Match of the Round
Cessnock City Hornets FC v Thornton Redbacks FC
Turner Park, Sunday 2:30pm
Two teams that are both desperate to return to winning ways will go head-to-head when Cessnock City Hornets host Thornton Redbacks at Turner Park on Sunday.
The Hornets are ranked last on 18 points, six points behind fifth-placed Belmont Swansea United with only four games left to play across the remaining five rounds.
Just above Cessnock in eighth are the Redbacks, who are on 19 points but play five matches on the run home.
Both coaches are under no allusion how important a win is this Sunday, with Thornton’s Nima Nikfarjam labelling it a do-or-die clash.
“I’ve got 16 first graders here tonight and they really are enjoying it, which is a good thing, and some of our players are really developing this year,” Nikfarjam said.
“I’m feeling very positive about this weekend. The boys are pretty excited and they are ready. I’m sure that at kick-off, they are going to be buzzing.
“Winning this weekend is so vital for us, because if we don’t win, we pretty much lose our chance of making the finals. Or it makes it very, very hard and we would have to rely on other results.”
The Redbacks are coming into this game hoping to overcome back-to-back one-goal losses against top-three teams. They had a bye in between those games but were unbeaten in three matches beforehand and were sitting fifth.
They will be without four regulars this weekend with Diego Cerda, Jack Charnock, Adam Duggan and Kyle Williams all unavailable.
Cessnock are looking to snap a four-game winless streak, during which they have been outscored 15-0 by sides sitting in the top five across the past month. While they were unable to find the back of the net in any of those games, they showed no signs of struggling in front of goals in their last game in June when they won 5-2 at home against Wallsend.
Coach Brad Miles is hopeful that his men can recapture that form on Sunday and kick-start a climb up the table but is aware that it will be an uphill battle as the club continues to struggle with unavailability.
Zach Kronholm suffered a foot injury against West Wallsend last Sunday and adds to a growing list of quality players at the club who will be sidelined this weekend.
“Thornton can beat anyone in the comp on their day. They have some really handy players,” Miles said.
“We’re just struggling with numbers at the moment, really badly. It’s devastating really. We’ve lost a lot of experience in first grade.
“But a lot of young boys are getting opportunities at the moment. It’s hard for the young blokes to try and step up at a crucial time of the year, but we’re trying hard.
“I’m disappointed with the results recently, but it’s not due to effort. Everyone’s having a crack. It’s just due to inexperience.”
Cessnock will welcome back gun goal-scorer Jacob Bartlett to the starting lineup on Sunday. Bartlett has not played a first-grade game since Round 19 after suffering an ankle injury, but he made his return in reserve-grade last weekend and scored a goal in the club’s 2-0 win against West Wallsend.
Thornton defeated Cessnock 3-1 on both occasions earlier this year, away from home at Turner Park in Round Five back in March and then at Thornton Park in Round 15 in May.
But the Redbacks’ coach knows that his side will have to work hard for the three points come Sunday.
“Cessnock’s obviously at the bottom of the table but they’re not a bad side. They’re just unlucky in some games,” Nikfarjam said.
“They have a few talented players and they didn’t play a bad style of football when we played them the last two times. I think that playing them at their ground, and being a battle between the last and second last teams, it’s going to be a tough match that can go either way.”
Toronto Awaba FC v Belmont Swansea United FC
Lyall Peacock Field, Sunday 2:30pm
The premiership is there for the taking this weekend when Toronto Awaba hosts Belmont Swansea United at Lyall Peacock Field.
The Stags’ season has been superb so far and they are 10 points clear at the top of the table following 15 wins, two draws and just three losses in 20 games.
Second-placed West Wallsend have a bye this weekend, so the Toronto Awaba men have the chance to extend their lead at the top of the table to an unassailable 13 points with just four rounds remaining.
Should they lose or draw, Toronto Awaba would likely have to wait three weeks for their chance to wrap up top spot as they have the Round 24 bye, and then there’s a weekend off between Round 24 and Round 25.
Regardless of when it’s secured, a top-of-the-table finish is inevitable for the Stags, and it will be quite special for coach Jarrad Hiles who was a Toronto Awaba player the last time the club won a premiership in 2002.
“We’ve been trying not to get too far ahead of ourselves and the boys have been great, they’ve been really grounded,” Hiles said.
“It’s hard now not to dream though. They deserve it.
