Match of the Round
Lambton Jaffas v Weston Workers FC
No.2 Sportsground, Sunday 4:30pm
Weston Workers FC coach Kew Jaliens has been unimpressed by his side’s start to the season and hopes they can turn things around when they go head-to-head with Lambton Jaffas on Sunday afternoon.
The Bears will travel to No.2 Sportsground to take on the reigning premiers and champions, coming off the back of a win, a loss and a draw in the first three matches.
Jaliens does not believe Weston has performed to the best of their ability in the opening three rounds, as the Bears sit sixth on the table with four points.
“I have not been too impressed with anything yet, I know we can do way better than what we have shown until now,” Jaliens said.
“It’s been a slow start, not yet where I want us to be as a team so we keep working hard to get better every session.”
But the Bears coach is confident that his side can raise the bar this weekend against a dominant Jaffas outfit and return home with three points.
“We feel good, it’s always good to play against good teams and to test yourself. So we’ll be motivated to play a good game,” Jaliens said.
“We need to continue to get to know each other better and know our own strengths and weaknesses, which from there translates to better combination play and football.”
“For us, it’s a week by week so we’ll take it as another opportunity to win 3 points. That motivation is there every game so it’s different this weekend.
“Our focus will be on trying to win 3 points.”
In previous years, Lambton have been known to be slow starters in the competition, but they have hit the ground running this season.
After three rounds, Jaffas sit at the top of the table on nine points after three unbeaten matches.
Jaffas’ coach David Tanchevski, has been pleased with his side's start to the season but believes there is still another gear for his side to reach.
“I’ve been really happy with the way that we have started but there is a lot of room for improvement,” Tanchevski said.
“Realistically we have been slow starters and I think we still have about 25 percent improvement left.”
“A positive thing is that we have created a lot of positive opportunities.”
There will be some extra fire in the belly for the Jaffas’s side as the Bears were one of the only teams that they were unable to defeat in the 2023 season.
Tanchevski knows that his side will have to lift in what is expected to be another high-quality fixture to round out the weekend of competition.
“I really rate Weston. They are well organised by Kew and were one of the only teams that we didn’t beat last year,” Tanchevski said.
“They are tough games against Weston, last year they were better than us each match.
“We are coming into a run of about five or six tough games and we need to get results.”
“We’ve been looking at some forward play and winning the ball higher up the pitch as well as finding our front line combinations that work.
“Last year we played a bit more defensively and were trying to stay in games but this year we want to make the team worry about us and focus on our game.
“We are coming into games to win and to go out there to come back with three points in every match.”
Jaffas' injury list continues to grow, with Cale Graham breaking his wrist last weekend. Matthew Cahill and Sean Pratt have not appeared this season with injuries and are still not expected to return for another couple of weeks.
The Bears will be without Angelo Calfo as he serves a one-match suspension after he received a second yellow card for a high tackle in round three.
The two teams will be desperate for three points, as it would help Weston climb further up the table and a win would potentially cement Jaffas’s spot at the top depending on results around them.
Newcastle Olympic v Maitland FC
Darling Street Oval, Saturday 4pm
Newcastle Olympic co-coach Paul De Vitis believes his defence will have to stand strong against the best attackers in the league when they face Maitland FC.
The Olympic side will host the Magpies at Darling Street Oval on Saturday afternoon in what will be a special day for the home team as they celebrate the grand opening of their grandstand and amenities pavilion.
De Vitis has been pleased with his side’s first three matches as they sit fifth on the table but knows the threats the Magpies have in attack with players such as Braedyn Crowley.
“We have done our homework on Maitland. They have one of the best attacks in the competition,” De Vitis said.
“They have created a lot of goalscoring chances. They will be a very dangerous team but it should make for a good battle as both teams are evenly matched.
“Our focus has been lately on our defence and being really solid and compact as a group to try and minimise chances that the other team get.
“They will be out to get a big win. This is a huge test for us.”
Olympic defender Jacob Pepper will return to the side after serving a one-match suspension, but teammate Joseph Langlois will miss this weekend’s clash after he was shown a red card in round three. The side will also be without Rhys Cooper, Luke Rutledge and Blake Green as they are all out of town.
But De Vitis is not raising alarm bells as he believes their squad has the depth to get the job done against the Magpies.
“It’s obviously disappointing to get red cards no matter how they happen,” De Vitis said.
“But for us, we have been talking all preseason about if someone is out then that is fine as someone else gets the op to step up.
“We have been really focusing on everyone being able to fill roles.”
Maitland had a tough start to the season, going down in the opening two rounds of the competition.
But the Magpies finally got off the ground last weekend, after they came from behind to defeat New Lambton 2-1 in a stoppage-time thriller.
