The business end of this season`s indoor championships

This season`s Indoor National League 1 championships have reached the business end – that is when mistakes can be fatal and brilliance can be rewarded.

This weekend`s fixtures will go a long way to deciding this season`s champions, and at the other end which sides are in danger of relegation.

Both Saturday and Sunday start with the final matches in the group stage. But some things are already decided, in the men`s Inverleith from pool A along with Western and Grove Menzieshill from the other pool have already qualified for the semi-finals later in the day. The women`s competition is even more conclusive – here Dundee Wanderers will face Clydesdale Western and Watsonians play Wildcats in the semi-finals.

However, there are still one or two outstanding issues to be resolved.

The scenario in the women`s competition is less complicated – the semi-final line-up is already decided – but the bottom positions are still live.

In pool A Inverleith will feel they’re almost certain to avoid bottom spot, they lead Edinburgh CALA by three points and a 16 goal difference, and the sides meet on Sunday. It would take an exceptional performance to reverse the placings, but almost anything can happen in the indoor game and CALA will always believe in themselves.

It`s much tighter in pool B with Edinburgh University and Grove Menzieshill both on three points with the students having a better goal difference. And they play Clydesdale Western and Wildcats respectively.

And so on to the play-off matches.

In the women`s competition form and previous results would suggest that Clydesdale and Watsonians might progress on to next weekend`s final, but their opponents will certainly have other ideas.

In the league Clydesdale beat Wanderers 5-1 with a Fiona Semple hat-trick the highlight but Clydesdale have many other potential goal scorers in Millie Steiger, Bronwyn Shields, Margery Justice and several others. Wanderers have done well to reach the semi-finals, courtesy of back to back 4-1 wins last weekend with set piece conversions from Sam Sangster a feature, so will believe they have the strength in depth to blunt Clydesdale`s progress.

In similar fashion Watsonians beat Wildcats 7-1 in their league encounter with Sarah Jamieson to the fore with a hat-trick. In fact, Jamieson was in devastating form last weekend with 15 goals, it seems hard to keep her off the score sheet. However, the Cats have had a good indoor season and only went down 2-1 to Clydesdale last weekend – have they the resistance to keep out the free-scoring Watsonians?

Second spot in the men`s pool A is still up for grabs – at the moment it is held by Dundee Wanderers on seven points with Dunfermline Carnegie just one point adrift, the consequence of the former winning last weekend`s head to head 4-2. So Wanderers seem to have the slight advantage but their remaining game is against high-flying Inverleith preparing for their later semi-final. In contrast, Dunfermline face up to bottom side Uddingston who have yet to win a game.

In pool B both Western and Grove Menzieshill have already qualified for the semi-final – but in which order? You would imagine that both Vishal Marwaha and Bruce Cuthill would prefer to top the pool and avoid Inverleith in the semis.

Both sides sit on 12 points after the Taysiders 4-2 win in the latest head to head, but Western have a goal difference advantage of six. So both sides will be going for goals – Western start the race against Grange, so Cuthill will know his goal target when they then take on Watsonians.

But having to score a specific amount of goals is not as easy as it sounds. Particularly as both Grange and Watsonians are fighting to avoid that relegation threatened four spot in the table. And that is another goal difference contest, both sides are on three points with Grange having a 16 goal advantage.

So it`s all to play for!

The semi-finals are followed by pool third places teams vying for fifth spot. The day will end with a 3/4 play-off between the losing semi-finalists.

And so to the relegation issue. Although the candidates for bottom place face off are not wholly known yet, it is really a struggle for survival. The loser is automatically relegated while the winner will be up against the second placed side in division 2 next weekend.

 

 

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