Four matches to go and at this point of the season, every fixture is bigger than the last.
The next one sees Eltham head on the road to face Northcote City on Friday night in what, as the table currently stands, could be a preview of a future promotion play-off clash. The Redbacks remain in sixth place on the table on 32 points following a narrow, late defeat against FC Melbourne Srbija last Friday. Wins for the teams above have opened up a slender gap in the race for promotion, with Northcote one of those teams as they currently sit in third on 43 points – Melbourne Victory are fourth on 37, with FC Bulleen Lions a point further back on 36 in fifth position. After last week’s result, Srbija are level on points with Eltham but hold a game in hand to be played against North Geelong Warriors, and Manningham United are still well in the mix with 30 points in eighth place. The scramble for places in the promotion places could hardly be any closer, and that’s why points are absolutely vital in every remaining game.
Despite last week’s result, Eltham can come into this contest with confidence having gone three games unbeaten prior to that and scored 10 goals in the process. That defeat was just the second time all season the Redbacks have failed to score in the league, so no doubt the attack will be looking to bounce back and restore normality in front of goal. They have also only lost back-to-back games once in 2026, owing to the resolve and tenacity of the group as they respond to setbacks and steer themselves onto the right path.
Northcote have been one of the league’s most exciting teams this season, but equally one of its greatest enigmas. They won each of their first six matches and scored 18 goals, but since then have won only seven and scored just 22 in the following 16 fixtures and recently fell out of the top two places on the table. Their 3-1 win over Port Melbourne on Saturday put an end to a three-game winless skid, so they will be coming into this one with confidence but also with signs of vulnerability that Eltham will hope to exploit. Only Srbija and Melbourne Knights have conceded less than Northcote’s 24 goals against this season, meaning this fixture will pit league’s second-most prolific attack in Eltham against Northcote boasting the third-best defensive record in the competition. The reverse fixture was a thriller at The Web back in Round 10 as Temor Foryabee sprung off the bench to clinch a 1-1 draw in stoppage time, so more drama could be incoming.
The Redbacks know how to rise to the occasion and match the intensity, and Friday will be no different. With a draw and a win in their last two away games, Eltham are travelling well and know that three more points would be huge for the table and for the momentum building towards the final weeks of the campaign.
Kick-off is 8:30pm Friday at John Cain Memorial Park.
Up the ‘Backs.