Minor Semi-Final
Maitland FC v Edgeworth Eagles
Cooks Square Park, Sunday 4pm
Maitland FC head coach Adam Hughes believes anything is possible for his side if they turn up against a determined Edgeworth Eagles at Cooks Square Park on Sunday in the minor semi-final.
The hosts went down in heartbreaking circumstances in the El Clasicoal qualifying final last week, with a tense clash against the Bears seeing the sides rise to the occasion but unable to be separated after 120 minutes of football.
With the resulting penalty shootout going shot for shot, the Bears eventually squeezed through by the slimmest of margins, a critical result in their campaign.
With elimination now in the picture should they lose, Hughes expects his squad to have learnt positive lessons from last week’s result.
The sides claimed a win apiece during the regular season. The most recent result came just a fortnight ago, when the Magpies secured a 2-1 victory at Cooks Square Park.
“The [Bears] game itself had ebbs and flows with opportunities for both sides,” Hughes said.
“Going to penalty shootouts is always a bit of a lottery, and it's one where, for us to get ourselves back into it, I thought was outstanding.
“It's just one of those moments where you just step up, be confident, and these things happen. I've missed penalties and scored penalties in the past in my career as well. As a group, they'll be stronger for it if it comes around again.
“The only focus is for this weekend now. I can take a lot of positives with our defensive structure and stuff from the weekend.
“[The 2-1 loss will] definitely be on Edgeworth’s minds.
“They'll know they've come here and lost the last game. It'll definitely be on their minds as soon as they step foot on our pitch. It's one where the positivity we create within our group [is] to be dynamic and be at a better level than what we played in the last game.
“It's going to be a tough match, but it's one where if the boys are there and we're on, everything's possible.”
The Eagles had to deal with a thriller of their own last week, coming from two goals down inside the first half hour to win 3-2 against Belmont Swansea United.
Despite being eliminated, BelSwans made Edgeworth earn the result, challenging the Eagles' defence under pressure in the first half and proving a tough nut to crack defensively, a goal to Aaron Niyonkuru in the 84th minute proving enough to get the Eagles home.
It was a performance head coach Peter McGuinness was proud his side delivered. But the experienced head coach knows the challenges that await his side in Maitland and believes the Eagles have what it takes to win.
“The attitude of the boys during the week leading into that [BelSwans game] was great,” McGuinness said.
“It was a much-improved performance from the previous week, which was in Maitland. Their focus was good. Their determination was good. They're in a good headspace.
“They're in all good spirits. There's been a bit of sickness through the place, so hopefully that disappears. I know the team's got fight in them, so that's a massive positive.
“As long as we get our style right and try to nullify their threats, which they have plenty of, we'll be alright. We started to see that near the end of the first half [against BelSwans].
“When they [Maitland] are defending their own half, they're really hard to break down. We'll have to move the ball quickly, our touches will have to be good for us to break through them.
“I thought we were flat on that day [the 2-1 loss in round 22]. We were close in that game. It was a tussle; they probably deserved points in the end.
“But we know we're close enough to beat them.”
Major Semi-Final
Broadmeadow Magic v Weston Bears
Magic Park, Saturday 4pm
Broadmeadow Magic head coach Jim Cresnar is taking a wary approach to the forthcoming match against Weston Bears, labelling the rivals as the team to beat in the league when they face off at Magic Park in the major semi-final on Saturday.
Finishing as premiers in the regular season, Magic used the week off to complete a strong preparation for finals, playing a friendly against A-League side Central Coast Mariners while keeping an eye on the two fixtures.
The results from last week will see Magic face Weston for the fourth time this year, the same fixture as last year’s major semi-final, with Magic winning that game 2-0.
While Magic got the upper hand over the Bears in their two NPL Men’s NNSW fixtures this year, Weston did defeat Broadmeadow in the Hahn Australia Cup, with Cresnar wary of the visitors and expecting a similarly strong performance.
“It will be a challenge to pick the right 11; we’re very fortunate to have that depth of players in our squad,” Cresnar said.
“Confidence is very important for the team and individual players. I think we’re in a really good space in terms of that.
“We’ve had a pretty good run in the last few games apart from Kahibah, so overall the team-winning mentality and culture is pretty high at the moment.
“Weston are definitely the team to beat. I feel they are probably the strongest team in the league.
“The last game we played, we were very lucky to get the result; they outplayed us for most of the game. Sure, we put a good result through, but they’ve outplayed us in the few games we’ve played this year.
“They’ve got very good players, very well structured. We’re very wary of what they can do, of what their strengths are, and their weaknesses.”
The Bears come into this fixture fresh off their penalty shootout win over Maitland last week, a key result for head coach Damian Zane’s men as the side looks to build consistency in the back half of the season.
Weston will be up for this fixture, with their 2-1 loss to Magic at home in round six proving a critical juncture in their regular season. Broadmeadow then blew the Bears off the park at Magic Park later in the year, with four second half goals leading to a 5-1 result.
With Zane expecting to have several names returning in Chris Hatfield and Luke McCormick, and with the side having defeated Magic in the Hahn Australia Cup, Zane knows the past results count for little when the whistle blows.
“Early in the year, I thought it was probably a harsh result [2-1 to Magic] that we lost,” Zane said.
“We won the [Hahn Australia] Cup game. The key thing is making sure that we take our chances and lead if we deserve it.
“The last one blew out with a late couple of goals; they were the better team in the second half. Goals change games. If we'd led at half-time, as we did in the Cup, then it might have been different.
“We will have a free swing. We're under no pressure. They're the premiers that are expected to win.”