Match of the Round
South Cardiff FC v Singleton Strikers FC
Ulinga Oval, Sunday 2:30pm
Singleton Strikers’ coach Doug West wants his side to put on a strong performance this Sunday in their do-or-die match against South Cardiff to keep their finals hopes alive.
There are just two rounds remaining in the 2024 regular season and the fifth-placed Singleton side are four points behind West Wallsend, making both of their fixtures on the run home must-win matches.
They also need the Bluebells to drop points in both of their games, but the Strikers are focused on what they can do and that starts with a win this Sunday.
West said that regardless of where his side finishes on the table at the end of the season, he wants to see two proud performances from his men across the last two weeks of the regular season.
“I think we will see a fresher, more intense Gunners side with a few additions to their squad on Sunday. I think they’ll make a couple of changes going into this game,” West said.
“I think the playing surface at their ground is quite fatigued and it’s not going to be conducive to quality football. We’ll have to change our tactical approach to the game and use the areas that will allow us to play football.
“It was unfortunate for us that Kahibah couldn’t take points off West Wallsend during the week, which was the expected the result, but that’s probably more of a distraction than anything. We just need to focus on getting the three points at South Cardiff, otherwise any consideration of other results doesn’t matter.
“If we look at our results over the last eight weeks, we’ve done pretty well. I’d like to see that commitment to the badge continue and us finish the year with a really solid approach to getting the results we need. I want the players to come together really tightly as a group.”
The Strikers are still without Nichols brothers Hayden (injured) and Lachlan (suspended), but they will be boosted by the returns of Jake Barner and Jack Clare for this Sunday’s clash.
South Cardiff’s playoff promotion hopes were hanging by a thread earlier this week as they remained a mathematical chance of making the top four, but West Wallsend’s 2-1 win against Kahibah on Wednesday night knocked them out of contention.
The sixth-placed Gunners still have a lot to play for on Sunday in what will be their final home game of the season and their old boys’ day as they look to score a win that would give them a chance to finish the season in fifth.
The gap between Singleton and South Cardiff stands at four points after they met at Howe Park last Saturday and the Strikers prevailed 4-0 in a rescheduled round 17 clash.
That was the second time Singleton has scored a clean sheet win against Perry Mellon’s men this season, and the Gunners are determined to avoid a clean sweep on Sunday.
Mellon said they were expecting another tough tussle against a quality outfit.
“Singleton is always the same. They are well-organised and they have some threats. They have some good players,” Mellon said.
“We didn’t play terribly against them last week. We were really good between both boxes but we were awful in both boxes. That’s my summation of that game.
“This weekend, it’s our old boys’ day and Singo is still hanging on for a top-four spot so they have something to play for as well, so it should be a good game.”
South Cardiff have been depleted in recent weeks and will welcome back Anthony Carter for Sunday’s clash.
Toronto Awaba FC v Cessnock City Hornets FC
Lyall Peacock Oval, Saturday 2:30pm
Cessnock City Hornets coach Kyle Davis said that his side will need to be disciplined if they are to get the job done against Toronto Awaba FC at Lyall Peacock Oval this Saturday.
The Stags and Hornets contested a 1-1 draw in a rescheduled round 17 clash at the venue and are both determined to go one better this Saturday when they face off in the penultimate round.
It is expected to be another tight contest between the two form sides of the competition.
Toronto Awaba has been unbeaten in its past five games and was on a four-game winning streak before Saturday, while Cessnock has been unbeaten in its past four matches and has not lost since June.
There is added motivation for the Stags going into this game as they can secure second place with a win.
They are two points clear of third-placed Kahibah with two games left and can make themselves uncatchable if they are victorious against Cessnock and if Kahibah drops points away against Thornton.
The Hornets are currently enjoying their most successful run in several seasons and are hungry to extend their unbeaten streak to five games on Saturday.
Davis said they would need to be more disciplined in possession of the ball during their return to Lyall Peacock Oval if they are to get the job done.
“I think we need to try and retain possession a bit better. We were a bit impatient last weekend,” Davis said.
“We tried to get the ball high as quick as we could whenever we won the ball and get them on the counter, which essentially we did with the goal we scored, so I can’t complain too much.
“We were good early in that game, but we’re a young team and we got a bit excited once we realised that we were in the battle and a chance of a win.
“We just need to manage the game a bit better. The message tonight will be more patience.”
West Wallsend SFC v Belmont Swansea United FC
Johnston Park, Saturday 2:30pm
West Wallsend SFC will host their final home game of the regular season on Saturday and it will be one of their toughest challenges yet as they welcome Belmont Swansea United to Johnston Park.
The two sides met last weekend at Blacksmiths Oval and the premiers demolished the Bluebells 5-0 in a rescheduled round 17 clash as Bailey Cox’s men slumped to their third straight loss.
But Westy bounced back during the week in a rescheduled round 23 game as they defeated Kahibah 2-1 at Johnston Park to get their season back on track.
That win saw the Bluebells go four points clear of fifth-placed Singleton and shore up their chances of finishing the season in fourth place and getting a crack at promotion. But they still have work to do to ensure that is the case, and it starts on Saturday.
For BelSwans, this weekend’s game will see them farewell the HIT106.9 Northern League One competition.
They have been promoted to the NNSW National Premier Leagues competition for 2025 and have the bye in round 27, making this weekend’s match their last of the year.
They are going in search of win number 19, having won 18 of their 23 matches so far, when they take on a Bluebells side they have not conceded against in two previous outings.
Thornton Redbacks FC v Kahibah FC
Thornton Park, Saturday 2:30pm
Thornton Redbacks will go in search of their first win against Kahibah FC in more than two years when the two sides meet at Thornton Park on Saturday afternoon.
June 8 2022 was the last time the Redbacks beat Kahibah in a league game, and they are eager to snap their five-game winless run against Mat Moncrieff’s men since then.
Thornton’s top-four hopes evaporated weeks ago but they can still finish as high as fifth if results go their way across the final two weekends of the 2024 campaign. To achieve that, they will need to win both of their remaining games.
The Redbacks have been unable to defeat Kahibah yet this year, with the two sides finishing all square at 1-1 in their first meeting at Thornton Park before Kahibah prevailed 4-1 in their second encounter.
While Thornton will be doing all they can to get the job done on Saturday, Kahibah has even more to play for as they continue to battle for a second-place finish.
It has been apparent for some time now that eight teams were playing for second spot as Belmont Swansea charged away to the premiership and Kahibah trails Toronto Awaba by two points in that race with two games to go.
Kahibah had a chance to climb above the Stags on Wednesday night when they took on West Wallsend in a rescheduled round 23 clash, but they went down 2-1 in that match and are now looking to return to winning ways.
Wallsend FC have the bye.
