The National Premier Leagues action continues this weekend with Round 13 featuring another set of exciting match-ups right across Queensland.

Stay up to date with all the weekend’s fixtures in the weekly preview.

 

 

Western Pride (9^th) v Palm Beach Sharks (8^th)
Friday, 14^th June 2013 – Briggs Road Sporting Complex, 8:00pm

Palm Beach Sharks will seek a return to winning ways on Friday night when they travel to Ipswich to face fellow mid-table side Western Pride at Briggs Road for Round 13 of the National Premier Leagues.

Sharks had won three on the trot before falling 1-0 at home to Moreton Bay last week, the result the side’s first loss since head coach Grae Piddock took charge of the senior squad in Round 9.

Meanwhile, Western Pride prevailed 2-1 over QAS at home last Saturday to arrest a two game losing streak and pull level with their weekend opponents on 13 competition points.

The two teams played out a 2-2 draw last time they met in mid-March, prior to Sharks’ signing of dangerous front man Jarrod Kyle and attacking midfielder Alex Panic.

Queensland Academy of Sport (12^th) v Olympic FC (1^st)
Friday, 14^th June 2013 – Goodwin Park, 8:30pm

Top meets bottom on Friday night at Goodwin Park when Olympic FC play host to Queensland Academy of Sport

The fixture offers Olympic the perfect opportunity to bounce back after suffering their first loss of the campaign last weekend, falling 3-1 at home to second-placed Brisbane City.

QAS will fancy their chances of hitting the league leaders whilst they are down, however will need to overcome a four game winless streak and defensive woes that have seen the side concede in all twelve fixtures so far this season.

Olympic prevailed 5-0 when the two sides played at the same venue earlier in the campaign on the back of a brace to star striker Tim Smits.

Brisbane Strikers (3^rd) v Brisbane City (4^th)
Saturday, 15^th June 2013 – Perry Park, 7:00pm

Second-placed Brisbane City will attempt to keep the pressure on league-leaders Olympic when they make the short trip to Perry Park to face Brisbane Strikers on Saturday night.

City are the form side of the NPL, defeating Olympic 3-1 last weekend to further their winning streak to 11 games, however will be without star striker and league-leading goal scorer Antonio Murray.

Strikers will be seeking the consistency that has evaded them all season, after following up an impressive 3-0 win in Townsville prior to the mid-season break with a humbling 3-0 defeat at the hands of Redlands United last round.

The match is likely to prove crucial in the NPL finals race and could prove a high scoring affair after the sides exchanging eight goals earlier in the season

Strikers won 5-3 at Spencer Park in that meeting, which coincidentally was the last time City dropped all three points; however since then City have shored up their defence – centre back and team captain Tom Shannon leading his side to three clean sheets in their past five outings.

FNQ FC Heat (10^th) v Redlands United (4^th)
Saturday, 15^th June 2013 – Borzi Park, 7:30pm

FNQ FC Heat will look to take full advantage of their home ground advantage on Sunday when they host the in-form Redlands United at Borzi Park.

The match is the first in Cairns since the start of winter and the hosts will be hoping Redlands have difficulty adjusting to the far north team’s fast-paced game in the warmer tropical conditions.

The Devils overcame a different weather challenge last week, battling heavy rain and gusty winds to outclass fellow finals contenders Brisbane Strikers 3-0.

However, head coach Matt Chandler will hope his side adjust quickly, the match the first of two important crucial away matches for the club, who face CQFC in Rockhampton the following week.

Redlands prevailed when they faced FNQ FC earlier this year as part of the Spencer Park double header– the bayside club edging out the Heat 2-0 on the back of goals to midfielders Graham Fyfe and Zak Brattan.

Northern Fury (7^th) v CQFC Energy (11^th)
Saturday, 15^th June 2013 – Brolga Park, 7:30pm

Northern Fury will attempt to put the disappointment of last week’s 1-1 derby draw against FNQ FC Heat behind them on Saturday night when they host CQFC Energy at Brolga Park.

Fury conceded in the final minutes of the north Queensland derby last weekend to split the points, and player-coach Gareth Edds will be mindful of not letting any lead slip against an enigmatic Energy outfit.

New CQFC head coach and technical director Raymond Wood is aware of the challenge ahead of him after his side conceded nine goals to a rampant Sunshine Coast side in his first match with the club.

Defensive leaks have been an ongoing problem for the Rockhampton based club, who fell to Fury 6-1 in the meeting earlier this year, and have no conceded 70 goals from their 12 outings this season.

However, Wood has already moved to sure up the central third of his formation, recruiting midfielder Jacob Crowley from Fury, who joins his younger brother and fellow former Fury player Braedyn at the club.

Moreton Bay United Jets (6^th) v Sunshine Coast FC Fire (5^th)
Saturday, 15^th June 2013 – Wolter Park, 7:30pm

The final match of Round 13 of the National Premier Leagues sees the second meeting between rivals Moreton Bay Jets and Sunshine Coast Fire at Wolter Park on Saturday night.

Moreton Bay surprised their northern neighbours 2-1 when the sides first clashed courtesy of goals to Matthew Capello and Karl Dodd, who left the club this week to take a coaching position with A-League club Newcastle Jets.

The Jets squad will offer surprises for Fire again this week, with Moreton Bay head coach Terry Kirkham refining his squad markedly since the sides met in March.

Fire will also offer surprises of their own, with Fire sweating on a late clearance for Papua New Guinea international David Muta - the 25 year old attacking midfielder recently returning to his former club after winning the PNG National Soccer League grand final with Port Moresby side Hekari United.

 

Words: Michael Flynn (Football Queensland)