous Round,” Langenbaker said.
“We have a lot of Indigenous members at our club, and three or four of our life members are Indigenous too. It’s a way to pay our respects.
“We’re very excited. It’s been pretty well-organised through the committee. Everybody has been on board, digging in and helping out.
“The jerseys look awesome. They come up really good.
“It should be a good day down there. We’ve made a big day out of it with the barbecue going all day and the junior games going before Premier league.”
Westside are pumped for the first grade game and are determined to become the first team to knock off Demon Knights this year. However, they could be without coach and goalkeeper Anthony Gray who is battling to overcome an illness.
His younger brother Stephen Gray is a member of the club’s reserve grade team and said that the first grade side were pumped for the top-of-the-table clash against DK. Westside are coming off a 2-1 win away from home against Oxley Vale Attunga, which saw them bounce back from their first loss of the year a week earlier when they went down 2-1 against South Armidale United in round 11.
“The boys dug deep last week and really got back to basics. They started to play football again,” Stephen Gray said.
“It was good to see them to have that desire to get in and make up for what happened the week before.
“DK have always been a team that we’ve enjoyed playing against. We’ve had it over them in previous years, but they have made themselves a formidable team this year. It’s a game that we’re looking forward to. It will be a tough match and hopefully we can rise to the occasion.”
While Westside have scored more goals than any other Northern Conference team this season, they are going to need to be sharper than ever on Saturday. Demon Knights have been sensational defensively this season, conceding just five goals in nine matches.
DK’s coach Rob James said that his team had taken the approach that all 11 players were responsible for defence in 2024, which has been paying off so far.
“Everyone talks about our defence, but it’s not just the four people at the back and the goalkeeper,” James said.
“It’s all 11 players. We defend from the front and we win possession high up the park.
“I think most teams, when they play us, would go away thinking ‘we didn’t get many chances to get a shot on goal today’. When teams have had chances, they haven’t been clear opportunities.
“Most of our games this year we’ve controlled possession too.”
As for Saturday, James said that he and his players were expecting one of their toughest battles of the season so far.
“We’re expecting a tough contest against Westside. There’s no doubt in my mind that they’ll be up for it,” James said.
“I thought they were probably one of the more structured teams last year when we played against them. This year, I’ve only been able to watch them once, but they were well-structured again.
“We just need to stick to what we’ve been doing. I’ve been asking the boys to compete and contest all year, and that’s what they’ve been doing every game. That sets the platform for us.”
Other round 13 fixtures on Saturday will see Namoi United host Moore Creek at Hogan Oval, Inverell welcome East Armidale to the Inverell Sporting Complex, North Companions and Tamworth FC meet in a local derby at Marius Street Sporting Fields, Hillvue Rovers travel to Doody Park to challenge South Armidale United, and Oxley Vale Attunga go head-to-head with South United in the other Tamworth derby. Norths United will sit out with the bye.
In Narrabri, Namoi United are looking to end a four-game winless run but it will be an uphill battle as they welcome Southern Conference leaders Moore Creek to town.
The combined Narrabri/Wee Waa/Moree side have lost two games by just one goal in that run and their last game saw them draw 2-2 with last year’s premiers Oxley Vale Attunga on home soil. They led 2-0 in that match but conceded two late penalties that the visitors converted.They then sat out last weekend with the round 12 bye.
Neil Brayshaw’s men have shown time and time again this season that they belong in the Northern Inland Premier League competition, but they now need to start stringing wins together if they are a chance of playing finals football as they sit 11 points outside of the Southern Conference’s top three and are now sixth on the seven-team conference table.
Moore Creek enter round 13 on a huge high after putting back-to-back losses behind them last Saturday when they thumped South Armidale United 6-2. That saw them finish the day on top of the conference table on 22 points, with OVA (20) and North Companions (19) breathing down their necks.
No side from either conference has scored more goals than Moore Creek this year, with the Mountain Goats piling on 62 goals in 11 games. They are determined to add to that on Saturday against a Namoi side that is yet to keep a clean sheet.
East Armidale have a tough task on their hands in round 13 when they travel to Inverell Sporting Complex to challenge the in-form Inverell.
Since they were thumped 5-2 against Moore Creek in round seven, Inverell have been in sensational form. In five games they have picked up 13 of a possible 15 points, are currently on a four-game winning streak and are also on a three-game clean sheet streak. They have piled on 20 goals in their past five games and are showing why they were most people’s favourites heading into the 2024 campaign.
Inverell are currently second on the Northern Conference table and are well aware that they can make ground on one or both of the teams either side of them as first-placed Armidale City Westside and third-placed Demon Knights play against each other on Saturday.
For East Armidale, this season has been one to forget so far but they still continue to battle for their first win of the campaign. They have lost all nine games they have played a combined 70 goals to six and are hopeful of turning that around against one of the best teams in the competition on Saturday.
At Marius Street Sporting Fields, North Companions will be looking to continue the red-hot form that has seen them put themselves in contention to battle for first place in the Southern Conference. They have kept clean sheets in their past three games and have found the back of the net nine times themselves during that run to earn a maximum nine points and move within three of top-ranked Moore Creek, who they beat 4-0 in round 11.
For Tamworth FC, this is a must-win game. They are fifth on the Southern Conference table, locked on nine points with fourth-placed Hillvue Rovers. If Tamworth FC loses against North Companions, the 10-point gap between the two teams will stretch out to 13 points and will make it almost impossible for Tamworth FC to finish in the top three.
South Armidale and Hillvue are two sides battling to overcome recent losses when they meet at Doody Park on Saturday.
The Scorpions were enjoying a four-game winning streak before they were thumped 6-2 by Moore Creek in round 12. That saw the fourth-placed Northern Conference side finish the weekend eight points outside the top three, making their round 13 match a crucial one in terms of their finals hopes.
The Rovers are also fourth in their conference and are 10 points outside the top three following three consecutive losses since they beat North Companions 3-0 in round eight. This Saturday’s game is also a must-win clash for them, which will make for an explosive fixture.
South United enter round 13 hot off their second win and first clean sheet of the season last Saturday when they prevailed 3-0 away from home against East Armidale. They are determined to string back-to-back wins together for the first time this season, but they face one of the toughest challenges possible when they meet Oxley Vale Attunga at Riverside Sporting Complex.
OVA are currently ranked second on the Southern Conference table. They are on 20 points, one ahead of third-placed North Companions and two behind leaders Moore Creek.
Tim Coates’ men are chasing their first win in three weeks following a 2-1 loss against Armidale City Westside at home last Saturday and a 2-2 draw away from home against Namoi United in round 11.
They will be fired up this Saturday as they look to recapture the form that saw them overpower Moore Creek 5-2 in round 10 and also climb over the Mountain Goats into first place.