Match of the Round
New Lambton FC v Charlestown Azzurri FC
Alder Park, Saturday 2pm
New Lambton FC head coach Shane Pryce is confident his side can make a push to get off the bottom of the table but admitted they must start winning soon to give themselves the best chance to fight for survival as they prepare to host Charlestown Azzurri at Alder Park on Saturday.
Like all teams, the Golden Eagles have been hampered by the recent wet weather, with games postponed and training sessions moved from the pitch into the gym.
New Lambton have not played a game since they scored a late equaliser at home in a 2-2 draw against Belmont Swansea United back in round nine, a result that saw them earn just their second point of the year. They sit six points behind 11th-placed Valentine FC and 10th-placed BelSwans.
Three washouts since then certainly have not been ideal for a side that is eager to find some much-needed form, but Pryce has still found a way to make the most of it.
“This time off has given us a good chance to gel a bit more as a unit and to get information into players about what’s expected,” Pryce said.
“In times like this, to keep the boys motivated, we’re just remembering that we need to get three points whenever we play.
“We’re very motivated to avoid relegation, and to do that, it’s important as a coach to maintain the unity and keep a tight schedule. We’re making sure everyone keeps turning up to train and we’re adapting to give the boys different types of training.
“So far this season, we’ve been close but we’ve just not been good enough. This break has really given us a chance to work on a few things; not only structural things but also mindset.
“Training (on Tuesday) was a very upbeat mood, but that means nothing unless we can start going out there and getting three points and start to claw back our position and put pressure on the teams above us.”
Boosting the Golden Eagles’ hopes of avoiding relegation this season is the recent arrival of Konata Furutani. The Japanese midfielder started the season at Maitland FC but struggled to crack the first grade team there and is a welcome addition at New Lambton.
His arrival is expected to allow fellow 2025 signing Valentin Brandis to make a permanent move into the backline to partner Josh Piddington moving forward as the Golden Eagles look to improve defensively, having conceded 29 goals in nine games so far.
Pryce declared that Saturday’s clash against Charlestown will be a tough one and that his men must stand up against a solid opponent that they were beaten 3-0 by back in round two.
“Azzurri are well-coached, experienced, and last time we played them it was a boys-versus-men type of scenario,” Pryce said.
“It’s a definite challenge for our group, but I think we’re turning a corner. You’re only as good as your last performance, and against BelSwans we were close but no cigar. Hopefully, we can step up and give Charlestown a fright. We’ve just got to be desperate.”
Charlestown Azzurri enjoyed a flying start to the campaign with three consecutive victories, but since then have only prevailed once in six games.
Their three league losses have all been by a one-goal margin and combined with two draws have left them nine points behind first-placed Edgeworth Eagles in fourth spot.
Coach James Pascoe has been pleased with how his side had been playing but said they need to start putting away their chances.
“The clearest and most obvious thing for us is we need to improve our chance conversion rate,” Pascoe said.
“We create plenty of chances per game, but for whatever reason, we haven’t turned that into the volume of goals that the football has deserved.
“From a pure coaching point of view, the boys are executing what they’re asked to do. We move the ball into the final third with a good regularity and create some good chances every game, but the final action has just been one of those things.”
Azzurri have parted ways with visa player Richie Danquah, who arrived back in March. Pascoe said the English defender had struggled to adapt to life in Australia and had also been struggling with an injury and the two parties agreed a return home would be best for the player.
Kieran Hayes has impressed for Azzurri this season and is expected to play a key role in the Charlestown defensive line on the run home towards the finals.
Maitland FC v Cooks Hill United FC
Cooks Square Park, Saturday 4:30pm
Maitland FC coach Adam Hughes is embracing the challenge of the recent wet weather as his squad looks for a surge towards the top five when they host Cooks Hill United at Cooks Square Park on Saturday.
The Magpies are primed to swoop as they sit just three points outside the top five in ninth spot, after they won their two most recent matches against fellow finals hopefuls Charlestown Azzurri and Lambton Jaffas.
Hughes’ side has strengthened during the mid-season player movement window, with goalkeeper Taylor Pate returning to the club from Broadmeadow Magic to replace the retiring Matt Trott and Canadian Brayden Borutskie also arriving to help boost the club’s defensive stocks.
The rain that has wreaked havoc over the competition in recent weeks has certainly affected Maitland, with Hughes having to revert to training methods and ideas that were used during the COVID-19 pandemic in recent weeks.
“We’ve been doing a lot of gym work at the moment because we can’t really get out to stretch the legs on the pitch,” Hughes said.
“We’ve even had groups training together in different locations because of safety of travel and road closures and things like that.
“Everyone has bought into it and we’re really working hard to try and maintain the fitness levels we had coming into this period.
“I remember going through different spells like this during COVID, but I think this year seems to be affecting the players more due to the duration of the period of the rain. It’s been relentless and we haven’t been able to do too much on the pitch.
