Match of the Round
Lake Macquarie City v Cessnock City Hornets
Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility, Friday 8pm
Cessnock City Hornets coach Josh Maguire says there is no room for excuses when his side goes head-to-head with Lake Macquarie City at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility on Friday night.
While Cessnock did not play in round 10, they are one of two teams that only have one game in hand. In recent weeks when matches had been postponed the Hornets had taken the field and walked away with five consecutive defeats.
Despite their recent run of results Maguire remained positive as they headed into the match of the round.
“I’m feeling pretty positive going into the Lake Macquarie game,” Maguire said.
“We got a result against them last time so we’re looking to try and get back into the winner’s circle sooner rather than later after a couple of losses in a short period of time.
“I think after Easter we crammed a couple of games in and all of a sudden, they were just back-to-back losses, which was pretty hard to take.
“But coming off a decent game against Kahibah, I think we pushed them the whole way to the last kick of the game, which was a positive for my guys.”
In their defeats the biggest margin had only been two goals and Maguire believed if his side understood there cannot be excuses, they would take things to another level.
“We had a decent chat after the Dudley game, because it was quite a poor performance there on a Wednesday night,” Maguire said.
“We really are coming to a T-intersection halfway to the end of the season. There are some things that have to go up another level for us to get results.
“We then went into Kahibah and it was a pretty good performance. After that game I just came in and said ‘even though it was a loss, I’m happy to coach that team week in and week out’ because they pushed and went right to the last kick of the game and matched them for everything they had and that’s all we can ask.
“When we’re playing teams and we’re not up to it and we get beat, there can’t be any excuses because in this league especially there has to be effort first and foremost before anything else comes into it.
“We’ve been lacking that a little bit in those losses, so there can be no excuses that you get nothing out of those games.
“So hopefully that is something that we can take into Lakes and then throughout the rest of the season.”
The Hornets will have a strengthened side with Tom Sowden (ankle injury) and Sam Hudson (work) returning. However, they remain without Jake Peters as he recovers from broken ribs.
Lake Macquarie City coach Pete Preston believed the wet weather had allowed his side to hit the reset button.
Lakes did not take the field in round 10 but played a midweek round seven rescheduled match against Singleton Strikers which they won 3-2.
“Obviously we haven’t done much football recently, so the boys are champing at the bit to get back into it,” Preston said.
“On the back end of this weather I think it’s a good opportunity for a mini reset and to hit the second half of the season with a positive mindset because if you can string a few wins together any team can get back into it.”
While the Roosters had been victorious in their last three matches, in their round eight match against West Wallsend they were down 2-0 after 10 minutes and allowed Singleton back into their match after leading 3-0 at half-time.
Preston knows his side need to adapt to each opponent and manage what they can while on the field to prevent a tight victory against Cessnock.
“I just think the competition is so even at the moment that anyone can beat anyone,” Preston said.
“I think every game is always going to be pretty tight all the way down to the 90th minute. I think every team can beat anyone on their day, so teams won’t back off and they won’t go away.
“So we’ve just got to try and manage the game as best we can depending on what the scoreboard looks like at that particular time.”
Preston confirmed his side would be at full strength.
South Cardiff v West Wallsend SFC
Ulinga Oval, Saturday 7.30pm
South Cardiff coach Perry Mellon believes clinical execution will be needed when they face West Wallsend SFC at Ulinga Oval on Saturday night.
The Gunners have not taken the field since their 6-0 defeat at the hands of Toronto Awaba, a result Mellon believed was from a combination of issues.
“I don’t think too much has to necessarily change from that loss,” Mellon said.
“That was a bit of a combination of a few things and was kind of one of those days where you’re not going to have too many of those in the year.
“Mainly around that game is around better attitudes and a bit of work rate and those kinds of things, which we let ourselves down in that aspect in that game.”
In South Cardiff’s last four matches they have had three losses and one win. But Mellon maintained it was hard to understand his side's level now due to not playing.
“It feels like it’s a bit hard to gauge at the moment as we haven’t been playing consistently,” Mellon said.
