Match of the Round
Thornton Redbacks v Singleton Strikers
Pasadena Oval, Friday 8pm
Friday night football is back at Pasadena Oval as Thornton look to bounce back from last week’s loss as Singleton aim for two wins from two.
After triumphing in the local derby against the Hornets last Sunday, Singleton Strikers coach Mick Jarvis has tweaked training in preparation for Friday night.
“We were happy to pick up three points last week in the derby against the Hornets,” Jarvis said.
“We will only train once this week, on Wednesday night in preparation for Friday.
“I've given the boys an extra night off to recover, there were a few sore bodies from the derby.
“That said, everyone pulled up ok and we don’t have any injuries.
“In fact, we get a few players back this week as well.”
The potential return of prolific striker Joel Barner looms large in Jarvis’ plans.
“I think Joel Barner makes his return, he’s one of the best strikers in the competition as far as I'm concerned,” Jarvis said.
“He will bolster us, we should be stronger upfront this week.”
Jarvis paid respect to his opponent in the opposite dug out, Redbacks coach Gary Wand.
“Gary likes to think tactically about who he's playing and how he sets up and the rest of it,” Jarvis said.
“He's got a good football head on his shoulders and will no doubt be looking to cause us headaches.”
High intensity football is the mantra from Jarvis.
“We’ve been playing against each other for a few years now, we play a very high tempo,” Jarvis said.
“We play proactive football, let’s see if they can match our tempo, many teams can’t.”
West Wallsend v Kahibah FC
Johnston Park, Friday 8pm
West Wallsend return to Johnston Park for Friday night football following a narrow loss against Toronto Awaba last week.
Westy fought gallantly with only 10 men for most of the match and almost jagged a draw.
West Wallsend will draw on that steely determination to get a result against Kahibah who shared the points with reigning champions Belmont Swansea United in their opening fixture.
Kahibah will be seeking to consolidate and build on last year’s third place, behind promoted premiers New Lambton and champions BelSwans.
Kahibah showed their resistance on the road defying BelSwans three points and will be a team to watch in 2023.
Wallsend FC v Belmont Swansea United
The Gardens, Sunday 2.30pm
Wallsend coach Michael Gatt is eager to start building momentum after last week’s bye.
Gatt has been eyeing the fixture list and relishing the challenge against last year’s champions Belmont Swansea United.
“Definitely up for this, we have a couple of good tests to start our season, first we have BelSwans followed by Westy,” Gatt said.
“It's a good couple of games in round one and round two to start our campaign.
“Last week’s bye gave us an extra week of training. Honestly, I'd rather the bye in the first week so we can start building momentum from now onwards.
“We’ve had a good week of training and the boys are ready to get into the round properly now.”
Gatt reflected on the balance of his squad, which is a blend of experience and youth.
“It's a good balance here, a couple of experienced leaders and good young talent,” Gatt said.
“We have a couple of new boys. It's a fresh new-look squad and they've come together really well.
“We are looking forward to kicking off our first match in front of our home supporters.
“I would rather be playing BelSwans here than at BelSwans in front of their home crowd.
“It's good to be at home first up.”
Adaptability is a key feature to Gatt’s style.
“We adapt to the opposition that we're playing,” Gatt said.
“We worked hard in the off-season, obviously last year was disappointing for us.
“The new guys have adapted well and we will implement our brand of football.”
Cessnock City Hornets v Toronto Awaba
Turner Park, Sunday 2.30pm
Cessnock City entertain Toronto Awaba in the final match of the round and are seeking to bounce back after a stuttering start.
“We are always looking forward to a challenge and we certainly need to be better than last weekend,” Hornets coach Brad Miles said.
“We didn’t get into the groove last week but we’re back together in front of our home supporters on Sunday.
“We've got a good support base down at Turner Park, it’s always good to get home support.
“In training we have been working on retaining the ball better and being more clinical in front of goal.
“Our style depends on the team we are playing. We have intervals where we move the ball quickly. We like up-tempo football but we must do the basics right to play that football.
“We don’t have injuries from round one but we welcome back Lewis Howells at centre back who will provide resilience in defence.”