MATCH OF THE ROUND
Kanwal v Woongarrah
The fierce local derby between Kanwal and Woongarrah is your round 9 Match of the Round as Woongarrah look to climb out of the relegation zone.
When it comes to a local derby on the Central Coast, it does not get much bigger than the battle between Kanwal and Woongarrah. Although this rivalry is relatively new to Central Coast Football, in recent years it has been the match you don’t want to miss.
For Kanwal, Ryan Walker’s side will enter as the favourites but that won’t mean much when the whistle sounds for kick-off. After having their round eight fixture against Berkeley Vale postponed, the week off has most likely positively served Walker’s team after the Bulls were dealing with multiple injuries to key players. Kanwal already faced off with their rivals in the Association Cup and on that occasion, the points were shared. Kanwal, with the backing of their home crowd, will be extremely fired up for this match as they look to keep their spot in the top four and within touching distance of league leaders Killarney.
Ryan Walker stated how much this game means to the club as he is expecting a close, even contest come Sunday. “The Bulls vs the Cats is always a good contest and I expect this weekend’s game to be no different. I think Woongarrah have found themselves this year in a similar position that we ourselves have been in for many years, losing late in tight games and just not getting the role of the dice that you need in football games sometimes.”
“I expect the cats to come out physical as they always do and bring the game to us, and I think it will be very end to end football. Really looking forward to the game as it is probably the biggest game of the year for the club and many players due to the history behind it.”
Woongarrah enters round nine without a win in their last four games as Luke Rogers’s squad finds themselves in the relegation zone of the club championship. However, a win over their rivals could turn their season around. The Wildcats almost stole a point of league leaders Killarney last weekend only to concede in injury time. A big standout for Woongarrah on that day was their goalkeeper Josh Masters who was tremendous in between the sticks. Last weekend marked only the second time this season Woongarrah were unable to find the goal in a fixture. The first time this happened was in their opening game of the year when they lost 3-0 to Southern. However, after the loss to Southern, Woongarrah were able to turn things around and pick up their first win of the year as they will be hoping to do the same come Sunday.
Luke Rogers credits his rivals as he states Kanwal will be favourites heading into this weekend. “Ryan and his boys have started the season really well. They will be very confident of getting the win on Sunday. The form they are in and where they are sitting on the table, we go into this game as massive underdogs.”
“Our aim is to be a lot better than we were against Killarney last weekend and play to a higher standard which I know the guys are capable of. The derby always draws a big crowd and I know the squad is keen for Sunday to arrive.”
Wyoming v The Entrance
In a match that could turn their season around, Wyoming will be out to pick up their first win of the season against an Entrance side coming off their biggest defeat in the competition so far
After last weekend’s 4-1 loss to Kariong, Wyoming now finds themselves at the bottom of the BPL Ladder and Club Championship. Wyoming remains the only team in first grade who are yet to acquire a point in the competition but will face an Entrance side who could be very low on confidence after their round eight loss. Wyoming has not only struggled on the pitch so far this season, but head coach Ian McAndrew’s squad had taken a massive blow with injuries and sickness as the Tigers continue to struggle with their squad depth on a weekly basis.
After finding themselves last on the club championship, Wyoming will be desperate to turn things around starting this weekend. Another loss in round nine against the Reddies who themselves have had a mixed bag of results this season could be detrimental to the Tiger’s hopes of playing BPL football next season. A win in all three grades would see Wyoming jump the Entrance on the club championship so expect to see a very courageous effort from Wyoming this weekend.
The Entrance will look to bounce back this weekend after suffering their biggest defeat of the competition. Patrick Zwaanswijk’s side had a day to forget in front of the goal last weekend as the Reddies just could not find the back of the net. The previous week the Entrance recorded their first win of the season with a 3-1 win over Kariong and it looked to be a turning point for this young Entrance side. However, for a squad with little BPL experience, this showed last Sunday as the Entrance struggled in both defence and attack.
This weekend could serve as a big telling point for how the rest of the season will look for this Entrance side. If these youngsters can overcome their loss and beat an underperforming Wyoming side, it could go a very long way. However, if the Reddies suffer another defeat this weekend they could find themselves in a relegation battle which is a lot of pressure for such a young side. The Entrance will need to start on the front foot this weekend if they wish to leave Alan Davidson with any points.
Southern & Ettalong v Killarney
Fresh off their win over their rivals in round eight, Southern look to keep this momentum goings they look to dethrone Killarney and hand the Terriers their first loss
In what on paper has the potential for a game of the year contender, will Southern be the ones to end Killarney’s perfect start to the season with a win over the Terriers in front of a home crowd. After some results to forget, the Lions finally got back in the winner’s circle in round eight when they beat rivals Terrigal 2-1. Southern have Jack Ellwood to thank for their win as the midfielder grabbed both goals on that day.
