Namoi United return to the winners’ circle in Moree to remain in the NIPL finals hunt

Namoi United’s finals hopes are still well and truly alive with three games to go in the Northern Inland Premier League first grade competition, and a highly-anticipated double header this weekend holds a significant bearing on whether or not a top-three spot in the Southern Conference will be achievable going into the final round.

The combined Narrabri/Wee Waa/Moree team will host Moore Creek in round 19 on Saturday and the Hillvue Rovers in a rescheduled round 15 match on Sunday, both at Hogan Oval, and the equation is simple – they must win both games.

The Namoi United men lined up against South United at the Moree Services Club field in round 18 last Saturday and scored a 2-0 victory against the Tamworth club.

Jake Brayshaw got onto the end of a Matt Urquhart corner kick seconds before the half-time break and headed home the opener, and he provided the assist for the second goal in the 75th minute when he charged down the left wing and fired in a cross that found Colby Williams, who buried his shot to make the score 2-0.

That was the way it remained when the full-time whistle sounded as the Namoi men kept their first clean sheet of the season in what was their 15th game since returning to the NIPL competition for the first time since 2016.

The win was Namoi United’s fifth, to go with two draws and eight losses, and they are now on 17 points. The two teams they are battling to overtake in the third-place race went head-to-head on Saturday in round 18 and it was a good result for Namoi United as North Companions beat Tamworth FC 2-1. That result saw Tamworth FC stay on 21 points in fourth place on the Southern Conference ladder and Northies move to 26 points in third.

Namoi United were always going to need to win their remaining three games following Saturday’s victory, but North Companions’ win meant that Tamworth FC can still be overtaken as they too have three games left to play.

Northies only have one match left and that is against Namoi United in Narrabri during the final round, so if the combined Narrabri/Wee Waa/Moree team do win both games this weekend and Tamworth FC drop points twice on the run home, the Namoi men will be playing for third place on August 31.

This Sunday’s game against Hillvue was initially set down to be played last Sunday but it was washed out and postponed for a second time due to wet weather in Narrabri; the same wet weather that saw the round 18 game against South United moved from Hogan Oval to Moree.

The battle that Neil Brayshaw’s men face this Saturday is going to be quite a tough one. Moore Creek are first on the Southern Conference ladder with 35 points following 11 wins, two draws and just three losses this year, and they are coming off a 5-1 victory against Hillvue Rovers last Saturday, which is the same scoreline they beat Namoi United by at Hogan Oval back in round 13.

The Andy Cygan-coached side will claim the minor premiership if they win their final two games, so they will be full of motivation when they arrive in Narrabri on Saturday.

The three other matches played in round 18 last Saturday were Northern Conference fixtures, which were won by Armidale City Westside, Inverell FC and South Armidale United.

Ladder leaders Westside edged out Demon Knights 2-1 in a first-versus-third battle, second-placed Inverell remained the minor premiership hopefuls as they demolished East Armidale United 15-2 in Inverell, and defending champs South Armidale United downed Norths United 1-0.

The first grade points ladders are as follows, with the numbers in brackets indicating how many matches each team has left to play.

Southern Conference – Moore Creek 35 (2), Oxley Vale Attunga 32 (3), North Companions 26 (1), Tamworth FC 21 (3), Namoi United 17 (3), Hillvue Rovers 10 (23), South United 10 (1).

Northern Conference – Armidale City Westside 38 (1), Inverell 36 (2), Demon Knights 33 (1), South Armidale United 24 (1), Norths United 12 (2), East Armidale United 0 (3).

Note: Southern Conference teams play 18 games in the regular season and Northern Conference teams play 17 games.

Meanwhile, Namoi United’s reserve grade side scored their third win of the season on Saturday in Moree as they defeated South United 3-2 in a wooden spoon battle.

Aden Bridge and Kallan Marchant scored in quick succession just after the half-hour mark before the South United side’s Justin Kellett bagged a double before the break to make the score 2-all at half-time. Riley Longworth put Namoi United back ahead in the 52nd minute and they held on to prevail 3-2 and go three points ahead of South United.