With the general bye over the June long weekend on the horizon, Leeton United will look to take a win into the break when they hit the road to take on Young this weekend.
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After the 6-0 win over South Wagga, the United side was able to keep pace with the sides around them and will take on a Young side who currently side four points ahead of them in second.
Coach Frank Alampi knows how crucial a win over Young would be even at this early stage of the season.
"A loss would mean that they get a few points ahead of us if we lose to them, so we need to make sure we are putting our best foot forward and play the football I know we can play," he said.
"We just have to get out there and get it done."
While the results may not have always been what Alampi has been striving for, he feels the side's performances have been tracking in the right direction.
"It is a big game for us this weekend. We have to back up our performances, but sometimes the results haven't been great," he said.
"Against South Wagga, it was the best passing performance of the year, but I would expect that from the boys.
"The week before against Lake Albert was good, but we let in some sloppy goals. It is a really important game for us this week."
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The proximity of sides on the ladder is clear to see when you look at second down to fifth on the table.
The sides are separated by just over a win, and Alampi feels this was always going to be how the season was going to play out.
"It is still early, but we can't drop too many more points at this early stage because if we do, we will end up chasing our tail," he said.
Heading into the crucial clash with the Lions, Alampi said he might be forced to make a few changes due to player unavailability.
"We have a few out, but we will reassess that on Thursday," he said.
"We just might have to make a change, but we will see how we go.
"Ethan Murphy was suspended after he picked up another yellow card, so he will serve a week, so that will be one change, and we will go from there."
The Young side has proven to be almost impossible to break down at the back, having only conceded four goals so far this season.
They were also sitting on a 270-minute streak of not conceding a goal before Henwood Park found the back of the net, so if chances fall to United, they will not want to waste them as they have against the other side so far this season.
Since putting 11 past Tolland in round one, United have scored 10 goals in the next five games, which includes the six last week.
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