After his two goals last weekend, Ellwood now finds himself alone on top of the golden boot standings as the midfielder continues to have a year to remember. Another talking point amongst this Southern side is the fact that the almighty Keith Gumbs is yet to record a single goal to his name so far in this competition. Gumbs scored a few outstanding goals in pre-season but seems like he has not been able to find that form yet as you can only assume it’s a matter of time before we start seeing his name on the scoresheet. Southern will need to be at their absolute best again this Sunday if they wish to grab any points from this fixture.
Last weekend, Killarney left it to the final moments of their fixture against Woongarrah as Jordan Preston’s injury-time free-kick secured the 1-0 win for his side. Preston’s late goal ensured Killarney’s win streak remained intact as the Terriers now find themselves five points clear of the rest of the competition. Veteran striker Adam Woodbine also missed a penalty on that day as he joins teammate Andy Klijn on the list of missed penalties for Killarney this year.
After flying under the radar in the opening rounds of the year, Killarney will now find themselves will a massive target on their back for the remainder of the season. Killarney has passed every test they have been thrown at them so far. Killarney did see defeat to Dale Eggleton’s southern side last year when they had to travel to James Browne Oval and that is sure to be in the mind of Chris Ackerley and his squad who prepare to make it seven wins from seven this Sunday.
Avoca v Berkeley Vale
Coming off their second win and an emphatic one at that, Avoca will look to secure back-to-back wins for the first time this season as they host Berkeley Vale
Avoca will be full of confidence after scoring six goals in their win over The Entrance this past weekend. Cooper Ebrington was able to find himself on the scoresheet twice in that fixture while his teammates Jackson Carr, Joshua Edwards, Tyler Wade, and Dylan Di Sciascio all recorded single goals to seal their biggest win of the season.
Neal Hide’s side is yet to put together a win against a top-five club and that will be a big focus for Hide come Sunday. Although the performances might have been there in those fixtures, that means nothing on the table if you can’t pick up any points. Hide will be hoping his side can carry their recent form in front of the goal into the fixture against Berkeley Vale. A win for Avoca this weekend will put the Sharks on level points with Berkeley Vale.
After having their round eight fixture postponed due to the weather, Berkeley Vale will be raring to go this weekend as they are still looking to amend their back-to-back losses. The Wombats lost their first game of the year to Terrigal (4-2) and the following week saw defeat again, this time against Killarney (2-0) as the Terriers kept Mark Pratt’s side scoreless for the first time this season in all competitions.
Mark Pratt’s side was labelled as the competition favourites after their great recruiting in the offseason and backing that up with winning the Association Cup, but injuries have caused the Wombats to underperform in recent weeks as Berkeley Vale has struggled to put their best eleven on the park. These two sides met in the Association Cup semi-final and on that day, Berkeley came out victorious with a 2-1 win. Mark Pratt’s men know what it takes to beat this side and will look to repeat that result come Sunday.
Kariong v Terrigal
Disappointed with their loss, Terrigal’s attention now turns to Kariong who is coming off an emphatic 4-1 win in round eight.
With a win over Terrigal this weekend, Kariong will jump to equal points with the O’lads. This will serve as great motivation for Ryan Finch and his men as they look to gain even more momentum and put together back-to-back wins for the first time this season. Christopher Lennon was a standout for Kariong in their win over Wyoming as the 18-year-old grabbed a hattrick for his side along with the man of the match honours. Lennon, who was previously at the Mariners Academy, re-joined his junior club at the start of this year and has been a great addition for Finch so far.
Kariong is scheduled to be back in front of a home crowd this weekend as they welcome a hungry Terrigal side. Kariong boasts the fifth-best defensive record in the league and the Cougar defence will need to be on top of their game again this weekend as Terrigal possesses many goal-scoring threats all over the park.
Not many anticipated Terrigal’s record after six games would stand at three wins and three losses. Terrigal’s latest loss came last weekend at the hands of their rival Southern who defeated the O’lads 2-1. After going down a goal moments before halftime, Terrigal finally got their equaliser with ten minutes to go only to switch off and concede sixty seconds later. Terrigal’s only goal on that day game from Mark Partridge as has now scored in back-to-back weeks taking his total for the year to three.
New striker Mahkye Brownlie was a no show for the Terrigal side last weekend. Brownlie was also enjoying a good run of form, scoring in back-to-back weeks before disappearing on game day last Sunday. Terrigal has the third-best goalscoring record in the competition as Martyn’s men have recorded four or more goals in half of their games so far. After only netting the one goal last weekend, Terrigal will look to get back to their dominant goalscoring ways and keep in touch with league leaders Killarney with a win over Kariong.
