Match of the Round
Charlestown Azzurri FC v Lake Macquarie City FC
Lisle Carr Oval, Sunday 2:30pm
Charlestown Azzurri will look to keep their winning momentum rolling when they host Lake Macquarie City FC at Lisle Carr Oval on Sunday afternoon.
Azzurri comes into this weekend’s clash on six points and while their opponents remain on zero, but the young Lakes’ side has proven that they can hold their own to the big guns in the competition.
The Blues have kicked their 2024 campaign off with two wins, defeating New Lambton [2-1] and Adamstown Rosebud FC [3-0] in the opening two rounds of the season.
James Pascoe has been pleased with the results from his side so far but is hoping that they can improve their performances as the season progresses.
“I think psychologically, to be able to start the season with a couple of good results boosts confidence and morale as well as giving the players belief in what we are doing,” Pascoe said.
“The performances have been enough to get the points in the first two games. But I have fairly high standards and there is still room for improvement which will come.
“It comes down to match fitness and also from a concentration point of view in the need to stay disciplined.
“We have good togetherness and have scored quite a few goals to this point but there are still areas where we can improve and we are definitely left a few goals that we should have scored out on the field.
“I am looking forward to building throughout the season.”
The Blues gaffer will be eager for his team to make it three wins on the trot this weekend but will not be underestimating the young Lakes side.
“I have watched both of their [Lake Macquarie] games this season and they are well coached with a good structure and a defensive plan for how they play,” Pascoe said.
“I think that they [Lake Macquarie] are a young group again that will get better week on week.
“I am expecting Lakes to be an improved package.
“They have my full respect this weekend.
Lake Macquarie has not had an ideal start to the season but is showing major signs of improvement on last year’s squad, heavily recruiting players in the off-season.
The Roosters have been able to hold both grand finalists Lambton Jaffas and Broadmeadow Magic to a draw at half-time but have let things slip late in the second half, going down 3-0 and 4-1 in their first two matches of 2024.
Coach Pete Preston acknowledges the tough start his side has had to the season but is pleased with how much improvement he is already seeing from the young Roosters squad.
“It’s been hard, we knew straight away with the draw that we probably had the toughest start to the season,” Preston said.
“But it’s been good for us to go this way and play some of the hardest teams.
“The boys have learned a lot and have matured. Now they know what the benchmark is. It’s good to get more of a gauge of where we are at.
“We’ve hung in there two weeks in a row against tough opponents. You have to be able to compete with the big guys and we have run out of legs in the first two games.
Preston is looking forward to another challenge this week against Azzurri and said that three points would heavily boost his side’s confidence for the season.
“They [Charlestown Azzurri] are a really good team and are well coached,” Preston said.
“It’s going to be tough we know but we look forward to every week and the challenge as we look forward to getting better. We think that over time we can get to a point where we can reach that next step and hopefully, we can do that this week.
“We are feeling confident but know it will be a tough challenge.
“This week you look at the experience Azzurri have and try and break down the defence of two guys [Taylor Regan and Nigel Boogard] who have played a lot of A-League.
“It would be amazing to come away with three points because you go into every week thinking you can win and to do that would help boost these young players. We are already ticking a lot of small boxes as a group
“As long as the boys continue to evolve, learn and grow and I know they will give everything that they have, that’s all I can ask.”
The Roosters will have everyone in their squad available to play this weekend, while Azzurri still have multiple players sidelines with injuries including Kyle Munns and Jack Gallagher. But Jackson Frendo will make his debut for Azzurri this season, after serving a two-match suspension from the semi-final match in 2023.
Edgeworth FC v Lambton Jaffas FC
Jack McLaughlan Oval, Saturday 2:30pm
Edgeworth FC will be eager to secure their first win of the season when they go up against reigning champions Lambton Jaffas FC at Jack McLaughlan Oval this Saturday evening.
The Eagles have started the season without a loss but have also not claimed a win, sharing the points with both Newcastle Olympic and Weston in their first two matches.
This Saturday’s match will be Pete McGuinness’ side’s third game in a week, after playing their rescheduled round one fixture on Wednesday night against Weston.
The Eagles believe that they are up for the fight against the Jaffas and are looking forward to the contest.
“It’s been a big week playing three games in seven days,” McGuinness said.
“Jaffas will be a tough game. The defending dual premiers have strengthened and are strong all over the park as well as probably being the oldest team across the board.
“It’s a challenge that every coach and every player wants to be involved in. You want to play them [Jaffas] and test yourself and try your very best to win the game.
“I am looking forward to the challenge to come up against them.”
Edgeworth will have Flynn Goodman back in their squad after missing Wednesday night’s fixture due to suspension, while Jordan Lennon’s red card was overturned earlier this week after an obvious error appeal.
But the Eagles assistant coach Rodney Linsley is serving a heavy suspension, receiving a six-match ban for match official abuse after an incident unfolded after the whistle had blown in Edgeworth’s match against Olympic.
The Jaffas have had an uncharacteristically positive start to the season, usually taking a few rounds to come into the competition in previous years.
