Match of the Round
Charlestown Azzurri v Mid Coast FC
Lisle Carr Oval, Saturday 2pm
Charlestown Azzurri coach Heath Whyte said his side will approach their match against Mid Coast FC the same way they do any match when they battle it out at Lisle Carr Oval on Saturday.
The Blues have had mixed results in recent weeks with two wins and two losses in their last four matches.
They went down 3-0 to Newcastle Olympic last week, which Whyte said was a result of a lack of discipline.
Azzurri and Mid Coast have not met yet this season as their rescheduled round six fixture is to be played on Saturday 8 June.
Charlestown sits in fourth position on the table, 16 points ahead of their opponents in seventh but Whyte said they would not be treating this game any different to a top-four clash.
“I approach every match the same. I analyse the competition, set a strategy and go to execute it,” Whyte said.
“I think Middies is a team that is improving. I give Mandy and the girls a lot of credit as they have shown significant improvement.
“I don’t want to be the team that they disrupt.”
The Blues will hope to have the added boost of new A-League recruit, striker Melina Ayres out on the pitch but will be without their other star signing Gema Simon for at least a couple of weeks. Whyte said their impact already has been valuable to his young squad.
“Melina may be available this weekend. She enjoyed training. It was a good, sharp session and I think having Melina there just sets a level of concentration,” Whyte said.
“Gema is not available just yet with injury and then completing her B Diploma.
“It is hugely valuable to have that next-level experience amongst the group. It just opens up different aspects of football that some of the younger girls haven’t seen. You can’t be given that type of experience. To have those senior players there will help the younger ones.”
Azzurri will be without Charlize Whyte and Nikki Jones as they continue to recover from injuries. Sarah Halvorsen and Jess Gentle may also miss the game due to other commitments.
Three points for Charlestown would see them close the gap between them and the top three sides.
For Mid Coast coach Amanda Langlar, her measure of success is not focused so much on results but on individual and team improvement, which is something she has been pleased with so far.
“Look we are going well for what we are,” Langlar said.
“We are a young team that has improved a lot. I am thrilled with how far we have come but there is still a long way for us to go.
“The girls are willing to put the effort in and are starting to see the results in terms of better combinations.
“Defensively our shape has gotten much better. We are frustrating teams to rush their shots which for us is a big improvement.
“We are becoming more competitive and the players know that they have to be competitive every game.
“We just have to continue our trajectory. I know that the girls have more in them that they can show in the later half of the season.
Langlar said it was a nice surprise for her side to see they had moved off the bottom of the table ahead of Warners Bay FC on goal difference after the round 12 matches.
“It’s always nice to not be at the bottom,” Langlar said.
“We feel that we can be competitive against Warners Bay and that there is a chance that we can stay off the bottom if we continue to build on our defence and start scoring more goals.
But Langlar was honest about where her side is at and what areas they will need to focus on ahead of a big class against a well-oiled Azzurri outfit.
“Every day is a challenge and we accept a challenge,” Langlar said.
“It is important that we pace ourselves and compete for 80-plus minutes whilst keeping our shape and structure.
“Charlestown have had a wonderful season and I think that they are a great young side. If they switch it on, they can compete with any side.”
In what could be a big blow for Mid Coast, they could be without their goalkeeper Grace Davies after she suffered a shoulder injury in a school tournament.
Maitland FC v New Lambton FC
Cooks Square Park, Saturday 1:30pm
New Lambton coach Aaron Stedman is hopeful his A-League stars will help boost his side ahead of their clash with Maitland FC at Cooks Square Park.
The two sides will meet for the second time in a week on Saturday afternoon, after they went head-to-head in their round six catch-up match on Wednesday night which saw New Lambton secure a 3-2 win over the Magpies.
The mid-week clash was the first game that Newcastle Jets players Cass Davis and Lauren Allan could take to the pitch for the Golden Eagles.
Stedman was excited for the impact that Davis and Allan would have on his side.
“It will be a boost for us,” Stedman said.
“We as a club can get some consistency.
“It will be a big boost for Tara to help take the defensive pressure off her, with the addition of players like Lauren. Teams can’t just focus on one player.
“Cass in the midfield will help control and adapt the tempo of the game.
“The girls are excited for it.”
They will join former A-League teammates Tara Andrews and Tessa Tamplin who have begun to hit their strides in the competition.
“Tess has been great,” Stedman said.
“I am really happy with how she has come in and added value, even around the changeroom.
Despite mixed recent results, Stedman was positive that his side would continue to build into the second half of the season.
“It’s heads down and work harder again each week,” Stedman said.
“Each week’s game and result are a lesson learned.
“Our aim this season is to make the semi-finals.”
Maitland continued to hit their strides and was unbeaten in seven matches before their mid-week loss to the Golden Eagles. They remain third on the table and trail league leaders Broadmeadow Magic by two points.
Keelan Hamilton’s side saw the return of defender Alesha Clifford in the Wednesday night fixture after she was sidelined for several weeks with a back injury.
Clifford joins a long list of experienced players in the Magpies squad that has contributed to their most successful NPL campaign yet.
Bronte Peel continues to lead the Golden Boot race with 17 goals in 10 matches to her name.
But coach Keelan Hamilton has said that he believes his side still has another gear to reach, which he hopes can come out and get revenge against New Lambton’s star signings.
Adamstown Rosebud JFC v Warners Bay FC
Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility, Saturday 7pm
Adamstown Rosebud will search for back-to-back wins when they host Warners Bay FC at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility on Saturday night.
Rosebud secured a crucial 2-0 win last weekend against New Lambton to leapfrog up into fifth position on the table. But they have slipped back down to sixth after New Lambton defeated Maitland FC in their rescheduled fixture on Wednesday night.
The victory for Adamstown also saw the side lose Mia Owens to a severe leg injury. The young attacker suffered a broken tibia and fibula after a collision with the goalkeeper and had surgery on Sunday.
There is a seven-point gap between them and Charlestown Azzurri in fourth position, which they will want to try and hunt down in the second half of the season.
Coach Martin Slade and his side will be eager to make Owens proud and score another key victory in their 20204 campaign.
Warners Bay’s season has gone from bad to worse after they suffered their 10th consecutive loss in 11 matches and have found themselves at the bottom of the table on goal difference.
The Panthers have scored 20 goals in the competition but have conceded a whopping 80 goals which is 25 more than any other team in the competition.
Ryan Swinkels and his side will be desperate to get their season back on track and off the bottom of the table.
Newcastle Olympic v Broadmeadow Magic
Darling Street Oval, Sunday 4:45pm
Broadmeadow Magic will be ready for revenge when they travel to Darling Street Oval to face Newcastle Olympic in a top-of-the-table clash on Sunday afternoon.
Olympic dominated Magic in their round six rescheduled fixture that ended in a 4-0 defeat for Nima Nikfarjam’s side.
But a 12-1 thrashing over Warners Bay on the weekend will give Magic a big confidence boost as they head into this must-win match.
The attacking combinations of Chelsea Lucas, Lilly-Jane Babic and Mercedes McNabb have continued to grow with the addition of Ash Brodigan into the fold.
Broadmeadow sits at the top of the table and is two points clear of Newcastle Olympic and Maitland FC.
Magic will be eager to settle the score on Sunday away from home and secure their position as league leaders for another week.
Craig Atkins and his side enter the match off the back of three straight wins which has seen them fly up the table from fourth to second.
Olympic scored wins against two of the other top-four teams last Wednesday night against Magic (4-0) and on Saturday against Charlestown Azzurri (3-0).
They will want to continue their form and upset the league leaders for a second time in two weeks.
