Match of the Round
Toronto Awaba FC v West Wallsend SFC
Lyall Peacock Field, Sunday 2:30pm
The Bluebells have the toughest of tasks on their hands as they prepare to meet league-leaders Toronto Awaba away from home on Sunday.
Toronto Awaba enters the contest with brilliant form and are the team to beat in 2023, sitting 10 points clear at the top of the ladder with 38 points following 12 wins, two draws, and two losses.
Toronto have the best attacking and defensive records this season and are in the middle of enjoying a five-game winning streak.
A home ground advantage could work in Toronto Awaba’s favour as these two teams both went down against the other on the road earlier in the year. The Stags hosted their Round One clash back in February and kicked off the campaign with a 2-1 victory, and then the Bluebells prevailed 2-0 the next time they met in a rescheduled Round 10 midweek game under lights at Johnston Park in May.
Toronto Awaba have been unstoppable picking up the maximum 15 points from their following five matches. They were impressive last Saturday when they won a top-of-the-table clash 4-0 at Lyall Peacock Field against the Singleton Strikers.
Jarrod Hiles’ side will be up for another important game this Sunday when the host the Bluebells.
Hiles does not want his side to become complacent with their lead at the top of the table.
“You’ve only got to lose one or two games and those 10 points can be eaten away quite quickly,” Hiles said.
“We’d rather be up there than not, but we’ll keep our feet on the ground and take it game by game and turn up against West Wallsend.”
West Wallsend coach Bailey Cox is thrilled about the added buzz around the club and playing group following the announcement that their home ground, Johnston Park, would be the venue for this year’s HIT106.9 Northern League One grand final.
Cox believes that his side were already motivated enough to play their way into the 2023 decider, but the fact that they could compete for the title at home had added extra incentive.
The news has got the Bluebells boys dreaming about a home grand final and it partly inspired the side’s thrilling victory against South Cardiff last Sunday when they came from 3-1 down on home soil to score a 4-3 victory and climb the ladder into third.
“A lot of the talk in the sheds before the game was about how much we want that home grand final,” Cox said.
“Then we came out firing. The first 25 minutes were the best 25 minutes that we’ve played all year.
“We talked about it at half-time too. But it didn’t all go to plan, we dropped off for a bit before and after the second half. But then we started playing again like we wanted it, and to win that game was unreal.”
But there is still a long way to go yet and there’s a lot of football to be played as the competition enters the final third of the season this weekend.
Thornton Redbacks FC v South Cardiff FC
Thornton Park, Friday 8:15pm
Friday night football returns to Thornton Park for the second time in as many weeks when the Redbacks host South Cardiff.
Thornton played the first of three consecutive Friday night fixtures last week and they kick-started that run with a 2-1 win to temporarily climb off the bottom of the ladder.
While Cessnock’s win over Wallsend later in the round saw the Redbacks drop back down to ninth, a victory this weekend would see Nima Nikfarjam’s men advance to a higher position on the table.
The Redbacks are two points behind their opponents, South Cardiff, who are in fifth place, meaning they can leapfrog several teams with a win.
For South Cardiff, this match offers a chance for them to bounce back from their 4-3 loss against West Wallsend last Sunday.
Perry Mellon’s men led 3-1 during the second half but were overpowered by the fast-finishing Bluebells as they let the points slip away.
The Gunners are determined to play finals football this year and their destiny is still firmly in their hands. A victory on Friday night would see the Gunners remain in fifth spot with eight rounds left to play.
South Cardiff enters this match with form on their side, having beaten Thornton 5-0 when they met in Round One back in February and then 4-0 in April.
The Redbacks are going to have to turn those results around tomorrow night to get their goal of finishing in the top five on track.
Singleton Strikers FC v Cessnock City Hornets FC
Howe Park, Saturday 2:30pm
Singleton will host Cessnock at Howe Park on Saturday as the business end of the regular season begins.
All sides have now played against one another twice this season and for Singleton, their last match was a loss that they are determined to rebound from this weekend.
The Strikers went down 4-0 against Toronto Awaba in a top-of-the-table clash and fell 10 points behind the Stags. Singleton are also joined on 28 points by West Wallsend, but remain in second spot based on for and against difference.
The Strikers have now lost their past two games and this Saturday are hosting a team that have won their previous two.
Cessnock only played two games in June as they had a two-week break with the long weekend and a bye. They beat South Cardiff 3-0 before that break and returned to action with a 5-2 win over Wallsend at Turner Park last weekend.
That home ground victory saw Cessnock rise up the table from last into sixth, level on 18 points with fifth-placed South Cardiff. Only two points separates the Gunners from the Thornton Redbacks at the foot of the table, highlighting how competitive the 2023 campaign is.
Hornets coach Brad Miles is well-aware of that and knew last weekend’s win was a crucial one.
“It was a must-win game for us,” Miles said.
“We were sitting on the bottom of the table but we weren’t far away also.
“I think it’s a very tight competition and anyone can win on their day.
“But it’s very important for us to win from now on. There’s no other option as I’m hoping we can make the top five for the first time in a lot of years. As long as we keep playing the way we are, we’re a fair chance.”
Cessnock had 11 players out last weekend against Wallsend, four of whom are out for the entire season due to injury. While Miles hopes to get more players back on deck over the next few weeks, there had been several young players make their debuts this season who had stepped up well, including Luke Davis last weekend.
Cessnock will be hoping to continue that trend of away wins when they travel to Howe Park this Saturday.
Belmont Swansea United FC v Kahibah FC
Blacksmiths Oval, Saturday 2:30pm
Belmont Swansea have a chance to get their championship defence back on track at home on Saturday when they host Kahibah at Blacksmiths Oval.
BelSwans have been one of the teams to beat in recent years, but this year sit eighth on the nine-team table heading into the final third of the campaign following five wins, two draws and nine losses.
BelSwans are coming off the back of a 2-1 loss to last-placed Thornton Redbacks last Friday, a team that BelSwans are in danger of being overtaken by this weekend.
But given how tight the competition is this year, Mick Stafford’s men can finish as high as fifth if they win on Saturday.
Kahibah had a chance to freshen up last weekend as they sat out with the bye following a 2-2 draw against Thornton a week earlier.
Kahibah sit fourth on the table following eight wins, two draws and six losses. A ninth win this Saturday could see the side finish the weekend in second place.
These two sides have met twice already this season. They split the points in Round One when they contested a 1-1 draw back in February, and then Kahibah prevailed 2-0 when they next met in April.
Wallsend FC - BYE
