There is a lot at stake for both clubs as Northern plays high-flying Dunedin Technical at the Gardens Ground at 2.45pm today.
This season's new format of splitting the Soccersouth Premier League into a top six and bottom four has gone to the wire, with Northern needing a win in this last game of the round to grab a spot among the top sides.
Northern coach Steve Brook reckons his side is a rank outsider against the class of Technical after winning just four matches this season.
Northern finished fourth in the SPL last year, averaging better than two goals per game, but player movement has caused Brook to enter a rebuilding phase still in process.
Now in eighth spot, Northern pins its hopes on reproducing the upset it achieved in beating Roslyn-Wakari 3-2 in May.
With a goal difference of minus six, a draw will be good enough to overtake Spirit FC which is one competition point ahead but with a dire goal difference of minus 18.
To overtake sixth-placed Green Island, however, Brook needs a clear win for the three points to edge ahead of the Island's total of 14.
Northern's other X-factor is the Gardens Ground with its infamous slope which in winter weather can sap energy if surface conditions deteriorate, as they often do, into gluey mud and puddles.
Unfortunately, Northern is in the grip of a mini flu epidemic that allowed no training on this week.
"Our only hope is a superhuman effort against Tech, so we rested on Thursday in the hope that there will be something left in the bank on Saturday for this vital match," Brook said.
However, winter weather rarely bothers the Scotsman called Mike Fridge.
His Technical squad has a great depth in players with a reserve side that leads the Fletcher Cup competition.
A drawn match is no good to Technical which needs a win to stay in touch with SPL leaders Caversham and Roslyn-Wakari, seven points ahead.
Despite its strength, Technical has already stumbled three times this season, losing to teams which are ahead in the SPL.
Roslyn started the rot with a 1-0 win in May, Mosgiel won 2-1 in June, and Caversham carved out a 5-2 victory only two weeks ago.
Fridge feels that his winning team performance against Miramar in the Chatham Cup is the standard he seeks for the rest of the season.
"Our ambition is clear. We aim to win the rest of our league matches, and do the same in the cup," he said.
