Tigers FC are on the prowl and hunting down Canberra Croatia at the top of the National Premier League table as they welcome Queanbeyan City to the Australia Institute of Sport in Round 15.
The gritty 2-1 away win over Yoogali SC last weekend enabled Tigers to move back to within six points of the league leaders, and the manner of the victory will have pleased the Tigers hierarchy.
With players now returning from injury, the Big Cats are sharpening their claws for the run-in but will face a feisty, and belligerent, Queanbeyan City, a team that loves to upset the applecart given ample opportunity to do so.
A 3-1 win over Tuggeranong United has eased City into the top four and left them with a chance of making Finals football should they continue what has been a run of effervescent form in recent weeks.
Canberra Croatia, meanwhile, will seek a return to the winner’s circle as they contemplate the forthcoming Australia Cup Round of 32 encounter with MetroStars, by traversing an away trip to Tuggeranong United.
A 0-2 loss at home to Monao Panthers under the floodlights was an anomaly for the high riding Reds, and a timely reminder that form can fluctuate from week to week in local competition.
United, off the back of a costly defeat to Queanbeyan, are themselves suddenly adrift of the top four status they crave, and there are easier local assignments then hosting the perennial champions as they seek to rediscover their form.
Croatia don’t always love travelling to the compact surrounds of Kambah 2, so will be relived to be heading to the carpet of the AIS. but will still need to be on their game. A repeat of their Australia Cup slashing of United would be the ideal response for Croatia to last week’s travails.
The bottom two teams will lock horns at O’Connor Enclosed, as Yoogali SC make the cross-country trek to Canberra once more, keen to close the gap on the O’Connor Knights on the league table.
There have only been two previous NPL fixtures at O’Connor Enclosed between the teams with Knights winning the points on both occasions, and Yoogali are without a victory in eight matches in the NPL, having picked up one point from the last twenty-four on offer.
O’Connor have not taken a point from their last four NPL matches and have just one win, three points, from the last eighteen available, despite in-form striker Aisosa Ihegie having netted in four consecutive matches for his team.
The Knights have conceded sixteen times in their last four NPL outings and have shipped a league high 43 goals so far this season, so tightening up defensively is key to their hopes of three points and an outside push for the Finals.
Two teams who often produce goals when they meet will battle it out at Gungahlin Enclosed Oval on Sunday afternoon as Gungahlin United meet Monaro Panthers in a fixture that is important to both outfits.
In total there have been 80 goals scored in 23 NPL matches played, with Gunners having scored 42 and Panthers 38, whilst in 10 games designated as Gunners home matches, the Gunners have won six, Panthers two, with two draws.
Panthers’ impressive win last week at Deakin Stadium was their first in three games having dropped points in the previous two outings, in comparison the Gunners are on a three-game winning streak after not winning an NPL match for four games in succession.
Gungahlin have scored five in two of the last three matches, beating the Knights by netting that many last weekend and have managed thirteen goals in their last three games, more than they managed in the previous ten combined. There should be goals in this one.
RESULTS
ROUND 15
Saturday 19 July
Tigers FC v Queanbeyan City (AIS, 15:00)
O’Connor Knights v Yoogali SC (O’Connor Enclosed, 15:00)
Sunday 20 July
Gungahlin United v Monaro Panthers (Gungahlin Enclosed, 15:00)
Tuggeranong United v Canberra Croatia (AIS, 15:00)
TABLE
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | ||
| 1 | Canberra Croatia | 14 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 53 | 15 | +38 | 33 |
| 2 | Tigers FC | 14 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 31 | 23 | +8 | 27 |
| 3 | Monaro Panthers | 14 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 41 | 17 | +24 | 26 |
| 4 | Queanbeyan City | 14 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 16 | 24 | -8 | 20 |
| 5 | Tuggeranong United | 14 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 17 | 28 | -11 | 17 |
| 6 | Gungahlin United | 13 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 21 | 35 | -14 | 15 |
| 7 | O’Connor Knights | 13 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 23 | 43 | -20 | 10 |
