Report by Tommy Doleman

Jason Mirco has been at Bayswater since 2016. Photo by Bayswater City/Facebook

The race for the NPLWA – Men’s title continues this weekend with just four points splitting first and fourth.

Leaders Floreat Athena sit one point clear of Perth RedStar and Stirling Macedonia, while Bayswater City are a further three points off the trail.

With only four matches remaining, the contenders know any slip at this stage could end their chances of winning the league. Which heightens the anticipation for Saturday’s Round 19 encounter at Frank Drago Reserve, when Bayswater host Stirling.

Gareth Naven’s side have lost only three games this season, the same number as Athena. It is a joint-league high six draws which has them slightly off the pace. One of those at Floreat last week, where Bayswater led three times only to be pegged back each time.

Despite the frustration of recent dropped points, Bayswater’s Jason Mirco says there is still lots to like about what is happening on the pitch.

“Going away to Athena is always a tough game with their group of experienced boys and certain style of play, which has traditionally matched up well on us,” he said.

“We went there with the right mentality and game plan and fashioned a great amount of chances, but those missed opportunities came back to haunt us.

“A couple of penalties and a set-piece for them determined the outcome, but if we look back as a group at the performance, it was what we wanted and a point at the leaders isn’t bad at all.

“We left two points on the table against Cockburn after a late penalty, and then against Inglewood it was similar to Floreat in that we performed well and it was probably one of our better performances this season. But we didn’t take our chances and situations arose at the other end.

“We would love to go back in time and grab those four points, but that’s football and now we’re looking forward to these last four games and are hoping to be right up there.”

Bayswater have somewhat bounced back in 2022 after bottom half finishes in the past two years for the three-time NPL winners. Having been at Frank Drago Reserve since 2016, Mirco has seen a changing of the guard unfold in recent seasons and is optimistic the future is bright once again.

“We obviously lost (title-winning coach) Chris Coyne, who left the club with a legacy having achieved so much on and off the field, and then another WA football legend in Gareth Naven came in with his own identity and ideas,” he said.

“It takes time, and for the outsider looking in its maybe not so evident, but as a playing group we’re really starting to see what’s been pushed forward in our performances. With more concentration and hard work, we’re seeing evidence of what a good coach Gareth is, and we’re starting to see Bayswater 2.0 building under him.

“Bayswater, as a club, have never changed their mentality on how they approach being in the NPL, from juniors to seniors. Even looking at results outside of our transition period, the reserves and 18s have won a couple of trophies and the juniors continue to be fantastic.

“The club sets high standards and whilst it wasn’t clicking in the senior team for a period, the right things were still being done and we’re starting to see the fruits of that labour. There’s some good players coming through, and the hope is a couple of them will stick around, and we’re looking at many fruitful years to come with as much home-grown talent as possible.”

Mirco’s role within the new set-up has also evolved with the winger deployed as a full-back in Naven’s system. It’s something the former Sorrento man has embraced in a bid to further improve his all-round game.

“I’m moving further and further back the older I get, so I’ll be playing goalkeeper in no time!” he said.

“Over the last two years, I’ve adopted the wing-back role, and getting used to having more defensive responsibilities has taken some adjusting. But I’m enjoying the challenge because one of the focuses for me as I’ve gotten into my mature years is trying to be more adaptable and not pigeon-holed as a winger.

“It’s about being more available, reliable and dependable in different positions for the coaching staff and for the team. Gareth still encourages the full-backs to get forward and attack, but I’ve also played a bit of left-back when Sammy (Mitchinson) was out of the team and also in the midfield for a while away at Balcatta.”

Saturday’s visitors Stirling are on a good run themselves, having won four of their past five games. Ian Ferguson’s side won 1-0 in the Round Eight meeting at Macedonia Park and Mirco expects another similarly close battle.

“We’ve matched up against Stirling twice this season and they have been low-scoring affairs. They’re hard to beat and their league position reflects that, a great group of boys, an experienced manager and not easy to play against,” he said.

“We’re expecting another tight encounter. They’ll be aware of being three points ahead of us, so the position in the league between us is up for grabs. They’ll want to create distance, and we’re chasing the pack, so we’re hungry to get the result as you can imagine.

“But we will approach the game as we always do where we take the game to Stirling, and with guys like Ndumba (Makeche) and Gordon (Smith) in our side, then with the right service for them we believe we can beat any team on any given day.

“We’re hoping for plenty of twists and turns, and hopefully for us the twist is fourth to first. It is very tight, and I still think that top four is wide open. Results are going in all directions at the moment, which is exciting for the competition, and it means right until the last day it’s going to be competitive.”

Round 19 begins on Friday night when ninth-placed Perth Glory host Sorrento at Crazy Domains Stadium. The Gulls gave themselves a chance of playing finals with victory at Inglewood last time out, but with the top three still to play they need a win to close a five-point gap to fourth.

Inglewood are in a similar position, sitting a point behind Sorrento with the pair still having a game in hand when they meet again. Andres Oliveira’s side are at home to Floreat this week as the leaders try to hold off the chasing pack.

Second-place Perth RedStar look to extend their three-game winning streak when they face second-bottom Balcatta Etna in a game with implications for both ends of the league. Etna are now out of the drop zone by a point after a first win of the season against Glory last Saturday.

Gwelup Croatia, who now occupy the sole relegation place, welcome mid-table Armadale to Wishart Street. Perth SC and Cockburn City meet in a game between two bottom half sides, well clear of the fight for survival.

Round 19 fixtures

Friday (7.30pm): Perth Glory v Sorrento.

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