That is what Bathurst City coach Lisa Quinn is expecting on Saturday when her side faces off with local rival St Pat’s at Bob Roach Field.

Not only do the pair have a tradition of close fought games – City having produced a late winner to beat the Saints last month – but this encounter pits first against third on the ladder.

Though City currently holds a handy six-point buffer over Pat’s, coach Lisa Quinn knows adding to that will be no easy task.

“We’re not so concerned about how many points we are in front, we are just concerned about winning the game,” Quinn said.

“I think the hardest game we’ve played so far has been Pat’s. I know they are coming in from a loss to us, so they know they have to be even better to beat us, which means we know this is going to be the hardest game of the season.”

City’s players are no stranger to tough encounters – in fact Quinn says they relish these situations.

“Personally I love these games, I live for big matches. I think our girls can play better in big matches, we mentally switch on and I think we get the best out of ourselves when we have these big games,” she said.

“They’ve got a few key players who we have to watch out for and we know we need to mark tightly, but we’ve got a game plan and we are very focused on us.”