Match of the Round
Charlestown Azzurri v New Lambton FC
Lisle Carr Oval, Saturday 2pm
Charlestown Azzurri coach Alicia Ferguson knows her side needs to make the most of their chances when they welcome New Lambton FC to Lisle Carr Oval on Saturday afternoon.
Azzurri have enjoyed an upturn in form, losing just one of their past four matches. Two of those positive results came last week after a rescheduled midweek fixture.
The midweek clash against Lake Macquarie City FC saw Charlestown claim a 2-0 victory, marking just their second win of the season and a second triumph over Lakes.
Azzurri backed that up with a hard-fought 0-0 draw against Broadmeadow Magic in round 14. Ferguson is now hopeful her side can continue its momentum against New Lambton, particularly after suffering a 10-0 defeat in round one before earning a 2-2 draw in their round eight clash.
“They're feeling tired after the two games last week but there’s lots of positivity around,” Ferguson said.
“The [Broadmeadow] Magic game I think was pretty even. It could have gone either way but I think the fatigue started to set in throughout the second half after playing a late game on Wednesday night.
“But we're looking forward to going again on Saturday. We got walloped 10-0 the first game to 2-2 the second game, so let's see what can happen this weekend.”
Ferguson credits her side’s growing cohesion and resilience for its improved results but believes the next step is becoming more clinical in the attacking third.
“I genuinely think the cohesiveness of this squad and their ability to maintain positivity through everything that we've been through has been really impressive,” Ferguson said.
“Starting off how we did and just grinding out and seeing the fruits of their labour, because they're the ones doing all the hard work. It's been really nice just to see them actually get positive results and it's not necessarily all about the results but also about the performances.
“We've put together some really solid performances where it's like, ‘okay, now we're getting the ball down, we're keeping possession and we're building our patterns of play’, which has been really nice to see.
“Taking our moments is probably the big one for us now. We've started getting into good positions in the final third, creating some chances, but not being clinical enough. So that's kind of the next progression.
“I think defensively, we've been solid, we've been well organised, we play compact, we stay connected.
“Now it's the transition moments, and I think we're transitioning well, but then it's actually putting the ball in the back of the net.”
New Lambton also enters on the back of a positive result after defeating Newcastle Olympic 6-1 in round 14.
They sit second on the table with nine wins, one draw and two losses. Both defeats have come against Maitland FC, while their victories include a dominant 10-0 win over Azzurri in round one.
But coach Craig Atkins is not underestimating Charlestown, acknowledging the growth they have shown throughout the season.
“Round one of a competition you always get a mixed bag of results. First game of the season, new teams, new combinations, all that sort of thing,” Atkins said.
“We had a fantastic result to start the year, but it just shows how far Azzurri has come. That second game, they put it to us and we had to fight hard to get that 2-2 draw.
“So we're not expecting an easy contest this weekend either because they're only improving all the time.
“You always go week by week in this competition, but Azzurri will be a tough challenge and the week after we have Maitland.
“So it's really important for us as a team to continue the momentum and continue improving, which we have in a lot of aspects of our game.
“But we again have to step it up against Maitland the following week as well. So I'm definitely keen to get on the park this Saturday.”
Atkins also believes his side has continued to improve as the season has progressed and is hopeful New Lambton can maintain its strong run of form.
“We're definitely improving. I think the girls' confidence is definitely getting better and better each week as well,” Atkins said.
“Once you get some consistency and momentum in football it really helps.
“The last few results have been really promising for us.”
Adamstown Rosebud v Broadmeadow Magic
Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility 1, Friday 8pm
Adamstown Rosebud coach Martin Slade says he is not going to shy away from his principles when his side goes head-to-head with Broadmeadow Magic at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility on Friday night.
The Buds enter the clash on the back of a 4-0 loss to Maitland FC, but prior to that defeat they secured an important 4-2 victory over Newcastle Olympic in round 13 and a 2-2 draw with Charlestown Azzurri in round 11.
The win over Olympic was just their second of the season, with their first coming against Broadmeadow in round eight when they claimed a 5-3 victory.
In both of those matches, Adamstown conceded the opening goal before fighting back. Against Magic, they also saw a commanding lead reduced as their opponents worked their way back into the contest.
But Slade is adamant his side will remain committed to its attacking identity rather than changing its approach when holding a lead.
“Game management comes in two different forms,” Slade said.
“You can either shut up shop, park the bus and do all that sort of stuff and hopefully hang on like the Socceroos did the other week. Or you can just keep playing to your principles, which we did against [Newcastle] Olympic when we went 3-2 and 4-2 up against them.
“I'm not going to shy away from our principles. You can either defend and be resilient, or you can pick the ball up, go and score another goal and kill the game off, and we're definitely of the mindset that if we're having the ball, then we're keeping the ball and we're playing our football.”
Despite the recent win and draw, other results saw Adamstown slip to seventh on the table. But they remain firmly in the finals race, sitting just three points behind their opponents in fourth.
Slade knows his side must continue to fight for a top-four finish and believes their season will ultimately be decided by results against the teams around them.
“I think it would just be a case of both teams wanting to win three points. We've come into the third round of fixtures and there's a backlog of teams now that are all fighting for third place,” Slade said.
“I would say two wins gives you the opportunity of potentially going into third.
“Ultimately, you take the Maitland game out of it. They are a side that is clearly head and shoulders above everybody else this season, that's a fact. Now it's about being defined by beating the teams around us.
“Our season and making finals rests on our shoulders and beating the teams around us, which at the present moment is everybody apart from Maitland and, to a certain degree, New Lambton.”
While Adamstown are fighting to break into the top four, Broadmeadow Magic will be determined to strengthen their hold on fourth position.
Magic are at risk of slipping out of the finals places, with just three points separating them from Adamstown in seventh.
A win for Adamstown, Newcastle Olympic or Charlestown Azzurri this weekend could see Magic fall down the table.
But a frustrated Magic side will take the field after being held to a 0-0 draw by Azzurri in round 14 despite creating numerous scoring opportunities.
Scoring has not been an issue for Magic this season, with their 30 goals the third-most in the competition.
Assistant coach Dean Cook will be hopeful his side can rediscover its scoring touch on Friday night.
Lake Macquarie City FC v Newcastle Olympic
Macquarie Field, Sunday 3pm
Newcastle Olympic will look to turn their season around when they travel to Macquarie Field to face Lake Macquarie City FC on Sunday afternoon.
Olympic have endured a turbulent campaign, with former head coach Neil Owens stepping down in May and the side winning just one of their past five matches.
That victory came on 24 April in a 3-0 win over Charlestown Azzurri. Since then, their closest result was a 4-2 defeat to Adamstown Rosebud in round 13. Across their four losses during that period, Olympic have conceded 20 goals while scoring just three.
As a result, they have slipped to sixth on the table, sitting just one point above last-placed Adamstown. But a win this weekend could see them climb back to fourth, depending on other results.
Coach Jacob Jones will take confidence from their previous meeting with Lakes, which ended in a 1-1 draw in round eight, and will be eager to see his side claim all three points and reignite their season.
Lake Macquarie City will also be looking to return to winning ways after two losses and a draw from their past three matches.
They will, however, be without coach Gabrielle Blanch and defender Jorja Brown, who are serving three-match and two-match suspensions respectively.
Despite that run, they remain third on the table and will take confidence from the fact they have been held scoreless in just four of their 12 matches this season.
Lakes will be aiming to replicate their 4-1 victory over Olympic in round one and kick-start the final third of the season on a positive note.
Bye - Maitland