PTC Therapeutics Premiership – Gameweek 5 Preview

It’s already that time again, we have reached the end of another season and it’s been a great one, with everything still to be decided going into the final weekend of the PTC Therapeutics Premiership at the Lee Westwood Sports Centre. There is a title decider, a very tight race for 3^rd and 4^th and also a nail-biting relegation battle. It’s all set to be a fantastic final weekend.

AFC Bournemouth Warriors’ woes continued last time out, with safety now an impossibility for them, the highest they can finish is 10^th. There are ten points between them and the play-off spot; despite this, they have to believe that whilst there is a mathematical chance of finishing there, then they can do it. It will be tough as face opening games against in-form Teesside and Newcastle ahead of two absolutely crucial games against their relegation rivals Brighton and Nottingham. They will have to be perfect to avoid demotion to the Championship.

After a tense 0-0 draw with rivals West Bromwich Albion, Aspire PFC remain three points clear at the top of the table. So far, they have done everything right whilst being chased by the champions, and this will have to continue in order for them to lift an eighth league title. Some potential banana skins await Aspire as they play Newcastle, Sevenoaks and Northern Thunder. If they make it through those games and West Bromwich Albion do what is expected and win their games, then it could come down to these two sides. An Aspire win could see them crowned champions, whilst an Albion win will put it in the champions’ hands. This will be the biggest match of the season.

Brighton & Hove Albion PFC kept their survival hopes alive with an important win against Bournemouth on Gameweek 4. They currently occupy the relegation play-off place but are living dangerously, with Nottingham only one point behind and breathing down their necks. Brighton have some very difficult fixtures facing Villa Rockets, Teesside, West Brom and Aspire. They do, however, have a crunch game against Bournemouth which could prove to be the most important match of their season.

A fantastic previous weekend saw Leeds Chariots PFC move up to 6^th place, joining a cluster of teams on 25 points, all hoping to finish 4^th. They have done what they needed to do to gain safety, and now they are looking to finish strongly ahead of an exciting season next year where they will look to build on this and push further up the table. This weekend, they play a WBA Throstles side sat on the same points, and a Sevenoaks side sat on the same points, highlighting how close it is. They also play relegation-threatened Nottingham and a tough match against Northern Thunder. There are some good opportunities for Leeds to move away from their table rivals.

After a slow start last weekend, Newcastle United Foundation PFC finished in good form, notably opening up a usually defensively sound Villa Rockets team with a 4-0 win. They are in pole position, sat in 4^th and are only five points off a shaky Northern Thunder. With some favourable games against Bournemouth, Throstles and Villa before a potential upset win against Aspire, Newcastle will feel they are the ones to finish 4^th and maybe even catch their city neighbours. A good finish to the season will put them in high spirits ahead of the cup final next weekend.

Northern Thunder struggled last weekend, slipping to a big defeat against West Brom, the standout result in a poor run. This has all but seen their outside title hopes disappear. Whilst their final season as a club hasn’t finished how they would have wanted it to, they surely will go out with a bang, and they still have a say in the title race as they take on both Aspire and West Brom across the weekend, they could make or break the league winners this year. They have some winnable games against Sevenoaks, Nottingham and Leeds, it’s set up for Thunder to sign off with a flourish.

Nottinghamshire PFC have some very promising games in their bid to avoid relegation, they can climb above Brighton and secure a playoff place with results against Bournemouth, Leeds and Teesside. It could be a difficult start as they begin with Thunder, but after that, with some difficult games for Brighton, there is a real chance they can save their season for the time being.

Sevenoaks PFC find themselves within the mix of teams on 25 points. Whilst they may have thought they could finish in 4^th, it’s perhaps unlikely they will finish there, considering they must play Aspire and Northern Thunder. They always turn up and are solid and clever tactically, so there are points still to gain for the Kent-based side. They have some potential points to be won against Throstles and Leeds, which would allow them to gain some territory over their rivals for 4^th spot.

It was a phenomenal weekend for Teesside PFC last weekend as they took 11 points from 15 and didn’t lose a match, putting them into a great position just one point behind Newcastle in 4^th. They face the bottom three sides Bournemouth, Brighton and Nottingham, as well as an opportunity against Villa Rockets. Expect some more great performances from Teesside as Tyler Reeve looks to celebrate his World Cup place with a good points tally.

It was a mixed weekend for Villa Rockets last time. They started with a brilliant 0-0 draw with Northern Thunder, in which they were disappointed not to come away with all three points. They then got a good win against Brighton and a decent 0-0 draw with Teesside. Uncharacteristically, they were on the end of a 4-0 defeat to Newcastle, which saw them concede an unusually high number of goals. This weekend, they face Brighton again before West Bromwich Albion, the reverse fixture catalysing a poor run for Albion. They then have some difficult games against Teesside and Newcastle. With the right performances, Villa can certainly hope to finish in or near 4^th position.

West Bromwich Albion PFC will not relent in their quest for a fifth consecutive title. They find themselves still only three points adrift from the summit with the potential to get to the top should they beat Aspire in the crucial top-of-the-table duel. To start the weekend, there is a derby match against WBA Throstles. They then take on Villa Rockets and Brighton before that game against Aspire. Their final game is against Northern Thunder, a game which could see their hard work undone if Thunder and Ed Common can find clever ways around them. West Brom will not be thinking about that and will be solely focused on winning the league.

Finally, West Bromwich Albion Throstles are too in the hunt for 4^th place, level on points with Villa, Leeds and Sevenoaks. They face an unnerving game against their parent club first before an important game against Leeds, having won the reverse fixture. A tricky game against Newcastle follows before another big game against Sevenoaks. If they can get their passing going and put the ball in the back of the net, Throstles could beat anybody, and they will be hoping to find this winning formula to finish as high as 4^th.

Whatever happens this weekend, it’s been a fantastic season with a new level of quality discovered by teams, with some great football and performances on show. It’s going to be very exciting and we can’t wait to see what happens.