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Southern & Ettalong v Kanwal

Southern and Kanwal are set to clash on Friday, 5th march at 6:15 pm on Pluim Park 3 in Round 1 of the 2021 Women’s Mate Association Cup. This Pool B match-up is set to be an exciting contest from start to finish.

The Kanwal WPL squad are coming off a fantastic 2020 season finishing in 3rd place and very unlucky not to reach the Grand Final. Kanwal will be looking to improve on last season’s 3rd place finish starting will a successful Association Cup run.

On the other hand, Southern is coming off a season that they feel like they could have done a lot better. After finishing 1st in 2019, Southern’s WPL squad could not successfully retain their crown as League Champions after missing out on a finals spot and finishing in 5th place. These two teams faced twice in the 2020 WPL season last year. In their first meeting Kanwal came out victorious 4-2 but went on to split the points in their second meeting of the year, finishing 1-1.

Kanwal welcomes new coaches Jen Tatum and Hayls Ballard to their WPL coaching squad for 2021. Hayls has been very impressed with Kanwal’s pre-season stating, “we’ve been fortunate to attract some quality players to our squad and the girls have all been training well, we are excited about our depth and what the squad has to offer!”.  “We are not sure what to expect from the game as there has been some reshuffle amongst a few teams for the 2021 season, we just need to focus on our game and being patient”. When asked about the season ahead, Hayls seemed very excited for what her teams have to offer and are hoping to be “another top contender again this season”. 

Southern also has a new face in charge this year as they welcome Augusto Terra as the First-Grade head coach for 2021. “Pre-season has been really good, players are working really hard, and I was able to understand the club and the players since this is my first time coaching a team on the Central Coast”, Augusto said. He also added, “The expectations for the season are really good, after a few more training sessions and games, we will be ready for the season. We will be a very competitive team”.

This Friday night is sure to be a great showdown of Women’s football on the coast! Make sure to get involved in the action over social media by using the hashtag #SEUKAN and also by tagging Central Coast Football in your feed!

Wyoming v Gosford

This Sunday, 7th March on Pluim Park 1 at 3:00 pm, Wyoming and Gosford will do battle for the Bobby Bray Senior Memorial Cup. This marks the fourth time the Bobby Bray Cup will be played for in the local derby. The inaugural Bobby Bray Cup was played in 2016 which ended in a 1 all draw between the two sides. Gosford and Wyoming faced a year later in 2017 where Gosford came out victorious with a 3-1 win to be crowned the first winners of the Bobby Bray Cup. The third Cup Match was played in 2019 where Wyoming come out 1-0 winners and will look to do the same this Sunday afternoon.

Wyoming Coach Ian McAndrew stated that his side has had a rather tough pre-season, “bringing in more young quality players and mixing them in with our players from last year. We have had a lot of injuries through pre-season, so it has been quite disruptive, but we are starting to get players back on the paddock now”.

Ian who has played and coached for both sides in the cup before labelled the cup as a “great initiative from both Wyoming and Gosford”. He also added, “it was a touch of class that both clubs found a way to remember such a good football manager and an even better person who had coached many young Wyoming juniors in the ‘Dream Team’. This match is always a hard-fought derby but at the end of the day it’s about remembering a truly great guy and friend”.

Gosford coach Dave Fitzsimmons has been quite pleased with his squads’ pre-season as he welcomes back former Gosford players to his squad, while also retaining the majority of his first-grade squad from 2020 who finished in 2nd place in Division 1. Dave also mentioned, “Gosford City always looks forward to the local derby with Wyoming, we have had many epic battles over the years!”. “Bobby’s grandson Rob played for both clubs and it’s a special day for him and his family”.

Make sure to get down to Pluim Park on Sunday to celebrate the Bobby Bray Senior Memorial Cup with first grade to kick off at 3:00 pm, you can also catch reserve grade action beforehand at 1:00 pm. Get involved with the action over social media and make sure to hashtag #WMGGOS on socials and also tag Central Coast Football in your feed!

Written by Adam Blunden.