Toronto Awaba v West Wallsend SFC
Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility, Friday 8pm
West Wallsend SFC will look to hold onto their two-goal advantage when they face Toronto Awaba at Lyall Peacock Oval on Friday night.
The two sides will meet in the second leg of the promotion/relegation play-off series after West Wallsend were victorious 4-2 in the first leg of the semi-final at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility thanks to goals by Josh Carroll (two), Luke Willard and James Lowe.
The Bluebells had five clear cut chances and netted four of them while Toronto had four and found the back of the net just twice.
It’s not West Wallsend’s first feature in the play-off series after they were knocked out by Adamstown Rosebud FC in 2024.
But for the first time, they enter the second leg with the upper hand.
They were behind by one goal as they went into their second clash with Adamstown last year and fought back to draw at the end of regular time.
Four goals in extra time saw the Bluebells go down 6-2 on aggregate in 2024, and they will be determined not to lose the two-goal advantage this weekend.
They will be optimistic that their recent run of form continues after they netted 11 goals in their last four matches.
Toronto would be hopeful playing in front of a home crowd will push them over the line, but as wet weather sets in, it’s likely the match will be moved to LMRFF.
The Stags featured in the promotion/relegation play-off series in 2025 and entered the second leg with a two-goal advantage over Kahibah FC.
But the shoe is on the other foot this year and they will need to compete for every ball, something they struggled with in the first leg, and convert their chances in front of goal.
They did not struggle with finding the back of the net in the regular season when they netted 47 goals, the second most of any side.
Toronto will need leg one goal scorers Luke Callan and Tyrell Paulson to step up again on the weekend, as well as regular goal scorers Nick Roberts, Jarrod Purcell and Damon Green.
Coach Jarrad Hiles will be determined for his side to come back from the two-goal deficit and feature in the promotion/relegation play-off final for the second year in a row.
Valentine FC v Singleton Strikers
Croudace Bay Complex, Saturday 1pm
Valentine FC and Singleton Strikers will be determined to strike first when they go head-to-head in the second leg of the promotion/relegation play-off series at Croudace Bay Complex on Saturday afternoon.
The Phoenix’s final home game of the season is likely to move to Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility due to wet weather.
But the side will be hopeful a game close to home will bring in their supporters to get them over the line.
Valentine and Singleton had a 0-0 draw in their first leg and whoever finds the back of the net first this weekend will have the immediate advantage.
While both sides are playing to feature in the promotion/relegation play-off final next Saturday, Valentine are also playing for their spot in the NPL NNSW competition in 2026.
If the Phoenix are downed by Singleton on Saturday, their 2025 season will come to an end, and they will be relegated from the top league without even stepping foot on Magic Park in the final.
Valentine will need to put more power behind their shots to beat Singleton goalkeeper Stuart Plant, who is no stranger to play-off pressure, having featured in last year’s final with Adamstown Rosebud FC.
But with only four shots and two on target in the first leg the Phoenix must treasure possession and take advantage of their time in front of the goal.
They will likely be without captain Harry Lane after he suffered an ankle injury last Saturday.
Singleton will be determined to secure the win this weekend and the opportunity to feature in the final, which coach Doug West believes “would be one of the biggest moments in the club’s history”.
The Strikers enter the second leg on the back of seven shots but again only two on target.
Being unable to take advantage of free kicks and miscalculated shots led to the nil-nil scoreline but the side will be hopeful they can rectify that issue on Saturday after they netted 29 goals in the regular season.
Both sides will leave everything out on the field and, after five yellow cards were shown in leg one, it is certain to be a fiery match from start to finish.
