Match of the Round
South Cardiff FC v West Wallsend SFC
Ulinga Oval, Saturday 6pm
This weekend’s Match of the Round sees Ulinga Oval host the grand final rematch between South Cardiff and West Wallsend.
This is the first time the two sides will have met since the Bluebells downed the Gunners in the decider at Johnston Park in September last year.
West Wallsend went down 4-1 at home against Kahibah while South Cardiff lost 1-0 away from home at Lyall Peacock Field against Toronto Awaba.
Those results left the two 2023 grand finalists sitting outside the top four, with the defending champions fifth on six points following two wins and two losses and the Gunners last on three points following a win and three losses.
West Wallsend enters Saturday’s big rematch without their grand final hero Blake Redman. The goalkeeper’s heroics in the penalty shootout last year helped the Bluebells secure the championship but he was sent off 17 minutes into Wednesday night’s game and is now suspended for his side’s trip to South Cardiff.
Westy will also be without Tyla Cook after he suffered a hamstring injury last night.
South Cardiff got through their game unscathed with just a few bumps and bruises and should be at full strength on Saturday as centre-back Anthony Carter and attacker Sam Modderno are expected to return after missing Wednesday’s match.
The Gunners’ coach Perry Mellon saw significant improvement in his side’s performance against Toronto Awaba from the one that they produced during a 6-0 loss against Belmont Swansea United and is hoped to see his side lift again in the grand final rematch.
“It was a big improvement,” Mellon said.
“We trained last night (Tuesday) and spoke about effort areas that we weren’t good in on Saturday against BelSwans. I think we competed for 97 minutes tonight.
“We created a few good chances tonight, and if we maintain that level over the next 20 games, they are going to start going in.
“This weekend, there’s no ill feeling or feeling of revenge. We’re more focused on just turning a losing streak into the start of a winning streak.
“It’s always physical against Westy, and Reddo got sent off for them tonight, so that’s a big hole for them to fill.
“I think we match up quite well with them. All the games we had with them last year were quite tight, and I think if we do the things we did well tonight and we’re a bit more clinical, I’m fairly confident we’ll get a win on the board.”
West Wallsend’s coach Bailey Cox believed that his side needs to be more clinical going forward after they have missed an abundance of chances across the two games that they have lost this year.
“I want to see much of the same of how we’ve been playing, but we’ve just got to take our chances,” Cox said.
“We’ve created that many chances this year and just haven’t scored enough goals. Even last match, we had enough chances to get a result and even win the game. When we were down 3-1, we missed three clear-cut chances inside the six-yard box.
“Southy, I’ve seen them play and they’re much similar to last year. They’ve got a young side and they’re heaps enthusiastic and sharp. They can get in behind you pretty easy so we’ve got to make sure we’re switched on at the back.
“They’re going to be up for this one. It’s a grand final rematch, so it’s going to be a battle.”
Cessnock City Hornets FC v Kahibah FC
Turner Park, Saturday 4pm
Two teams that are on the way up will face off at Turner Park on Saturday afternoon when the Cessnock City Hornets challenge Kahibah to kick off round six.
These two sides have spent time at the bottom of the table this year but they are both coming off wins that have launched them back up the table. Saturday’s clash is the perfect opportunity for one of them to score their second win of the season, continue to build momentum and get themselves closer to the top four.
Kahibah’s coach Mat Moncrieff was stoked with his side’s first victory of the campaign last night as they got up 4-1 away from home at Johnston Park against defending champions West Wallsend. They led 2-0 at half-time in that match, and Tyson Masters ended the contest with a hat-trick as he and his teammates ended a three-game losing streak.
Moncrieff has challenged his side to step up again this Saturday at Cessnock in what he described as a tricky assignment.
“It was good to get the monkey off our back, I suppose, but like I’ve said before, I wasn’t devastated with where we were at before,” Moncrieff said.
“We had been beaten by BelSwans and Toronto and we were in both games, just didn’t really finish them off, and the Southy game we just played ordinary. You always second-guess yourself, but we were still in a good spot.
“We build our game on being defensively solid. I feel last night we were, and in patches in the other games we were as well. We showed defensive resolve last night and we created good chances too.
