This weekend marks Northern NSW Football’s Mental Health Round, with clubs from across the region coming together to raise awareness, encourage conversations and highlight the importance of mental wellbeing throughout the football community. Learn more HERE.
Match of the Round
Cessnock City Hornets v Newcastle Croatia
Turner Park, Saturday 4.30pm
Newcastle Croatia head coach Joshua Popescu says his side are focused on the job at hand as they travel to Turner Park to face Cessnock City Hornets on Saturday, with a point potentially confirming their place in the promotion play-off spots in their debut season in the competition.
Croatia arrive in the strongest position they have been all season, having claimed a crucial 2-0 victory over Dudley Redhead United last weekend that moved them five points clear of fifth place with just two games remaining.
Popescu said the clean sheet, their first of the season, was a major moment for the group heading into the final rounds.
"We've been working on it all year, and last week it finally clicked," Popescu said.
"It just gives the boys at the back that boost of confidence leading into the back end of the season.
“We know we can score goals, that's what we do best, but now knowing we've got a solid defensive line as well, that's huge."
Popescu said the message to his squad heading into the weekend is simple, which is to focus on what they do best and let the result take care of itself.
"I'm not going to pump them up saying you only need a point. Just go out there and play your football," Popescu said.
"They know what's at stake; they're not silly.
“It's going to be another tough 90 minutes. Cessnock at home is always a tough gig, and they're going to want to spoil our party. But we're just there to do our job."
Cessnock enter the fixture having had the weekend off, using the break to rest ahead of what promises to be a fiercely contested contest.
Despite Croatia's win over Dudley mathematically ending the Hornets' top-four hopes, head coach Joshua Maguire said fifth place remains a meaningful target for a side that has turned their season around in recent months.
"That was a little bit disappointing [regarding Croatia’s win], but I still feel that fifth spot is up for grabs with two results we can get, and that's massive from where we were a month ago," Maguire said.
Reflecting on what has driven their turnaround of performances from their mid-season form, Maguire said the removal of relegation pressure has freed the group to play with confidence.
"With the relegation battle pressure off, we've got nothing to lose against a really good Croatian side," Maguire said.
"If we can get three points and nick fifth spot, that's vital for the group going into preseason. We're just going to go for it."
Maguire is expecting another entertaining contest given the two sides played out a tight 3-2 affair in their first meeting this season.
"We had them in the first 20 minutes of that first game but even scoring two wasn’t enough, so we know we have to be clinical again this time," Maguire said.
"You're not going to win one-nil against Croatia. They have too much firepower up front, so you've got to have a go at them as well."
With fifth place still within Cessnock's reach and Croatia looking to push into third spot, expect an entertaining fixture with both sides looking to score goals and play with freedom on the ball.
A win for Cessnock would keep their fifth-place hopes alive and cap off an impressive turnaround of their season.
For Croatia, three points would not only confirm their place in the promotion play-off spots but potentially push them into third place ahead of their final fixture.
Wallsend FC v West Wallsend SFC
Ladbroke Gardens, Sunday 3pm
Wallsend FC hosts West Wallsend SFC at Ladbroke Gardens on Sunday afternoon in a historic derby carrying more weight than ever with automatic promotion on the line for the Red Devils.
Wallsend arrive off the back of a 4-1 win over South Cardiff FC, a result built on four late goals that turned the game around in the final 30 minutes.
Level on points with Lake Macquarie City FC at the top of the table but behind on goal difference, they know wins in their final two games are a must, along with a slip-up from the Roosters somewhere along the way.
Local rivalry aside, this presents as one of Wallsend's most important derbies in recent memory, with three points keeping their automatic promotion hopes alive heading into the final round.
West Wallsend arrive with nothing left to play for in terms of the top four or relegation, but there will be no shortage of motivation to spoil their rivals' promotion push.
The Bluebells go into the game on a three-match losing streak, most recently falling 2-0 to New Lambton FC, in what has been a season short of their preseason expectations.
While the season has been one to forget, ending Wallsend's title hopes in the derby is the kind of result that would live long in the memory.
Beyond spoiling Wallsend's party, a win could push West Wallsend above Cessnock City Hornets into sixth place, giving this fixture a little more importance than just ruining the Red Devils’ celebrations.
Three points for Wallsend would cap one of their biggest ever derby wins and could see them jump Lake Macquarie into first place, should the Roosters fail to win.
