Match of the Round
Wallsend FC v Cessnock City Hornets
Ladbroke Gardens, Sunday 4:30pm
Wallsend FC coach Chris Gallagher is under no illusion when they go head-to-head with Cessnock City Hornets at Ladbroke Gardens on Sunday afternoon in the round five match of the round.
The Red Devils enter round five with one point to their name and the second highest number of goals conceded.
Wallsend will be searching for their first win of the season, with the risk of relegation at the back of their minds.
“We’re still under no illusion, we’re still trying to figure out our best identity and we’ve also not got our best lineup,” Gallagher said.
“We’ve still got players out injured. We lost players with season-ending injuries. It’s definitely in the back of everyone’s mind because we’ve built a lot in 12 months.
“It’s unfortunate we didn’t come down to rebuild this, I suppose two years ago because if we were here two years ago, we’d be in a much better position now when relegation and promotion was brought in.
“We’ve just got to knuckle down and start getting points on the board, whether it’s one or three it doesn’t matter.”
Gallagher recognised his side needs to make better defensive decisions throughout matches.
“Stop giving away penalties, stop giving away set pieces around the box because to be honest, that’s where most of them come from,” said Gallagher.
“Two were from set pieces against Toronto. One we had to play it down and they scored in the back end of the game and then two were from penalties against Singleton.
“We just need to make sure that they don’t get into our box, and we don’t make a challenge, we just stand them up and turn them around.”
Despite the lack of points, Gallagher can’t fault the effort his side has put in.
“Even last year, the work rate and the effort all the boys put in, I just can’t fault," Gallagher said.
“It’s just decision-making at key moments and if we make those decisions better, like on the weekend, we had a couple of chances and we need to finish those chances.
“Everybody knows the story when you’re down, nothing goes your way but when you’re up everything goes your way.
“We’re probably one of the youngest squads around but they’re all working hard. They’re all doing everything you could ask of them.
“I can’t fault any of the boys' effort or application, we’ve just got to be better in key areas.”
Cessnock will be looking for their third win of the season and second in a row on Sunday afternoon.
The Hornets haven’t lost since their 2-0 defeat against Singleton Strikers in round one, sitting third on the table with seven points.
Coach Josh Maguire wants his side to continue pushing before the week off over Easter.
“It’s the last game and then they get a little bit of a recoup over Easter,” Maguire said.
“We’ve got a couple of guys with niggly injuries or hamstrings and whatnot, so we just got to get up again for one more week and then we get a week off.
“The plan is to just push one more time.”
Maguire believed his side's run had increased the confidence and motivation.
“I think the confidence is high and everyone’s playing their part,” said Maguire.
“It’s not just the eleven, people are coming in and playing 20 minutes, people have to go back to reserves to get legs.
“The rotation and buy-in from everyone is great.”
The Hornets had just three points to their name by round five in 2024, resulting from a 2-0 win over Wallsend.
They will be hopeful the same result occurs in round five and continue their best start to the season in over two years.
South Cardiff FC v Dudley Redhead United
Ulinga Oval, Sunday 2pm
Dudley Redhead United coach Mark Wilson expects a tough match when they travel to Ulinga Oval on Sunday night to take on South Cardiff FC.
The Thistles have just one win to their name after four rounds, sitting eighth on the table but Wilson believes his side is close to their second.
“It’s going to be a tough game, I think they’re always tough at home,” Wilson said.
“We’ve adapted well, we’ve only had one win to date, but the scores are reflecting that we’re getting close to the mark.
“We’re adapting quite well, which is good.
“The guys have good energy at training and it’s a challenge, but to their credit they’re embracing the challenge.”
In their round four clash with Lake Macquarie City the Thistles conceded two goals in the first 30 minutes. Wilson knows his side will need to start better when they take on the Gunners.
“I think we need to start the game better than we did against Lakes last weekend,” Wilson said.
“We didn’t do that according to our match plan and we started the game a bit slow.
“We need to start better against South Cardiff on the weekend.”
The Thistles will be without skipper Damian Cox (knee), Jared Dickinson (ankle) and Charlie Horsley (ankle) in the round five clash.
South Cardiff will come out firing on Sunday afternoon, looking to secure a win in front of a home crowd on old boys’ day.
The Gunners' undefeated run came to an end at the hands of Cessnock City Hornets in round four when they went down 2-1.
They looked to return to winning ways on Wednesday night in the rescheduled round three match against Wallsend FC but instead walked away with a 0-0 draw.
The Gunners are seventh on the table but are just one win away from the top four.
South Cardiff will need to come out fast and determined to convert early chances if they want to walk away with all three points.
Thornton Redbacks v Lake Macquarie City FC
Thornton Park, Friday 8pm
Thornton Redbacks assistant coach Trent Partridge wants to see more fight from his side when they welcome Lake Macquarie City FC to Thornton Park on Friday night.
The Redbacks are 0-5 and will be searching for their first points of the season to avoid relegation in 2025.
“I want a better reaction, more grunt and more fight,” Partridge said.
“We just don’t want to keep doing this, so we just got to want it more.”
The Redbacks have conceded 11 goals this season and scored only two.
They will need to convert their chances and put a stop in Lakes' attacking end to walk away with all three points.
The Roosters will want to make it three on the trot under the Friday night lights.
They secured their second win of the season after they defeated Dudley Redhead United 2-1 in round four.
Lakes have conceded in every match this season and will need to strengthen their back line to prevent the persevering Redbacks.
The Roosters welcome Angelo De Grandis back to the squad after he received a straight red for serious foul play in round three.
Kahibah FC v Toronto Awaba FC
Kahibah Oval, Saturday 4:30pm
Kahibah FC will be looking to put a stop to Toronto Awaba FC’s winning streak on Saturday afternoon when they go head-to-head at Kahibah Oval.
The Rams have found the back of the net in all four rounds so far this season, with a minimum of two goals scored in every match besides round four.
They will be hopeful that they continue this momentum and become the first team this season to put one past the Stags goalkeeper.
The Rams will need to come out firing, making the most of their chances when they face a strong Stags backline.
Kahibah will welcome back Riley Ferguson after he served the remaining five matches of his 2024 suspension for match official abuse but will be without Elliot Paksec after he received a straight red in round four for denying a goal-scoring opportunity.
Toronto will be looking to make it five from five on Saturday as they are the only side to not drop a point so far in season 2025.
The Stags have yet to concede this season and will be determined to continue that record with strong performances across the park.
They will be without Kade Howland for three matches after he received a straight red in round four for violent conduct.
Toronto sits at the top of the table, five points above second-placed Kahibah. They will need to continue their in-form run to prevent the Rams from closing the gap to just two.
Singleton Strikers v West Wallsend SFC
Howe Park, Saturday 7:30pm
West Wallsend SFC will be looking for their second win of the season when they travel to Howe Park on Saturday night to take on Singleton Strikers.
The Bluebells' 1-1 draw in round four was their third of the season and third in a row. They have not won a game since their dominant 4-1 victory in round one.
West Wallsend have now left six points out on the park in the last three rounds, falling to fourth spot on the table and six points behind league leaders Toronto Awaba.
The Bluebells will welcome Dain Greentree back to the squad after serving a one-match suspension in round four for a reckless challenge.
West Wallsend will need to capitalise on their chances and secure an early lead if they want to take all three points on Saturday.
Singleton will be on a high as they enter round four with their second win of the season under their belt.
The Strikers recovered from their round three loss when they scored three goals for the first time this season against Wallsend FC.
Singleton will need to come out firing to put a stop to the Bluebells' undefeated streak and to secure their third win of the season.
