Our Wander Women host the Sydney Derby on Friday night in a huge match at Marconi Stadium.
Get your tickets to the fixture here.
As the season draws closer to a conclusion, the Wanderers are looking to climb up the table to finish as strong as possible and to lay a foundation for next season.
This will be helped by last week’s announcement that Geoff Abrahams has been made the permanent head coach of the side until the end of the 2025-26 season.
The move is a deserved one for Abrahams, who has done a great job revitalising a young side who have gone through difficulties on and off the pitch, namely leading them on a fantastic three game winning streak recently.
Western Sydney have also been unlucky not to get any points out of their last two games, falling to late and unfortunate defeats in two tough away trips.
Last week’s trip took the Wanderers to Perth in what ended up being a tight and gritty match with not too many clear cut chances for either side.
Ultimately, the home side scored a winner in the first minute of added time to break Wanderers’ hearts after a stout defensive effort, and meant they went home empty handed.
Due to this and the fact the Wanderers have played a game less than the rest of their opponents, they have slipped to the bottom of the table, but have the chance to close the gap on their crosstown rivals, who are one place above them.
The game against Perth had positives of its own, as Sophie Harding made her return after a spell on the sidelines due to a hip injury; the Julie Dolan Medal winner from last season made a small cameo off the bench in the latter stages of the match, and will be hoping to work to full fitness for the crucial Derby match up.
The Derby match on Friday could be one of the few times this season Harding and Holly Caspers will share the pitch together this season, with the pair being hit by injuries this season and not getting much of a chance to play together.
It has had a big impact on the team, with Caspers and Harding being a lethal combo last season, and they will hope to link up again as the season winds down.
The Wanderers will also look to end a tough record in the Derby match and will have revenge on their minds after heartbreak in the reverse fixture.
On that day back in round three, the Wanderers were arguably the better side on the day, creating better chances and even hitting the post at one point.
However, they were hit on the break with a Caley Tallon-Henniker winner in the 86th minute condemning the Wanderers to an unjust defeat at Leichhardt Oval.
That said, it has been a difficult season for our rivals, who have spent a decent chunk of time at the bottom of the table.
They have the worst attack in the competition with just 19 goals, and have only won five games all season.
Our rivals have hit a decent run of form, winning their last two games by single goal margins, but the Wanderers will still fancy themselves to record a precious Derby win and put a high point in their season.
