Match of the Round
Belmont Swansea United FC v Maitland FC
Blacksmiths Oval, Friday 8pm
Maitland FC coach Adam Hughes loved the aggression his men showed in their most recent league outing and has challenged them to replicate that when they travel to Blacksmiths Oval on Friday night to challenge Belmont Swansea United.
The Magpies’ start to the campaign had certainly been one to forget as they have won just one of their first seven matches, but a 2-1 victory away from home against Charlestown Azzurri before the Easter long weekend in round eight showcased exactly what they are made of.
Maitland were eager to take that into last Sunday’s home clash against Broadmeadow Magic. But they did not get a chance to as the game was washed out, which leaves all eyes are now on this Friday’s battle at Blacksmiths.
“In the match against Charlestown, there was a lot more aggression shown from the players on the pitch in winning their one-on-one duels,” Hughes said.
“I feel that if we can duel well across the pitch, it puts us in decent stead to be able to control games and moments, and also grind out results in certain phases of the game.
“In that match, we were able to dig deep and grind out certain moments, and then in other moments we were able to have good phases of play.
“Against BelSwans, I think it’ll be a physical encounter and they’ll be a tough team. They’ve been able to pick some points up along the way and they’ve done alright.
“I’ve been watching a bit of their footage and they are a team that work together and fight together, so it will be a difficult contest.
“I want the boys to continue the brand of football that we’ve been working on throughout the year. You can see it coming to life in moments; it’s been evident in training and phases of matches.
“The competitive nature of the group is high, and I just want us to step out there and be on the front foot, and be aggressive with and without the ball. If we can do that well, we’ll have a good chance to win the match.”
While the two weekends off have not been ideal for the Magpies after their win against Azzurri, Hughes said his players had been working hard to stay ready and were prepared for Friday night’s Match of the Round.
BelSwans are winless in their past eight games since their round one victory on home soil against Adamstown, but they are proving to be a tough team to beat as they have drawn five of those games.
Their coach Mick Stafford was proud of what they have produced in their first season in the NPL competition, but he now wanted them to start finding a way to get the three points.
“I’ll always find the positives because it’s positive for our club to be in the NPL firstly,” Stafford said.
“We’ve drawn a few games, but it’s a massive positive to have only lost three games out of nine so far.
“With the group and our new committee, I really believe we’re punching above our weight and doing our community proud.
“We’ve been very consistent in our games and we’re level with every team we’ve played, but we’ve just got to get better at closing out victories and finishing off leads when we’re in front.
“We always have the ability to fight back when we’re down, but at the end of the day we’re eager to just keep doing what we’ve been doing and see if we can build into the next round.”
These two sides are locked on eight points, with BelSwans in ninth and Maitland in 10th.
Stafford was well aware that the Magpies would be hungry to turn their season around.
“Maitland are a very well-established club in the league with good resources, but I guess they’d be feeling the pressure on their position on the table on the table,” Stafford said.
“They would say they’re underachieving, so they’re definitely going to be putting their best foot forward to start climbing the table, especially when they’re playing us who are level with them.”
Edgeworth Eagles FC v Weston Bears FC
Jack McLaughlan Oval, Saturday 4:30pm
Edgeworth Eagles coach Peter McGuinness was thrilled to see his side go top of the table last weekend but admitted they cannot afford to rest on their laurels as a heavyweight battle against the Weston Bears on home soil at Jack McLaughlan Oval looms this Saturday.
The Eagles climbed into first place when they scored a 3-0 win at home against Newcastle Olympic, and they stayed there after Broadmeadow Magic’s game the next day was washed out.
McGuinness’ men have now kept three consecutive clean sheets and six in total from nine outings, and they have conceded just four goals, which is four less than the next best Lambton Jaffas.
The Edgeworth boss said his men deserved to be on top of the table but would have their work cut out for them to stay there this weekend.
“It’s nice to be where we are, but you can’t rest on your laurels. As soon as you hit a lead in anything, there’s someone chasing you, and there are a lot of good football teams in this comp,” McGuinness said.
“There’s a lot more football to be played yet. We’ll just take it one game at a time and focus on the team coming up.
“I’m really enjoying the season. The boys are a really good group to work with and they’ve got plenty of resilience.
“Training sessions are great. They’re very competitive. The boys push each other and there are no shortcuts.
“They do what we ask of them and that’s showing in how they’ve been going out and performing.”
“Weston have impressed me,” McGuinness added.
“They’re a really good side with good structure and they have a lot of dangerous players. They’ve scored a lot of goals and they’re in form. Kew’s got them going really well.
“We’re excited to go up against them. It should be a good game.”
The Bears are currently third on the table, seven points behind the Eagles but with a game in hand.
