What was initially scheduled to be a well-earned break has turned into an action-packed weekend for the Northern Inland Premier League clubs, with four rescheduled fixtures to be played on Saturday.
Rounds six, seven and nine will finally be completed when Namoi United host East Armidale United at Hogan Oval, Norths United welcome Tamworth FC to Phil Wheaton Oval and Demon Knights travel to Gipps Street Sporting Fields to challenge Hillvue Rovers, while round 14 gets underway a week earlier than expected when North Companions host Inverell at Marius Street Sporting Fields.
The first three of those games were washed out earlier in the year and the round 14 match has been brought forward a week due to Inverell travelling to the Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility to contest Northern NSW Football’s 2024 Community Plate final against Newcastle Croatia on July 20.
Inverell have impressed so far in their return to the NIPL, winning seven of their 10 matches to start the season to go with two draws and just one loss. They are ranked second on the Northern Conference ladder with 23 points, five behind leaders Armidale City Westside with a game in hand.
Inverell had a weekend off in round 13 due to East Armidale being unable to play, with that match being expected to be rescheduled to a later date, meaning the last time they lined up was when they beat Hillvue Rovers 5-0 at Riverside Sporting Complex last month.
That was just the second time they have travelled this season and was their first visit to Tamworth, and coach Damien Schutz said they were pumped for another road trip this Saturday.
“The travel didn’t affect us going to Tamworth when we played Hillvue. It was actually good to get away. Seven home games in a row gets a bit mundane,” Schutz said.
“North Companions have been hot and cold this year. They’ve knocked off Moore Creek recently, and if they can be consistent, they’ll be dangerous. We want them on a cold day, not a hot day, I suppose.
“We’re going alright so far. We’ve been concentrating on week to week, and not getting ahead of ourselves.
“Like I said earlier in the season, with the big pre-season we had and the extra games with the Australia Cup run, it took its toll in the middle part of the season there. But we’ve had a few little breaks and the guys are starting to freshen up.”
For North Companions, Saturday’s game is a chance at redemption following their round 13 loss against Tamworth FC. Northies are still third on the Southern Conference table with 19 points following that result but they fell further behind Moore Creek (25) and Oxley Vale Attunga (23), who were both victorious last Saturday.
North Companions have won six of their 12 games this year, drawn one and lost five. They have shown glimpses of brilliance throughout the season but their most glaring issue has been inconsistency, highlighted by the loss against Tamworth FC and a poor performance against Norths United a week earlier after they had demolished Moore Creek 4-0 in round 11.
Coach Dave Johnson is looking for an improved performance this Saturday but is well aware that they face a tough challenge against Inverell.
“We need to find consistency. One minute we look like potential premiers, and the next we look quite ordinary,” Johnson said.
“The day we beat Moore Creek was a delight to watch. We got four goals in 12 minutes and blew them away, then the next week we couldn’t put two passes together.
“It’s kind of been what-ifs for us so far. Some games that we’d pencilled in as a win have turned out to be losses, and last-minute goals have hurt us too. The (1-1) draw against Demon Knights was a last-minute goal and last weekend (a 3-2 loss) against Tamworth FC was a last-minute goal too. Those little moments where we thought we had them covered have had an impact. Those results would have put us further up the ladder.
“We had a nice gap on the teams below us in the Southern Conference, but that’s sort of closed a bit after last weekend’s loss.”
“This is my first year as head coach, and overall, I’m very happy with the squad we’ve got,” Johnson added.
“Inverell this weekend, they won the Johnson Cup and they were quite impressive that day. They’re very skilful and very quick, which is a great combination in a football side. We know we’ve got a battle on the weekend, but we’ve got some key players in key positions returning, and we’re very hopeful that we’ll put on a good show. You never know, we might do a Moore Creek on them.”
At Gipps Street Sporting Field, Hillvue Rovers will be attempting to narrow the gap between themselves and the top three in the Southern Conference while Demon Knights will be looking to bounce back from their first loss of the season.
The Rovers are currently ranked fifth in their conference following three wins and seven losses so far this year. That leaves them on nine points, 10 behind third-placed North Companions with two games in hand on them.
Hillvue still have eight games left to play after their round 13 match last weekend away from home against South Armidale was washed out, but they need to start winning now if they are a chance of playing finals football.
Demon Knights entered round 13 as the only undefeated side in the entire competition but they lost for the first time when they went down 4-1 against Northern Conference rivals Armidale City Westside.
That result saw DK remain in third place with 23 points, trailing Inverell on goal difference and Westside with five competition points.
Rob James’ side still have the best defensive record in the competition and will be looking to show exactly why that is the case when they play in Tamworth for the third and final time this year on Saturday.
In Narrabri, two teams desperate for a win will go head-to-head when Namoi United host East Armidale. These two sides have the worst form in the competition, with East Armidale having lost all nine of their games this year and Namoi United winless in their past five matches.
Namoi United have eight more matches to play this year, seven of which are at home, which gives them the perfect opportunity to string some wins together and make a top three push. They must win in their rescheduled round six match on Saturday though if they are any real hope of playing finals football.
At Phil Wheaton Oval, Tamworth FC will be playing to extend their winning streak to three games following a victorious double header last weekend that saw them edge out North Companions 3-2 on Saturday and South United 4-3 on Sunday.
Those results saw them climb to outright fourth on the Southern Conference ladder and finish the weekend just four points behind third-placed North Companions. If Tamworth FC can get the job done against Norths United on Saturday and North Companions drop points against Inverell, Tamworth FC would move within a win of the top three.
Norths United are eager to get back on the park following a bye last weekend. Their last match was in round 12 when they went down 1-0 on home soil to North Companions, which brought an end to a two-game winning streak.
The Armidale club are on nine points following three wins and seven losses so far in 2024. They are 14 points outside the top three, making this Saturday’s fixture a must-win match for them as well.
