THEY'VE locked up top spot and done it in style, to boot.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Bathurst '75 FC will go into the Western Premier League finals series as the minor premiers following their 6-1 hammering of hosts Orange Waratahs in Saturday's penultimate round of the regular season.
The 1-all draw between pursuing teams Panorama FC and Barnstoneworth United FC on the weekend means '75 hold a four point advantage and can't be knocked down from top spot with a game still to play.
Bathurst '75 finished third in last year's return to the WPL but were bundled out of the finals in the opening week.
This year they're guaranteed two opportunities to reach the grand final thanks to their finish at the top.
The men in blue earned that right with an emphatic second half's play against Tahs.
Bathurst '75 co-coach Andrew Fearnley admired the way his side persevered after a challenging start to Saturday's game.
"It's a lot easier securing that now than having it go to the last week," he said.
"Waratahs certainly provided a big challenge for us in the first 20 minutes when we scored but they came back to make it 1-1. We just had to continue playing the football we were capable of, and we did just that, and the scoreboard took care of itself."
Fearnley said that so far the squad have been completing their goals week after week.
"We certainly strived after last year to improve and we definitely strengthened the squad in certain areas ... and something we really wanted to achieve this year was come first," he said.
"We've led from the start and it's a big positive for us to be able to do that. I'm a big believer of this league being very important, so we're certainly happy to come first in the premiership. Now it's about backing it up for finals."
Eleven of the 21 WPL's minor premiers have gone on to win the title since the competition's introduction in 1994.
Bathurst '75 rounds out their regular season on August 12 against a Panorama side who will still have a lot to play for in the derby.
"We'll still be going out there to get a result, and there's a bit of pressure on them. They're in a position where they could be travelling to Orange in week one of the finals if we get a win and so do Barnies," Fearnley said.
"For us, we want to make the most of the game because - ideally - we only have two more after that, and we want to prepare ourselves for a big challenge against a side who will also be knocking on the door in finals."
Top spot might be out of the Goats' reach but they can still secure a home game for week one of the finals if they can repeat their previous Bathurst derby success against '75.
Panorama fought back to claim a late equaliser in Saturday's latest game with Barnies.
For coach Ricky Guihot it was frustrating to see chances for maximum points pass his team by, but he remains upbeat for the upcoming derby in a fortnight's time.
"I thought, to be honest, we were a bit overawed by the occasion and we went away from the short and sharp passing that got us to where we are this season. It took us about 20 minutes to settle into it ... but I thought we were overall the better side," he said.
"I thought the player they signed from Colombia [Carlos Castrillon] was a decent nine and the Irish boy [Paddy Gillespie] puts himself thereabouts but I thought we should have taken the points and we didn't, so now we have to beat 75s to get that home semi-final."
Guihot said his side need to replicate more of the football they showed in their previous encounter with '75 when they meet again.
"We beat 75s last time and that puts a lot of pressure on them. In two of their last three games they will have played two of the teams in striking distance of them. We'll hopefully beat them, and they've been smacked 6-2 by the other one," he said.
"The big thing is whether they can compete with us when it really matters. Yes, 1-1 from the weekend isn't what we wanted, but we're competing every single week and that's what matters."
Reading this on mobile web? Download our news app. It's faster, easier to read and we'll send you alerts for breaking news as it happens. Download in the Apple Store or Google Play.
