Southern United has only pride left to play for in the final three games of the season but that will not stop it looking to continue on a good run.
The side will take on Wellington Phoenix Reserves at Sunnyvale tomorrow, and will want to do the double over the side.
Southern United had a last minute 2-1 win over the Wellington-based side in early December as Garbhan Coughlan scored in added time.
The Phoenix reserves can be a mixed bag and are very much a development team. The side has been struggling big time this season and sits bottom of the 10-team ladder, having won one game, drawn one and lost the other 13. It has scored just 14 goals while conceding 41.
Southern United has been in good form of late and has not been beaten in its last four games. It came back from the dead last week, with two goals from Coughlan in the last 10 minutes giving the side a 2-1 victory over Tasman United in Nelson.
Southern United sits on 21 points in fifth place, nine points behind fourth-placed Canterbury.
Mathematically it could catch Canterbury, if it won its last three games and Canterbury lost both its remaining fixtures.
However, teams tied on points are not split by goal difference in the league, but on head-to-head games.
Canterbury beat Southern United twice, both by the same 1-0 scoreline, in the first half of the season.
So the best the Southern men can get is to grab fifth spot, which is nothing to be ashamed of.
The side has come a long way in the past couple of seasons and in Coughlan has found a genuine attacking threat.
The Irishman has scored 12 of Southern United's 20 goals this season and sits at the top of the premiership goal-scoring ladder, sharing the lead with Callum McCowatt, of Eastern Suburbs and Sam Mason-Smith, of Hawkes Bay United.
It has been an exceptional performance from Coughlan to reach those lofty heights as he was laid low by sickness earlier in the season.
To lose tomorrow would be a real black mark against the side after making some real progress in the past few weeks.
After taking on the Phoenix Reserves tomorrow at Sunnyvale, Southern United's remaining two games are against Hawkes Bay United at home on March 10 and then face Eastern Suburbs in Auckland on March 16, in a night match.
Eastern Suburbs, Auckland City, Team Wellington and Canterbury have confirmed their places in the top four already.
