The business end of the 2024 Northern Inland Premier league season has well and truly arrived as teams get set to line up for their round 17 fixtures on Saturday.
The races for the premierships in both conferences have captured everyone’s attention and the battle for third place in the Southern Conference is also of significant interest.
Saturday’s fixtures will see East Armidale United and South Armidale United go head-to-head at Doody Park, Armidale City Westside welcome Inverell to Harris Park, Oxley Vale Attunga travel to Narrabri to challenge Namoi United, Norths United take on Demon Knights at Phil Wheaton Oval, Moore Creek host North Companions at Marius Street Sporting Fields, and Hillvue Rovers clash with South United at Riverside Sporting Complex, while Tamworth FC sit out with the round 17 bye.
Those games have a lot to live up to after last Saturday’s round 16 action was the most competitive that the NIPL teams have produced this season, with four of the five matches decided by just one goal and the other being separated by a two-goal margin.
Oxley Vale Attunga outscored North Companions 2-0 at Marius Street Sporting Fields, Inverell edged out Norths United 2-1 at Inverell Sporting Complex, and three games were won 3-2 as Tamworth FC defeated Namoi United at Johnson Field, Moore Creek downed South United at Riverside Sporting Complex, and Demon Knights beat South Armidale United at New England Mutual Sportsground.
The round wrapped up on Thursday night when Armidale City Westside and East Armidale United played their rescheduled fixture, but it was anything but close as Westside prevailed 7-0 to go five points clear at the top of the Northern Conference table.
The next two weeks are season-defining for Westside as they take on second-placed Inverell and third-placed Demon Knights in back-to-back matches and can wrap up top spot.
This weekend’s clash against Inverell is a clear contender for the match of the round as the two sides with the best form go head-to-head in a top-of-the-table clash.
Westside and Inverell are the only two teams across both conferences who are unbeaten in their past five games, with both having won four of those and drawn the other.
They have both only lost one game this season and their defence all year has been exemplary as Westside have conceded 13 goals in 14 games and Inverell have conceded 15 goals in 13 games.
They have both had no problem finding the back of the net at the other end of the field, but how they manage to do that against one another is the big question on Saturday after they finished all square at 1-1 when they met earlier in the season at Inverell Sporting Complex in round six.
It is a must-win game for Inverell in terms of their premiership hopes as they sit five points behind Westside. They have a game in hand on the Northern Conference leaders, but anything other than a victory on Saturday would make it too difficult for Damien Schutz’s men to catch Anthony Gray’s side.
Inverell are also aware that they could drop to third if they slip up as they sit level on 30 points with Demon Knights.
In the Southern Conference, the biggest game of the weekend sees Moore Creek challenge North Companions in a first-versus-third battle.
Season management is key for Moore Creek on the run home as they sit on top of the Southern Conference table with four games left to play. They are locked on 29 points with second-placed Oxley Vale Attunga but their goal difference is 20 better than OVA’s, meaning if they win all of their remaining games they will finish first.
However, Saturday’s round 17 fixture is a danger game for them as they meet a team that has had their number this year. The Mountain Goats have only lost three games in 2024 and the worst of those was in round 11 at Riverside Sporting Complex where North Companions outscored them 4-0.
Andy Cygan’s men are unbeaten since then and are determined to avenge that loss, while Northies are eager to put more ground between themselves and the Southern Conference’s bottom four.
Dave Johnson’s team dropped from third to fourth last Saturday when they lost against OVA and Tamworth FC defeated Namoi United to jump into third, but a 4-0 win against South United at Marius Street Sporting Fields on Thursday night in a rescheduled round 15 clash saw Northies reclaim third spot. They are now on 23 points, two clear on Tamworth FC (21) who have a game in hand and nine clear of Namoi United (14) who have two games in hand.
Tamworth FC have the bye on Saturday and Namoi United have a tough contest against OVA on their hands, so a win could see North Companions open up a healthy lead against the two chasers for third place.
Namoi United will be playing to keep their finals hopes alive when they host Oxley Vale Attunga in round 17, while OVA are determined to take the upper hand in the premiership race and move into first place if Moore Creek slip up against Northies.
There is a sense of unfinished business for both sides as they prepare to face off in Narrabri.
Namoi United and OVA have already met at Hogan Oval once this season and it ended as a 2-2 draw in round 11. The combined Narrabri/Wee Waa/Moree side led 2-0 in that clash before two penalties saw OVA earn a point. The Namoi United men thought both penalties were soft and they deserved to win the match, while the OVA side departed Narrabri well aware that they were nowhere near their best, and now both teams are looking to go one better when they meet again.
At Phil Wheaton Oval, Demon Knights will look to capitalise on the top-of-the-table Northern Conference game as they take on Norths United.
DK are currently third but are locked on 30 points with Inverell and are five points behind leaders Armidale City Westside. The third-placed team can go ahead of Inverell into second or close the gap on Westside, or even achieve both if the two sides finish all square, but they will be solely focused on a Norths United side who have been one of the big improvers in 2024.
Norths may be out of finals contention but they are determined to finish the year on a high. They pushed Inverell all the way to full-time last weekend in a 2-1 loss and will be looking to do the same against Demon Knights this Saturday and produce an even better result.
The other two games this weekend will see the four teams battle to return to winning ways.
South Armidale United have lost their past two games and their opponents East Armidale are on an 11-game losing streak, so three points would be welcomed by both of them at Doody Park.
Hillvue United have also lost their past two games and it has been four games without a point for South United, so the two Tamworth teams will be throwing everything at one another at Riverside Sporting Complex.
