Match of the Round
Alstonville FC v Coffs City United
Crawford Park, Saturday 1pm
Alstonville FC coach Andy Brown says he wants his side to play a strong, attacking brand of football when they welcome Coffs City United to Crawford Park on Saturday afternoon in round two of the UNE NNSW Regional Super League.
Round two will mark Alstonville’s first appearance in the UNE NNSW Regional Super League after joining the competition in 2026.
Brown is hopeful his side can carry its current form in the Football Far North Coast Women’s Premier League into the regional stage against opposition from other member zones.
Alstonville sit third on the Football Far North Coast Women’s Premier League table with four wins, two draws and one loss.
“We like to be attacking if we can and be strong in possession. So, if those key factors are working for us that would put us in good stead. Whether or not it's good enough to win, well we'll just have to wait and see but that's us at our best,” Brown said.
“We do move the ball quite well and with a bit of confidence.
“It's been a bit hard here lately; we’ve had our last three games washed out and for the last two weeks we’ve probably had only about an hour's worth of on-field training. So, it's been pretty hard to get at our best and this week's training will be straight to upping the intensity.”
Brown is eager to see his side take part in a new competition and, while hopeful of a strong campaign, is aware of the challenge ahead.
“I’m excited to play some football at the next level and having something at a regional level. It's the first time we've sort of had that interaction in the women’s space, so I'm pretty excited,” Brown said.
“Going into any sort of competition, I suppose your goal is to get to semi-finals so if we're able to achieve that, that'd be awesome.
“I’m sure we're going to have our work cut out for us but it's just exciting and the girls are pretty excited to test themselves against different opposition.
“I suppose it gives you a sense of where you're at as a team too, against other zones and how strong other zones are. It's a great opportunity, win, lose or draw, it's still a great chance to do something out of the ordinary.”
A win over Coffs City United would see Alstonville move level on points at the top end of the table ahead of their round three clash against Tamworth FC on Sunday.
Coffs City United sit at the top of the UNE NNSW Regional Super League Women’s Group A table and second on the North Coast Football Women’s HIT105.5FM Premier League.
Coffs City United coach Nathan Silvy is eager for his side to return to the field and embrace a new challenge.
“We're just excited to play a new team, that's one of the big reasons for entering the [UNE NNSW] Regional Super League as well,” Silvy said.
“We had a good win on the weekend, so hopefully we're coming into some good form.
“The other good thing about facing a new team is that I have no idea what to expect to be honest.
“I know they're a strong club all through their age groups and I've known a couple of their coaches, so I know they're going to be a strong club.
“I presume we're in for a tough game.”
The Lions have recorded four wins and two losses in their regular season, and Silvy is hopeful his side can build on both their round one victory and domestic form.
“It [winning in round one] was certainly a confidence booster and the team we had on the park the last time we played the [UNE NNSW] Regional Super League was probably half of our squad, so we're close to full strength this time,” Silvy said.
“We’ve got a few injuries, but we're a lot closer to full strength than we were last time, that's for sure.
“I think that'll [winning will] lead into our normal season as well if we can get a good win here. We've had a few good wins on the trot now in our local comps.
“Winning's great and if you can keep winning, it's always good for the confidence.”
Coffs City United will have the bye in round three, making their clash against Alstonville a must-win to strengthen their position for a semi-final berth.
Lake Cathie FC v Urunga FC
Coffs Coast Synthetics, Saturday 1pm
Urunga FC coach Trevor Martin is hopeful his side can carry their dominant domestic season form into their clash with Lake Cathie FC at Coffs Coast Synthetics on Saturday afternoon.
Urunga sit at the top of the North Coast Football Women’s HIT105.5FM Premier League with five consecutive wins. Across those victories, they have scored 22 goals and conceded just five.
Martin acknowledges, however, that the UNE NNSW Regional Super League has been in the back of his mind as the club prepares for its upcoming campaign.
“We've had the [UNE NNSW] Regional Super League in our mind the whole time, we always look to the next level,” Martin said.
“So, while we've been playing our community football we've been thinking about how we might put together the game for the [UNE NNSW] Regional Super League.
“We'd be looking to take that form forward with us, and I think we're in a pretty good situation to do that. We've been working on the right things, and we've been getting the results, so we're confident.”
Lake Cathie and Urunga have met before, with the two sides unable to be separated in round one of the 2025 UNE NNSW Regional Super League, before Urunga gained bragging rights with a 1-0 victory in the Women’s State Cup Community Plate final later that year.
Martin admits that previous success adds confidence heading into the clash.
“It definitely makes a difference knowing you have got a result from them before,” Martin said.
“I think in that particular game [Women’s State Cup Community Plate] we had played a lot of football over the weekend, so we probably weren't at our best, but neither were they.
“In saying that, there is some confidence to think that we can do a good job when we're at full strength.
“It's hugely important [to win]. We've only got the two games now to get through into the finals, so each game is valuable.
“We've got to make sure that we're at our best for both of them. It will be tough with the two-game turnaround, but I think we'll be all right.”
A win would place Urunga level on points with Lake Cathie, putting them in a strong position ahead of their round three clash against Byron Bay FC on Monday.
Lake Cathie opened their title defence with a strong 3-1 win over Byron Bay FC in the opening round of the UNE NNSW Regional Super League.
Olivia Mara scored twice, while Chelsea Hall also found the net, with both players expected to again pose a threat against Urunga.
They will also look to carry over their strong form in the Football Mid North Coast Women’s League, where they remain undefeated this season.
A win in round two would see Lake Cathie well positioned to secure a semi-final berth before their round three bye.