| 8 | Yoogali SC | 14 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 18 | 35 | -17 | 6 |
TOP SCORERS
11: Daniel BARAC (Monaro Panthers), Nick PRATEZINA (Canberra Croatia)
10: Thomas JAMES (Canberra Croatia)
8: Lukman AHMED-SHAIBU (O’Connor Knights/Tigers FC), Maxx GREEN (Canberra Croatia), Steve NEALON (Tuggeranong United)
7: Daniel SPARROW (Canberra Croatia)
6: Nico ABOT (Queanbeyan City), Jayce DOTSON (Yoogali SC)
5: William AKIO (Tigers FC), Jenno CERUTI (O’Connor Knights), Stephen DOMENICI (Monaro Panthers), Robert TKATCHENKO (Monaro Panthers), Own GOALS
4: Aisosa IHEGIE (O’Connor Knights), Loick LESPINASSE (Gungahlin United), Archie MCGREGOR (Tigers FC), Yoshida SHOKI (Gungahlin United)
3: Darren BAILEY (Yoogali SC), Ben BASSER-SILK (Monaro Panthers), Ayumu KIMURA (Gungahlin United), Christian KRESKAS (Monaro Panthers), Michael PICCOLO (Monaro Panthers / Canberra Croatia), Thomas ROBERTSON (Gungahlin United), Sam WHITEHEAR (Tigers FC)
2: Micheal ADAMS (O’Connor Knights), Angus BAILEY (Tigers FC / Gungahlin United), Augustine BANGURA (Tigers FC), Daniel COLBERTALDO (Canberra Croatia), Giancarlo D’ADDARIO (Gungahlin United), Dylan DEEP-JONES (Monaro Panthers), Mason DONADEL (Yoogali SC), Stefan DONADEL (Yoogali SC), FERNANDO Jorquera (Monaro Panthers), Josh GASPARI (Gungahlin United), Marko JADRIC (Canberra Croatia), Romeo JAMBREK (Tuggeranong United), Michael JOHN (O’Connor Knights), Nikos KALFAS (Tigers FC), Ryan KEIR (Canberra Croatia), Zac LAWRENCE (Tuggeranong United), Jack LEVERETT (Queanbeyan City), Luca MACOR (Monaro Panthers), Phakedi MANDA (Monaro Panthers/O’Connor Knights), Connor MYNOTT-SMITH (Queanbeyan City), Misko NAUMOSKI (Queanbeyan City), Tomohiro OGAWA (Tigers FC), Nik POPOVICH (Tigers FC), Danny REID (Yoogali SC), Daniel SUBASIC (Canberra Croatia), Keegan VUCETIC (Canberra Croatia)
1: Gabriel AYUEL (Queanbeyan City), Thomas BLAZEVSKI (Queanbeyan City), Seth BONNETT (Queanbeyan City), Abderrahim DELLAHI (Queanbeyan City), Nic EMANUEL (Tuggeranong United), Luca FLOREZ (Gungahlin United), Bevan FOXALL (Tuggeranong United), Daniel GALIC (O’Connor Knights), Nikola JADRIC (Canberra Croatia), Chistian JUNNA (O’Connor Knights), Niko KRESIC (O’Connor Knights), Alex-Junior MALAUULU (Gungahlin United), Harry MARTIN (O’Connor Knights), Zac MCLAREN (Monaro Panthers), Nathen MEGIC (Tigers FC), Marko MILUTINOVIC (Tigers FC), Alessandro PENA (Tuggeranong United), Euan PETERKIN (Tuggeranong United), Daniel ROBERTS (Queanbeyan City), Joey SEO (Yoogali SC), Michael SOUTHAM (Tigers FC), Noah STEINACKER (Tigers FC), Ryan STRAUB (Monaro Panthers), 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
13: Thomas JAMES (Canberra Croatia)
9: Christian KRESKAS (Monaro Panthers)
8: Nick PRATEZINA (Canberra Croatia)
7: Maxx GREEN (Canberra Croatia)
5: Daniel BARAC (Monaro Panthers), Stephen DOMENICI (Monaro Panthers), Phakedi MANDA (O’Connor Knights), Yoshida SHOKI (Gungahlin United)
4: Darren BAILEY (Yoogali SC), Tony SPASESKI (Canberra Croatia), Nik TANESKI (Tigers FC), Shandon WHITEHEAD (Tigers FC), Kobi YARIYARI (O’Connor Knights)
3: William AKIO (Tigers FC), Daniel COLBERTALDO (Canberra Croatia), Jack LEVERETT (Queanbeyan City), Michael PICCOLO (Monaro Panthers), Archie MCGREGOR (Tigers FC), Nik POPOVICH (Tigers FC), Thomas ROBERTSON (Gungahlin United), Robert TKATCHENKO (Monaro Panthers)
2: Micheal ADAMS (O’Connor Knights), Giancarlo D’ADDARIO (Gungahlin United), Abderrahim DELLAHI (Queanbeyan City), 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), Tomohiro OGAWA (Tigers FC), Josh PEDERSEN (Tuggeranong United), Marko RATHOUSKI (O’Connor Knights), Danny REID (Yoogali SC), Robbie RIMMER (Yoogali SC), Daniel SPARROW (Canberra Croatia), Luke STEVENS (Tuggeranong United), Ryan STRAUB (Monaro Panthers), Nicholas SUBASIC (Canberra Croatia)
1: Samuel ABA (Queanbeyan City), Niko ABOT (Queanbeyan City), Lukman AHMED-SHAIBU (O’Connor Knights), Angus BAILEY (Tigers FC), Ben BASSER-SILK (Monaro Panthers), Connor BILL (O’Connor Knights), Thomas BLAZEVSKI (Queanbeyan City), Riley BROWN (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), AJ MALAUULU (Gungahlin United), Harry MARTIN (O’Connor Knights), Archie MCGREGOR (Tigers FC), Max MELLICK (Monaro Panthers), Nicholas PRATEZINA (Canberra Croatia), Joe PREECE (Yoogali SC), Charlie RAE (Queanbeyan City), Daniel ROBERTS (Queanbeyan City), Sam ROESTBAKKEN (Monaro Panthers), Noah STEINACKER (Tigers FC), Daniel SUBASIC (Canberra Croatia), Giuseppe TINE (Monaro Panthers), Kristian TOKIC (Queanbeyan City), Keegan VUCETIC (Canberra Croatia), Sam WHITHEAR (Tigers FC), Riley ZSUZSA (Canberra Croatia)
