Canberra Croatia have a chance to extend their lead at the summit of the National Premier League Men’s competition, ahead of what is shaping up to be a season-defining few weeks in the topflight, as they welcome Tigers FC to Deakin Stadium.
Coming into the top of the table clash off the back of a shock 5-4 loss at home to Gungahlin United, Dean Urginic’s men will be looking to return to winning ways against the second placed Tigers in what is sure to be one of the games of the season.
Croatia will be hoping to increase the gap at the top of the table to nine points. Tigers on the other hand, will be full of confidence, after coming away from their last head-to-head with the three points after an Archie McGregor double gave them the win in the 81st minute.
With a big few fixtures coming up for Croatia with matches against all top four sides, a win against Tigers will be crucial for their title aspirations.
After a slow start to the season, O’Connor Knights are looking to close the four-point gap between them and their opponents this weekend Tuggeranong United to one as well as break away from the bottom. With a home field advantage and a hunger to step on Tuggeranong’s heels, will that be enough for them to break down a tough Tuggeranong side.
Only sitting in fourth by virtue of goal difference, and nine points behind third placed Monaro, Tuggeranong will be desperate for the three points, with a win over the Knights at O’Connor Enclosed to get closer to the title race, while also putting some distance between them and a Queanbeyan side hot on their tails in fifth.
It’s derby day at Stryda Park as Monaro Panthers welcome local rivals Queanbeyan City for the Clearwaters Derby. Monaro head into the much anticipated clash having narrowly escaped with a point against Yoogali, a 94th minute Dylan Deep-Jones header sparing the sides blushes. Having lsot in the earlier edition of the derby this season, Monaro will be out for revenge as they look to keep up in a hotly contested title race.
Goran Josifovski’s men are full of confidence with only the one loss in their last five, against the league leaders. Since a pair of heavy defeats early in the season, Queanbeyan have turned a corner and proven to be a difficult opponent to come up against, and will be keen to lock in a finals spot in their first season in the NPL.
The last match of the round sees Gungahlin United welcome the travelling Yoogali SC to Gungahlin Enclosed in a potential relegation six-pointer. After a strong performance to overcome top of the table Canberra Croatia last week in nine-goal epic, Gungahlin will be looking to take the three points from a Yoogali who would’ve been left shaking their heads, being forced to settle for a point after holding onto the lead for much of the game last week.
Gungahlin’s mid-season recruits have hit the ground running, with French import Loick Lespinasse scoring four against Croatia. Javier Roca will be hoping his side can carry their goalscoring form into this match, as they look to make a late charge for finals.
Yoogali will be buoyed by their strong performance against the high-flying Monaro last week, but will be hoping that they can see out a full 90 as they look to climb off the foot of the ladder. They’ll be up against it this week, with four goal hero Lespinasse in their way.
FIXTURES
ROUND 13
Saturday 5 July
O’Connor Knights vs Tuggeranong United (O’Connor Enclosed, 15:00)
Monaro Panthers vs Queanbeyan (Stryda Park, 17:45)
Sunday 6 July
Canberra Croatia v Tigers FC (Deakin Stadium, 15:00)
Gungahlin United vs Yoogali SC (Gungahlin Enclosed, 15:00)
TABLE
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | ||
| 1 | Canberra Croatia | 12 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 49 | 13 | +36 | 30 |
| 2 | Tigers FC | 12 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 29 | 18 | +11 | 24 |
| 3 | Monaro Panthers | 12 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 38 | 15 | +23 | 23 |
| 4 | Tuggeranong United | 12 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 13 | 23 | -10 | 14 |
| 5 | Queanbeyan City | 12 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 11 | 22 | -11 | 14 |
| 6 | O’Connor Knights | 11 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 20 | 35 | -15 | 10 |
| 7 | Gungahlin United | 11 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 13 | 33 | -20 | 9 |
| 8 | Yoogali SC | 12 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 16 | 30 | -14 | 6 |
TOP SCORERS
11: Daniel BARAC (Monaro Panthers)
