By Luke Austin
National League qualification is within arm’s reach for Wellington Olympic, Western Suburbs and Napier City Rovers following their wins in Round 13 of the Central League.
With the Wellington Phoenix ensured of a place in the Men’s National League, regardless of where they finish in the league, qualification is limited to the three top-performing clubs.
This weekend’s action begins at Wakefield Park where Island Bay United host Napier.
The Bay secured their biggest win of the season, beating relegation rivals North Wellington 4-1 away last Friday.
Barring an unlikely resurgence from winless Stop Out, this result should ensure Island Bay will remain in the Central League in 2025.
Napier striker Oscar Faulds, who leads the Golden Boot charts with 18 goals, is rumoured to be trialling with the Phoenix this week but is still expected to feature for the Blues on Saturday.
Miramar Rangers kept alive their slim chances of finishing in the top three with a ruthless 9-0 win at Petone.
They remain six points off third-placed Napier but with a game in hand over second-placed Wests, and upcoming fixtures against Napier and Wellington Olympic, Miramar could still force their way into the National League.
They host North Wellington on Saturday, and another big win will keep them in touch with the top trio and boost their goal difference.
Stop Out return to Hutt Park after back-to-back 0-8 losses to Olympic at Wakefield (one in the Chatham Cup and one in the league).
They remain stranded in 10th place and are quickly running out of opportunities to avoid the drop.
Despite a winless second half of the season, Waterside Karori will be expected to come away with a win this Saturday.
Game of the week
Many eyes will be on Petone this week to see how they respond to being taken apart at home by Miramar in Round 13.
Petone, who qualified for the National League in 2023, have struggled for consistency this season but few would have seen a 0-9 loss coming.
Second-placed Wests look set to secure a top three finish but they have played one more game than Napier and Miramar, meaning any slip could be costly.
With nerves potentially creeping in for Wests and a fired-up Petone team out to prove a point, Sunday’s fixture is definitely one to follow.
Player to watch
In a mid-season transfer, Island Bay secured the services of former Lower Hutt City forward Paul Owaci (25).
He scored his first two goals for the club in their impressive 4-1 victory against North Wellington last weekend, including an outrageous long-range effort that was nominated for NZ Football’s Goal of the Week award.
Watch Owaci’s goal here:
Owaci has previously played for a number of Wellington clubs, including Upper Hutt City, Wellington United, Wellington Olympic and Naenae.
He will be looking to make another big impact against Napier this Saturday.
Golden Boot
18 — Oscar Faulds (Napier City Rovers)
15 — Lucas Meek (Western Suburbs)
12 — Hamish Watson (Wellington Olympic)
9 — Jack O’Connor (Petone), Sam Mason-Smith (Miramar Rangers)
8— Tomas Alvarado (Waterside Karori)
7 — Jesse Randall (Wellington Olympic), Martin Bueno (Miramar Rangers)
6 — Tor Davenport Petersen (Wellington Olympic)
5 — Ben Mata (Wellington Olympic), Connor Wilson (Western Suburbs), Miles Green (Western Suburbs), Nicolas Bobadilla (Miramar Rangers), Luke Supyk (Wellington Phoenix), Stefan Ashby (Wellington Olympic)
Fixtures
Games to be played on Saturday July 20, 2024
Island Bay United v Napier City Rovers
Wakefield Park, Island Bay, 1.45pm
Miramar Rangers v North Wellington
David Farrington Park, Miramar, 2.30pm
Stop Out v Waterside Karori
Hutt Park, Upper Hutt, 2.30pm
Game to be played on Sunday July 21, 2024
Western Suburbs v Petone
Endeavour Park, Whitby, 2pm
Luke Austin
Luke Austin is a football fan and volunteer, who has played for Island Bay, and follows the Central League.
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