Match of the Round
Maitland FC v Broadmeadow Magic
Cooks Square Park, Saturday 4pm
Broadmeadow Magic coach Nima Nikfarjam expects a big response from his side when they travel to Cooks Square Park to face Maitland FC on Saturday.
Magic suffered a shock 6-0 defeat to New Lambton in round 15, which was their worst result of the season.
Nikfarjam said his side was not up for the fight and that some of his players have been extremely inconsistent in performances so far this season.
“The result against New Lambton speaks for itself. On the day we weren’t ready to battle in any shape or form mentally or physically,” Nikfarjam said.
“There was no excuse for us.
“We broke down the season into three phases. In phases one and two we picked up four wins, one loss and one draw. Last week was the first game of phase three which was a loss.
“The sad part is the lack of consistency for some players are either 100 per cent or not there which is something that we need to work on and improve on being mentally ready.”
Broadmeadow sits third on the table after two losses in their last five matches and is four points behind league leaders Newcastle Olympic.
The last time these two sides went head-to-head was in the Women’s League Cup final when Maitland came back from 3-1 down in the 82nd minute to beat Magic
The Magic coach said that the loss was still hard to swallow for his side and that he was desperate for his side to bounce back against the Magpies on Saturday.
“We can’t dwell on the loss and learn from it,” Nikfarjam said.
“I have to see some response from them. They need to show that they are willing to bounce back.
“I have always said that the most consistent team will win the competition and so far that team has been Maitland.
“Our main objective for the weekend will be to not concede a large amount of goals. A good defensive structure can win you the tournament.
“Maitland have good players, are well structured and they showed us in the League Cup final that if we fall asleep, they can come back.
“The loss was bitter as we thought we had the trophy in our hands with eight minutes to go. It was a hard loss to digest.
“The game is on until the final whistle. We have to stay focused.”
Magic have lost defender Alice Munro, who departed the club due to work commitments.
Maitland will be without their head coach Keelan Hamilton after her was given a two-match suspension for an incident that occurred in the Women’s League Cup final against Magic.
Assistant coach Joseph Wright will take the reins in Hamilton’s absence on Saturday.
Hamilton was disappointed to not be on the sidelines this weekend but was confident in his coaching staff and squad to get the job done without him.
“We are really lucky that we have a strong coaching staff and that we are not built around one individual,” Hamilton said.
“The players and the staff that are there are in place and will do a fantastic job and I don’t think that it will have any impact on the game.”
The Magpies have suffered one loss in their last five matches and sit second on the table three points behind Newcastle Olympic but have three games in hand.
Maitland’s coach recognised that the race for the premiership was heating up but said his side would continue to take it one game at a time and knew Magic would be prepared to settle the score.
“I think the top four sides are pretty evenly matched in terms of points and abilities,” Hamilton said.
“It is an important match for us but also is not season-defining.
“We are feeling pretty good about ourselves.
“We know each game is different and both teams will be well prepared.
“I know Nima has come up with a few different plans in the previous matches to handle us and I expect that he will have his side well prepared again.
“We know it will be a tight match.
“We know that they (Magic) will be up for it and assume that they will have a response from last week. I expect them to be at their best on Saturday.”
Charlestown Azzurri v Adamstown Rosebud JFC
Lisle Carr Oval, Saturday 4pm
Adamstown Rosebud JFC coach Martin Slade is hopeful his side will put in a full 90-minute performance against Charlestown Azzurri when they go head-to-head on Saturday afternoon at Lisle Carr Oval.
Rosebuds have suffered three consecutive losses against three of the top four sides but have shown vast improvement in recent performances.
They sit sixth on the table and trail New Lambton in fifth position by one point which adds extra motivation to get the job done on Saturday.
Slade has been clear that his side’s objective for the season has been to finish fifth in the competition and was confident they could reach their goal after their recent performances.
“We will just keep playing football as there is always something to get out of the game,” Slade said.
“We will keep doing what we are doing and put in a 90-minute performance.
“We have had good performances. The girls know that they are playing well.
“We keep doing the right things until you become less bad at them.”
Azzurri has gone from strength to strength after adding A-League striker Melina Ayres to the squad.
Ayres has scored nine goals in her last two matches and looks to still have another few levels to go to.
The Blues are fourth on the table, four points behind Broadmeadow Magic in third position and eight points from league leaders Newcastle Olympic.
With the premiership race heating up, Heath Whyte will hope his side can get the job done once again and close the gap as they hunt down the top spot as the back end of the season starts to get closer.
Azzurri holds the bragging rights over Adamstown in the competition, victorious in their last two competition meetings with 4-2 and 4-3 wins.
With two sides having points to prove, this weekend’s matchup is expected to be nothing less than a hotly contested battle.
Newcastle Olympic v Mid Coast FC
Darling Street Oval, Saturday 3pm
Newcastle Olympic will look to extend their lead at the top of the table when they host Mid Coast FC at Darling Street Oval on Saturday afternoon.
It will be first against last on the table, with each side after a result to help their seasons.
Olympic will enter the clash in the premiership-winning position after a stellar run of six straight wins.
Striker Jemma House has hit her peak form of the season after she netted 10 goals in the last two matches.
House will hope she can continue scoring as she is in first position in the golden boot race, with 25 goals to her name in the competition so far this season.
The last two times that these sides went head-to-head in the competition, Olympic have scored 12-0 and 4-0 victories.
Mid Coast was unable to grind out a result in their bottom-of-the-table clash with Warners Bay FC after they went down 6-1 on home turf.
The loss saw them fall back to the bottom of the table, where they sit with three points.
Newly appointed head coach Brett Walker will hope that his side can continue building and continue to improve against the league leaders.
Warners Bay FC v New Lambton FC
John Street Oval, Sunday 4pm
Two sides will be desperate to make it two from two when Warners Bay FC host New Lambton FC at John Street Oval on Sunday afternoon.
The Panthers finally returned to winning ways after a 13-game losing streak, with a 6-1 victory over Mid Coast FC.
The win saw Ryan Swinkels's side move off the bottom of the table and into seventh position, three points clear of Mid Coast in eighth position and nine points behind Adamstown Rosebud in sixth.
They will be eager to go back-to-back for the first time this season and extend the gap between them and Mid Coast.
New Lambton also secured a crucial win last weekend after a 6-0 thumping over Broadmeadow Magic to help keep their finals hopes alive.
The injection of A-League stars Lauren Allan and Cass Davis has brought the Golden Eagles side to life, defeating two of the top four teams since their arrival.
They sit fifth on the table but are nine points behind Charlestown Azzurri in fourth and have Adamstown Rosebud hot on their heels, one point a drift.
The Golden Eagles will need to pick up points in almost all of their remaining games to give them the best chance of making the finals.
