Well, that was an interesting round of football in the Premier League last week. A change at the top of the table and a log-jam of teams in the top half as well as a scrap for last place.

West Pymble

I said the match against Knox last week was not going to be a gimmee, but West Pymble needed to win to get things back on track. And a big win it was 4:1 away from home. That puts them back on top of the table, just ahead of Kissing Point on goal difference (+18 versus +13).

This week West Pymble face Lindfield who are only one point behind the league leaders but sitting in fourth place (I told you there is a log jam, didn’t I?).  Lindfield has only lost at home once this season and I expect they will want to preserve that record, so this should be a great match to watch. Who will win? Could go either way and there is a high likelihood of a draw.

Kissing Point

A great match last weekend against Northbridge. Match report is here. Kissing Point could only manage a draw against ten-man Northbridge side and that has really hurt them. Grabbing only one point last week, they have dropped to second place on goal difference.

This week they’re at home again, this time hosting Chatswood Rangers. Kissing Point is another team that hasn’t lost at home this season, and have only had one draw on Auluba, so I would expect them to win again this week.

Lane Cove

Lane Cove, the quiet achievers. Last week they beat Old Barker 2:1 on Golden Jubilee and that makes five wins out of their last six matches. They are sitting third on the table, one point behind the two leaders and ahead of Lindfield on goal difference. They cannot sit on their laurels because Lindfield and North Sydney are still in touch with Lane Cove.

This week they are at home to North Sydney. Last time they played North Sydney away they lost 3:2 so this is going to be a tight match with the winner taking the spoils. I think they’ll win this one, but they are going to have to work for it.

Lindfield

Lindfield are in fourth position only one point behind the league leaders and behind Lane Cove on goal difference. Last week they beat North Sydney 1:0 at home.

This week Lindfield are at home again, a ground where they haven’t lost this season, but they are hosting league leaders West Pymble. This should be a classy match and both sides will need their best men to have any chance of winning. I’m forecasting a draw on this match.

North Sydney

A loss to Lindfield last week has seen them slip to a two-pint gap below Lindfield. They need a win this week to stay in touch but they have Lane Cove as an opponent on Lane Cove’s home ground, so this is going to be a tough week at the office for North Sydney.

Chatswood Rangers

Talking of tough weeks at the office, Chatswood Rangers lost 1:0 to Berowra at home. That’s three losses from the last four matches and they need to put some action in place to stop the rot.

This week Chatswood are away to Kissing Point who haven’t lost on Auluba so far this year,  so things are going to be tough. There is a chance they that could grab some points here, but they are going to have tame the Kissing Point wingers and strikers to have any chance.

Old Barker

A loss to Lane Cove makes it six losses from seven matches. What can Barker take away from last week? They scored a goal. No, I’m not being smart, when Barker loses it usually does so without scoring a goal in the match. Whereas last week they grabbed a goal, which means they are a player and a chance of changing the direction of their season.

This week they are away to Northbridge who held Kissing Point to a 3:3 draw with only ten men, so they have shown they can be a formidable side when pushed. This should be a good match as both teams are fighting to stay in the Premier League. I think barker can win this one, but if Northbridge brings their “A” game, they will have difficulty grabbing any points.

Berowra

Maybe I was a bit rude about Berowra last week. But, it looks like they pulled-on those big boy pants and demonstrated that they are worthy of a place in the Premier League by beating Chatswood Rangers 1:0 away from home

This week they are against bottom-of-the-table Knox. Both teams are fighting for Premier League survival and it’s now time to see which team sees the Premier League as their rightful place to be.

Northbridge

Well, well, well. If you can hold Kissing Point to a 3:3 draw after having a player sent off in the first half, what could you do with a full squad. Strikes me, that a bit if urgency and self-belief is what is required.

This week Northbridge are against Barker and this game could go either way. Both sides have lots of talent, but it’s all still a bit raw. I think Northbridge will have a tough time winning this match, but they have clearly demonstrated they can score goals when the have to.

Knox

Knox have beaten Lindfield this year but then lost to North Sydney and West Pymble. Knox are equal with Northbridge on points at the bottom of the table but behind on goal difference. However, they are a game behind as they still need to play Rangers from way back in round 5.

A win this week could easily move Knox up three places and a win in their catch-up match could move them to mid-table, so they have a lot on the table and a decent chance of making an impression. This week they face Berowra away from home which I think is going to be a tough match to win. As I said earlier, the winner of this round will be the team that wants to be in the Premier League the most.