Match of the Round
Belmont Swansea United FC v West Wallsend SFC
Blacksmiths Oval, Saturday 2:30pm
This weekend’s Match of the Round is a do-or-die clash for Belmont Swansea United, who will host West Wallsend at Blacksmiths Oval.
The defending champions are ranked seventh and are fighting for their finals hopes in the last two rounds of the regular season. Even if they do win both games, they will also need other results to go their way.
The BelSwans boys had the bye last weekend and results weren’t kind to them. They remained a point behind Wallsend after the Red Devils went down at home against Thornton, but they fell four points behind fifth-placed South Cardiff after the Gunners won a nine-goal thriller away from home against Cessnock.
BelSwans must win and rely on South Cardiff to drop points this weekend to remain in the race for fifth place heading into the final round of the campaign.
BelSwans’ coach Mick Stafford said his side are hungry to get back on the park following an unwanted three-week break during an important part of the season, with their bye popping up straight after the final washout weekend.
“We’re all pumped and 100 percent behind the job we have to do to reach the finals. Everyone is buying into it, but we have to start well against a very good Westy team on Saturday at home," Stafford said.
“They’re a quality team this year led by a good talisman in Kane (Goodchild). He’s scoring a lot of goals, which has got them high up the table. We’ll be looking to nullify him and their other threats, and really just put our best foot forward and show that spirit we always do to try and get the result.”
BelSwans are one of the best defensive teams in the competition in 2023, having only conceded 36 goals. But they have only managed to score 36 goals this season.
“The group would agree, it’s been comical for us in front of goal this year,” Stafford said.
“We just don’t have that talisman like we had last year with Kane (Woolston).
“You can see the difference in Westy and Toronto. They have a quality striker up top scoring goals. We don’t have that this year, but we’ve still got a solid defensive unit and a solid team. If we keep being solid in defence and creating chances, eventually they’ll go in.”
BelSwans attacking woes were on show both times these sides met this season, with West Wallsend winning 2-0 in Round Eight back in April and then 1-0 in Round 17 in June.
The Bluebells are now determined to complete a clean sweep of their Round 26 opponents, and more importantly, they are looking to secure second place on the ladder, which they can do by earning just one point in their final two regular season matches.
The Bluebells’ coach Bailey Cox is well aware that his men will have to work hard to earn a result away from home against BelSwans on Saturday.
“They’re always good and they always really get up for us. Every time we play them it’s always a battle,” Cox said.
“Our styles of play match up with each other, and it’s always fiery and physical.
“They are playing for their season and need to win both games, so we know they are going to be heaps up for it.
“We know they’ll be disciplined and structured in defence. Staf knows what he’s doing. They’ll have a good game plan and they’ll stick to it.
“We are pumped as though. Playing for a home semi and then a home grand final. You can’t be any more motivated than that. We know we’ve pretty well secured second and we know we only need one point now. We don’t want one point though, we want the three. We want to win our last two games and go into the finals on good form.”
The Bluebells will line up without Quinn McNeil (suspended), Tyla Cook (injured) and Luke Willard (holiday) this Saturday, but Cox said that he was confident in the depth within his squad and that everyone who will be called upon this weekend will be able to stand up and get the job done.
Thornton Redbacks FC v Kahibah FC
Thornton Park, Friday 8:15pm
Round 26 will kick off at Thornton Park on Friday night when the Thornton Redbacks host Kahibah in what is a must-win match for both sides, with the home side playing for their finals hopes and the visitors competing for a third-place finish.
Thornton are ranked eighth, five points behind the fifth-placed South Cardiff Gunners. They are two points back from Wallsend and one behind BelSwans meaning that their slim finals hopes rely on other results going their way and them winning their final two matches.
They enter this game coming off the back of their sixth win of the season last Sunday. Coach Nima Nikfarjam was made aware early last week that he would not be the side’s coach again in 2024, and thought his players responded in the best way possible to that news in Round 25 with a clinical performance.
The Redbacks are now determined to farewell their home ground in style during what will be their eighth match there on a Friday night this season ahead of their final-round away clash against Belmont Swansea.
For Kahibah, Friday night’s clash is their last chance to do all they can to secure third place. They sit two points clear of fourth-placed Singleton.
But Kahibah have the bye in the final round, meaning that they need to win in Round 26 to hold onto third, and even if they do get the three points, they need Singleton to slip up in one of the Strikers’ remaining two games.
“A win would be good for us. It would give us a foothold in third,” Kahibah’s coach Mat Moncrieff said.
“If we do win, Singo have to win both their games to get above us. They still have the game in hand on us, so we’re not over the line yet. But we’ve got them worried anyway.
“Getting in the top three would be a big advantage, but we’ve just got to worry about beating Thornton now, and then we’ll have to wait and see.
“Thornton are coming off a really good win and they can still dictate where we finish on the table. I’m sure they’ll be up for it on a nice cold night at Thornton.”