9: Thomas JAMES (Canberra Croatia), Nick PRATEZINA (Canberra Croatia)
8: Maxx GREEN (Canberra Croatia)
7: Steve NEALON (Tuggeranong United), Daniel SPARROW (Canberra Croatia)
6: Lukman AHMED-SHAIBU (O’Connor Knights/Tigers FC), Jayce DOTSON (Yoogali SC)
5: Nico ABOT (Queanbeyan City), William AKIO (Tigers FC), Jenno CERUTI (O’Connor Knights), Stephen DOMENICI (Monaro Panthers), Robert TKATCHENKO (Monaro Panthers), Own GOALS
4: Loick LESPINASSE (Gungahlin United), Archie MCGREGOR (Tigers FC), Yoshida SHOKI (Gungahlin United)
3: Darren BAILEY (Yoogali SC), Ben BASSER-SILK (Monaro Panthers), Christian KRESKAS (Monaro Panthers), Michael PICCOLO (Monaro Panthers / Canberra Croatia), Sam WHITEHEAR (Tigers FC)
2: Micheal ADAMS (O’Connor Knights), Augustine BANGURA (Tigers FC), Daniel COLBERTALDO (Canberra Croatia), Dylan DEEP-JONES (Monaro Panthers), Mason DONADEL (Yoogali SC), FERNANDO Jorquera (Monaro Panthers), Josh GASPARI (Gungahlin United), Aisosa IHEGIE (O’Connor Knights), Marko JADRIC (Canberra Croatia), Romeo JAMBREK (Tuggeranong United), Michael JOHN (O’Connor Knights), Nikos KALFAS (Tigers FC), Ryan KEIR (Canberra Croatia), Luca MACOR (Monaro Panthers), Phakedi MANDA (Monaro Panthers/O’Connor Knights), Tomohiro OGAWA (Tigers FC), Nik POPOVICH (Tigers FC), Danny REID (Yoogali SC), Keegan VUCETIC (Canberra Croatia)
1: Angus BAILEY (Tigers FC), Thomas BLAZEVSKI (Queanbeyan City), Seth BONNETT (Queanbeyan City), Giancarlo D’ADDARIO (Gungahlin United), Abderrahim DELLAHI (Queanbeyan City), Nic EMANUEL (Tuggeranong United), Luca FLOREZ (Gungahlin United), Bevan FOXALL (Tuggeranong United), Nikola JADRIC (Canberra Croatia), Chistian JUNNA (O’Connor Knights), Niko KRESIC (O’Connor Knights), Jack LEVERETT (Queanbeyan City), Harry MARTIN (O’Connor Knights), Nathen MEGIC (Tigers FC), Marko MILUTINOVIC (Tigers FC), Alessandro PENA (Tuggeranong United), Daniel ROBERTS (Queanbeyan City), Thomas ROBERTSON (Gungahlin United), Joey SEO (Yoogali SC), Michael SOUTHAM (Tigers FC), Noah STEINACKER (Tigers FC), Ryan STRAUB (Monaro Panthers), Daniel SUBASIC (Canberra Croatia), Nicholas SUBASIC (Canberra Croatia), Nik TANESKI (Tigers FC), Giuseppe TINE (Monaro Panthers), Noah VANDERPOL (Queanbeyan City), Hamish WALES (Tigers FC), Riley ZSUZSA (Canberra Croatia)
TOP ASSISTS
12: Thomas JAMES (Canberra Croatia)
8: Christian KRESKAS (Monaro Panthers)
7: Maxx GREEN (Canberra Croatia, Nick PRATEZINA (Canberra Croatia)
5: Daniel BARAC (Monaro Panthers), Stephen DOMENICI (Monaro Panthers), Phakedi MANDA (O’Connor Knights)
4: Darren BAILEY (Yoogali SC), Nik TANESKI (Tigers FC), Shandon WHITEHEAD (Tigers FC), Kobi YARIYARI (O’Connor Knights)
3: Daniel COLBERTALDO (Canberra Croatia), Michael PICCOLO (Monaro Panthers), Archie MCGREGOR (Tigers FC), Nik POPOVICH (Tigers FC), Robert TKATCHENKO (Monaro Panthers)
2: Micheal ADAMS (O’Connor Knights), William AKIO (Tigers FC), Josh DE ROSSI (Yoogali SC), Chaise DONETTO (Yoogali SC), James DRISCOLL (O’Connor Knights), Cole FALCO (Tuggeranong United), Daniel GALIC (O’Connor Knights), Marko JADRIC (Canberra Croatia), Loick LESPINASSE (Gungahlin United), Jack LEVERETT (Queanbeyan City), Tomohiro OGAWA (Tigers FC), Danny REID (Yoogali SC), Thomas ROBERTSON (Gungahlin United), Yoshida SHOKI (Gungahlin United), Daniel SPARROW (Canberra Croatia), Tony SPASESKI (Canberra Croatia), Ryan STRAUB (Monaro Panthers), Nicholas SUBASIC (Canberra Croatia)
1: Samuel ABA (Queanbeyan City), Lukman AHMED-SHAIBU (O’Connor Knights), Angus BAILEY (Tigers FC), Ben BASSER-SILK (Monaro Panthers), Thomas BLAZEVSKI (Queanbeyan City), Riley BROWN (Gungahlin United), Giancarlo D’ADDARIO (Gungahlin United), Xabier DAVIES (Tuggeranong United), Bailey DICKENSON (Gungahlin United), Jacob DONADEL (Yoogali SC), Jayce DOTSON (Yoogali SC), Nic EMANUEL (Tuggeranong United), Marco GAYER (Monaro Panthers), Romeo JAMBREK (Tuggeranong United), Ryan KEIR (Canberra Croatia), Niko KRESIC (O’Connor Knights), Luca MACOR (Monaro Panthers), Harry MARTIN (O’Connor Knights), Archie MCGREGOR (Tigers FC), Max MELLICK (Monaro Panthers), Josh PEDERSEN (Tuggeranong United), Nicholas PRATEZINA (Canberra Croatia), Joe PREECE (Yoogali SC), Charlie RAE (Queanbeyan City), Marko RATHOUSKI (O’Connor Knights), Robbie RIMMER (Yoogali SC), Daniel ROBERTS (Queanbeyan City), Noah STEINACKER (Tigers FC), Luke STEVENS (Tuggeranong United), Daniel SUBASIC (Canberra Croatia), Giuseppe TINE (Monaro Panthers), Kristian TOKIC (Queanbeyan City), Keegan VUCETIC (Canberra Croatia), Sam WHITHEAR (Tigers FC), Riley ZSUZSA (Canberra Croatia)
Words: Billy Ansell
