Lambton Jaffas v Edgeworth FC
Arthur Edden Oval, Saturday 2:30pm
Round 14 Rescheduled Fixture
Edgeworth FC coach Pete McGuinness said that his side will have to be at their best to when they travel to Arthur Edden Oval to take on Lambton Jaffas on Saturday.
The Eagles are one of the most in-form teams in the competition in recent weeks, flying up the table into third position with 39 points.
They are now nine points clear of Charlestown Azzurri in fourth and Newcastle Olympic in fifth position.
The Kiwi duo of Ryan Feutz and Seth Clark have caused nothing but headaches for the opposition defense, with Feutz quickly springing to the top of the golden boot race with 20 goals scored after joining Edgeworth mid-way through the season.
McGuinness said that he is confident that if his side put their best foot forward this weekend, they can return home with three points.
“The boys are looking forward to this weekend’s game.
“They have been in really good form lately and we are concentrating on one game at a time.
“Our form has been good and I expect us to continue to perform well.
“It should be a quality game as there will be some very good players from both sides involved.
“Lambton will be desperate for the points to keep themselves in the hunt for the minor premiership so we will have to be at our best to make sure that we match them.”
The Eagles will hope that they can continue their run of form into the back end of the season and cement their spot in third on the table.
Lambton enters the contest off the back of a horror run of results, which has seen them drop from the top of the table into second position three points behind Broadmeadow Magic.
They have suffered three losses in their last four games and have struggled to field the same starting 11 due to unavailabilities and injuries.
The latest to enter their casualty ward are Japanese international Yuhei Sato (knee) and Bailey Newton (ankle), who have both been ruled out for the remainder of the season.
This weekend Jaffas will also be without Matthew Buettner as he serves a one-match suspension for yellow card accumulation.
But in a big boost for the side Nikolai Topor-Stanley and James Oates will return to the squad after being sidelined for an extended period with injuries.
Coach David Tanchevski said that this weekend’s aim will be more about returning confidence to his side rather than focusing on the table.
“We are a little battered and bruised,” Tanchevski said.
“It has been a tough time for us with injuries and people being unavailable. We keep getting one player back but then we lose another. It is not the right time of the season for this to be happening.
“We are expecting another tough game.
“Our job is to get the boy’s confidence back. We lost three of our last four league games, which is disappointing.
“This weekend against Edgeworth is a good opportunity to turn our confidence around.”
Tanchevski said that he expects his side to play with a little more freedom without the pressures of the top spot over their heads but hopes that they can turn their momentum around in the final stretch of the season.
“I think that a bit if the pressure has been lifted off us now,” Tanchevski said.
“We know it isn’t in our hands anymore so now we are looking at getting our form back in time for finals.
“No matter where we finish this season, it has been a successful season for the club.
“For us we can now only control what is in our hands.
Newcastle Olympic v Weston Workers FC
Darling Street Oval, Saturday 2:30pm
Round 14 Rescheduled Match
Newcastle Olympic will be desperate to retain their finals position when they welcome Weston Workers FC to Darling Street Oval on Saturday afternoon.
Olympic sits fifth on the table with 30 points, on equal points with Charlestown Azzurri in fourth position.
But with multiple teams hot on their trail in the hunt for a finals position, Paul DeVitis and Neil Owens' side need to continue to pick up points in their remaining games to stay in contention.
They will enter the match more rested than their opponents as their round 20 fixture was postponed.
But one downside of the week off is that they will still be without A-League veteran Jason Hoffman as he still waits to serve his one-match suspension.
There was only one goal that could separate these two sides last time they met at Rockwell Automation Park in round three of the competition, with another tight contest expected this weekend.
The Bears enter the clash on an unusual run of form for the club, after three back-to-back wins.
It is unlikely that Kew Jaliens’ side can hunt down a finals position but regardless, they will want to finish the season as high up on the table as they can.
They sit eighth on the table, five points outside of the top five and hope to settle the score away from home and return with the three points and the gap reduced.
Lake Macquarie City FC v Charlestown Azzurri
Macquarie Field, Saturday 4pm
Round 14 Rescheduled Match
Charlestown Azzurri will be desperate to cement their place in the top five when they travel to Macquarie Field to face Lake Macquarie City FC on Saturday.
Azzurri have gone five games without a win and sit fourth on the table with 30 points.
But they will enter the contest with some more confidence after they secured draws against two of the most in form teams in the competition, Edgeworth FC (2-2) and league leaders Broadmeadow Magic (0-0).
But the Blues will have to get the job done without two of their key players, captain Nigel Boogaard and Tyran Cousins. The pair will miss the game as they serve one-match suspensions for an accumulation of yellow cards.
The middle of the table has become more congested as the season has progressed, with teams down to ninth place in with a chance to qualify for finals. This makes it crucial for James Pascoe and his side to return home with all three points.
The last time these two sides met in the competition in round three, Charlestown secured a 4-1 victory and will hope to do the same again this weekend.
The Roosters have struggled to spread their wings this season as they remain at the bottom of the table with one win, one draw and 17 losses from their 19 competition matches.
Although their fate in the competition is all but decided, Pete Preston will be eager for his young side to continue to put their best foot forward and bow out of the competition in style.
Valentine FC v Adamstown Rosebud
Croudace Bay Complex, Saturday 5pm
Round 14 Rescheduled Match
Valentine FC will look to make a push for finals when they welcome Adamstown Rosebud to Croudace Bay Complex on Saturday.
The Phoenix suffered a dip in form that saw them fall out of the top five and down the table.
But they will enter the contest full of confidence and hope to revitalize their season after they defeated Lambton Jaffas 3-1 on the weekend to move within three points of a finals spot.
Adam Hughes will want to finish his tenure as the head coach of Valentine on a high and playing finals football.
Phoenix will be without Harrison Lane as he serves a one-match suspension for an accumulation of yellow cards.
The last time these two sides met in the competition in round three, Valentine was victorious with a solid 3-0 win.
Adamstown will look to settle the score and cause an upset away from home to save their season.
Rosebud’s hopes to escape the relegation play-off zone are quickly fading away, as they sit in 11th position.
They are five points behind New Lambton FC and will be desperate to claw back the gap in their final game without captain Dino Fajkovic as he serves his final match of suspension.
Maitland FC v New Lambton FC
Cooks Square Park, Saturday 6pm
Round 14 Rescheduled Match
Two sides will be determined to turn things around when Maitland FC hosts New Lambton FC at Cooks Square Park on Saturday afternoon.
It will be a battle between ninth and 10th this weekend with the two teams eager to finish their seasons on a positive note.
The Magpies enter the contest after back-to-back losses against Cooks Hill United (5-0) and Broadmeadow Magic (4-1).
They sit ninth on the table, six points outside of the top five sides and finals contention.
It is not impossible for Maitland to make the finals, but Mick Bolch and his side would need a lot to go their way to make it.
They will hope that they can bounce back and respond in the same way they did when they last went head-to-head with the Golden Eagles back in round three of the competition.
New Lambton will not want to repeat their last performance against the Magpies which saw them give up a 1-0 lead in stoppage time to lose the game 2-1.
The Golden Eagles have struggled to soar this season as they sit 10th on the table, five points clear of the relegation play-off zone and 10 points behind this weekend’s opponents.
With the two teams below them hunting them down, Shane Pryce will be eager for his side to return home with all three points.