Despite a high injury toll coming into the season, the Lambton side has proved that they will be in finals contention yet again this year, with two strong performances in the opening two rounds.
The Jaffas defeated Lake Macquarie 3-0 to start the season before winning 4-1 to Cooks Hill last weekend. New signing James Oates continues to impress alongside his teammates Kale Bradbery and Riley McNaughton.
David Tanchevski will be looking for his side to continue their momentum but will have the point-hungry Eagles hoping to swoop in and take all three points.
New Lambton FC v Maitland FC
Alder Park, Saturday 2:30pm
Two teams will be vying for their first win of the season when Maitland FC travel to Alder Park to take on New Lambton FC on Saturday.
New Lambton have begun their season with two losses against Charlestown Azzurri (1-2) and Valentine (0-3).
Shane Pryce will be hoping that his Golden Eagles can deliver a full 90-minute performance against the Magpies in order to try and kick-start their season.
The Magpies have also had a slow start to the competition, going down 0-1 against Valentine in the opening round before suffering a heavy 1-5 defeat to Weston last weekend.
Mick Bolch has been disappointed with his side’s start to the season but will be hoping to turn things around this Saturday.
The Magpies have seen significant player turnover during the offseason, with new connections and relationships between players still needing time to develop.
Maitland will be without Regan Lundy in this weekend’s clash, serving a one-game suspension for serious foul play for a late tackle on Weston’s Cooper Sargent in their round two fixture.
With their first points of the season on the line, New Lambton and Maitland will be desperate for a positive result when they go head-to-head.
Adamstown Rosebud FC v Valentine FC
Adamstown Oval, Saturday 2:30pm
Adamstown will be looking to bounce back when they host Valentine FC at Adamstown Oval on Saturday afternoon.
The new-look Rosebud side has started the season with two defeats, after finally getting their season underway in round two due to a washout in round one.
But Daniel Dawkins’ team will be heading into their third game within the space of one week after playing their rescheduled fixture against Broadmeadow Magic on Tuesday night.
Rosebud’s young squad has two experienced heads guiding them from both ends of the park with captain and striker Dino Fajkovic leading in attack and goalkeeper Stuart Plant helping to set up their defensive unit.
It will be important for Adamstown to be strong across the park to shut down Valentine who also has a young and fit outfit.
Valentine has had a dream start to their 2024 campaign securing all six points from their first two hitouts, with a 1-0 win over Maitland FC and a 3-0 victory over New Lambton FC.
Nick Cowburn’s return to the Phoenix has helped to boost the young side, controlling the midfield as well as netting two goals already this season.
Adam Hughes's young squad has proved that they mean business this year and will be eager to continue their winning form against Rosebud on Saturday.
Cooks Hill United FC v Broadmeadow Magic FC
Fearnley Dawes Athletic Track, Saturday 5pm
Cooks Hill United FC will look to secure their first points of the season when they host Broadmeadow Magic on Saturday afternoon.
The Cookers have suffered two defeats in the opening rounds, going down 1-2 to Newcastle Olympic and 1-4 to Lambton Jaffas.
Defensive errors have heavily attributed to Chris Zoricich’s side conceding in the first two matches of the season. But the Cooks Hill gaffer will be hoping his side can improve on these two areas when they take on a strong Broadmeadow side on Saturday.
This weekend’s match will be Magic’s third game in a week after they defeated Adamstown 3-2 in their rescheduled round one fixture on Tuesday night.
Jim Crensar’s young squad will be banking on their fitness to help them recover and reset ahead of this Saturday’s match-up.
Magic have received an extra boost within the week, with captain Jeremy Wilson played his first 90 minutes of the season on Tuesday, after returning from an ankle injury.
Magic will be eager to return home with another three points as they know how much every point matters in the premiership race, losing out to Lambton Jaffas by one point in 2023.
The Cookers will be desperate to pick up three points by the final whistle and get their season up and running.
Weston Workers FC v Newcastle Olympic FC
Rockwell Automation Park, Sunday 2:30pm
Weston Workers FC and Newcastle Olympic will each be looking to secure all three points when they go head-to-head at Rockwell Automation Park this Sunday night.
This match will be the Bear’s third match in a week, as they drew 0-0 in their round one catch up game against Edgeworth FC on Wednesday night.
Weston’s coach Kew Jaliens will be hoping that the depth added to his squad this season will help them prepare for short turnarounds such as this week.
The Bears have already showcased a dominant attacking display so far this season, which he will be hoping to continue against Olympic’s strong defensive unit.
Olympic have picked up four points from their first two matches and will be eager to return home with a win against the Bears.
Neil Owens and Paul De Vitis’ side have proved that they are finals contenders this year, recruiting experienced players to replace the gaps
Olympic will be without one of their new signings Jacob Pepper after he received a one-game suspension for denying a goal-scoring opportunity in last weekend’s fierce 1-1 draw against Edgeworth.
Owens and De Vitis will be hoping that their squad can bring the same intensity again this Sunday to bring down the Bears.
