The wait is finally over; after a long winter break, the PTC Therapeutics Premiership returns. After the standards we saw in the first round of matches, there is every reason to be excited for this weekend. Here’s what to look out for from the teams this weekend:
Aspire PFC sit 3rd in the table and will be disappointed to have slipped to an unexpected defeat against Teesside PFC, which leaves them three points off the top. This weekend is favourable for them, seeing them take on the bottom two sides as well as the up-and-down WBA Throstles. They also face a dogged Sevenoaks side which could prove tricky. However, with two experienced England players and the lively Dan McLellan, they will be confident they can pick up maximum points this weekend.
Newly promoted AFC Bournemouth Warriors find themselves bottom of the league after heavy defeats, no doubt as a result of only having three eligible players, due to classification problems. This issue has now been resolved and they will look to compete for points against Newcastle, Sevenoaks and Leeds. These games could be crucial as they play table toppers Northern Thunder followed by Aspire in their last two matches.
Brighton & Hove Albion PFC returned to the Premiership in impressive fashion, with James Mason scoring six goals as they grabbed wins over Sevenoaks and Nottingham. He’ll be hoping teammate Matt Francis can set him up for some more as they face Teesside, Newcastle and Sevenoaks before a tough fixture against Northern Thunder.
Sat in 10th, Leeds Chariots PFC find themselves with a gap of four points from the bottom two and were extremely disappointed to end up losing the seven-goal thriller against West Brom at the end of the first weekend. Despite this, they strengthened their squad with the addition of Logan Mitchelson and will look to overcome some difficult fixtures against WBA Throstles, Villa Rockets, Newcastle and Teesside before a crunch match against Bournemouth that may see the Chariots put seven points between them and the bottom side.
Newcastle United PFC will be excited to unveil their new recruit this weekend, boyhood Magpies fan Sam Smith, who is back after leaving Northern Thunder at the end of last season. “Playing for Newcastle United is an amazing opportunity and I can’t wait to represent my boyhood club in the National League”. Sam told us. “It is something I have always wanted to do, and to wear the number 9 shirt makes it even more special. The squad is exciting and full of talent, so I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do this weekend and beyond”. With some good-looking fixtures for Newcastle against Bournemouth, Brighton and Leeds, 9 points would really benefit them as they also face West Bromwich Albion, a game that seems unlikely to result in any Newcastle points.
Northern Thunder had a fantastic first weekend, winning all four of their games, scoring 17 in their game against Bournemouth. This run of form sees them top the table. Patrick Kelly seems to have added some more quality to their team, coupled with the world-class Ed Common, Thunder will be looking for four wins again. They take on Nottingham, Villa Rockets, Bournemouth and Brighton. With West Brom below them on goal difference and chasing, they will have to be perfect to keep themselves in 1st place.
From the heights of finishing 4th last season, it was a miserable weekend for Nottinghamshire PFC, who, in the absence of Adam Langley, lost all of their games and find themselves already four points from safety. They do have quality however and Sam Langley remains hopeful they can turn their fortunes around. Here are his thoughts: “Following the fixtures in December, we made a change to the squad during the transfer window. We are hoping to secure some much-needed points this weekend.” On paper, it looks difficult for Nottingham, who play both Northern Thunder and Aspire. They will however, back themselves to get some points against WBA Throstles and Villa Rockets.
An impressive start to the season sees Sevenoaks PFC just three points away from the top of the table, sitting in 4th, albeit having played a game more than the teams in front of them. They are a solid and organised team with clever tactics and should they keep playing the way they did in December, they could be top of the table if they can find a way to outsmart West Brom and Aspire; they also play Brighton and Bournemouth, where they will feel confident.
Teesside PFC remain in the Premiership as a result of St George’s Knights dropping out of the league due to off-field circumstances. That has not stopped them from making the most of their place in the league, finding themselves with seven points and a brilliant win against Aspire. They face both West Bromwich sides, where there could be another upset on the cards, and also clash with Brighton and Leeds. Tyler Reeve continues to impress in the centre and if Teesside do anything this weekend, he will likely be a major force behind it.
In good form in their own Regional league, Villa Rockets find themselves in a cluster of teams sat on six points going into this weekend. They have a very tough start to the weekend, playing the Champions first before top-of-the-league Northern Thunder. Their following three games against Leeds, Nottingham and WBA Throstles could see them pick up some more points to keep themselves in a solid place in the division.
Despite winning their first four games with some slick football, the champions West Bromwich Albion PFC are in 2nd place, chasing after Northern Thunder. They play Villa, Teesside, Newcastle and Sevenoaks this weekend. On their day, they can beat anybody and there is an expectation that West Brom will keep up their 100% record and get back to the top of the table.
WBA Throstles are in transition, they picked up six points in their opening four games but it didn’t always look convincing. Their new squad members are taking some time to click and they are still struggling to deal with the loss of Dave Lewis from the team. That said, they still have a team rich with talent and if they can get the right formula, they could easily fly up the table.
It promises to be a great weekend of football and we can’t wait to see the way teams perform and if there are any more shocks at the top of the table.
