PORT Saints and Port United appear certain to lock up two of the top three positions on the Football Mid North Coast Premier League ladder.
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Saints can’t be bumped out of second position and a win from United against Camden Haven on Saturday will secure third position and a double chance in the finals.
They have the bye in the final round.
Saints coach John Goodman admitted his side was in a position to “try a few new things” during their clash with Forster-Tuncurry on Saturday at Findlay Park.
But he expected the Tigers to come out firing as they looked to push their way into the top five.
The Tigers are two points behind fifth-placed Wallis Lake who are level on points with third-placed Port United.
“I expect Forster to come out at us really hard because they want to get into the finals,” Goodman said.
“I’ve got a lot of time for Jonathan Newman. I think he’s a good coach and they’re probably the best team for us to play before the finals.
“They won’t take it easy against us.”
Goodman was unsure what the make-up of his side would be with a handful of players walking a suspension tightrope after accruing three yellow cards.
A fourth would see them miss a game.
This could allow him to give lesser-known players an opportunity to show what they were capable of ahead of the semi-finals.
“In our favour we have the luxury of being able to try a few things we normally wouldn’t do,” he said.
“Oli Chapman, Matthew Goodwin, Chris Miles and Dan Gardner will all be in the mix to have a run.”
Griffin Goodman, who played against Newcastle Jets on Tuesday night, is one yellow card away from a suspension.
Ty Marchant is unavailable for the game due to whiplash suffered in last week’s win, while Goodman hoped to have Aaron Grose back.
The coach also hinted at trying a different formation to how they normally line up.
Meanwhile, Port United coach Nathan Wade is wary of Camden Haven Redbacks despite their lowly position on the ladder.
The two teams clash at Laurieton on Saturday and the United gaffer is aware that it’s a potential banana peel encounter.
“Camden Haven are our bogey side, we always seem to have trouble against them especially down there for some reason,” he said.
Wade knows a victory against the Redbacks will secure a third-place finish.
“If we win we should hold onto third so we’ll treat the game like it’s a semi-final,” he said.
Kaleb Langbein (suspension) and Jack Pilgrim (injury) will miss the match, but Wade expected to have everyone else at his disposal.
Both matches kick off at 3pm on Saturday.