Match of the Round
Maitland FC v Lake Macquarie City FC
Cooks Square Park, Sunday 3pm
Lake Macquarie City FC coach Gabrielle Blanch says her side will need to put in a full 90-minute shift if they want to be the first team to take points away from league leaders Maitland FC at Cooks Square Park on Sunday afternoon.
Lakes have exited what Blanch called a “slump” in recent weeks ending a three-game losing streak with one draw and two wins.
Their recent run has seen them net eight goals and concede just three, showcasing the change after conceding 11 goals and scoring zero during their winless streak.
The change in form was highlighted particularly in a 10-minute period against Broadmeadow Magic in round 10 that saw them score four goals in 10 minutes. Blanch now wants her side to replicate that performance for the full 90 minutes this weekend.
“I'm feeling like we have a lot of work to do this week. There's lots to refine off the back of the weekend, but also lots to think about regarding some of the changes that will come into place for the weekend so that we can compete with Maitland,” Blanch said.
“Particularly around how we're going to play, how we need to show up and that sort of mentality just in order to be able to match what we know Maitland will bring on Sunday.
“We're obviously going to have to play that way for 90 minutes otherwise, it's just not going to be a result that will go our way.
“The focus will be making sure that we have that mindset of being really hard to play against, but not just for pockets of 10 minutes or 15 minutes here and there it's got to be from for the entire 90.
“It'll come down to our preparation this week, making sure that the girls understand what those switch off moments can potentially cost us and therefore making sure that everyone is on the same page leading into Sunday.”
The Roosters sit third on the table, four points ahead of Newcastle Olympic in fourth and five behind New Lambton FC in second.
Blanch recognises that every point is vital and wants to continue her side’s improved run against the best in the league so far.
“It's obviously going to be a close-run home, and I know that a lot of the sides post this transfer window are going to look different, so every point counts now,” Blanch said.
“It'd be great to take three points from Maitland, particularly on their home ground. But at the end of the day, every single point now leading into finals is going to be so pivotal for where we end up.”
Lake Macquarie will be without round 10 star Larissa Ryan for two weeks as she is away.
Maitland have not seen a recession in form throughout the season, being the only side to not drop a single point.
They sit at the top of the table on 24 points having scored 41 goals and conceding just four.
But coach Ben Horgan is adamant for his side to not lose focus and continue their upward spiral of results.
“We're really happy with how we started but it's still only halfway through the season. So, it's no good starting well, but not maintaining that and letting your form dip,” Horgan said.
“So, we’ve got to remain focussed and just keep on performing and getting results. There's plenty that can happen between now and the end of the season, so we want to make sure that we maintain that form and don't take anything for granted or get complacent in any way.
“Human nature says there's some risk [at form dropping], but having said that, it's a pretty professional group of players who are really focussed, determined and work hard in every training session to keep finding ways to improve.
“I don't anticipate it being a problem, but you just need to be alert to it as a possibility and make sure that you don't allow it to creep in.”
While the Magpies have a record of conceding just 0.5 goals per game, Horgan is remaining focused on his side’s defensive structure, understanding the attacking form Lakes are currently carrying.
“They [Lakes] scored a few goals on the weekend in their game against [Broadmeadow] Magic, so they've obviously got strikers that are in form and strikers that are scoring goals are always confident,” Horgan said.
“So, we've got to make sure that we're solid defensively and we don't give them any opportunity to score the type of goals they scored last week.
“But other than that, we'll just concentrate on trying to control the game with the football that we like to play.
“It's worked for us so far and we'll keep trying to get a little bit better with each week and just reduce the opportunities that opponents have with the ball.”
Broadmeadow Magic v Newcastle Olympic
Magic Park, Friday 8pm
Newcastle Olympic coach Neil Owens believes his side has started to reach their classic Olympic form as they travel to Magic Park to take on Broadmeadow Magic in the red and blue derby on Friday night.
Olympic enters the match having two weeks off following the scheduled break and serving the bye in round 10.
Prior to the break they recorded a 3-0 victory over Charlestown Azzurri in round nine following a mixed bag of results including one draw, one win and two losses, with one of the losses being a 9-1 defeat to Maitland FC in round five.
But it has been almost eight weeks since that heavy defeat and Owens is hopeful his side’s improved fitness and mentality will bring them back to speed following the consecutive weeks off.
“I’m feeling pretty good [about the match], it's difficult coming back after the wet weather round and then a bye and then Friday night,” Owens said.
“We haven’t played in a couple of weeks and then a Friday night game at 8 o'clock, so that's going to be difficult, but it is what it is.
“We were starting to go really well, starting to gel and finding some good combinations. We'll just have to train hard, which they have been.
“But we’re looking forward to playing again this weekend.
“We started the season pretty slow, we didn't play enough preseason games, so our fitness wasn't what it is now. As that fitness has improved, so has the mentality, it goes hand in hand, and I think that's really starting to show now.”
Olympic sits in fourth on the table, just two points ahead of Broadmeadow Magic and Owens understands how vital a win this weekend is, especially knowing that Magic defeated them 3-1 the last time they met.
“Looking at the table it's [winning] pretty important. Getting a result this weekend will create a bit of a gap between us and Magic and then we’ll try to chase down Lakes and New Lambton,” Owens said.
“This is a really important game in the context of the ladder. That won’t be lost on either side so as long as we play good football, we'll achieve that goal.”
Broadmeadow head into the weekend on the back of a difficult 5-1 defeat to Lake Macquarie City FC. The match was level at 1-1 at half-time before a 10-minute spell saw them concede four quick goals.
Assistant coach Dean Cook pointed to a lapse in defensive concentration as the key factor in the second-half breakdown. That will be a major concern heading into this week’s clash, with Olympic known for playing to the final whistle and punishing any loss of focus.
The result further exposes Broadmeadow’s defensive struggles this season, having conceded 25 goals, the second-most in the competition.
But there are positives going forward as Magic remain one of the league’s most dangerous attacking sides, sitting third for goals scored. Their ability to create chances has rarely been an issue but the challenge will be tightening up defensively while maintaining their attacking threat.
Broadmeadow will be without Tori Johnson for the remainder of the season after moving to the Gold Coast.
Charlestown Azzurri v Adamstown Rosebud
Lisle Carr Oval, Saturday 4pm
Two sides battling to put distance between themselves and the bottom of the table will go head-to-head when Charlestown Azzurri welcome Adamstown Rosebud to Lisle Carr Oval on Saturday afternoon.
Both teams sit at the bottom of the table on five points, with Adamstown edging ahead of Azzurri into sixth place on goal difference. But a win this weekend could see the Buds move into fifth, pending other results, while Charlestown could climb to sixth.
If history repeats itself, the sides may once again be unable to be separated after their 2-2 draw in round four.
Adamstown will be looking to score first for the first time this season after trailing in every match so far, while Charlestown will be hoping to tighten up defensively after conceding 32 goals, the most of any side in the competition.
Azzurri will also be hoping the additions of Central Coast Mariners captain Taren King and Newcastle Jets midfielder Libby Copus-Brown will boost their already improving performances and spark their push for a top-four position.
The Buds know how vital a win this weekend is and have already shown they can trouble teams offensively, highlighted by their 5-3 win over Broadmeadow Magic in round eight.
Both Adamstown head coach Martin Slade and Azzurri head coach Alicia Ferguson will be adamant their sides come out firing, making this a crucial contest in the race for points.
Adamstown will be without Lainee McFadyen, who is serving a one-match suspension.
Bye - New Lambton FC