Match of the Round
Belmont Swansea United FC v Singleton Strikers FC
Blacksmiths Oval, Saturday 4pm
Blacksmiths Oval will get its first taste of the Match of the Round for 2024 when Belmont Swansea United welcomes Singleton Strikers to town on Saturday afternoon.
The match will be the second in a run of three straight home games for BelSwnas as they look to extend their lead at the summit of the table.
BelSwans play a round 11 match against Kahibah on Wednesday night and they will hope they can make it a six-point week against the Strikers if all goes to plan.
But they will have to roll their sleeves up to get the job done, which they failed to do last Saturday when they lost their first game of the season against Cessnock.
“I expect a whole different entity from Singleton come the second round, exactly what we saw from Cessnock last weekend,” BelSwans’ coach Mick Stafford said.
“We’re going to have to learn from that disruptive afternoon up there and try to put our best foot forward against Singleton.
“We made way too many unforced errors against Cessnock, and they cost us two goals, so this week we’ll be focusing on getting back to basics and getting our head out of the clouds, so to speak.
“We need to be able to get in the grind with teams.
“Singleton seemed a lot different to previous years when we played them in the first round. They were trying to play a different way of football. We weren’t that great in that game, but we did enough to win the game.
“I think Singleton have got quality players all over the park that can hurt you and I’m actually surprised where they sit on the table, so I’m expecting another tough game against a good side.”
Singleton has already travelled out to Blacksmiths Oval once this year back in round three when they went down 3-0 against the hosts.
The Strikers’ coach Doug West is confident that they will be far better prepared for this Saturday’s encounter.
“We’re expecting nothing different from them (Belmont Swansea) than what they’ve been doing, and they definitely go in as favourites. They’ve been leading the way with goals and defence, apart from the one hiccup against Cessnock,” West said.
“Their ability to convert chances (is their biggest strength), but against us last time they scored two goals that would be very hard to score again.
“I thought we played with the ball quite well and defended well that day, but unfortunately those two goals put the game out of reach for us.
“I think we were quite underdone in terms of the season kicking off. I think we were four or five weeks off where we needed to be.
“We’ll need to be a lot more clinical on Saturday and hopefully player availability for that game is better for us than what it has been the past few weeks.”
Singleton is seventh on the table after two wins, two draws and four losses so far this season, but they could enter the weekend as high as fifth should they defeat Cessnock City Hornets at home in round 11 on Wednesday night.
Cessnock City Hornets FC v Thornton Redbacks FC
Turner Park, Saturday 2:30pm
Kicking off round 12 at Turner Park on Saturday is a highly-anticipated Hunter Valley derby between Cessnock City Hornets and Thornton.
The Hornets enter the match on a high after their second win of the season as they became the first team to take points off Belmont Swansea.
Central midfielders Blake Roy and Josh Maguire have led the way in the engine room, Zac Kronholm has fired up front and the backline has risen to the occasion as Cessnock’s fortunes look to have turned after one win from their first six matches.
The Hornets also have a chance to keep their momentum rolling on Wednesday night when they meet Singleton Strikers at Howe Park in round 11, and six points this week would fly them up close to the top four sides.
Cessnock faces a tough opponent on Saturday in the in-form of Thornton Redbacks, who are third on the table after three wins, three draws and one loss.
The Redbacks have surprised everyone this season including themselves and they are determined to keep producing positive results.
They will also be in action on Wednesday night when they host West Wallsend in a round 11 encounter at Metford Recreation Reserve.
West Wallsend FC v Wallsend FC
Johnston Park, Saturday 2:30pm
The second instalment of the Wallsend derby for 2024 will be held at Johnston Park on Saturday afternoon when West Wallsend FC host their local rivals Wallsend FC.
It has been a bumpy start to the season for the defending champions, as the Bluebells have been hit hard with injuries so far this season. Combined with a couple of suspensions and some woes in front of goals, results have not gone their way and they are outside of the promotion zone in fifth place on the table.
Westy could climb as high as second by Saturday evening given how close the competition is, especially if they get the job done in their midweek round 11 match against Thornton at Metford Recreation Reserve.
The Red Devils have also had a less-than-ideal start to the campaign and they are at the bottom of the table after one win and seven losses.
One of those losses was a heart-breaking 3-2 defeat against West Wallsend at The Gardens last month in the sides’ first meeting of the campaign after Bluebells skipper Bryson Cox netted a late winner.
Wallsend is also in action on Wednesday when they travel to Lyall Peacock Field to challenge Toronto Awaba in round 11.
South Cardiff FC v Kahibah FC
Ulinga Oval, Sunday 2:30pm
South Cardiff FC welcomes Kahibah FC to Ulinga Oval in a battle of two of the in-form sides in the competition.
Kahibah has shot up the table in recent weeks and has secured a four-game winning streak.
They are second on the table with 12 points and trail Belmont Swansea by nine points. But the deficit could be reduced to six on Wednesday night when the two top-ranked teams meet at Blacksmiths Oval in round 11.
South Cardiff have the midweek bye and will be eager to get out on the field on Sunday and bounce back from a 10-0 Australia Cup loss against NPL NNSW powerhouses Broadmeadow Magic last week.
The Gunners have built a positive run of their own in the league, with their three-game unbeaten run only bettered by Kahibah’s winning streak at present.
The Gunners already have a win over Kahibah at Ulinga Oval this season after they came from behind to win 2-1 in round three.
The South Cardiff gaffer Perry Mellon is expecting another tough game from their opponents on Sunday.
“Kahibah are the form team. They’ve won four on the trot now,” Mellon said.
“They’re always a decent opposition and they’re never easy to beat. You can never just turn up against them and get an easy win, and I’m expecting them to be exactly the same on Sunday.
“In the league, we’re unbeaten in three games, so I’m expecting it to be a fairly decent match between us.
“Finding some consistency in playing week in and week out will be good for us after a couple of washouts. It’ll be good to finally get stuck into a couple of games, but I don’t think we’ll be rusty.”
Toronto Awaba FC have the bye.
