We head into round six of the Broken Hill Soccer Association competition this weekend, and the matches across the three senior leagues (A-Grade, B-Grade and women’s) see West Panthers taking on Alma, and St Joes taking on Celtic.
WOMEN’S LEAGUE
It is fair to say the biggest clash happening this weekend will be between table toppers West Panthers and Alma. The last time these two sides did battle in the women’s competition an incredible 7-7 draw lit up O’Neill Memorial Park.
Both sides sit on equal points in the table (13) with four wins and a draw each. West’s superior goal difference has them top of the table. Goal scoring has not been an issue for the Panthers this season, they currently have 37 goals, an average of 7.4 per game.
Alma has been equally impressive under the tutelage of Codey Ralph. The young coach has overseen a terrific start to the season with the highlight so far being the 13-0 annihilation of Celtic last weekend.
With both sides having elite scoring prowess, it should be a goal fest. Something Alma coach Codey Ralph alluded to when we spoke to him earlier this week.
“A couple of goals and a clean sheet would be lovely, but I think that’s wishful thinking,” Codey said.
And St Joes and Celtic face each other in a clash that will be interesting, not least because of the number of goals conceded. The two sides have just one victory between them so far this year and have conceded a monstrous 66 goals in the season.
St Joes are the clear favourite, with Celtic still yet to find the back of the net during this campaign.
Celtic take on St Joes in the women’s competition at 2.15pm on the top pitch at O’Neill Park, followed by the biggest match of the round between West and Alma at 4.20pm.
A GRADE
The A-Grade is a much tighter competition than it has been in recent years.
In stark contrast to the women’s competition, the St Joes vs Celtic clash features two sides at the top of the pile. Last time they met, St Joes handed Celtic their only loss so far of the season, prevailing 9-2 in round three.
Although Celtic hasn’t been as impressive since that loss, they have remained undefeated since then and find themselves firmly in the race for top spot.
St. Joes have been a little out of sorts this season. Particularly when compared to the winning machine they were last year. After turning on the style in the 9-2 win over Celtic, they followed that up with a loss to Alma, and a 2-0 victory over West.
This fixture is tentatively poised, and the stakes are high, with the winner likely to become the favourite to take out the whole competition.
The other A-Grade fixture, between Alma and West, is likely to be a Goats victory. The Panthers have struggled this season to get numbers on the pitch and it would be a huge upset if they get up this weekend. They were brave in defeat last weekend, and it will take another brave performance for them to get anything out of this match.
On the other hand, Alma has the opportunity to swoop in and claim second place if they can pick up the victory, and if the St Joes vs Celtic result goes their way too.
West and Alma lock horns from 2pm at the bottom pitch of O’Neill Memorial Park, with St Joes vs Celtic taking place directly after it at 4pm this Sunday.
