Match of the Round
Toronto Awaba FC v Kahibah FC
Lyall Peacock Field, Saturday 2:30pm
Lyall Peacock Field will host this weekend’s match of the round on Saturday afternoon when Toronto Awaba host Kahibah in a battle between two sides who are fighting for a spot in the top four.
Kahibah is fourth on the table and Toronto Awaba is fifth, with the two teams locked on 12 points.
Kahibah has won four games and lost five from nine attempts, while the Stags have played two fewer games, with three wins, three draws and one loss in seven matches.
Toronto Awaba had the bye last weekend and were washed out in three of their four previous games which has meant that they have only played one league match since the Easter long weekend.
The Stags are pumped to get back on the pitch, with the last match they played being a devastating 5-4 Australia Cup loss against Hamilton Azzurri, during which they led 4-0 at half-time.
The Stags will now look to erase that performance from their memory and get back to winning ways in the league after back-to-back draws in the past two outings
“We have to get into the battle because Kahibah’s always a tough match,” Toronto Awaba’s coach Jarrad Hiles said.
“We just have to play our football, but we’ll be a bit rusty. We’ll just focus on the simple things and what we do well.
“We’ve had a lot of washouts lately and it’s a bit concerning because we have no continuity or match momentum. We just want to play.”
The Stags are still without skipper Zane Winslade who is expected to be sidelined with the foot injury he suffered back in round seven for another month.
Peter McPherson is also in doubt with a back injury and Jarrod Purcell is expected to start the match on the bench as he continues his comeback from injury, but the Toronto Awaba side is otherwise at full strength.
Kahibah enters Saturday’s clash following back-to-back one-goal losses against the top-three teams Belmont Swansea and South Cardiff, which has seen them drop from second to fourth.
They are determined to return to winning ways against the Stags.
Kahibah coach Mat Moncrieff is confident he will be able to name a strong side despite Liam Whitehead missing the match through suspension and several players being unavailable due to injury.
“We’re fairly wounded at the moment with suspension and injury,” Moncrieff said.
“A bit of wear and tear is starting to kick in, but we’ve got plenty of bodies to play first grade and we’ll be putting a competitive team out there to give Toronto a run for their money.
“Toronto I think are similar, having a fair few injuries. I’m not sure what sort of team they’ll put out this weekend, but generally they’re good across the park and they’re coached well, so we won’t be taking them lightly, that’s for sure.
“We’ll definitely be up for this game.
“I’m disappointed that we conceded four against Southy last weekend, but we’re moving on with it and I think we’re still heading in the right direction.”
These two sides have met once already this season when Toronto Awaba won 4-1 at the Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility in round four. A much tighter contest could be on the cards this Saturday when two of the competition’s big guns face off.
Thornton Redbacks FC v Singleton Strikers FC
Thornton Park, Saturday 2:30pm
A long-awaited return home will see Thornton Redbacks host Singleton Strikers at Thornton Park on Saturday afternoon.
The Redbacks are yet to play at their home ground in 2024 after council upgrades forced them to relocate to Metford Recreation Reserve and Maitland Number One Sportsground.
Thornton will hope that they can continue the solid form they have shown so far this season when they do line up on home soil. They sit in second place on the table after four wins, three draws and just one loss across eight matches.
This Saturday the Redbacks will come up against a Singleton side that has the potential to do damage but has failed to fire so far this season as they occupy eighth place on the table.
The Strikers have lost six of their 10 games so far and are on eight points after two wins and two draws. They are winless in their past five games and will need to start producing results soon if they are any chance of fighting for promotion late in the season.
Thornton co-coach Gary Wand is also aware of that, and he is expecting the Strikers to put up a tough fight against the Redbacks on Saturday.
“Singleton have now lost a few games in a row, and they’re going to be tough because they won’t want to keep losing,” Wand said.
“Our games are always pretty feisty when we play them. I know a few of the boys in that team and I know they’ll be pumped.”
It is well and truly going to be a backs-to-the-wall job for the Strikers who will be without key defender Jackson Skinner after he was sent off against Belmont Swansea last weekend. They are also likely to be without Joel Barner and captain Hayden Nichol after they were both forced from the field with injury in that same game.
Wallsend FC v Cessnock City Hornets FC
The Gardens, Sunday 2:30pm
Sunday’s action will kick off at The Gardens where Wallsend will host their first home game since March when they welcome Cessnock City Hornets to town.
Earlier in the season, this match was circled on the calendar as a bottom-of-the-table clash in which both sides would have the opportunity to score a crucial three points to leave the other behind.
But a Cessnock resurgence has seen the Hornets climb up into seventh on the table and now sit a win outside the top four.
Brad Miles’ men have stood up and are on a roll. They have won two of their past three games, they are now six points clear of the ninth-placed Red Devils, and they are the only NL1 side still alive in the Australia Cup.
Cessnock can also join fourth-placed Kahibah and fifth-placed Toronto Awaba on 12 points if they win their rescheduled round nine game against West Wallsend at the Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility on Thursday night.
Wallsend will be hoping a return home can help them snap a seven-game losing streak and recapture the form that saw them demolish South Cardiff 4-0 in the first game of the season.
Belmont Swansea FC v South Cardiff FC
Blacksmiths Oval, Sunday 2:30pm
The final game of the weekend will be played at Blacksmiths Oval when competition leaders Belmont Swansea challenge South Cardiff on Sunday afternoon.
BelSwans enter this match on a high after what has been a historic start for them in 2024.
They have won nine of their first 10 games and sit 12 points clear at the top of the table.
In the 10 matches, BelSwans has scored 49 goals, which has surpassed their best season total in more than a decade which was 48 goals in 20 games in the 2016 campaign.
Gun striker Kane Woolston continues to lead the way with a competition-best 15 goals, having scored in all 10 games this season, while teammates Adam Woodbine and Ethan Hall are second and third on the golden boot tally.
South Cardiff will need to stop the BelSwans’ trio if they are to secure a win and the Gunners are well aware that they will need to produce a far better performance than they did back in round four when they were trounced 6-0 at home by BelSwans.
South Cardiff is the current holder of the longest active unbeaten streak in the league as it stands at four games and includes three victories.
They sit in third place on the table and can finish the weekend as high as second if they get the job done against BelSwans.
West Wallsend SFC have the bye.