“We’re hopeful that the things we worked on from the start of the season will continue to flow on when we do step back onto the pitch.”
Hughes said that he expected a tough match from a well-coached side that continues to improve each season when they meet Cooks Hill this Saturday.
Chris Zoricich’s men defeated Maitland 2-1 at No.2 Sportsground back in round two and are looking to do the double over the Magpies. Cooks Hill are seventh on the table, one point ahead of Maitland and are also intent on playing finals football this season.
Lambton Jaffas FC v Broadmeadow Magic FC
Arthur Edden Oval, Friday 8pm
One of the most intriguing rivalries in Newcastle football will take place on Friday night when Lambton Jaffas host Broadmeadow Magic at Arthur Edden Oval.
These two sides share a rich and fiery history, having competed against one another in multiple grand finals, most recently in the 2023 decider.
They are the two most recent champions in the competition and they are both confident they can win it again in 2025.
The Jaffas are sixth on the table but sit just one point outside the top five. They have been impressive defensively this year and have only conceded 11 goals in their 10 games.
Only one team so far has scored more than two goals in a single match against David Tanchevski’s men and that was Jim Cresnar’s Broadmeadow at Magic Park.
The defending champions thumped the Jaffas 5-0 in round two, which is a feat no side has come close to since.
Lambton refuse to read too much into that match given they lost key defender Nikolai Topor-Stanley just before kick-off and then three more defenders during the match, but they are eager to make amends come Friday.
Former Broadmeadow goalkeeper Jack Pandel will have a chance to impress against his former team as the Lambton shotstopper prepares to make his first start for the Jaffas on Friday, with first-choice keeper Ben Kennedy out with a calf injury he suffered against Maitland FC in round 11.
Valentine FC v Adamstown Rosebud FC
Croudace Bay Complex, Saturday 4:30pm
Two sides that are eager to find some form will meet at Croudace Bay Oval on Saturday evening when Valentine FC welcome Adamstown Rosebud to town.
These two teams have only won one game each from their past five and are each sitting in the lower half of the table.
Valentine are 11th with eight points and Adamstown are just a point ahead of them in ninth spot, which makes this match is a crucial one for each team as they attempt to navigate their way clear of the two relegation positions.
The key for both of these teams on Saturday will be how they can shape up defensively. They are each conceding three goals a game on average this season, and when they met in round two at Adamstown Oval back in February, the Rosebud prevailed 3-2.
Adamstown is eager to get back on the park and make amends after back-to-back 4-0 losses in rounds eight and nine before their next three games were washed out.
Valentine missed last weekend’s game due to the weather but managed to get on at Rockwell Automation Park during round 11 when they went down 2-1 against Weston.
The two teams will be viewing Saturday’s clash as the perfect opportunity to bounce back from those results.
Edgeworth Eagles FC v Belmont Swansea United FC
Jack McLaughlan Oval, Sunday 2pm
The battling newcomers will challenge the high-flying league leaders on Sunday afternoon when Belmont Swansea United travel to Jack McLaughlan Oval to tackle Edgeworth Eagles.
BelSwans are ready to unleash new signing Drew Patterson, who was set to line up for the first time at Adamstown Oval last weekend before the match was washed out.
The club’s first American import has impressed at training and the physical attacker is eager to make his mark on the pitch, which he will get a chance to do against the toughest defence in the league come Sunday.
The undefeated Eagles have been the benchmark of the competition so far this season. They have kept six clean sheets and have conceded just four goals in nine games as they have racked up seven wins.
One of their two draws was against this Sunday’s opponents as they were held to a 1-1 result back in round two at Blacksmiths Oval.
Mick Stafford’s men have competed well in their first season in the competition since being promoted and that draw against the Eagles was one of five in their first nine games. They are now looking to convert those into wins during the second half of the campaign as they attempt to avoid a relegation battle in August.
Weston Bears FC v Newcastle Olympic FC
Rockwell Automation Park, Sunday 4:30pm
Round 13 will wrap up with a battle of two premiership hopefuls when Weston Bears host Newcastle Olympic at Rockwell Automation Park on Sunday evening.
If these sides’ two most recent meetings are anything to go by, this match should be an absolute thriller.
They have met at Darling Street Oval twice so far this season, most recently when they contested an Hahn Australia Cup contest earlier this month that went to a penalty shootout following a 3-3 draw in regulation time and a 4-4 draw after 120 minutes.
Back in February they contested a 2-2 draw in round two after Jye Rodway netted a late equaliser for Olympic who had trailed 2-0 earlier in the match.
Weston have played once since their Hahn Australia Cup shootout victory as they edged out Valentine 2-1 at Rockwell Automation Park in round 11 despite creating 31 shots at goal.
That victory was their sixth in nine league matches this season and extended their winning run on home soil to three games.
The Bears are third on the table and sit just four points behind league leaders Edgeworth Eagles. They are five clear of fifth-placed Olympic and are eager to widen that gap on Sunday.