Singleton Strikers v Toronto Awaba FC
Howe Park, Saturday 2pm
Singleton Strikers FC hosts Toronto Awaba FC at Howe Park on Saturday afternoon in a relegation six-pointer, with the loser facing a nervous final round to close out the season.
Singleton arrive off the back of a disappointing 3-0 defeat to Lake Macquarie City FC in their round 15 catch-up fixture, a result made harder to take given Lake Macquarie played the final 30 minutes with 10 players.
It capped a difficult stretch that has seen the Strikers lose four of their last five and slide into the relegation fight.
They remain four points clear of bottom-placed South Cardiff FC with two games to play, but a loss here paired with a Gunners’ win would leave them just a point above the drop zone heading into the final round.
For Singleton, the situation is straightforward: win, and survival is secured.
Toronto go into the round with the extra rest behind them last weekend, having watched on with relief as South Cardiff failed to win their game in hand against Wallsend FC, leaving both sides level on games played and the Stags two points clear.
The visitors carry the slightly stronger form of the two, following a 2-0 win over West Wallsend SFC in their last outing, and will treat this as a must-win fixture, aware that defeat could drop them to the bottom of the table with only one game remaining.
With South Cardiff facing a tough away trip to league leaders Lake Macquarie City FC, Toronto know this is one of their best chances to move to league safety, with victory putting them in a strong position to confirm their spot in the division next season.
A win for Toronto, combined with a Gunners loss at Lake Macquarie, would see their position in the league official for next season.
For Singleton, victory would confirm their place in the competition next season and end any lingering relegation anxiety.
Dudley Redhead United v New Lambton FC
Lydon Oval, Saturday 4.30pm
Dudley Redhead United hosts New Lambton FC at Alder Park on Saturday afternoon, with the visitors chasing third place while the Thistles look to end a difficult run of form.
Dudley go into the contest drained of their early-season confidence, now going without a win in their last six games.
The slump has cost the Thistles their place in the top four, and last weekend's round 15 catch-up fixture offered a chance of redemption, but a 2-0 loss to Newcastle Croatia has all but ended any hope of promotion play-off football this season.
A win here paired with a Croatia loss could still keep a faint chance alive heading into the final round, though the more realistic aim is ending their losing streak and holding onto fifth place.
Given it is only the club's second season in the league, Dudley can be proud of the position they find themselves in but will need to find points on the board in their final two games to hold onto fifth place.
New Lambton head into the fixture off the back of a comfortable 2-0 win over West Wallsend SFC, a strong defensive display away from home.
While their automatic promotion hopes are over and their spot in the promotion play-offs is confirmed, there is still plenty to play for.
The Golden Eagles are chasing third place, a finish that would spare them an opening fixture against an NPL NNSW side in the first set of promotion play-off fixtures.
With Croatia sitting just two points behind in fourth, New Lambton know that anything less than a point could see them slip into fourth themselves.
A win for New Lambton would move them a step closer to locking in third place before the final round.
For Dudley, victory would snap their six-game winless run and keep fifth place theirs heading into the season's last fixture.
Lake Macquarie City FC v South Cardiff FC
Macquarie Field, Sunday 3pm
Lake Macquarie City FC hosts South Cardiff FC at Macquarie Fieldon Sunday afternoon, with both sides facing a must-win fixture for very vital stakes at opposite ends of the table.
Lake Macquarie arrive in the form of their lives, unbeaten in six straight and needing a win to keep hold of top spot, with Wallsend FC breathing down their neck on goal difference alone.
The Roosters most recently overcame Singleton Strikers 3-0 in their round 15 catch-up game, seeing out a third of the match with 10 players.
They will now be without Ben Rumianek through suspension, but with the Red Devils just behind, there is no margin for a slip-up this late in the season.
South Cardiff go into the game with their season on the line.
The Gunners head into the game frustrated to have let a 1-0 lead slip into a 4-1 defeat to Wallsend last weekend and know a loss here could send them down to Zone League One.
Even defeat paired with a Toronto loss would leave them needing to win their final game and rely on Toronto dropping points to survive.
A win, however, could lift them above Toronto and out of the relegation zone with one round to go, if results were to go their way.
With Singleton hosting Toronto the day before, South Cardiff will already know exactly what a result here means for their survival hopes by the time kick-off arrives.
A win for South Cardiff would keep their survival hopes alive heading into the final round and potentially lift them clear of the drop zone altogether.
For Lake Macquarie, victory would keep top spot in their own hands and maintain their six-game winning run as the promotion race reaches its conclusion.