Match of the Round
Weston Bears FC v Broadmeadow Magic FC
Rockwell Automation Park, Saturday 2pm
Broadmeadow Magic head coach Jim Cresnar labelled Saturday’s second-versus-third battle against Weston Bears at Rockwell Automation Park a six-point game as two of the benchmark sides of the competition prepare for a highly-anticipated clash.
Magic are in a premiership battle with six games to go as they sit second on the table, just three points behind league leaders Edgeworth Eagles, while the Bears are 10 points behind Broadmeadow with two games in hand on them.
A midweek loss on home soil almost certainly put a line through Weston’s premiership hopes, but a second-place finish is well and truly there for the taking if they can bounce back and beat Magic on Saturday.
The defending champions are in excellent form this season, having gone 15 games undefeated since losing a round one grand final rematch against Edgeworth.
Cresnar said that he and his men looked forward to going up against the best sides in the competition, which he declared the Bears were one of.
“It’s a six-point game, of course. You want to be part of games like this, and I think our team will be up for it,” Cresnar said.
“I think Weston have been very impressive this year. They’re a well-coached team and it’s going to be a very tough game against them.
“We just need to make sure we win a game of football. We have to work on reducing their strengths and exploring their weaknesses.
“A six-day break between games gives us time to recover and get a training session in to work on that, which will be good for us.”
When Broadmeadow took down Adamstown Rosebud 2-0 last Saturday, they were playing their fifth game in two weeks.
A run like that gives teams little opportunity to get much done on the training paddock apart from recovery sessions, and Cresnar said his side would benefit from the full week off and some proper training during the week ahead of an important matchup.
Magic are well aware that they will be facing a hungry Bears outfit on Saturday.
Weston were on a six-game winning streak since they went down 2-1 against Broadmeadow at Magic Park in April, but that came crashing down when they lost 2-0 against Lambton Jaffas on Wednesday night.
The rescheduled round six clash was the first time in 14 games that Kew Jaliens’ men have failed to find the back of the net, and they are determined to make amends in front of a home crowd against one of the premiership and championship favourites this Saturday.
Maitland FC v Charlestown Azzurri FC
Cooks Square Park, Saturday 4:30pm
Charlestown Azzurri coach James Pascoe labelled his side’s road trip to Cooks Square Park on Saturday afternoon a backs-against-the-wall job as they prepare to challenge Maitland FC.
Azzurri are battered and bruised as of late, with several players going down injured in recent weeks including Taylor Regan, Harry Frendo, Ben McNamara, Cameron Joice and Isaac Preston-Poole, who all missed Wednesday night’s rescheduled round 11 clash against Edgeworth Eagles at Lisle Carr Oval.
Nathan Verity was also one of those players but passed a fitness test to start in the 2-1 loss, and Jethro Elkington was another, who managed to play 13 minutes off the bench.
Azzurri were locked at 1-1 with the league leaders after a stunning Reece Pappas free kick in the 21st minute cancelled out Joe Melmeth’s fourth-minute opener for the Eagles. However, Flynn Goodman struck with an 88th-minute winner to deny Azzurri a point.
Pascoe’s men are still fourth but can drop to fifth if they lose at Maitland, and with several sides lurking just outside the top five including the Magpies, this game is almost in must-win territory for the Blues.
“We’re absolute bare bones at the moment but it is what it is,” Pascoe said.
“We have a lot of guys out injured and some of them are for the season. We lost four of those boys in a 15-minute spell against Jaffas. They were all contact injuries, and we were just thinking ‘oh my god’.
“We’re battling, and while it’s unusual circumstances, it gives opportunities to some of our young reserve grade boys.
“Regardless of the situation, you’ve always got to respect the badge and put a good shift in. We’re going to be bashed up and patched up going to Maitland, but we’ll go out there to try and do as well as we can.”
Maitland are currently ranked seventh on the table but are just two points outside the top five, which they could enter with a win this Saturday.
Adamstown Rosebud FC v Newcastle Olympic FC
Adamstown Oval, Saturday 2pm
Adamstown Rosebud will be playing to return to the winner’s circle when they host Newcastle Olympic at Adamstown Oval on Saturday afternoon.
Adamstown have only won one of their last five matches and are currently on a two-game losing streak, which has sunk their finals chances.