Mick Bolch’s side sit seventh on the table and will hope to build on last weekend’s performance to secure another three points and move into the top six.
Cooks Hill United FC v Charlestown Azzurri
Fearnley Dawes Athletics Field, Saturday 4:30pm
Cooks Hill is eager to pick up their first points of the season against a strong Charlestown Azzurri side on Saturday afternoon.
Chris Zoricich’s side have not gotten off to an ideal start, as they sit ninth on the table on zero points.
Cooks Hill narrowly missed out on their first points last weekend against Broadmeadow Magic, after they went down 4-3.
Attacker Cody Nancarrow has shown his potential after he scored a hat-trick against Magic’s men.
Zoricich will hope that players including Nancarrow and Carter Smith can continue their goal-scoring form and break down Azzurri’s experienced defensive unit that holds A-League veterans Nigel Boogard and Taylor Regan.
Azzurri will travel to Fearnley Dawes Athletics Field to return with all three points and continue their momentum.
James Pascoe’s side have started the season strong, as they won three from three of their matches and sit second on the table behind Lambton Jaffas.
Despite the results, Pascoe still wants more improvement from his side and will hope to see them capitalise more on their chances this weekend.
Charlestown will want to collect another three points to keep up with the top of the table, while Cooks Hill will be desperate to jump-start their season.
Adamstown Rosebud FC v New Lambton FC
Adamstown Oval, Saturday 6pm
Two teams will be desperate to secure their first points of the season when Adamstown hosts New Lambton FC on Saturday night.
Adamstown has found it difficult to hit the ground running in the first three rounds of the competition, sitting on zero points and is 11th on the table.
The Rosebud side has scored two goals this season in their round one match against Broadmeadow Magic and will be eager to get back onto the scoreboard with the help of captain and striker Dino Fajkovic on home turf at Adamstown Oval against New Lambton.
New Lambton have also had a rocky start in their opening matches, standing tall against the Charlestown Azzurri’s experienced side, before crumbling to Valentine FC.
The Golden Eagles thought they had all three points last weekend against Maitland FC until Maitland struck back in the 93rd and 95th minutes to snatch all points away.
New Lambton will look to turn things around with a full 90-plus minute performance and return home with a victory.
Shane Pryce’s side will be without experienced defender Joshua Piddington, as he serves a one-week suspension.
Three points will be crucial for either team to climb off the bottom half of the table and kick-start their season.
Valentine FC v Lake Macquarie City FC
Croudace Bay Complex, Saturday 6pm
Valentine FC finally return home to Croudace Bay Complex as they look to continue their winning streak when they host Lake Macquarie City FC.
The Phoenix will play at their new-look ground after upgrades forced them to relocate to Hunter Sports Centre for the 2023 season.
Adam Hughes’ squad has had a dream start to their 2024 campaign as they have secured all nine points from the first three rounds and sit third on the table.
Valentine is the only side not to have conceded a goal in the competition and will hope to keep another clean sheet on Saturday night.
Returning midfielder Nick Cowburn has proved to be a massive boost for the Phoenix as well as Nicholas Martinelli, both creating and scoring goals for their side.
Lakes have suffered three defeats and will be eager to build on promising performances to secure all three points when they travel over the lake.
Despite the results, City’s coach Pete Preston has been pleased with how his young side has stood tall against experienced sides such as Lambton Jaffas and Charlestown Azzurri.
The Rooster’s shot-stopper Isaac Nyman has impressed many so far this season and will hope to build on his form as the competition unfolds.
Broadmeadow Magic FC v Edgeworth FC
Magic Park, Sunday 3:30pm
Broadmeadow looks to make it four from four when they host Edgeworth FC at Magic Park on Sunday afternoon.
Magic’s men have gotten off to an ideal start in 2024, as they sit fourth on the table after they secured all nine points from their first three matches.
Jim Cresnar’s side’s strong whole team performance allowed them to take three points in a tight 4-3 battle with Cooks Hill in round three.
Goalkeeper Lewis Alverez was able to make up for his blunder that resulted in the first goal from Cooks Hill with multiple strong saves to help his side return home with all three points.
Bailey Wells, Jayden Stewardson, Jeremy Wilson and William Ingram have impressed this season and will be eager to continue their form against the Eagles this weekend.
Edgeworth has begun their season with mixed results as the side sits eighth on the table on two points.
The Eagles shared the points with Weston and Olympic in the opening two rounds before they went down 2-0 to Jaffas.
Aaron Oppedisano will miss this match as he was shown a red card against Lambton Jaffas last weekend.
Edgeworth will be hungry to win their first match of the season as they look to climb up the table, while Magic will want to keep in the foot race with the other four sides.