Match of the Round
Lake Macquarie City FC v Broadmeadow Magic
Macquarie Field, Sunday 4pm
Lake Macquarie City FC head coach Gabrielle Blanch says her side’s biggest challenge is themselves ahead of their clash with Broadmeadow Magic at Macquarie Field on Sunday afternoon.
Lakes locked in their first win since February when they defeated Adamstown Rosebud 2-1 in round nine, building off scoring their first goal since the beginning of March in their 1-1 draw with Newcastle Olympic the week prior.
The run prior to the draw saw the Roosters concede 11 goals across three matches and score none, something Blanch acknowledges is a problem that stems from not making the most of their opportunities.
“I'm probably sick of saying it, but I think our biggest challenges are within ourselves and not finishing the opportunities we create,” Blanch said.
“We've also conceded way more goals than we would have liked and sometimes just goals by simple errors.
“If I look at our back four player by player, it [conceding simple goals] just shouldn't happen statistically based on the quality that we have there.
“There's lots of competition there, but equally, there's some of our best squad players are in that back four. It'll just be a matter of tightening up, making sure Morgan [Ross, goalkeeper] is a part of that and bringing it on the day and making sure that we do the simple things well.
“I feel like defensively whilst we've conceded more goals than we should have or would like to we are becoming stronger every week and we're understanding how each of us now play and how we can link our defensive third into our attacking third.
“In terms of challenges coming into this week, it potentially is just our own downfall that would be a challenge for us.
“That'll be something that we address in training. We make sure that we go into the match with awareness and we do what we can to make sure those stats that we create are executed.”
The last time Lake Macquarie faced Broadmeadow, they came away with a 3-3 draw after opening the scoring in the third minute. Blanch expects Magic to come out just as strongly on Sunday and knows her side will need to be ready from the start.
“I 100 per cent expect them [Broadmeadow Magic] to show up and play their best football again. They did that against us in round three,” Blanch said.
“I had watched a few of their games early on and to be honest, I didn't think they were much chopped, but against us, they were very good.
“I expect that will happen again this weekend and I think that it'll be a hard game. It'll be a close game and a competitive game, and it just will come down to us executing those final third moments.”
Broadmeadow Magic will be on the back of two weeks off following the bye and a scheduled break, but they will enter the match after a 5-3 loss to Adamstown in round eight.
Assistant coach Dean Cook believes his side was not far away in the loss to Adamstown and expects them to return refreshed for a tough match against Lakes.
“We're looking forward to it, we've had a couple of weeks off and the girls are champing at the bit to get back to it,” Cook said.
“The last match with them was a close one that ended up in a draw, so I am really looking forward to the clash against Lakes.
“I don't think we were too far off in that match [against Adamstown]. Buds were very motivated and up for that game and so it probably could have gone either way in the end, but we're not looking to change too much.”
The defeat to Adamstown followed a dominant 6-0 win over Charlestown Azzurri in round seven, but consistency is something Magic have struggled with this season, recording two wins, two draws and three losses.
Cook recognises the loss to Adamstown could be a setback but believes his side has continued to show signs of improvement and needs to maintain focus for the full 90-minutes to build consistency.
“It's one thing that every team strives for, that consistency week to week,” Cook said.
“The Buds game might be a little bit of a setback, but we're looking to address that this week and hopefully return to winning ways on Sunday.
“Our football continues to improve but the effort and the application is always there every game.
“Just making sure we're focussed for the full 90 minutes is something that we really tried to instil in the girls.”
Magic will welcome captain Megan Janikowski and Jessica Wallace back to the squad following their suspensions.
Adamstown Rosebud v New Lambton FC
Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility 1, Friday 8pm
Adamstown Rosebud head coach Martin Slade is hopeful his side will continue to put their best brand of football forward, with results to follow, when they welcome New Lambton FC to Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility on Friday night.
Adamstown enter the match on the back of a 2-1 loss to Lake Macquarie City FC, following their first win of the season when they defeated Broadmeadow Magic 5-3.
Slade acknowledged his side’s first half against Lakes was lacklustre but believes the weekend off has refreshed not only his side but others across the competition.
“I hope that they [Adamstown] keep going out and just keep putting their best version of football forward,” Slade said.
“We agreed that the first half against Lakes we were a little bit timid and that's something that we've spoken about.
“I think the weekend off may have freshened up a lot of people in the comp as well, not just us because a lot of people would have started in October, November last year.
“We're ready, the players are excited to get out there. They love playing the game and they love playing against their peers and they want to keep giving the best example of themselves.”
The Buds have conceded in every match this season, most notably conceding first in all eight matches they have played. Slade is determined to stop that trend this weekend but recognises his side will need to be at their best from the first whistle.
“That's up to myself and the players and identifying things that we've spoken about around that. It's hard because we don't want to concede, but that's also taking away the credit from the opposition to a certain degree because they would have had their team talk as well, and they probably have similar messages,” Slade said.
“They say ‘we’re going to keep it tight for the first 10 minutes, go out there, be positive, take our chances, put them under pressure’.
“So, we just have to be the better of the two teams from the start because both teams want the same thing.
“I'm going to keep confidence in my players that they'll keep producing the right actions and hopefully that leads to them not conceding first.
“We will speak about it and hopefully the message gets through, and they take it on board and we can all have a positive start to the game.”
Sara Knowles will return to the squad after being away, while they will continue to monitor Ash Vetter.
New Lambton will be out to respond quickly after their 8-0 defeat to Maitland FC before the break.
The Golden Eagles have now suffered two heavy losses to Maitland this season, but they’ll take confidence from their response earlier in the year, when they bounced back from their first defeat with a 3-1 win over Adamstown in round three.
Coach Craig Atkins will be demanding a full 90-minute performance, with particular focus on defensive discipline and shutting down the dangerous attacking link between Marry Ntsweng and Tanya Jones in Adamstown’s front third.
A win this weekend would keep New Lambton within touching distance of Maitland FC at the top of the table. Meanwhile, Adamstown are under pressure themselves, needing points to keep their finals hopes alive.
Maitland FC v Charlestown Azzurri
Cooks Square Park, Saturday 4pm
Charlestown Azzurri will be looking to build consistency and upset league leaders Maitland FC when they travel to Cooks Square Park on Saturday afternoon.
Charlestown were handed their fifth loss of the season before the break, going down 3-0 to Newcastle Olympic, a disappointing result following their 2-2 draw with second-placed New Lambton FC in round eight.
The Blues have suffered some heavy defeats this season, including a 10-0 loss to New Lambton in round one and a 6-0 defeat to Broadmeadow Magic in round seven. But notably managed to limit Maitland to a 3-0 result in round three.
Coach Alicia Ferguson will be hoping her side can build confidence from improved performances throughout the season, along with strong individual displays across the park, to halt Maitland’s undefeated run.
Maitland enter the match on the back of their third dominant win of the season after thrashing New Lambton 8-0.
The result marked the Magpies’ fourth clean sheet of the campaign and took their goal tally to 37 for 2026.
They will be eager to continue their winning ways as the only side yet to drop a point this season, but they face a determined Azzurri outfit searching for momentum.
Maitland will need to be prepared for a disciplined backline if they are to maintain their attacking form and extend their unbeaten run.
Bye – Newcastle Olympic