Match of the Round
Kahibah FC v West Wallsend SFC
Kahibah Oval, Sunday 2pm
West Wallsend SFC coach Bailey Cox says his side are one of the best in the competition ahead of their clash with Kahibah FC on Sunday afternoon at Kahibah Oval.
West Wallsend turned a corner in round 11 when they defeated South Cardiff FC 4-0 and won their first game since round one. After the victory, the Bluebells had one win and one draw.
Despite only having three wins to their name Cox believed his side could keep up with the top four sides.
“There’s no doubt that we’re up there as one of the best sides in the competition,” Cox said.
“We just have to be more consistent. I looked the other day, and we’ve only lost three, which is the second best in the whole comp.
“But we’ve only won three, we've had five draws, no one else is going to come close to having five draws.
“If you convert those draws into wins, we’re probably sitting up there next to Toronto and Kahibah.”
The Bluebells sit just one point out of the top four and a win this weekend could see them move as high as third.
“It’s really important because after the Lakes game we worked out there was 30 points up for grabs for the rest of the season,” Cox said.
“If we can secure close around those 30 points marks, we would definitely be sniffing around the top.
“We’re sitting there, and we’ve got to play all the teams above us too so there’s a huge chance to jump up.
“We dropped two on the weekend, so we are looking to bounce back and get three this weekend.
“You want to try and beat every team, and we had a draw last time, so I really want to try to get one over them this time.”
West Wallsend have scored six goals in their last three matches and only conceded one.
Cox wanted his side to replicate their recent performances but understood it’s vital their goal scorers stood up on Sunday.
“Everyone has been working hard, it’s just on the weekend the boys didn’t have their shooting boots on,” Cox said.
“But hopefully we get them on this weekend, and we play the same and everyone works just as hard.”
West Wallsend will be without Josh Carroll (hamstring).
Kahibah FC sit second on the table with eight wins, two draws and just one loss to their name.
They sit four points behind league leaders Toronto Awaba and the opportunity for automatic promotion.
Coach Blair Newham was hopeful the two draws they have been handed won’t come back to haunt them.
“We’re obviously the only side to take any points off Toronto and if we’re a chance at that automatic promotion, someone’s going to have to step up because it’s not in our hands at the moment,” Newham said.
“If we were to win every game, we could still not go up.
“I think at the pointy end of the table every point’s valuable so absolutely we’re worried about that.
“We know that we’ve got the cattle to go on a bit of a run, which we have done now. Eight rounds unbeaten and some really positive football during that time.
“So, I think if we continue to play well, we’ve got every chance at that automatic spot.”
The Rams have not lost since the 28th of March when they were downed 4-2 by Lake Macquarie City, they flipped the script in round 12 when they were victorious 3-0.
Newham could not fault any aspect of his side’s recent performances.
“I couldn’t feel any better really with the results the boys have been putting in.
“It’s been disruptive with all the wet weather recently, but we’ve managed to sort of try and get just any hard surface we can and get some training in.
“The commitment from the boys with the changed schedules has been just superb.
“That performance against Lakes that we just put in, to reverse the round three result and keep a clean sheet was super.
“I couldn’t be happier going into what’s going to be a really tough game against a well-organised opponent.”
Kahibah will monitor Tyson Masters after he pinched a nerve in the round 12 clash with Lake Macquarie City.
Singleton Strikers v Wallsend FC
Howe Park, Saturday 2pm
Singleton Strikers coach Doug West says he is unprepared for when his side goes head-to-head with Wallsend FC on Saturday afternoon at Howe Park.
Singleton was downed 3-2 in round 12 by Toronto Awaba FC after a dominant 5-0 victory over South Cardiff FC in their rescheduled round nine match.
But the win came at a cost with two first grade starters coming away with injuries.
Jackson Cox was injured in warm-up and Jake Barner pulled his hamstring.
“I’m a little bit unprepared,” West said.
“I’m managing a number of players with injury and potential player changes to the starting lineup.
“It’s a bit of a wait and see over the next two days.”
Three of the Strikers last five games have ended 3-2 with only one of those wins going in their favour.
But Singleton have picked up seven out of a possible 15 points in their last five matches and West contributed that to a change in intensity.
“I think we made a couple of technical changes, we played a lot more positively and we went forward with a lot more energy and intensity. I think that showed in periods of those matches where we did dominate,” West said.