Moncrieff is hoping to have key midfielder Robbie Turnbull for tomorrow’s clash, but is unsure whether he will play after he limped off with a groin injury in the seventh minute of the side’s win against Toronto Awaba last Sunday.
Kahibah have now beaten every team in the competition this year. They have struggled to put Thornton away in their previous two encounters though, winning 1-0 away from home in Round Eight back in April and then finishing all square at 2-2 at home in Round 17 in June. They are hoping to get the job done in far more comfortable fashion tomorrow night.
Toronto Awaba FC v Wallsend FC
Lyall Peacock Field, Saturday 2:30pm
Toronto Awaba are looking to bounce back from their fourth loss of the season this Saturday when they host Wallsend at Lyall Peacock Field.
The Stags went down 2-0 against Kahibah on Sunday as they were kept scoreless for just the second time this season.
Coach Jarrad Hiles conceded they were a bit rusty, having had a three-week break between games due to a bye and a washout weekend, and he now wants to see a positive response this weekend.
“That probably gives us a good wake-up call. We need to get a bit better in certain areas,” Hiles said.
“We don’t like losing any game and the boys were a bit quiet afterwards, but I’m sure they’ll rebound and get stuck into it at training.
“Wallsend this weekend. Every game is tough in this competition and anyone can beat anyone on their day, so we’ll need to be on.”
The premiers no longer have a position on the table to fight for after they locked in top spot in Round 23 last month, but they will still be battling to finish the regular season on a high and take momentum into the finals series.
This Saturday, they will also be hoping to put on a show for former Toronto Awaba players as the club hosts its annual old boys’ day.
“Hopefully we can put in a good performance for them,” Hiles said.
“It’s always good to catch up with people and talk about the old days. I’m sure our current players will turn up and leave everything out on the field for them.”
The Stags will line up for Saturday’s game without Connor Fitzpatrick, who was sent off late in his side’s loss last weekend and will miss the remainder of the regular season after receiving a two-game suspension.
Wallsend suffered an untimely loss last Sunday when they went down 4-0 at home against Thornton. It was a significant blow in terms of their finals hopes as they dropped three points behind fifth-placed South Cardiff with just two games to go.
The Red Devils’ goal difference is 21 fewer than South Cardiff’s, making this weekend’s clash a must-win game for Michael Gatt’s men.
“We’ve had a couple of good challenges with Toronto. They’ve won one and we’ve won one,” Gatt said.
“They like to play football and we like to play football, so I think it’ll be a tight one. It will come down to who shows up and who takes their chances.
“Against Thornton, we scored a goal that was ruled offside, and then Thornton played the perfect game. They got four chances and sat every one, and we had 13 chances and couldn’t take any. It’s the story of our season. If we could take the chances we create, we wouldn’t be battling for finals, we’d be sitting up in the top couple.
“We find ourselves in the battle though and the boys are keen for it.”
Wallsend have a few players that will be missing through injury this Saturday, including Matt Williams and Alex Grant after they both went down in the Thornton loss. Gatt said other players in the squad would now get an opportunity and will need to step up and rise to the occasion.
Wallsend know exactly what it takes to beat Toronto Awaba, being the first side to have done so this year when they outscored them 4-3 in Round Eight back in April.
The Stags responded with a 1-0 win at home in Round 17 in June, and are now looking to make it two from two against the Red Devils at Lyall Peacock Oval this year.
South Cardiff FC v Singleton Strikers FC
Ulinga Oval, Sunday 2:30pm
There’s a lot on the line for South Cardiff when they host Singleton Strikers at Ulinga Oval on Sunday.
Front and centre of South Cardiff’s focus is a first finals appearance since 2019, which they can lock in with a win on old boys’ day.
The Gunners have a tough run home as they face two sides that have already secured top-five spots in Singleton and West Wallsend. They are on 28 points, with Wallsend (25), Belmont Swansea (24) and Thornton Redbacks (23) all breathing down their neck and fighting their way to climb above South Cardiff and finish fifth.
Perry Mellon’s men have been one of the entertainers in 2023, having scored 57 goals in their 22 matches so far this season.
The Gunners scored six goals last Sunday in a three-goal victory away from home against Cessnock and will set out to do similar damage to one of the best defensive sides in the competition in Singleton.
The Strikers desperately need a win themselves on Sunday. They have only won one of their past four matches and that poor run of form has seen them fall to fourth, six points behind West Wallsend and two points behind Kahibah.
Third place is well and truly still in the Strikers’ hands, with Kahibah sitting out with a bye in the final round, but second is more than likely too far out of reach.
Mick Jarvis’ side now have two games to recapture some positive form heading into the finals series, and it starts this Sunday for them against a team they have not yet beaten in 2023.
The Gunners won the first encounter between the two sides 4-3 in Round Eight back in April, and then prevailed 3-2 in Round 17 in June. Another high-scoring, exciting contest is expected on Sunday when two teams with so much to play for go head-to-head.
Cessnock City Hornets have the bye.