“It’s hard to tell whether we’re playing well or not playing well, because we really haven’t been playing.”
Mellon knows his side will need to be clinical in the front third to go one better than the 2-2 draw they had with West Wallsend in round two.
“It’s a bit difficult to gauge but we’ve just got to be more clinical in front of goal when our chances pop up,” Mellon said.
West Wallsend will look to return to the winner’s circle after losing their last three matches.
The last time the Bluebells and South Cardiff went head-to-head it began West Wallsend’s streak of draws. While they will not want to repeat that run, they would be hopeful they can gain another point in this weekend’s clash.
They will need to tighten their defence and remain focused for the entire duration of the match after being defeated 5-4 by Lake Macquarie City in round eight despite leading 4-3 with five minutes left in the match.
A win this weekend could launch the Bluebells as high as fifth on the table and away from the logjam at the bottom.
Singleton Strikers v Dudley Redhead United
Howe Park, Saturday 2pm
Two sides looking to return to winning ways will go head-to-head when Singleton Strikers host Dudley Redhead United at Howe Park on Saturday afternoon.
While wet weather wreaked havoc across round 10 Dudley hosted Toronto Awaba where they were defeated 3-0.
The Thistles will look to replicate their 1-0 victory against the Strikers in round two but will need to remain composed in front of goal and convert their chances after they were unable to capitalise against Toronto.
While Singleton’s round nine and 10 matches were postponed, they took the pitch against Lake Macquarie City last week in their rescheduled round seven match.
The Strikers were narrowly defeated 3-2 after they bounced back from being down 3-0 at half-time.
The Strikers are fourth on the table just four points behind Lake Macquarie City in third but are only one point ahead of their round 11 opposition in fifth.
They will need to treasure possession and remain composed in front of goal against the dominant Dudley defence if they are to walk away with their fourth win of the season.
Thornton Redbacks v Kahibah FC
Thornton Park, Saturday 2pm
Thornton Redbacks will be looking for their third win of the season when they host Kahibah FC at Thornton Park on Saturday afternoon.
Thornton have won just two games this season and are placed second last on the table but are sat alongside three other teams on seven points.
The Redbacks have not taken the field in two weeks after their round nine and 10 matches were postponed due to wet weather.
They will be hopeful the two weeks off had not disrupted the momentum they had gained after defeating Cessnock City Hornets 1-0 in round eight and suffering narrow one-goal defeats in rounds six and seven.
Thornton will be determined to right their wrongs after Kahibah defeated them 4-1 in round two, their worst defeat of the season.
Although Kahibah did not take the field in round 10 they have the game time advantage after they played the only game the week prior when they defeated Cessnock City Hornets 1-0.
Kahibah are sat second on the table, seven points behind league leaders Toronto Awaba but have two games in hand.
The Rams have remained unbeaten since round three, recording three wins and two draws in that period.
They will be determined to do one better than their round two performance against the Redbacks and have their third clean sheet of the season.
Wallsend FC v Toronto Awaba FC
Ladbroke Gardens, Sunday 4.30pm
Wallsend FC will be eager to return to the field when they host league leaders Toronto Awaba at Ladbroke Gardens on Sunday afternoon.
Wallsend have not played in almost four weeks. They last took the field against NPL Men’s NNSW side Cooks Hill United in the Hahn Australia Cup where they were defeated 8-1.
They are sat last on the table amongst the logjam of four teams on seven points but have the most games in hand.
The Red Devils will need to replicate their 2-0 victory against West Wallsend SFC in round seven to move from the bottom of the table and away from the risk of relegation.
Toronto Awaba has the upper hand in the final match of round 11 after they took part in the only game played in round 10.
The Stags continued their in-form run when they defeated Dudley Redhead United 3-0.
Toronto are on a four-game unbeaten streak and will look to extend their lead at the top of the table.
They sit seven points ahead of second placed Kahibah FC but only have one game in hand making a win this weekend vital to extend their lead.
The Stags will look to recreate their 3-0 victory over the Red Devils in round two and secure their seventh clean sheet of the season.