“I still think that we just showed over the 90 minutes we did have lapses in concentration that allowed other teams back into it for a period.
“We scored first against Dudley and Toronto, and I think that comes down to an adjustment in how we approached the first 10 minutes.
“We really went after the game in the first 10 minutes which made us start a bit faster and with intensity from the kick-off.”
Wallsend FC will look to make amends after going down 3-1 to Singleton in round four.
The Red Devils held South Cardiff FC to a 1-1 draw in round 12 after facing a 4-2 loss midweek in their rescheduled round 10 clash with Kahibah FC.
Wallsend sit in last place on the table and at risk of relegation but have three games in hand, the most of any side.
They have technically just reached the halfway point of their season as nine games remain for the side with 27 points up for grabs.
The Red Devils will be eager to gain all three points on Sunday afternoon and launch themselves away from the bottom of the table.
Wallsend will be without Matt Williams after he was shown a red card in round 12.
Lake Macquarie City FC v Dudley Redhead United
Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility, Friday 8pm
Two sides looking to return to winning ways will go head-to-head when Lake Macquarie City FC host Dudley Redhead United at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility on Friday night.
Dudley Redhead United have been defeated in their last four matches, conceding nine goals and scoring two.
The Thistles fell to seventh on the table and sat on equal points with Thornton Redbacks just two points ahead of last placed Wallsend FC.
Dudley will need to remain strong in the midfield and focus for the entire 90 minutes after turnovers proved to be the difference in their 2-0 defeat to Thornton in round 12.
Lake Macquarie have lost their last three matches and will be eager to cement their spot in the promotion/relegation play-off series.
Lakes have conceded nine goals and scored only one in their past three matches but remain fourth on the table.
They sit one point ahead of West Wallsend SFC and a victory in round 13 could move them to third.
The Roosters will need to tighten their defence after they have conceded 27 goals this season, the second most of any side.
They will also need to remain composed in front of the goal to beat a strong Dudley backline and repeat their 2-1 victory from the last time the two sides met.
Cessnock City Hornets v South Cardiff FC
Turner Park, Saturday 4:30pm
Cessnock City Hornets will be eager to return to the winner’s circle when they face South Cardiff FC on Saturday afternoon at Turner Park.
Cessnock had a 1-1 draw with West Wallsend SFC in round 12 and gained their first point since the start of April.
The Hornets had five losses in a row before the 1-1 draw with their last victory coming against South Cardiff in round four.
They sit ninth on the table equal points with Wallsend FC in last but have one game less in hand.
A win for the Hornets could see them move as high as seventh and away from the risk of relegation.
Cessnock will be hopeful that momentum sparks from the draw, and they repeat their round four 2-1 winning performance.
They will be without Jed Horder after he received two yellow cards in round 12.
South Cardiff lost three matches in a row and conceded 15 goals before Mark Trenter was appointed as interim head coach last week.
After the change in coach the Gunners were victorious 2-1 in their rescheduled round 10 match against Lake Macquarie City FC and had a 1-1 draw with Wallsend FC in round 12.
Trenter has since stepped away from the role of interim head coach.
South Cardiff will need to tighten their backline as they have conceded 28 goals this season, the most of any side.
The Gunners will be hopeful they don’t return to old ways and walk away with three points on Saturday afternoon.
South Cardiff will be without Jordan Clark after he was shown a red card in round 12.
Toronto Awaba FC v Thornton Redbacks
Lyall Peacock Oval, Sunday 4:30pm
Thornton Redbacks will look to be the second team to take points away from league leaders Toronto Awaba when they travel to Lyall Peacock Oval on Sunday afternoon.
Thornton won their third game of the season in round 12 when they defeated Dudley Redhead United 2-0.
The win moved the side to eighth on the table and two points away from the risk of relegation.
The Redbacks will need to repeat their full field cohesive performance and remain confident with the ball to be the second team this season to defeat Toronto.
Toronto Awaba won their sixth game in a row in round 12 after they were victorious 3-2 over Singleton Strikers.
The Stags have dropped points just once this season when Kahibah FC defeated the side 4-2 in round five.
Toronto will need to come out with full focus after they went down 1-0 after 15 minutes against the Strikers.
They will be eager to repeat their 3-0 victory on Sunday afternoon and lock in their eighth clean sheet of the season.