They are coming off a 4-0 Anzac Cup win away from home against Adamstown Rosebuds and an 8-2 Australia Cup victory against Newcastle Suns, and they are now eager to bring their attacking flair to Jack McLaughlan Oval and see if the best defence in the competition can stand up against it.
Newcastle Olympic FC v New Lambton FC
Darling Street Oval, Saturday 2pm
New Lambton FC’s pursuit of a maiden 2025 season victory will continue at Darling Street Oval on Saturday when they travel to take on Newcastle Olympic.
Shane Pryce’s men earned their second point on Anzac Day when they scored an injury-time equaliser in a 2-2 draw against Belmont Swansea United.
While their coach was pleased with the resilience they showed, he was disappointed that they were unable to convert another promising performance into three points.
The Golden Eagles did earn back some respect they had lost during a devastating Australia Cup defeat against Croudace Bay.
But they are six points behind 11th and need to start winning games to ensure they are in a position to battle their way out of the relegation zone come the back-end of the season.
It certainly does not get any easier this Saturday as they meet a hungry Olympic side that is determined to return to winning ways.
Mick Bolch and Paul DeVitis’ men have only won one of their past four matches after being kept scoreless for the second time in three outings last Saturday when they went down 3-0 away from home against Edgeworth Eagles.
That saw them slip to fifth on the table and finish the weekend nine points off top spot and they are now looking to get back on track in front of a home crowd.
Valentine FC v Broadmeadow Magic FC
Croudace Bay Complex, Saturday 5pm
Croudace Bay Complex will host a David and Goliath battle on Saturday evening when Valentine FC welcome Broadmeadow Magic to town.
The home side dropped to 11th place last weekend after suffering their fifth loss of the season as they were held scoreless for the first time in a 3-0 loss against Lambton Jaffas.
They also recently crashed out of the Australia Cup with a 5-0 defeat against Cooks Hill, which was the third time in a month they’d had that many goals put on them in a single game.
Magic on the other hand, are flying at the other end of the table. The defending champions have won seven from seven since they lost their season opener and have proven they are one of the teams to beat again in 2025.
Their round nine match against Maitland FC last Sunday was washed out, which saw Edgeworth Eagles capitalise and go above them into first place, so they are now looking to get themselves back into the top position as soon as possible.
Broadmeadow demolished Valentine 9-2 in August last year when these two sides last met, but there are several new faces among the Phoenix team that they will meet this weekend, who are determined to make a statement against the competition heavyweights this Saturday.
Lambton Jaffas FC v Cooks Hill United FC
Arthur Edden Oval, Sunday 2pm
Two teams that are starting to get their seasons on track will go head-to-head at Arthur Edden Oval on Sunday afternoon when Lambton Jaffas host Cooks Hill United.
These two sides each scored clean sheet victories last weekend, which saw them climb the table and get themselves within striking distance of the top five.
The Jaffas continued to show they have one of the competition’s most elite defences this year when they defeated Valentine 3-0 away from home on Saturday.
David Tanchevski’s men have now conceded just eight goals in eight games and they have kept four clean sheets.
Lambton are seventh on the table due to their attacking woes in 2025, but are determined to take the momentum gained in front of goal from last Saturday’s clash into a home battle this Sunday.
Cooks Hill will attempt to win back-to-back games for the first time this season when they tackle the Jaffas.
Chris Zoricich’s men had won three league matches prior to their 1-0 victory over Charlestown Azzurri last Saturday, and on all three occasions they were beaten in their next game.
Now in sixth place on the table, a finals berth for the Cooks Hill men is absolutely a possibility in 2025 but they need to show they can be consistent, which they can do starting this Sunday.
Adamstown Rosebud FC v Charlestown Azzurri FC
Adamstown Oval, Sunday 4:30pm
Adamstown Oval will host the final game of round 10 when two sides looking to bounce back from losses go head-to-head on Sunday evening as Adamstown Rosebud hosts Charlestown Azzurri.
Adamstown went down 4-0 in the Anzac Cup clash on home soil against Weston Bears last Friday and Azzurri lost 1-0 after they conceded late away from home against Cooks Hill United on Saturday.
The two sides have much more to offer than they did in those respective matches and they are eager to show that on Sunday night.
For Charlestown, three matches without a win have seen them slip to fourth on the table and sit nine points behind league leaders Edgeworth with the halfway point of the season just around the corner.
The rest of the top five have all beaten Adamstown so far this season and James Pascoe’s men must get the job done on Sunday to avoid falling further behind the pack.
Adamstown showed glimpses of what they are capable of in a 2-0 win against Cooks Hill and a 3-2 loss against Broadmeadow Magic in rounds six and seven, but they have lost the other three games in their most recent five all by 4-0 scorelines.
Azzurri is an opponent who could inflict similar damage if the Rosebud do not shape up defensively in front of a home crowd on Sunday.
