Match of the Round
Kahibah FC v South Cardiff FC
Kahibah Oval, Sunday 4.30pm
Kahibah FC coach Blair Newham is confident in his side’s ability when they welcome South Cardiff FC to Kahibah Oval in the match of the round on Sunday afternoon.
Kahibah will enter round six on a high following a 4-2 victory over the previously undefeated Toronto Awaba in round five.
The Rams have been the only side so far this season to find the back of the net against Toronto.
“Toronto's a benchmark at the moment. They showed that after winning their first four games and not conceding,” Newham said.
“But we showed some of our quality against them with arguably our best performance of the season.
“I think if we're at our best and if we continue to score goals then we've shown we could beat anyone at the moment.”
Kahibah then went down 4-2 to in-form NPL NNSW side Broadmeadow Magic in the Hahn Australia Cup. But despite that result, Newham believed the match gave his side a boost in confidence.
“4-2 was probably a fair result. It was an accurate reflection of the game,” Newham said.
“We showed what we're capable of and what we can do when we're up against arguably the best team in northern NSW at the moment.
“So we're going to take a lot of confidence from that into the South Cardiff game.”
Newham said his backline needed to improve its discipline ahead of the Gunners clash having conceded nine goals so far this season.
“We need to focus on discipline. While we have 14 goals for, we have still conceded nine which is up there towards the pointy end as the most in the competition as well,” Newham said.
“That's only one more than South Cardiff so we [need to] manage some of that stuff.
“There’s a selection headache at the back there with Isaac True having a really good performance last weekend and Elliot Paksec now back from suspension. So the boys at the back are finding it difficult to lock down a spot.
“If we can keep that discipline at the back and finish our chances in the front, I think we should have a good chance for a good result.”
Kahibah will be at full strength welcoming Jayden Aitchinson into the side for the first time this season after suffering a broken wrist.
Ahead of the Easter break, South Cardiff played four games in 11 days including a Hahn Australia Cup match against NPL NNSW side Lambton Jaffas. Gunners coach Perry Mellon believed the break would allow his side to refresh and push them against Kahibah.
“It’s been a bit of a refresh and bit of a break so I think everyone is keen to get back into it and put in the next big push,” Mellon said.
“It was our fourth game in 11 days so there were some weary bodies. It was probably a good time to have a bit of a break and refresh.”
The Gunners enter round six sitting eighth on the table, with just one win so far this season. But Mellon believed there was no cause for concern.
“Northern League One has always been a tight comp and anyone can beat anyone on the day,” Mellon said.
“I wouldn’t say that anyone would really be looking at the table and saying we're here or there.
“Anyone can go on a bit of a run this time of year and you can go from eighth to third to second in just a matter of weeks.
“It’s reassuring but it’s not really in our thoughts.”
The Gunners have not won or lost a game with more than a goal separating the sides.
“We need to be more ruthless in front of the goal. We haven’t won a game or lost a game by more than a goal,” Mellon said.
“It’s pretty fine margin stuff at the moment and over the course I think that it can go our way and go against us through the course of the year.
“If we're a bit more clinical in front of goal it'll be good.”
Mellon has confirmed his whole squad will be available for selection.
Toronto Awaba FC v West Wallsend SFC
Lyall Peacock Oval, Saturday 4.30pm
West Wallsend SFC coach Bailey Cox knows his side can not have lapses in judgement when they go head-to-head with Toronto Awaba at Lyall Peacock Oval on Saturday afternoon.
The Bluebells enter round six as the only undefeated side but have just one win. They have been held to a draw in their last four matches, leaving eight possible points behind.
“We just want to put the ball in the back of the net. We’ve missed two penalties in the last two weeks,” Cox said.
“We’ve been creating a load of chances, playing good footy and keeping the ball well.
“The goals we’re conceding are just little lapses in judgement and I feel like we’ve been playing well so we just need to finish our chances.
“We need composure and back ourselves in front of goal, eventually it’s got to click and hopefully it clicks this weekend.”
Cox believes his side deserved all three points in three out of their last four draws.
“We’re undefeated but we’ve had four draws and realistically out of the four draws three of them we should have 100 per cent put the nail in the coffin and put them to bed,” Cox said.
“But that’s football. You don’t finish the chances and the other team has one shot and scores that sort of changes the whole dynamic.”
Toronto will be looking to return to winning ways after Kahibah FC handed them their first loss of the season in round five.
The Stags were undefeated and had kept a perfect defensive record until they faced Kahibah, conceding not just one, but four goals.
Toronto’s defence will need to return to form when they face the Bluebells who have netted 10 goals this season, just two behind them.
They will be hopeful goalkeeper Drew Olsen returns to the side after he was subbed off in the 19th minute of round five with back spasms.
Singleton Strikers v Thornton Redbacks
Howe Park, Saturday 2pm
Thornton Redbacks will be hopeful their momentum has not stopped when they travel to Howe Park to take on Singleton Strikers on Saturday afternoon.
The Redbacks locked in their first win of the season when they defeated Lake Macquarie City 3-1 in round five.
They secured their fourth point of the season just days later in the 1-1 draw with Dudley Redhead United in their rescheduled round three match.
Thornton will be eager to continue the momentum following the Easter break and keep the good times rolling as they look for their second win of the season.
Singleton Strikers enter round six following a 1-1 draw with West Wallsend SFC and sit fifth on the table just five points away from the top.
The Strikers have conceded in every match besides their round one 2-0 victory over Cessnock City Hornets.
They will need to tighten their defence and generate more attacking chances from open play rather than set pieces after their last four goals consisted of one penalty goal and three free kicks.
Singleton will be without Jackson Skinner after he was shown a second yellow card in round five for stopping a promising attack.
Lake Macquarie City v Wallsend FC
Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility, Saturday 6.30pm
Wallsend FC will be searching for their second win of the season when they face Lake Macquarie City at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility on Saturday night.
The Red Devils were reduced to nine men in round five but secured their first win of the season when they defeated Cessnock City Hornets 1-0.
They sit ninth on the table but are just three points outside the top four.
Wallsend will need to keep 11 players on the pitch and control larger parts of the game to convert chances and walk away with a win.
The Red Devils will be without Piaget Abayo and Cody Halpin after they were shown red cards in round five.
Lake Macquarie City will look to return to winning ways after they went down to Thornton 3-1 in round five.
The Roosters had scored the opening goal in their previous four matches but failed to do so for the first time this season against Thornton.
The Roosters though have secured more points in the first five rounds of season 2025 than they did in the entirety of 2024. Something they will want to continue adding to for the remainder of campaign.
Cessnock City Hornets v Dudley Redhead United
Turner Park, Sunday 2pm
Dudley Redhead United will hope to keep the good times rolling when they travel to Turner Park to take on Cessnock City Hornets on Sunday afternoon.
The Thistles sit fourth on the table following a 1-1 draw in their round three rescheduled match against Thornton Redbacks and round five 2-1 win over South Cardiff FC.
Dudley had conceded the fewest goals in the competition but had only found the back of the net five times across the first five rounds, the second lowest behind Wallsend FC.
They will want to replicate their dominant first-half performance from round five across the full 90 minutes if they hope to secure their third win of the season.
Cessnock will look to return to winning ways after their round five 1-0 defeat at the hands of Wallsend.
It was the Hornets’ first loss since round one, placing them sixth on the table. They sit on equal points with four teams including their round six opponents.
The Hornets will be without Sam Hudson after he was shown a second yellow card in round five for a reckless challenge.
Both teams will be searching for all three points to separate them from the rest of the pack and secure a position in the top four.
