Johnny Warren Cup Round 5 Preview
The two first-place finishers in Pools A and B will face-off for the Johnny Warren Cup trophy, meanwhile the second-placed sides will vie for the third-spot.
Confirmation during the week from Football NSW, the two Final play-off matches will be held at Seymour Shaw ? home of the Sutherland Sharks ? a perfect opportunity for the Sharks who are the only team certain of reaching the play-off match.
The Sharks are the only side with three wins from three matches ? opening round matches were washed out ? and will have home support on Saturday the 16th of February.
This weekend in Pool B, Sydney United will be hoping to stage an upset against Sutherland Sharks in-order to keep a hold of the second-spot in the Pool.
Blacktown City Demons and Penrith-Nepean United will fight it out at Fairfax Community Stadium on Saturday night ? twenty-four hours before Sydney United face Sutherland Sharks ? with both the Demons and Penrith one-point behind Sydney United.
Macarthur Rams can still mathematically qualify in second-spot as they face A.P.I.A.-Leichhardt Tigers in the early fixture at Fairfax Community Stadium.
The defending Johnny Warren Cup Champions have been disappointing in the pre-season Cup though will have their first-team coach John Romeo back in the mix, following the coach?s trip to Italy with the A.P.I.A.-Leichhardt Tigers Viareggio team.
A win for Paul Carter?s team would ensure an emphatic first ?journey? for the Rams in the senior NSW Premier League competition.
In Pool A four teams remain in the running for a top-two finish.
Sydney Olympic leads the way with a one-point lead over Marconi Stallions and Manly United in the Pool, with the Blues to face bottom-placed West Sydney Berries on Sunday.
Despite a much improved second-half display against Bankstown City last weekend, the Berries will certainly have their work cut out against a firing Sydney Olympic outfit.
Marconi Stallions and Manly United will meet at Marconi Stadium on Saturday evening, with the winner guaranteed a spot in the Final play-off at Seymour Shaw.
David Barrett?s Marconi will be hoping to maintain the intensity displayed against Wollongong FC last weekend, meanwhile Phil Moss? Manly United will hope to re-find the form of Round 3 action, where the side was impressive against Bankstown City.
Wollongong FC and Bankstown City will meet in the early clash at Marconi Stadium on Saturday with Wollongong still a chance of securing a top-two finish if they manage to get the three-points.
Bankstown City has mathematically been ?eliminated from the games? despite their impressive performances to-date.
The team from Jensen Park will again look toward their midfield pairing of George Nohra and Robert Mileski to feed the front-men, despite some concern around Mileski?s fitness following a hip injury he picked up against West Sydney Berries last weekend.
– Joseph Carlucci
