The Strikers play one of only three remaining home games for the year on Sunday when they host the Junee Jaguars, that match the first in a four-staged stepping stone for last year’s grand finalists.

Following Junee the Strikers have a bye and then

travel to play Lake Albert and Tumut on successive weekends.

If they don’t collect all 12 points available, their hopes of featuring in yet another semi final series will fade almost to the point of disappearing.

All three games are winnable as Junee and Tumut currently sit below the fifth-placed Strikers, while Lake Albert are just one win ahead in fourth.

Club president and first grade defender Simon Sutherland is fully aware of the situation.

“I was talking to George (coach George Dimitropoulos) during the week and we have to beat Lake Albert in a couple of weeks time,” Sutherland said.

“It’s as simple as that, but it’s just as crucial we don’t drop the points against Junee or Tumut.

“We can’t miss the opportunities against the teams currently behind us and if we take care of those games then the Lake Albert match becomes vital.

“We have a run of tough games after the Tumut match and you don’t want to be going into the last three or four games of the year needing to win them all.”

Coming off a disappointing 1-0 loss to Wagga United last weekend, Sutherland said his side must turn things around on Sunday.

“To be totally honest, last week’s performance was absolutely terrible,” he said.

“We seemed to struggle on the bigger field at Gissing Oval and couldn’t get out of our own half.

“In the end the difference was only one, but I’m sure if we played to our potential we could have toppled them.”

Back on their home turf, the Strikers will again look to play an expansive game, controlling the ball at the back before releasing it down the sidelines to take advantage of the speed of the likes of Derek Krogh, James Minehan and Adam McPhail.