Match of the Round
Adamstown Rosebud v Newcastle Olympic
Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility 1, Saturday 7pm
Newcastle Olympic assistant coach Jacob Jones wants his side to return to the basics when they take on Adamstown Rosebud at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility on Saturday night.
Olympic took the field under Jones for the first time in the only match that took place in round 12 following the announcement that former head coach Neil Owens had stepped away from the role.
Despite a 5-0 defeat to league leaders Maitland FC, Jones was pleased with the way his side responded to a difficult week.
“I'm pretty confident [ahead of this weekend], we’ve got a good week ahead of training to come. We trained together last week before the Maitland game and it was a very emotional week, and I thought the girls performed pretty well,” Jones said.
“They did a really good job, and they started trying to put into practice some of the things that I was asking from them. So, there were lots of good signs and I don't think the score reflected our performance.
“Everyone's really disappointed that Neil [Owens] stepped aside. I really enjoyed working with him and he's been such a big part of Olympic for a long time.
“But the girls responded well, they trained really, really well on Thursday last week and they're really receptive to the things that I'm trying to put in place including little changes of how we want to play.
“Everyone's still really committed to the cause and the goal for the rest of the season is just to get into that finals position.”
A finals position is within reach for Olympic this weekend as they sit just one point outside the top four. But they will be mindful that fourth-placed Broadmeadow Magic still have a game in hand.
To achieve that, Jones wants his side to focus on the basics, particularly their defensive structure. Olympic have conceded 32 goals this season, the second-most in the competition.
“[We need to focus on] our defensive structure because before the break we won two and drew one and we were coming into some good form,” Jones said.
“It's kind of fallen away after the break and then everything that's happened, so I’m just trying to go back to the basics of our defensive structure and our triggers on when to apply presses and when to sit.
“That's probably the biggest focus for us and from there, we're good enough to play forward and score goals, it's just trying to stop things coming through the middle of us.”
Jones will be hopeful his side can tighten up defensively this weekend after narrowly defeating Adamstown 3-2 when the teams met in round six.
Olympic led 3-0 until the 75th minute before Adamstown mounted a late comeback, scoring twice in the final 15 minutes. Jones is determined his side can maintain their composure for the full 90 minutes.
“That game we played against Adamstown the first 80 minutes were perfect and in the last 10 we fell apart a little bit. But it's just having that defensive structure, being switched on and not letting things get to us,” Jones said.
“In that game, I remember after the first goal we were really nervous so it's just about staying composed and playing to our strengths and retaining possession.
“It’s all the basic stuff, to be honest, it's just getting those things right and then that'll let us be able to perform to our best.”
Like Olympic, Adamstown will also be looking to improve defensively.
While they have conceded the fourth-fewest goals in the competition, Adamstown have conceded first in all 10 of their matches this season.
Head coach Martin Slade is eager to see his side more switched on throughout matches but understands his team has shown an ability to fight back from difficult positions.
“We did some video analysis on a couple of moments defensively and how we're going to work to change these things,” Slade said.
“We're aware that we concede, but we're also aware that just because we go behind doesn't mean that we don't come back. I think that any game of football, if you go behind 99 times out of 100 and win 2-1, you're happy with it.
“But we have to be more aware, more switched on and win the game from the start.
“We're out to try and keep building and trying to put our best foot forward to try and get into the top four.”
Slade believes in his side’s processes and is hopeful they can replicate the performance that delivered a dominant 5-3 victory over Broadmeadow Magic in round eight.
“The process is a priority for me personally, and then when you get the process right, everything else will follow,” Slade said.
“The process has been right in most of the games, just not completely for 100 per cent of the game. Then when we did get the process right against [Broadmeadow] Magic, you can see that we're a match for most teams on their day.
“We've been highly competitive in every single game that we've played, we just haven't been able to get over the line, and it comes down to not conceding and scoring goals.”
Lake Macquarie City FC v New Lambton FC
Macquarie Field, Sunday 4pm
Lake Macquarie City FC's head coach Gabrielle Blanch is hoping to see 90 minutes of "intense" football from her side when they welcome New Lambton FC to Macquarie Field on Sunday afternoon.
Lake Macquarie's round 12 fixture was postponed due to wet weather, and they will be determined not to let the interruption halt their recent run of form.
The Roosters endured a difficult patch earlier in the season but have since recorded two wins and two draws, most notably a 1-1 draw with Maitland FC in round 10, becoming the only side this season to take points from the league leaders.
Blanch is eager to see her side build on that performance this weekend and believes consistency in team selection has played a key role in their recent improvement.
“From the Maitland match we realised that we have the ability to compete for longer periods of time and now the aim is to consistently do this moving forward,” Blanch said.
“We have gelled well as a squad, and I believe this is contributing to more consistent performances.
“We're getting closer to the same starting 11 every week and this has assisted us in knowing how each player shows up each week.
“Now the key things for this weekend will be another 90 minutes of intense football and taking every opportunity we create.”
New Lambton will be eager to return to the field following a bye in round 11 and the postponement of their round 12 fixture due to wet weather.
The Golden Eagles currently sit second on the table, nine points behind Maitland FC in first, but with a game in hand.
Coach Craig Atkins will be hopeful the two-week break has not halted the momentum his side built with a 4-2 win over Adamstown Rosebud in round 10, a strong response to a difficult 8-0 defeat against Maitland the week prior.
But with New Lambton having conceded 23 goals this season and kept just two clean sheets, one of which came against this week's opponents in round six, tightening up defensively will be crucial.
Doing so will allow their dangerous attacking unit to continue showcasing why they have scored 32 goals this campaign.
With both sides carrying positive momentum into the contest, Sunday's clash shapes as an important test for two teams looking to strengthen their finals credentials.
Broadmeadow Magic v Maitland FC
Magic Park, Friday 8pm
Broadmeadow Magic will be looking to cement their spot in the top four when they welcome Maitland FC to Magic Park on Friday night.
Like most of the competition, Magic's round 12 fixture was postponed due to wet weather, but they will be eager to return to the field after a commanding 5-0 victory in round 11.
That win came on the back of a disappointing 5-1 defeat to Lake Macquarie City FC the week prior and was the type of response assistant coach Dean Cook had been searching for from his side.
Magic currently sit fourth on the table, one point clear of Newcastle Olympic in fifth with a game in hand. Victory against Maitland would strengthen their hold on a finals position and keep their finals aspirations firmly on track.
But they will not have forgotten the last time the two sides met that resulted in a fiery 4-2 defeat that saw Magic finish the match with three red cards.
If they are to take points from the competition leaders, discipline and composure across the full 90 minutes will be crucial, alongside the attacking form that has seen them score 26 goals so far this season.
Maitland enter the clash full of confidence following their 10th consecutive undefeated match. Their 5-0 win over Newcastle Olympic provided the perfect response after recording their first draw of the season against Lake Macquarie City.
Coach Ben Horgan described the performance as one of his side's best of the campaign and will be hoping his team can carry that momentum into another difficult away fixture.
With Magic remaining the only team to score twice against Maitland this season, the Magpies will be keen to maintain their outstanding defensive record as they chase a sixth clean sheet of the year.
Bye – Charlestown Azzurri