“I was in the team when we last won the premiership in the second division and we got promoted, back in 2002.
“I played for the club for nine years and there were some tough times, but there were some good years there too when Keith Harris and Barry Moore were coaching. Barry was the reserve grade coach, and reserve grade won the minor and major premiership that same year too. But we got beat by Dudley in the first-grade grand final at home.
“It was great to get promoted back then and it’s great that promotion will be back on the table next year.”
BelSwans enter this match keen to bounce back from a 2-1 loss against South Cardiff last Sunday and shore up their spot in the top five. A three-game unbeaten run where they picked up seven points had seen Mick Stafford’s men charge up the table into fifth. Now after their loss they are just three points ahead of the two sides below them (South Cardiff and Wallsend), who both have a game in hand.
When Toronto Awaba and BelSwans last played at Lyall Peacock Field, it was the home side that prevailed back in Round Five in March. The Stags then scored a more comfortable 2-0 victory in Round 15 in May at Blacksmiths Oval.
A clean sweep of BelSwans this weekend would see the Stags celebrate their first premiership in 21 years.
Kahibah FC v South Cardiff FC
Kahibah Oval, Sunday 2:30pm
Kahibah have the chance to move within one point of second spot this Sunday when they host South Cardiff at Kahibah Oval.
Mat Moncrieff’s men are ranked fourth on the table, one point back from third-placed Singleton and four points behind second-placed West Wallsend. The Bluebells have a bye this weekend, meaning Kahibah would close the gap between themselves and Westy to one point with a win against the Gunners. They could also rise up into third if the Strikers drop points away from home against Wallsend.
The hosts will be without two key players, with centre backs Heath Kepreotes and Lewis Hextall both suspended following recent red cards. But they will be boosted by the return of Matt Lee in the backline after he missed last weekend through illness.
Both of these sides are coming into this weekend’s game having won 2-1 in wet and muddy conditions in the rain last Sunday.
Kahibah prevailed at home against Wallsend to end a five-game winless run, while South Cardiff snapped a three-game losing streak when they downed Belmont Swansea on home soil at Ulinga Oval.
The victory was one that saw the Gunners climb the table into sixth place, and they are now just one win behind fifth-placed Belmont Swansea with a game in hand.
The Gunners’ coach Perry Mellon said he wants his men to take their momentum from last weekend’s win into another match against a top-five team.
“We need to keep going now,” Mellon said.
“If we can stay as organised as we were and be aggressive on the counter attack, we will give ourselves half a chance. It’s always tough to go to Kahibah and get a result, so it’s a bit of a free hit for us really. We’ll turn up and have a crack.”
The Gunners will get Jamie Subat back from suspension for Sunday’s game, a much-needed boost against a side they have not beaten yet this year.
Kahibah won 4-2 when they first met in Round Five in March, and then got up 2-0 in Round 15 in May. South Cardiff are now determined to avoid a clean sweep and boost their finals hopes with a win this Sunday.
Wallsend FC v Singleton Strikers FC
The Gardens, Sunday 2:30pm
Two teams playing for a chance to rise up the table will meet at The Gardens on Sunday when Wallsend welcomes Singleton to town.
Singleton are sitting in third but are now three points behind West Wallsend after sitting out with a bye last weekend while the Bluebells overpowered Cessnock City Hornets by seven goals.
But Westy have a bye this weekend, meaning Singleton can join them on 37 points if they are able to defeat Wallsend. They would need to win by eight goals to leap above the Bluebells into second place on goal difference.
This fixture is the first of four home games that Wallsend will play in the final five rounds. They are sitting in seventh spot on the table, level on 21 points with sixth-placed South Cardiff and just three points behind fifth-placed Belmont Swansea with a game in hand.
A result could see the Red Devils climb into sixth and also reduce the deficit between themselves and the fifth finals position with just four rounds remaining in the regular season.
Both teams are eager to use this fixture to bounce back from recent losses and build some momentum heading into the finals. The Strikers went down 3-1 at home against Kahibah the week before their bye, while Wallsend lost 2-1 against Kahibah in the rain at Kahibah Oval on Sunday.
Singleton are also looking for a clean sweep against Wallsend following a 9-1 demolition at The Gardens in Round Five back in March, and then a much closer 2-0 victory at home in Round 15 in May.
Three points would be significantly valuable for both sides this Sunday, and a competitive contest that reflects that is certainly in store.
West Wallsend have the bye.