Match of the Round
Adamstown Rosebud JFC v Broadmeadow Magic
Adamstown Oval, Saturday 4:30pm
Adamstown Rosebud JFC head coach Martin Slade believes no one should write his side off when they take on Broadmeadow Magic at Adamstown Oval on Saturday afternoon.
Adamstown have not picked up any points since their round four 2-2 draw with Charlestown Azzurri. Since then, they have suffered a 3-2 loss to Newcastle Olympic and a 2-0 defeat to Maitland FC.
They sit at the bottom of the table and need to secure three points this weekend, having drawn 2–2 with Magic in round one.
But Slade is confident it will all click for his players.
“It’s the second round of fixtures, 14 opportunities now to pick up as many points as we can get. We’re going to reset now and treat it like a new competition,” Slade said.
“I feel that we've been competitive in most of the games, so we know that we can take points moving forward.
“It's going to be a little bit difficult [securing points]. Broadmeadow are doing well at the moment, they came up with a good win against Charlestown.
“They're going to make it difficult for us, but we have to start asserting ourselves on this competition if we want to play finals football.
“I think there's still opportunities there for everybody to play finals because everybody seems to be picking up points or dropping points. I don't think we can write ourselves off. We've got 14 games and we have to start producing wins.
“It's all there for it to click into place. I'm so confident in this group of players that once it clicks, it will click.”
The Buds have conceded first in all six matches played this season and Slade understands if he wants his side to win, they need to break early.
“It'd be nice to actually lead a game and to actually get a head start in the game,” Slade said.
“To not go behind and constantly face the challenges of coming from behind and the physical and mental exertion that comes from chasing games.
“We have to give ourselves the best opportunity of scoring first and getting on top of games again.”
Broadmeadow Magic will be on a high when they take on Adamstown following their dominant 6-0 victory over Charlestown Azzurri in round seven.
It was the sides second win of the season and first clean sheet after conceding 15 goals in their first five matches and boosted them to third on the table.
Assistant coach Dean Cook was thrilled following the victory over Azzurri but recognised they will be up against a hungry Adamstown side following their draw in round one.
“The game against [Charlestown] Azzurri closed out the first round, so we're pretty happy with where we're positioned on the table,” Cook said.
“I think that win over Azzurri reflects how we're going. We had a very tough first round against Adamstown and it ended in a draw so both teams will be very, very motivated for a victory.
“We're looking forward to that challenge.”
While Azzurri have conceded 15 goals this season, Cook believes the side is strong at the back but acknowledges there is work to be done in midfield to ensure they can continue their goalscoring form.
“We're pretty solid at the back, especially against Azzurri,” Cook said.
“I think there's a bit of work to be done through the midfield. You can see we've scored goals, which is great. So, scoring goals in the front third, that's not a problem.
“But we need to make sure that we're creating those opportunities. There’s probably a little bit more work to be done in the mid third.”
Magic will welcome Jessica Wallace back to the squad after serving her one-match suspension but will remain without captain Megan Janikowski this weekend.
Newcastle Olympic v Lake Macquarie City FC
Darling Street Oval, Sunday 4pm
Newcastle Olympic head coach Neil Owens says he is hopeful his side starts to form their identity as they welcome Lake Macquarie City FC to Darling Street Oval on Sunday afternoon.
Olympic enter the clash on the back of a 3–2 defeat, having conceded all three goals off corners.
Owens acknowledged that was inexcusable from his side, especially after they had begun to build momentum following their 3–2 win over Adamstown Rosebud JFC in round six.
He now wants to see his team continue to develop their identity as the second round gets underway.
“We conceded three goals off corners, that's just ridiculous at this level. You wouldn't expect that,” Owens said.
“I'm probably still working on our identity, our identity of being defensively strong and identity to be first on the ball, that kind of stuff.
“Hopefully we come into the second round now and we start to click a little bit better. Start to form the identities that have always been at Olympic with the women’s program.
“We just need to get back to those kinds of ways to a degree, and we just need to get better at finishing, to take the pressure off the fullbacks and better passing, just better everything.”
Olympic suffered a 4-1 defeat to Lake Macquarie City when the sides last met in round one, and Owens is hopeful his team has improved since then to produce a more competitive performance with crucial points on offer.
“I think we were off the pace at the start of the season. I hope slowly we're getting that sorted out and I’m expecting a competitive match.” Owens said.
“Losing points last weekend makes this one a big one for us, we just need to get back to collecting points again. That’s something that we obviously struggled with throughout the first round.
“We’re settling as a team as well, so it'd be awesome to get the three points, start the second-round positive, get on the wagon and start getting points to climb the table.”
Lake Macquarie City return to action after two weekends off due to the Easter break and a bye.
They come into the match following their third consecutive loss, having not picked up a point since their 3–3 draw with Broadmeadow Magic in round three.
The side has also been held scoreless in their past three matches and will be looking to rediscover their attacking form this weekend.
But they will need to show confidence across the park as they come up against an Olympic backline that refuses to back down, regardless of the scoreline.
With a strong determination to return to winning ways, Lakes will enter the match ready to go.
New Lambton FC v Charlestown Azzurri
Alder Park, Friday 6:30pm
New Lambton FC will look to replicate their dominant 10-0 victory when they welcome Charlestown Azzurri to Alder Park on Friday night.
New Lambton heads into the next round of fixtures having dropped points only once, back in round two
The Golden Eagles have been a dominant side across the competition, netting 26 goals, with 13 coming from leading goalscorer Tara Andrews, while conceding just 11, the second fewest of any side.
The team demonstrated they are not reliant on a single scorer in their round seven victory over Newcastle Olympic, with three different players finding the net.
They will be hopeful of repeating their round one performance and joining league leaders Maitland FC on equal points.
But they will need to be wary of a wounded Charlestown Azzurri side looking to redeem themselves.
Charlestown Azzurri will enter off the back of a heavy 6–0 defeat to Broadmeadow Magic.
The Blues had shown signs of improvement since round one, recording a draw and a win after three consecutive losses.
Head coach Alicia Ferguson will now be looking for greater consistency from her side, starting against New Lambton, as they aim to avoid another heavy defeat.
Charlestown have conceded 23 goals across their first six matches and will need to tighten up across the park to contain a dominant attacking side.
They will be without goalkeeper Danielle Bartels, who is away with the Bilbies, Australia’s blind football team, which allows for a sighted goalkeeper.
Bye - Maitland FC