The Rosebud are now in the midst of a relegation scrap as they look to avoid another 11th-place finish and playoff with the Northern League One sides.
They are currently 10th, locked on 13 points with 11th-placed Valentine, who host last-placed New Lambton on Sunday.
The Adamstown Oval clash gives the Rosebud a chance to move clear of at least one of those two bottom-ranked teams.
Olympic will play their first away match since the start of last month following a six-game run of home fixtures.
They drew the first four of those and then lost 1-0 against Broadmeadow Magic before bouncing back to defeat Lambton Jaffas 3-1 last weekend.
Mick Bolch and Paul DeVitis’ men are currently ranked fifth on the table and have four sides below them looking to take their spot, so they are well aware that this Saturday’s fixture is a must-win game.
While they could slip to seventh with a loss, a win could see them climb into fourth on goal difference if Charlestown Azzurri lose at Maitland.
Cooks Hill United FC v Edgeworth Eagles FC
Fearnley Dawes Athletics Field, Saturday 2:30pm
Cooks Hill will aim to do what no other side has been able to on Saturday afternoon when they welcome Edgeworth Eagles to Fearnley Dawes Athletics Field.
Edgeworth are in rare form this season, having gone through their first 16 games undefeated with 14 wins and two draws.
They are currently three points clear at the top of the table after extending their winning streak to 13 games during the week when they took down Charlestown Azzurri 2-1 at Lisle Carr Oval in a rescheduled round 11 match.
Cooks Hill’s biggest challenge on Saturday will be finding the back of the net given Edgeworth’s success this season has been driven by their defensive resolve, with just seven goals conceded in their 16 league outings.
However, Chris Zoricich’s men have risen to the occasion several times this season, most recently when they beat Broadmeadow Magic to advance to the Australia Cup Round of 32, and they are determined to register another upset this weekend.
Cooks Hill are one of the six teams battling for fourth and fifth place as they sit eighth on the table, just three points outside the top five.
They are the only side out of those six to have won their past two games, and they are now looking to extend that streak to three.
Belmont Swansea United FC v Lambton Jaffas FC
Blacksmiths Oval, Sunday 2pm
Belmont Swansea United are determined to ensure their coach celebrates a milestone match with a victory when they welcome Lambton Jaffas to Blacksmiths Oval on Sunday.
BelSwans coach Mick Stafford will oversee his 100th first grade game for the club this weekend.
He took over for the 2019 campaign following three seasons as the side’s assistant coach and he celebrated numerous successes, including premierships, championships and promotion, and he is now determined to add to that by guiding his team to the finals in the top flight for the first time.
The boys from Blacksmiths are currently two wins outside the top five with just six matches still to play, and Lambton are also in the six-team battle for fourth and fifth place. That makes Sunday’s fixture a six-point game for both sides.
The Jaffas will arrive at Blacksmiths full of confidence after they scored a midweek win against Weston Bears at Rockwell Automation Park.
David Tanchevski’s men became the first team this year to keep Weston scoreless as they prevailed 2-0 at Bear Park, with Riley Taylor opening the scoring in the 23rd minute and Jimmy Oates sealing the three points with a long-range stunner in injury time.
That saw Lambton snap a three-game losing streak and climb into sixth as they now sit one point outside the top five.
Valentine FC v New Lambton FC
Croudace Bay Complex, Sunday 4:30pm
Wooden spoon tensions will rise on Sunday when New Lambton FC, anchored to the bottom of the ladder, travel to Croudace Bay Complex to face off against a Valentine FC side just two wins ahead in the fight to avoid automatic relegation.
Both of these teams have won one of their past five games, but Valentine’s most recent outing saw them return home from Lisle Carr Oval with a point after holding fourth-placed Charlestown Azzurri to a 0-0 draw last weekend.
That result highlighted the improvement of a Phoenix side that conceded 25 goals in their first eight games and have only conceded 17 goals in their past nine.
Cas Wright’s men have only won three of their 17 games so far this season, one of which was a 3-2 victory over New Lambton when the two sides met at Alder Park back in round eight.
They are now looking to complete their second sweep of the campaign against the Golden Eagles, which they have already achieved against Cooks Hill United.
For New Lambton, this is simply a must-win game as they look to avoid automatic relegation.
They are currently six points behind both Adamstown Rosebud and Valentine with just six matches left to play, so a loss in this game would almost certainly seal their fate.
