Match of the Round
Kahibah FC v Thornton Redbacks FC
Kahibah Oval, Sunday 2:30pm
This Saturday’s Match of the Round will see coaches with very different experiences go head-to-head when Kahibah host Thornton Redbacks.
Kahibah coach Matt Moncrieff has been a part of his club for 15 years now. He has coached the first grade side for the past three seasons.
But Thornton's boss Nima Nikfarjam joined the club this season and will coach only his fourth game this weekend.
Moncrieff is not familiar with Nikfarjam nor the brand of football that he coaches, but he is familiar with the Redbacks’ style and knows that his men will need to be on the ball in Sunday’s Match of the Round.
“Thornton are one of those teams that always give us a tough game, and we only beat them 1-0 in the first game against them this year,” Moncrieff said.
“I expect a tough encounter against them. Every year, every season, we’ve had some good challenges against those guys and there’s never much between us.
“I generally know a fair bit about everybody, but I know nothing about their new coach.
“I do know they have a bunch of young blokes there that rip in for 90 minutes. No matter where they are on the table, they’ll always give you a tough game. If you’re not on the ball, you’ll definitely be up against it.”
Kahibah went down 2-1 in their most recent fixture against league-leaders Toronto Awaba FC.
Moncrieff’s men played a friendly match against Cooks Hill last Friday to keep the ball rolling in the spare weekend and the coach is hoping to see more of the same from his men come Sunday.
“We played nearly the perfect half against Toronto in the first half of that game, so we are quite comfortable with where we are at,” Moncrieff said.
“I just want the boys to pick up where we left off because we played a good game.
“Hopefully we keep chugging on the way we have been going. Our defence is as good as anyone, so we just need to finish a few more chances.”
Nikfarjam liked what he saw from Thornton in his first three games in charge, with one win and to losses.
“Those first two games, against Toronto and Cessnock, we didn’t get a chance to train,” Nikfarjam said.
“All I did was change some personnel. I played some of the players I thought were hungrier, who have more desire to play and didn’t get enough game time previously.
“I also changed a few things tactically and I was happy with the performance in the first game. We were so unlucky to lose to Toronto with an own goal in the 80th minute.
“I was told the boys performed well in the game against Wallsend and did what I asked them to do but just couldn’t put the ball in the back of the net, which we have been working on since then.”
Nikfarjam said that his main goals this season were to have the Redbacks playing better football and establish an identity as a team that plays a more advanced style.
“I’m not concerned with the results. As long as the boys enjoy themselves playing football and develop as players,” Nikfarjam said.
Singleton Strikers FC v South Cardiff FC
Howe Park, Saturday 2:30pm
Singleton Strikers FC will be looking to continue their five-game unbeaten run when they host South Cardiff FC on Saturday.
The Strikers are in fine form, having not lost a game since April. These results have propelled them up the table to second, four points behind league-leaders Toronto.
Defence has been one of the Strikers’ strengths this season, only conceding 19 goals in 14 matches, which is the best in the competition.
South Cardiff are currently struggling down in seventh place on the nine-team ladder but is only one win away from potentially moving into the top five.
The Gunners will be eager to turn their season around, after taking a dip in results after a strong start.
Gunners coach Perry Mellon reflected on what has been a rollercoaster of a season so far for his side.
“We started off the season really well and we won two of our first three,” Mellon said.
“A mixture of injuries and unavailability has hurt us and we had a few people leave midway through the first part of the season, which also hurt."
Mellon is hopeful that his men can turn a corner and mount a push for finals if they can get a positive result against quality opposition on Saturday.
“We’ve got some numbers back now, so the second part of the season we should be ok. We need to get back on the horse and get into a rhythm again,” Mellon said.
“We haven’t scored in our past three games, but we are still the second-highest-scoring team in the competition. In the first part of the season, every chance we had we seemed to take, but we haven’t been as clinical recently.
“It would be good to get on the scoresheet again in Singleton on Saturday and get a win.”
Toronto Awaba FC v Wallsend FC
Lyall Peacock Field, Saturday 2:30pm
Toronto Awaba FC will be looking to extend their lead at the top of the HIT106.9 Northern League One table when they welcome Wallsend FC on Saturday.
Toronto are in excellent form, winning their past three games. The side has been the entertainers this season, scoring 41 goals, the highest of all teams in the competition.
The last time these two sides met in Round eight, Wallsend walked away with the three points serving Toronto the first loss of the season.
With BelSwans, South Cardiff and Cessnock snapping at their heels on the table, a win is crucial to consolidate Wallsend’s fifth spot for finals football.
Wallsend have conceded the most goals in the competition so far this season, conceding 40. The side will be determined to keep their first clean sheet of the season on Saturday, which will not be an easy task against an attacking side as Toronto.
West Wallsend SFC v Belmont Swansea United FC
Johnston Park, Sunday 2:30pm
Both West Wallsend and Belmont will be looking to turn things around when they face off at Johnston Park on Sunday.
Westy had their four-game winning streak snapped when they went down 2-1 at home to Singleton in Round 16.
Defending champions, BelSwans are coming off the back of two defeats, going down 2-0 to Toronto in Round 15 and 6-0 to Maitland FC in preliminary round six of the Australia Cup.
When the two sides last met, West Wallsend secured a 2-0 win away from home against Belmont Swansea in round eight.
BelSwans are determined to square the ledger this Sunday and score a win that could propel them into the top five, sitting one point outside a finals spot on 17 points.
Three points are becoming increasingly important for all teams, especially these two teams. Both sides are aiming to finish as far up the table as possible to secure a spot in the top five and play finals football.
