The Northern Inland Premier League’s regular season will wrap up this weekend and there are some season-defining matches in store on both Saturday and Sunday.
The three Southern Conference round 20 matches on Saturday will see Moore Creek and Tamworth FC meet at Johnson Field, Namoi United host North Companions at Hogan Oval, and Oxley Vale Attunga challenge Hillvue Rovers at Riverside Sporting Complex.
There will also be a rescheduled round 13 Northern Conference fixture played when Inverell welcome East Armidale United to the Inverell Sporting Complex, and OVA and Tamworth FC will then contest their rescheduled round 15 fixture on Sunday.
Round 19 last Saturday saw Moore Creek and Inverell ensure the respective first grade premierships would remain in their control as they both scored crucial victories.
Inverell hosted South Armidale United and prevailed 4-0 while the Mountain Goats travelled to Narrabri where they held off Namoi United with 10 men to get up 2-1 at Hogan Oval.
The other matches were won by Demon Knights, Armidale City Westside, Tamworth FC and Oxley Vale Attunga. DK outscored East Armidale United 2-1 at Doody Park, Westside edged out Norths United by the same scoreline at Harris Park, Tamworth FC downed Hillvue Rovers 3-1 at Riverside Sporting Fields, and OVA defeated South United 3-0 at Gipps Street Sporting Fields.
A washed-out round 15 match between Namoi United and Hillvue Rovers was also scheduled to be played in Narrabri on Sunday, but the Tamworth club forfeited that match.
Those results saw Moore Creek remain three points clear at the top of the Southern Conference table with one game to go. Second-placed OVA are a win behind with a game in hand, and it is likely that both teams will finish locked on 41 points. Moore Creek will end up first if that is the case given their superior for and against difference.
The Mountain Goats face a tricky round 20 assignment against a Tamworth FC side that is pushing for a third-placed finish, and the conference leaders know they need to get the job done with their rivals OVA breathing down their necks.
For OVA, the equation is simple – win both games and hope Moore Creek drop points on Saturday.
The battle for third place in the Southern Conference is also going down to the wire.
Fifth-placed Namoi United dropped out of that last Saturday when they went down 2-1 against Moore Creek, but they can still have a significant impact when they host North Companions in their final game of the season on Saturday.
Northies are currently third with 26 points, two clear of fourth-placed Tamworth FC (24), and if Namoi United can beat the Companions for the second time this year, Tamworth FC would only need to win one of their two games this weekend to claim third place. Regardless of the result in Narrabri though, Tamworth FC can play finals football if they rise to the occasion and take six points from the two top-ranked teams in their conference across the weekend.
In the Northern Conference, Armidale City Westside’s round 19 victory saw them move to 41 points as they remained two clear of Inverell (39). However, the Inverell men will meet a side that is yet to pick up a point in 2024 when they welcome East Armidale United to town on Saturday, and a victory would see them finish a point ahead of Westside.
The Northern Conference premiership will go to Westside if East Armidale are able to score a win or a draw.
The reserve grade premierships are also going down to the wire, with Inverell in the exact same scenario as they sit two points behind the conference leaders with a game in hand. The only difference is that it is South Armidale United who are currently first.
The Scorpions had a chance to wrap up the premiership race last Saturday when they challenged Inverell in round 19, but the hosts won that match 3-1 at the Inverell Sporting Complex.
The Armidale side have now played all 17 of their regular-season matches and will claim the premiership if Inverell slip up against East Armidale United on Saturday.
In the Southern Conference, OVA and Moore Creek are locked on 36 points heading into the final weekend after both were victorious in round 19. Moore Creek downed Namoi United 4-1 while OVA defeated South United 2-0.
OVA are in the box seat to take out top spot given they play two games across the weekend, but if they drop points in both of those, Moore Creek can finish first with a win on Saturday.
The Southern Conference third-placed battle will also go down to the final weekend in reserve grade. Third-placed Hillvue Rovers are currently four points clear of Tamworth FC and will lock in that position if they beat OVA on Saturday.
Tamworth FC can overtake the Rovers if they win both games across the weekend and Hillvue drop points.
Third place in the Northern Conference was claimed by Armidale City Westside when they beat fourth-placed Norths United 3-0 in round 19 to go eight points clear of them. Norths could have overtaken Westside had they have won that game and then also won their rescheduled round 15 match against East Armidale United.
