Gio Colli, left, and Steve Sokol in action during Inglewood United's 2-1 win over Perth Glory earlier this season. Photo by Tom McCarthy
Perth Glory and Inglewood United do battle for the final Top Four Cup spot on Saturday in the stand-out fixture in the last round of the NPLWA – Men’s league season.
The pair are locked together on 34 points, with Ruben Zadkovich’s Glory side two goals better off than their rivals on goal difference to occupy fourth spot. A draw will be good enough for Glory, while Inglewood need a win if they are to potentially add the Top Four Cup to the Night Series they lifted in March.
Andres Oliveira’s side are the league’s leading scorers in 2021, with their front three of Robert Petkov, Ajak Riak and Steve Sokol combining for 35 of Inglewood’s 47 goals.
Sokol is the current Golden Boot leader with 17, two clear of last year’s winner Danny Hodgson of ECU Joondalup. But while individual honours would be nice, Sokol said team objectives were more important in Inglewood's 70th anniversary year.
“I had one personal goal and one team goal coming into this season. The team goal always comes first and that was to finish in the top four and hopefully win it,” Sokol said.
“It’s pretty straight forward for us this weekend. We have to win and that’s it, it’s win or go home at this point.
“We didn’t start the season the way we would have liked coming off the Night Series and had some early losses which put us in a difficult position. But strong performances mid-season and leading into the end have got us on a roll and now we’re pushing for the top four, which has been the goal since the tough start.
“It comes down to the last game and it’s an exciting one the boys are looking forward to. We know we have the quality, everyone knows what we need to do and it’s in our hands.”
Sokol has previously played for Balcatta and Stirling Lions in the NPL WA, but his game has gone to another level this season. Indeed it is the first campaign he has hit double figures.
The forward, who can play anywhere across the front three, puts his improvements down to working on the mental side of his game.
“I’ve been consistent with my off-field training, my strength and conditioning, and to be honest a bit of meditation and mindfulness has gone a long way,” he said.
“I’ve been practising some of that to keep my focus, concentration and confidence high and to help block out any noise or negativity.
“I feel like I’ve had the ability and my stats have gradually increased in the last couple of years, but the off-field work has been huge for me, as well as the backing from the coaches and my team-mates.
“The confidence has been growing in the team, but the coaches have believed in me for a few seasons and have backed me to play my natural game. They’ve just wanted me to believe in myself in terms of getting that consistency.
“It has been a bit of a surprise actually to have scored as many as I have, but the Golden Boot is second on my mind now. We just have to focus on making that top four and it doesn’t matter who gets the goals to get us there.”
Glory meanwhile have been in the finals picture for most of the season, having held a spot in the top half since round eight.
They’ve remained consistent with a run of one defeat in nine leading into Round 22, whilst boasting the league’s second-best defence. Finishing in the top four places would be a positive sign of progress for the team, according to skipper Giordano Colli.
“We’re not going into the game with any other thought but to win,” said last year’s joint-Gold Medal winner.
“We set our goals as a team in terms of what we wanted out of our season and one of them was to finish as high up the table as possible. We haven’t pushed for the league, but a top-four finish would be ideal progress for us.
“All the boys are buzzing for the game. We understand what the occasion is and now we have to go about our business the right way and produce on Saturday.
“A game like this is good for the boys, to perhaps have a little bit of pressure, but I feel the mentality Ruben’s given us means we can thrive on the big occasion and hopefully we can deliver and make the top four.”
Elsewhere, Perth SC will be presented with their fourth title in six years when they welcome Balcatta.
Both teams made head coach announcements during the week. Perth announced they had decided to part ways with Ramon Falzon at the end of the season, while Balcatta appointed former Sorrento assistant Michael Johnson for the 2022 campaign, who arrived at Grindleford Reserve with seven games remaining and kept the club in the top flight.
In other games, Floreat Athena host relegated Rockingham knowing a win will secure the runners-up spot and lock away a double chance in the Top Four Cup. However, dropped points for Vas Vujacic’s side could leave the door open for Sorrento, who are away at Bayswater City.
ECU Joondalup have a very slim chance of qualifying for the post-season competition, but must beat Cockburn City by nine goals and hope Inglewood and Glory draw.
Finally, Gwelup Croatia wrap up an underwhelming campaign against Armadale.