“Cessnock are super potent up top; they have some quality up front. They try to play football and they are pretty well-organised. I dread going to Cessnock every year, to be honest.
“We need to aim up, show more defensive resolve and finish our chances again.”
Kahibah were boosted by the return of experienced defender Lewis Hextall last night who played his first game of the season and helped solidify things at the back, while youngster Flynn Grant made his first-grade debut and was quite impressive.
Kahibah will be without Liam Whitehead on Saturday after he was sent off for receiving two yellow cards in the first half against West Wallsend and will also be missing Jensen Hunt, who will serve the second of a three-game ban after he was sent off last Friday against Toronto Awaba.
Cessnock did not play during the week as they sat out with the bye but they too are coming off their first win of the campaign after they defeated Wallsend 2-0 last Saturday at Turner Park. They will be hoping to win again this Saturday and continue to climb the table.
Wallsend FC v Thornton Redbacks FC
The Gardens, Sunday 2:30pm
Wallsend FC will host Thornton Redbacks FC at The Gardens in the first of two round six matches to be played on Sunday afternoon.
The two teams will look to bounce back from mid-week losses after they went down 4-1 on Wednesday night.
Wallsend were beaten at home by Singleton after the two sides were locked at 1-1 at half-time, and Thornton’s four-game undefeated run came to an end when BelSwans converted a 2-1 half-time lead into a three-goal victory.
Those results saw the Redbacks finish the night in third place on the table with eight points following two wins, two draws and a loss across the opening five rounds.
Wallsend is seventh on three points. They won their first game of the campaign 4-0 against South Cardiff but have lost all four games since a combined three goals to 12.
The Red Devils will be without gun attacker Cody Halpin for this Sunday’s match after he was sent off for two late bookable offences against Singleton last night.
A win for Thornton could see them jump back up into second place, while three points for the Red Devils could see them move within one point of the top four.
Toronto Awaba FC v Belmont Swansea United FC
Lyall Peacock Field, Sunday 7:20pm
Round six will wrap up with a blockbuster clash under lights at Lyall Peacock Field on Sunday night when Toronto Awaba host Belmont Swansea United in a top-of-the-table clash.
BelSwans and the Stags are the only two undefeated teams in the competition after five rounds and they have been the two most impressive teams so far.
Belmont Swansea are five points clear at the top of the table on a maximum 15 points after winning all five games this year by a combined total of 27 goals to five.
They took on Thornton in their round five clash at Blacksmiths Oval last night and ended the Redbacks’ undefeated run with a 4-1 win.
Toronto Awaba is second on the table with 10 points. The defending premiers are on a three-game winning streak after drawing their first game of the season, and they have a game in hand on BelSwans.
The Stags took on South Cardiff in a wet and windy affair at Lyall Peacock Oval last night and their newest signing Damon Green was the difference. He came off the bench after joining the club that his brother Reece plays at this week and the former Maitland Magpie scored a classy goal in the 80th minute to help the hosts secure a 1-0 victory.
Toronto Awaba’s coach Jarrad Hiles was back in the dugout last night after missing last Friday’s win against Kahibah while away on holiday and was quite pleased with what his men delivered in testing conditions. The Stags boss is excited for this Sunday’s top-of-the-table clash against the form team of the competition.
“We did alright tonight. I was impressed with Southy. Their kids were great – young and enthusiastic and sharp and they pressed really well,” Hiles said.
“We weathered the storm. The boys defended well when they had to again. I’m thankful to get the three points and continue on.
“BelSwans are scoring for fun and they’ve been the benchmark this year. Take last year out of the equation, they’ve set the standard over the past few years. I knew Mick Stafford wouldn’t stand for what happened last year and he’s obviously recruited well.
“I’m looking forward to it. The boys will be buzzing.”
The Stags will be without Connor Fitzpatrick for this Sunday’s clash as he serves the second game of a two-match suspension after being sent off in last Friday night’s match against Kahibah and Jarrod Purcell will be a gameday decision after he sat out of last night’s win with an ankle injury.
BelSwans are expected to be at full strength for the blockbuster contest.
Singleton Strikers FC have the bye.
