MOST winter sports are done and dusted for 2020 but the Bathurst District Football finals are only just getting started. Despite the challenge put forward earlier this year by COVID-19, and the ensuing late start, the BDF were able to get a full length season into the schedule. And the first - and maybe only - ever October finals series will deliver some thrilling games across the men's and women's premier league this Sunday. Teams who finished first and second will still have a second chance if they lose this weekend but for those in third and fourth they'll be playing to keep their seasons alive. CSU FC and Abercrombie FC Gold will be in that sudden death position for their men's semi-final while the women's equivalent will pit Panorama FC and Eglinton FC against one another. CSU and AFC both enter the men's semi-finals on the back of draws against fellow finals-bound side Abercrombie FC Navy and Collegians respectively, which will give both of them confidence ahead of the knockout clash. Meanwhile in the women's clash Panorama will be big favourites having won all three games against Eglinton so far this season. However, their coach Brent Huie isn't going into the game overconfident given Eglinton's track record this year. "We've gone better against Eglinton compared to any other team we played. We dropped points against Millthorpe and Macquarie, only got one point off CSU, got beaten by Abercrombie three times but managed to get three wins against Eglinton," he said. "We'll be favourites going in but it's not going to be an easy game. Eglinton are the only team to have beaten Abercrombie this season. They have a lot of pace up front and they play very direct. They're compact at the back and hard to break down. "It's always hard against Eglinton and we've had some great tussles with them over the years." Panorama come into the match off a scrappy 4-3 victory over Macquarie United FC in the last round of the regular season. It wasn't a flawless performance from the Goats but it was a showcase of their fighting capabilities. Panorama will be looking to avoid a similar blow-for-blow affair come the semi-final, and will instead hope to give themselves a buffer. Huie is expecting Eglinton to be ready and raring to go for the occasion. "After the first round of games we were already confident that we may end up playing Eglinton in the semi-finals," he said. "They'll be up for it. They'll feel they were robbed in last year's grand final qualifier with a contentious decision on the penalty shoot-out. I'd see us as rivals so it's always a good game when we get together. "Eglinton love to move the ball quickly and break quickly. They're the kind of team that if they get the ascendancy in the game then they can be very hard to pin back." The winner of the game will go on to play the loser of the major semi-final between Abercrombie and CSU. In the men's major semi-final Abercrombie FC Navy and Collegians FC will play for the first ticket through to the grand final. All first grade matches take place this Sunday at Proctor Park from 3pm.
