- Cashmere have 31 points from 11 Southern League games, Ferrymead have 25 from the same fixture list - so this is a six-pointer for the title.
- Cashmere are scoring for fun and are equally impressive defensively, with 54 goals scored and just six conceded in the Southern Premier League 2026.
- Cashmere beat Ferrymead 5-0 in the Southern Premier League 2026 on 3 April.
Cashmere to continue their cruise
This is not a match to shy away from, because Cashmere Technical are on the verge of greatness and Ferrymead Bays are the only team in the SPL 2026 to have come close to keeping pace with them. The hosts are priced at 1.25 for Saturday's showdown with Ferrymead Bays, who are 7.85 to claim an upset, and the draw is 5.75.
The hosts are humming along nicely in a well-drilled system, while Dan Schwarz has taken the reigns this season and is clearly getting the best out of the squad. His team presses hard, stretch the game wide and are deadly in transition - and it shows in the results.
Cashmere's 2026 tally of 54 goals scored and six against is off the charts, as is their current SPL record of 31 points from 11 matches. Recent results include a 9-0 win at Wanaka, a 5-0 win over Ferrymead in the reverse fixture and a 5-1 away win at Selwyn United, which was followed by a 2-2 draw at Nomads last weekend.
Crucial clash for title race
Ferrymead are solid too, with 23 goals for and 12 against from the same 11 fixtures, but they sit a full six points behind Cashmere on points and trail on goal difference. Mark Peers' men will need to hit the ground running and make their best chance count if they are to nick this one because this is a real test of their character and class.
After a loss to Northern AFC and 0-5 defeat to Cashmere in April, followed by a defeat away at Coastal Spirit in their last SPL game, the visitors will have it all to do in this fixture. And with Alan Walker's men more of a direct side, this has the potential to get a little scrappy if they can win the second balls. But it is likely to be a high-tempo affair that Cashmere will relish if Ferrymead overcommit as they have been known to do.
Ferrymead may have an advantage
Peers' side can offer a real threat from deep in the middle and forward areas with Omar Cameron, Treye Butler and Liam Kelk all capable of delivering the goods. But I would back Cashmere to outscore them because they are ruthless in the box with Zander Edwards, Rory Hibbert and Lyle Matthysen all having the ability to complement Coughlan's finishing.
Pieter-Taco Bierma in the heart of the defence is the perfect foil to all that forward thrust because Cashmere are stingy at the back and can keep the ball away from the danger areas. The head-to-head record also gives Cashmere the edge in the psychological department with the Techies having beaten the Bays 3-2 in the SPL 2024 and 6-2 in 2023 before the 5-0 defeat inflicted upon the Bays in April.
So, there's plenty to like about the home team coming out on top here again and the odds on that are fair enough, although the value lies in the fact that it is not an even shorter price. Ferrymead may be in the top two, but this is no contest - and Cashmere to win and BTTS no is a safer bet than it looks given the home side have only conceded six goals.
Over 2.5 goals is also a fair reflection of the fact that Cashmere should turn the screw in a title match that is a step up in intensity to anything they have played in so far this season.
