Match of the Round
Toronto Awaba FC v Belmont Swansea United
Lyall Peacock Oval, Saturday 2.30pm
Toronto Awaba will host this weekend’s Match of the Round when they welcome league leaders Belmont Swansea to Lyall Peacock Oval.
The match is a chance for the visitors to wrap up the premiership and lock in promotion to the NPL Men’s NNSW competition for 2025.
BelSwans are first on 50 points following 16 wins, two draws and two losses from 20 games so far. Only second-placed Kahibah and third-placed West Wallsend, who are both on 29 points, can still catch the league leaders. But they can both only finish on 50 points at most.
That means a win or even a draw on Saturday would see BelSwans become officially uncatchable at the top.
If BelSwans do secure the premiership on Saturday it would be the second time in as many years that the premiership was secured at Lyall Peacock Oval in a fixture between these two sides after the Stags beat BelSwans 3-0 at the venue in round 23 last year to lock in top spot.
Almost a year later, Toronto Awaba find themselves fighting to return to the top four after they dropped to fifth on Wednesday night when they lost 4-2 on home soil against Singleton in a rescheduled round 18 match. That result saw the Strikers climb into fourth place ahead of their bye this weekend.
The Stags’ loss was their second on the trot and extended their winless run to three games. Coach Jarrad Hiles was away for Wednesday night’s match but will be back on deck on Saturday and wanted to see an improved performance from his men.
“We need to get a bit desperate and get in the battle,” Hiles said.
“Last week against Southy we only had two players who could put their hand up and say they did alright. We’ve had a few off games but hopefully everyone got through Wednesday night alright and everyone is available.
“I really want to see some effort. I’m sure the boys will turn it around. They will be hurting after two losses in a row.
“We look forward to getting back out there and going up against the best team in the comp. BelSwans are strong all over the park. They have been the most consistent team all year and it’s just a matter of time before they seal [the premiership]. But hopefully we can put that off for another week and get back to playing some good footy.
“We’re fighting for a top four spot now. We’ve got games in hand but while you’ve got games in hand you need to get the job done.”
For BelSwans coach Mick Stafford, the approach to Saturday’s match will not change despite the fact that the premiership is there for the taking. The league leaders are focused on the 90 minutes of football against a team that Stafford believes is one of the best in the competition.
“From our aspect, it’s just another game where we will be looking to get maximum points,” Stafford said.
“Again, we have bodies in and out due to the busy schedule.
“We’ll just be going out there to put our best foot forward and get a positive result for the club.
“Toronto are a really good team. They play some great football and Jarrad knows what he’s doing. I’m expecting a really tough game and if we want to come away with the premiership out there, we’re really going to have to dig in and earn it against what I see as one of the best teams that have been in this comp for the past few years.”
BelSwans will welcome back Matt Hall from injury but they will be without Adam Blunden and Brendan Hall, who are both gone for the season with injury, as well as the suspended Reece Newton. While Toronto Awaba are still missing a handful of players including Damon Green (suspension), Zane Winslade (injured) and Harry Relf and Ethan Wilson (holidays).
This fixture is the third between these two teams this season. Belmont Swansea won the first encounter 6-0 at Lyall Peacock Oval in round six in March, before Toronto Awaba produced an improved effort at Blacksmiths Oval in round 15 in May with a 2-2 draw. The Stags are now determined to beat BelSwans for the first time this season and ensure that the premiership party does not get underway on their home turf.
Thornton Redbacks FC v Wallsend FC
Thornton Park, Saturday 2.30pm
There will be one other game played on Saturday afternoon and it will unfold at Thornton Park where Thornton Redbacks will challenge Wallsend.
Both teams are out of top four contention and are playing to build some late-season momentum to take into 2025 as well as pride.
Wallsend are last with four points following a win, a draw and 15 losses so far this season, the latest of which was on Tuesday night against rivals West Wallsend as they went down 7-2 at home in a rescheduled round 21 match at The Gardens.
The Red Devils are 12 points behind eighth-placed Cessnock with a game in hand and will be desperately fighting to avoid a last-placed finish during their final seven games of the season.
Thornton are struggling and are searching for a return to form as they look to bring an end to a run of poor results that has seen them drop out of the top four and fall to seventh. They are on a seven-game losing streak and an eight-game winless run since they beat South Cardiff 4-0 early last month and they are looking to bounce back against a side they have already beaten 4-1 this year in round six.
South Cardiff FC v West Wallsend FC
Ulinga Oval, Sunday 2.30pm
The top four race is heating up and Sunday afternoon’s clash at Ulinga Oval will have much at stake when South Cardiff welcome West Wallsend.
Southy and Westy are two of five teams battling for the three promotion play-off positions from second to fourth on the table.
Two points separate second-placed Kahibah and third-placed West Wallsend (29 points) from sixth-placed South Cardiff (27 points), which will make for an intriguing run home.
The Gunners could be second come Sunday if they win their rescheduled round 21 match against Kahibah at the Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility on Thursday night. But, even if they lose that game, a win on Sunday would likely see them finish the weekend inside the top four.
That would be an impressive effort considering not too long ago Perry Mellon’s men were winless in six games and had only picked up two of a possible 18 points during that run.
But in rounds 22 and 23 they scored clean sheet victories against Belmont Swansea and Toronto Awaba to charge back into form. And games against Kahibah on Thursday night and West Wallsend on Sunday could make or break Southy’s season.
The Bluebells missed out on a game last weekend when they were washed out at home against Kahibah but they showed no signs of rust on Tuesday night when they demolished local rivals Wallsend 7-2 at The Gardens in a rescheduled round 21 match to join Kahibah on 29 points.
The reigning champions are one of the teams to beat again this year and their goal is securing promotion for 2025. A win against South Cardiff on Sunday will go a long way towards achieving that.
Kahibah FC v Cessnock City Hornets
Kahibah Oval, Sunday 2.30pm
Round 24 will wrap up at Kahibah Oval on Sunday afternoon when Kahibah go head-to-head with Cessnock City Hornets.
Kahibah are hoping to be three points clear of third-placed West Wallsend come Sunday and they will be if they win their rescheduled round 21 match against South Cardiff at the Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility on Thursday night.
Mat Moncrieff’s men may be second but they are just two points ahead of the sixth-placed Gunners, making their two games this week so important.
They have already played Cessnock twice this season and beaten them 3-1 on both occasions at Turner Park. Kahibah will now be determined to complete the season sweep on home soil.
Cessnock are eighth on the table and will be itching to get back on the park, having only played one game in the last month. That was a 3-2 victory away from home against Thornton in round 21 and they are eager to go two from two and potentially move 15 points clear of last-placed Wallsend.
Singleton Strikers FC have the bye.
