WITH relegation from the men’s State League division 1 competition a very real threat, Western NSW Mariners FC coach Andrew Fearnley will watch his men fight for their lives tonight at Proctor Park.
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The problem for Fearnley is their rivals – Nepean – are also battling to avoid relegation, and will no doubt put all their energy into winning the crucial competition points on offer.
The relegation system operates on the club championship, meaning clubs must perform across all grades. The worst performed club overall at the completion of the season is dropped to State League division 2.
After the Mariners first grade side missed a chance last Sunday to boost their survival chances when losing 1-0 to a Camden, an outfit placed last on the club championship, it means they are under extreme pressure tonight.
“We are on the same points as Camden but ahead of them on goal difference, Nepean are five points ahead of us,” Fearnley said.
“Last Sunday was a chance for us to improve and put a good gap on Camden, but that did not work out, so this weekend we are under a lot of pressure.
“This week we are not just battling Camden to avoid relegation, but we can overtake Nepean if we put together some good results and have both Nepean and Camden below us. So really this weekend is even more important than last weekend.”
The 1-0 loss to Camden ended a promising run of form for the Mariners that had seen them pick up a pair of wins and a draw in consecutive weeks. It means they are 11th on the first grade ladder, five points behind Nepean.
Though that five-point gap equates to three places on the first grade ladder, Fearnley is not underestimating how badly Nepean need to win tonight.
“If we’ve learnt anything from last weekend, it is that we are playing a team as desperate and as determined as us. They are coming down here to fight for their lives, and whichever club can have a good day across the grades it can really help them,” he said.
“Nepean play pretty physical and hard, so it is important for us to make sure we are strong defensively.
“They like to play the ball to their nine [Jason Browne] ... they are fairly direct and are more willing to push forward than Camden, but that suits our style a bit more because it leaves space in behind.
“We have built our game in the last couple of weeks on absorbing pressure defensively, and then using our speed with our quick front three to get in behind teams.”
While Browne has scored 12 goals for Nepean this season, Mariners skipper Adam Scimone has found the back of the net the same amount of times. With the captain, James Christie and Chris New-Tolley, the Western outfit do have plenty of strike power.
In terms of defence, Brent Osborne comes into the side tonight to replace Nikki Spice at left back after he was red carded in the Camden match.
“He has played the last two weeks in under 20s and has done a good job. Sometimes it happens in football that suspension can force someone out and give someone else a chance, and I think Brent is pretty keen to do that. I am confident that he can step up,” Fearnley said.
“It is good for us to be playing at Proctor Park, we have had some good results there – our last two games have been wins. It feels comfortable, it is less travel.”
The match kicks off at 7pm.