Report by Tommy Doleman

Players line up for the traditional photoshoot at the NPL season launch. Cockburn City were not represented because of a Covid outbreak.Photo by Football West/FotoEnzo

Round One of the 2022 NPL WA season begins on Saturday and promoted Stirling Macedonia will receive an early test when they travel to face Armadale.

This is Stirling’s first top-flight fixture since relegation in 2019, and things are looking up at Macedonia Park following a magnificent promotion campaign last year which saw them suffer just one defeat.

Ian Ferguson masterminded the success in his first year with the club, having previously guided Quinns to promotion from Division Two.

Stirling recently won all five of their Night Series group games before defeat to Perth SC in the semi-final, and the former Perth Glory coach says spirits are high ahead of the season proper.

“I was delighted with the pre-season after coming up from the first division because we were the new kids on the block and the group we had was very tough,” he said.

“So, to get through that undefeated was a great achievement, but for us the pre-season was more about getting shape and structure right with everyone knowing their roles, and that’s how it was at Quinns and at Stirling.

“The camaraderie within the dressing room has been great with the new signings we’ve brought in. All the boys just seem to having a good time and there’s a lot of laugher, which I like, and more importantly the players seem to be enjoying their football.”

Those new signings include the likes of 2021 Gold Medal winner Calvin Whitney and striker Michael Domfeh, both from Perth.

“We know it’s going to be a difficult game, no matter who we play this season, but do I believe the players can win? Absolutely,” he said.

“The challenge for us is to take everything on board we’ve been working on and maintain that. There’s a lot of good stuff we’ve worked on, which you can see when we play games is coming to fruition, and that’s what I want to do when we start the NPL.

“The supporters have been absolutely fantastic. Wherever we go, we have a right few people coming down to watch of all different ages and that’s great to see, and I’d say we’re one of the best supported clubs in the NPL.

“The club want to be here, they’ve helped me in every way, shape and form to get back to the NPL, and the commitment from them has been first class in showing that ambition of wanting to get back up.”

Armadale, meanwhile, have recorded successive mid-table finishes under sixth-year head coach John O’Reilly, which are their best returns since 2010 when Brad Hassell was at the helm.

“We walked away with four wins, two draws and two losses from our five Night Series games and three friendlies, so overall when you look at the results-based picture we’ve done well in terms of what we’ve achieved,” O’Neill said.

“We’ve managed to answer a lot of questions, look at players, styles and see what’s going to work best for us, and it’s put us in a good position to start the season with quiet confidence.

“We need to pick up points early in the year and the intention is always to come out as fast as we can to try and get them in those first six-seven games, to get that mid-table security and to look up.

O’Reilly added he was excited by the challenge of facing a new-look Stirling side and believes his team will be ready for the occasion.

“With Stirling, the advantage point is they’ve had a year of winning which becomes a habit, and you can say they’ve strengthened their squad by bringing in new players that are recognisable such as Whitney and Domfeh,” he said.

“At the end of the day, when you come to Armadale and play against us, if we get it right on the day it’s going to be a tough challenge for them. It’s about game plan and the execution of that plan, which covers areas that include an expected discipline and work ethic, and the experienced lads know this.

“For the new lads who’ve come on board with maybe not as much NPL experience, it’s their chance to step up and shine.

“The excitement is about getting on the pitch where the result means something. That’s why we’re in it, we’re competitive people who want to win and now the season’s starting we can get down to business and crack on.”

Elsewhere, it is the dawn of a new era in the northern suburbs as Perth Redstar take the field for the first time since a merger between ECU Joondalup and women’s club Northern Redbacks.

Redstar host Gwelup Croatia on Saturday afternoon with ECU-title winning coach Kenny Lowe remaining in charge of the men’s side. In the opposite dugout for Gwelup is Mitch Prentice, who played at Glory while Lowe was assistant at the A-League club.

Balcatta host Inglewood in a game which ended 2-2 in both 2021 fixtures. Michael Johnson’s side staved off any threat of relegation with an unbeaten five-game run to end the campaign, while Andres Oliveira’s United narrowly missed a Top Four Cup place.

- Three Round One fixtures have been postponed due to Covid. Perth SC against Floreat Athena joined the list today after the  Cockburn City v Sorrento and Perth Glory v Bayswater City games were called off earlier in the week.

Fixtures (3pm): Armadale v Stirling Macedonia, Balcatta v Inglewood United, Perth RedStar v Gwelup Croatia. Postponed: Cockburn City v Sorrento, Perth Glory v Bayswater City, Perth SC v Floreat Athena.