Peninsula Power have the chance to clinch the NPL Men’s Premiership on Friday as the regular season reaches the penultimate weekend.
Olympic FC, the only other team in the hunt, need a favour from Capalaba FC and must then beat Lions FC to be any hope of pipping Power to a first-place finish.
It’s all to play for in the rescheduled Round 13 and you can watch every minute live on NPL.TV, free for Australian residents.
Feature Match:
Lions FC v Olympic FC
Will Olympic be fighting for first or second when they arrive at Lions Stadium for the Saturday night Feature Match?
Streamed live on Facebook and NPL.TV, this high-profile meeting between two outstanding teams could serve as a preview to a potential Finals Series encounter.
Ladder positions must first be confirmed and there’s one that Olympic are focused on with two games remaining.
To end up on top, last season’s beaten Grand Finalists have to either finish with more points than Peninsula or, in the event of a deadlock, have at least an equal number of wins as the leaders, which would then force the tiebreak to goal difference, which Olympic currently lead.
A Power slip-up on Friday night would certainly leave the door ajar to Olympic, who have lost just three times all season and are chasing a second successive win in this fixture.
Lions, meanwhile, could yet claw back second with all three points in a game that sees Darren Sime and Ben Cahn – two contenders to coach Queensland’s Kappa Festival of Football squad – go head-to-head.
Victory for the hosts would go a long way to securing them a home Semi Final and increase their chances of reclaiming the Championship crown.
Match Details
Saturday, 7 November, 7:00pm
Lions Stadium
Live Stream Link
Key Matches:
Capalaba FC v Peninsula Power
It’s been a rapid rise to the top of the NPL Men’s competition for Peninsula, who are just a single win away from securing the Premiership.
Aaron Philp led his side to promotion from the Football Queensland Premier League in 2018 and to third in the NPL Men’s in 2019.
Now, Power are on the cusp of top-tier silverware. Victory over Capalaba on Friday night would be number 18 for the season. That would be unattainable for Olympic, who would therefore be resigned to second even if the two teams finish level on points.
Peninsula will know the scenario come kick-off time at John Fredericks Park, where they take on a team they beat 2-0 earlier in the campaign.
It took until the 84th minute for Philp’s side to put the result beyond doubt in that match, with Thomas Strickland’s late penalty adding to Marek Madle’s first-half opener.
Nine wins, one draw and two defeats have followed since then, while Capalaba have won two, drawn two and lost seven.
The Bulldogs are now in danger of dipping right into relegation trouble, as just one point separates them and bottom spot.
It all adds up to a simply crucial clash for both clubs.
Match Details
Friday, 6 November, 8:30pm
John Fredericks Park
Live Stream Link
Moreton Bay United v Brisbane City
Pressure shifted to Brisbane City when Redlands United, their nearest relegation rivals, snatched a dramatic 2-1 win at Brisbane Strikers on Tuesday.
Luke Hendrix’s last-gasp goal moved Redlands level with City on 19 points after 22 games.
Matt Smith’s men officially sit bottom on the ladder, having won fewer games than Redlands, but there’s room for optimism in the wake of last weekend’s resounding 5-1 victory over Capalaba FC.
City still need at least one result of some kind from their two remaining matches and will hope to catch Moreton Bay United feeling flat following their wild 5-5 draw with Gold Coast United at Wolter Park on Wednesday.
The Jets conceded two late goals and dropped two points after leading 4-0 at half-time.
Fifth place is likely to remain theirs despite the lapse, meaning Royce Brownlie can instruct his side to focus on delivering more entertainment in what should be a cracking contest.
Match Details
Saturday, 7 November, 6:00pm
Wolter Park
Live Stream Link
Other Matches:
Gold Coast Knights v Sunshine Coast Wanderers
Saturday, 7 November, 6:30pm
Croatian Sports Centre
Live Stream Link
Gold Coast United v Brisbane Strikers
Saturday, 7 November, 6:30pm
Perry Park
Live Stream Link
Redlands United v Brisbane Roar Youth
Sunday, 8 November, 6:00pm
Cleveland Showgrounds
Live Stream Link
Players to Watch:
Daniel Clark (Peninsula Power): The former Moreton Bay and South Melbourne midfielder has proved a valuable mid-season pick-up for Power. He enters the game against Capalaba having scored in four successive matches.
Daniel Leck (Olympic FC): The battle for the Golden Boot shapes as an interesting subplot at Lions Stadium as leader Joe Duckworth (18 goals) attempts to resist the challenge from Olympic star Leck (16 goals), who is firmly in the frame for the award after hitting five goals in his past five matches.
Kye Bolton (Brisbane City): Bolton’s brace in City’s big win over Capalaba boosted his haul to six for the season, an impressive return from a promising young player. Moreton Bay must pay him close attention.
Image: Peninsula Power FC
