Match of the Week

Sorrento vs. Perth SC

It will be a case of top meets bottom on Saturday, 5 May as League leaders and McInerney Ford Night Series Champions Perth Soccer Club travel to Percy Doyle Reserve to tackle 2006 Premiers Sorrento in Round Four of the Football West Premier League Match of the Week.

Graham Normanton’s side are brimming with confidence following their 6-0 drubbing of Swan IC on Sunday and are currently sitting atop the Premier League pile on goal difference with three consecutive wins.

Nikita Rukavystya has been on fire for Perth with six goals in his last three appearances for the blue and whites and Graham Normanton will be looking for more of the same from the exciting young talent.

Perth have a host of star players with Antonio Naglieri, Robbie Puca, Andreas Oliviera and Trent Kay showing the sort of form that will see Perth hard to beat this season.

Sorrento meanwhile have been brought back to earth with a thud as they find themselves pointless after three games so far in the league. Steve Neville’s side will need to be at the top of their game if they are to get anything from the match and kick start their season.

Sorrento will be looking to Todd Harnwell to supply the Gulls goals with Steven McDonald facing the task of keeping Rukavystya and co at bay. Gulls keeper Neil Young has been in solid form and the captain will be looking to inspire his side to their first points of the 2007 season.


Featured Match

Swan IC vs. Stirling Lions

Swan IC will hope to bounce back from the 0-6 loss to Perth SC last week when they entertain Stirling Lions at the Swan Italian Club on Saturday, 5 May at 3.00pm.

Carlo Scali’s side have only one point from the first three games and they haven’t scored in those games which is a concern, and the 2004 golden boot winner David Foster will hope to turn that around this weekend along with his strike partner Damien Catalano. The Swans young midfield was found wanting against Perth but Scali has put faith in them and he hopes they can turn it around against a strong Lions outfit.

The defence has been strong this season with Aaron Cole a stand out, while former state keeper Cory Hugo has been in good form in goal. But it has been individual errors that have cost them greatly, and this must be addressed. The black and whites will be without Paul Baczynski who was sent off against Perth, and Rory Mouttet who is on his honeymoon, but Danyal Bennett is available again after suspension.

The Lions were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Western Knights last week, their second draw in as many weeks and Michael Lyons will be hoping for an improvement this weekend. David Dugdale has continued his scoring spree with another goal on the weekend and he scored twice in the corresponding fixture last season, when the Lions left Middle Swan with a 2-1 victory.

The Lions defence is held together by skipper Darko Ilomanoski and the experienced Kevin Henderson and with Keith Brown running the show in midfield the Lions on their day can beat anyone in the league. The youngsters at the club have stepped up this season with Ludovic Boi and Phil Arnold contributing to the side.

It has all the ingredients for a good game so get along and support your team.



Featured Match

INGLEWOOD UNITED vs. COCKBURN CITY

Inglewood United makes the journey to Dalmatinac Park to meet Cockburn City in what is sure to be a great battle between two entertaining sides.

An interesting feature of the game is the coaching battle, which sees two former Perth Glory stars take on each other. Cockburn are led by former Glory full-back Scott Miller and Inglewood being coached by Bobby Despotovski, Perth Glory’s all-time leading goal scorer.

United have one of the best sides in the League on paper, but the side was unable to produce in the McInerney Ford Night Series finishing a disappointing fifth in their six team group. They enter the game sixth in the League, having beaten 2006 Champions Sorrento 3-1 last weekend.

Despotovski will rely on dangerous attackers Louis Parkinson and Greg Sharland to break through a tough Cockburn defence. Veteran Shane Pryce leads a hard working defense while Oliver Taseski has been imposing in between the sticks for Inglewood.

Cockburn City’s early season form has been impressive, winning their first two games before losing away to Floreat Athena last weekend. Jason Dos Santos will be looking to continue his brilliant early season form with another stellar performance against Inglewood. The speedy youngster has raised eyebrows with a series of impressive performances, causing the opposition nightmares with his ability on the ball. Dos Santos will be assisted by veteran Johnny Mirco in the important midfield battle.

The game takes place on Saturday, 5 May at Dalmatinac Park in Spearwood, with the League game commencing at 3.00pm.



SMARTER THAN SMOKING WOMEN’S LEAGUE

Match of the Week

Subiaco United vs. Northern Redbacks

Subiaco United host Northern Redbacks on Sunday, May 6 at Rosalie Park in the Smarter than Smoking Women’s Premier League.

Northern Redbacks would have been disappointed with their performance in the first round against Balcatta, as they went down 3-0 and were totally outclassed by their northern suburbs neighbors. After hosting Mandurah City last weekend the Redbacks will be desperate to move towards the top end of the table, starting with a win against Subiaco.

United played out an entertaining 2-2 draw in their last home match against UWA on the opening Sunday of the season. Last weekend they traveled north to meet Kingsley Soccer Club, one of the new teams in the Premier League this season. After finishing third from bottom in 2006, Subiaco will want to get off to a good start this season to keep pace with the top teams.

Other games this round see Balcatta Soccer Club play Beckenham Angels at Graham Burkett Reserve, Queens Park travel south to play Mandurah City, East Fremantle host Kingsley Soccer Club and UWA play Noranda Soccer Club at McGillivray Oval, with all games being played on Sunday, 6 May with League matches commencing at 3.00pm.