Match of the Round
Adamstown Rosebud JFC v Newcastle Olympic
Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility, Saturday 7pm
Newcastle Olympic coach Craig Atkins said that his side must be clinical in front of goal when they go head-to-head with Adamstown Rosebud JFC at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility on Saturday night.
Atkins and his Olympic squad were clear at the start of the season about their intentions to right the wrongs of previous campaigns and be crowned premiers and champions of the competition.
Olympic sit third on the table with 13 points, nine points behind league leaders Maitland FC and three points adrift from Charlestown Azzurri, who are second with a game in hand after their round nine game washed out last weekend.
The last time these two sides went head-to-head in round two, they contested a hard-fought 0-0 draw at Darling Street Oval.
Atkins said that his side knew what they needed to improve this time around to take all three points from the Buds away from home on Saturday.
“Everyone is keen to get back on the field and play some football. We know that we will be playing no matter what the weather,” Atkins said.
“We had a good session this week and are working to work on a few things.
“It is always tough against Adamstown. They put up a real battle. For 90 minutes they are non-stop.
“We will need to be on our game. The biggest takeaway from last time we played Adamstown was that we didn’t take our chances and weren’t clinical. But hopefully we can be better in that area on the weekend.
“We are looking forward to the contest on Saturday.”
Olympic will be desperate for a win to stay hot on the heels of Azzurri and Maitland and remain in the fight for the premiership title.
Adamstown’s coach, Martin Slade, agreed that the team that capitalises on opportunities will walk away with all three points.
“The name of the game is to score goals and you have to have players that score goals. We know that we have enough quality to score goals,” Slade said.
“I see it as we are creating enough opportunities to win games so as long as we do that, eventually we will win games.”
Adamstown have struggled to convert good performances into points and sit sixth on the table with four points from six matches but are only six points outside the top four.
Slade stated that the club’s aim was still to push for finals and said his team’s past performance against Olympic will give them confidence that they can get something out of Saturday’s contest.
“We are really excited and are keen to get back out there. After not playing in the competition for three weeks we are excited and full of energy,” Slade said.
“I think every team has to have certain targets. We wanted to play finals but that has become increasingly harder to achieve. But when you look at the table, we are only two wins away from being in the top four, so if you can beat the teams directly around you, who knows what can happen.
“It isn’t doom or gloom yet but it is harder than what it could have been.
“Every team has the ability to take points from every team.
“I think that the players should take immense confidence that they kept a clean sheet against such a well-established front line from Olympic.
“Olympic are always a tough battle, they are a top-four team for a reason. They are a tough opposition and will be ready for the game.”
Slade confirmed that all of his players will be available for selection, while Atkins said that he was hopeful to have all of his players back on deck on the weekend.
Lake Macquarie City FC v Charlestown Azzurri
Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility, Friday 8pm
Charlestown Azzurri coach Heath Whyte is confident that his side’s momentum is back as they prepare to face Lake Macquarie City FC at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility on Friday night.
Each team had two weeks off the competition, with the Easter break before Azzurri served the bye in round nine and Lakes’ fixture against Newcastle Olympic was washed out.
Azzurri sits second on the table with 16 points and trails league leaders Maitland FC by six points.
The Blues have hit a dip in results in the competition as they enter the contest off the back of a 2-2 draw with New Lambton FC and a 3-0 loss to Maitland.
But during their competition break, Charlestown returned to winning ways with a 3-0 win over Newcastle Olympic in the Women’s League Cup.
Whyte was confident that the Cup win could help them get back on track in the NPLW NNSW competition.
“We played really well against Olympic in the Cup,” Whyte said.
“It gave us a bit of a confidence boost after some ordinary halves in the past weeks.
“Our momentum is coming back.
“To have momentum is to have consistency. This is the time in the season when you want to have it.
“It is important for us to refocus and continue from the momentum of our Cup match.”
Gema Simon will be unavailable for the match but the Blues are hopeful that Sarah Knowles would be cleared to be available for selection after a workplace accident.
The last time these two sides met, Azzurri secured a 4-1 win at home. They will hope for another solid performance to remain in the premiership hunt.
Lakes have had a mixed start to the season, with one win, one draw and five losses. They sit fifth on the table with four points and have a game in hand.
The Roosters pushed Maitland right until the final minutes of the match in round eight and will be determined to do the same in front of a home crowd and push for their second win of the season on Friday night.
Maitland FC v Broadmeadow Magic
Cooks Square Park, Saturday 4pm
Broadmeadow Magic will be determined to cause the upset of the season when they travel to Cooks Square Park to take on league leaders Maitland FC on Saturday afternoon.
It will be a clash between the top and bottom of the table, with 19 points to separate the two sides.
No team has been able to defeat the Magpies, with Lake Macquarie City FC the only team to take any points away from them, after a 1-1 draw in round one.
Magic have only secured one win this season and six losses but will be determined to turn their season around before the midway mark.
The last time these two sides met, Maitland won 5-1 after they were locked up at 1-1 at half-time.
But Broadmeadow will hope their new recruits Tori Johnson and Madalyn Campbell can collaborate with attacking threats Lilly-Jane Babic, Olivia Oto and Larissa Ryan in the attempt to return home with points.
Maitland continues to fly high at the top of the table and have set the standard for the competition so far.
The depth of the squad continues to flourish, with no matter who steps onto the pitch, young or experienced, fitting in seamlessly with the Maitland game plan.
Coach Joe Wright will hope that his team can continue their momentum and extend their lead at the top of the table.
New Lambton FC – Bye
