Match of the Round
Toronto Awaba FC v Singleton Strikers FC
Lyall Peacock Field, Saturday 2:30pm
Lyall Peacock Oval has been a fortress for Toronto Awaba FC in 2023 and they will be looking to solidify that again on Saturday when they host Singleton Strikers FC in a top-of-the-table clash in this week’s Match of the Round.
Toronto Awaba are undefeated in seven matches at home this year and have only dropped two points in those fixtures.
Coach Jarrod Hiles said there was a great vibe around the venue when the Stags play at home.
“The pitch is still in good condition, compared to last season,” Hiles said.
“It’s a good field to play on and the boys are comfortable there.
“There’s been more and more up there on the hill each week. The support this year has been great. We’ve got some pretty loyal supporters and more people are now starting to come out to watch the boys play, and they deserve a crowd because they have been playing well.”
The Stags are first on the ladder after they prevailed 1-0 at home against Wallsend FC last weekend. That result extended their lead at the top to seven points as the second-placed Strikers went down 3-2 against South Cardiff FC.
This Saturday’s clash gives Toronto Awaba a chance to move 10 points clear heading into the final third of the 27-round season.
“It’s a massive match and we are looking forward to welcoming Singleton down to Toronto,” Hiles said.
“It would be amazing if we could do it (go 10 points clear) but there is still another full round to go, so we need to keep our feet on the ground.
“There is still a lot of football to be played yet. We’ll just take it as it comes each week.”
The Toronto Awaba coach was thrilled that his side was nearly at full strength following what he described as a “pretty thin” past few weeks on the player front.
Singleton Strikers’ coach Mick Jarvis is excited for this weekend’s match and cannot wait to go head-to-head with the other form team of the competition.
“I think both sides will be really looking forward to it. You always like to test yourself against the best in the comp,” Jarvis said.
Singleton lost 3-0 when the two sides last met back in Round 9 at Howe Park, and Jarvis thought it was a similar story that day to the side’s most recent loss against South Cardiff.
“We definitely outplayed them in the first half,” Jarvis said.
“We dropped the ball in the second half though. Lachie Nichol copped a red card straight after half-time and we didn’t recover from that, and they put three pretty easy goals on us.
“They were definitely better than us, but it was a shame we didn’t go on with it.
“It was very similar to the weekend’s loss to be honest.
“I think in all of the games we’ve lost this year, we haven’t been outplayed. We’ve been in the game until half-time and we’ve just not held on ‘til the end.”
Jarvis said his focus this week at training would be on fighting until the final whistle and producing a 90-minute performance against the Stags.
The Strikers welcome back Ben Henry and Marlow Court-Kriesch to sure up their defensive line.
But Strikers will not be at full strength as shift work continues to take a toll on the club. They could also be without Brad Cox with a hamstring injury and Jackson Cox who injured his shoulder.
Thornton Redbacks FC v Belmont Swansea United FC
Thornton Park, Friday 8:15pm
A crucial three points is up for grabs at Thornton Park on Friday night when Thornton Redbacks FC host Belmont Swansea United FC.
These two teams will be facing a short turn around after both playing last Sunday.
BelSwans are seventh on the nine-team ladder, a position the 2022 grand final winners dropped to after losing 1-0 away from home against West Wallsend in their most recent outing.
Mick Stafford’s men are looking to get their season back on track and will have a chance to do so against a Redbacks side that is fighting to get off the bottom of the table.
Thornton enters Friday night’s match as hungry as ever after conceding a stoppage time penalty last week in a 2-all draw against Kahibah FC that kept them at the foot of the table.
The last time these two sides met was back in Round Nine, BelSwans secured a 3-1 win at home.
They have only scored three wins between them in eight rounds of football since then, so both will be determined to find form on Friday night.
West Wallsend SFC v South Cardiff FC
Johnston, Sunday 2:30pm
West Wallsend and South Cardiff will go head-to-head this Sunday at Johnston Park.
The Gunners snapped a three-game losing streak when they scored an injury time winner to prevail 3-2 against Singleton Strikers FC and move into fifth place on the ladder.
West Wallsend are just above South Cardiff in fourth place but are separated by seven points
The Bluebells can extend that gap to 10 points this Saturday and also jump as high as second with a win.
West Wallsend’s coach Bailey Cox liked what he saw from his team as they scored their fifth victory in six outings against BelSwans last Sunday.
“Everyone has started clicking,” Cox said.
“We’ve had great numbers at training and everyone is getting around each other.
“There’s a very good vibe at the moment.
“We’ve worked out how we play now and we’ve really got it going.”
West Wallsend and South Cardiff produced an entertaining 3-all draw at Ulinga Oval when they last met back in April. Cox is expecting another difficult matchup this weekend but is confident his team should win.
“Last time we played them we had a draw, which was frustrating. I think we’re a better side than them,” Cox said.
“We should have got a result out of that game.
“They are a pretty gritty team though. They rip in and give you the whole 90, so it’s still going to be a hard game.
“We need three points because we have a pretty busy schedule coming up. We’ve got Toronto and Kahibah after this one.”
Cessnock City Hornets FC v Wallsend FC
Tuner Park, Sunday 2:30pm
If Cessnock City Hornet’s and Wallsend’s last encounter is anything to go by, this Sunday it will be a cracking game of football at Tuner Park.
Both sides produced an eight-goal thriller back in April when Wallsend prevailed 5-3 after netting three goals in the final 13 minutes against Cessnock.
That victory was one of the four in a five-game unbeaten run for the Red Devils, who are looking to rediscover that form after losing four of their six most recent matches.
The Hornets have struggled to find consistency so far in 2023, but stringing back-to-back wins together for just the second time this season would be a step in the right direction.
Cessnock have had an extended rest coming out of the long weekend as they had a bye last weekend, and now they are ready to kick-start their season.
Cessnock and Wallsend both sit in the bottom half of the table but are withing striking distance of the top five and will leave nothing in the tank when they go head-to-head on Sunday.
Kahibah FC – BYE.