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MATCH OF THE ROUND

Wyoming v Avoca

Round 10 Match of the Round sees Wyoming hoping they can turn things around and grab their first win of the year against Avoca who are coming off great results of their own.

It was another heartbreaking afternoon for Wyoming last weekend as the Tigers lost 1-0 to The Entrance. The only goal of the game was scored via the penalty spot as Ian McAndrew’s side could not turn their multiple chances into goals which has seemed to be a big factor for them this year. Wyoming welcomed back their captain Matt Hall who played his first game in over two years. The more minutes Hall gets into his legs the more everyone around him will benefit as his Wyoming club need him now more than ever.

Ian McAndrew knows how big this game is for the club and it could serve as a turning point in their season if they successfully get the win. “It’s a massive game for us this weekend. It has been a horrible start to the season for us, it’s not been good enough. Our performances are starting to turn around, we just need to take our chances in front of the goal and the results will come. Avoca is always a hard team to play, they are very fit and young and love to run and press high and that showed last game we played when they beat us 7-1 at Alan Davidson.”

I expect much of the same from them this game and if we can turn up how we did last week, it should be a cracking game. It’s the first time in two years the team will feature Jared Mcnee, Matt Hall and myself in our line-up which will be a massive boost to everyone on the park and bring some much-needed experience and brute force back into our team.”

Avoca is coming off a 1-1 draw against Berkeley Vale in round 9 as the resilient Sharks held on and were able to score late to share the points. This is the first time this season the Sharks have been able to get a result out of a top 5 club so confidence within the Avoca camp should be high heading into this Sunday. Avoca will also have in the back of their minds this fixture last year when they were able to put together their best win of the year, defeating Wyoming 7-1. 

Despite where they are on the ladder, Neal Hide is expecting a very tough and challenging battle against a hungry Wyoming side. “Avoca is expecting a tough, highly competitive match against Wyoming, who will be desperate for their first win of the season. Avoca will be pushing hard for the win to try to get some momentum to get into the top half of the league. It should be a highly competitive match with plenty of goals.”

MATCH OFFICIAL – GERROD YOUNG

Berkeley Vale v Woongarrah

Berkeley Vale and Woongarrah have not picked up a win in their last three games and will both be looking to change that come Sunday.

Although Berkeley Vale is the home team, their round 10 fixture will be played on enemy territory as the Wombats will travel to Hamlyn Terrace on Sunday. Unfortunately for the Bats, Mingara Oval has been closed all year as Mark Pratt’s side continues to struggle with training and playing venues. Not having the opportunity to get on a full-sized pitch for training in recent weeks has shown in their previous fixtures as Berkeley Vale has struggled immensely in front of goals.

Despite their recent form not living up to their standard, the 2022 Association Cup winners currently sit in fourth place with ten points and a win this weekend and mid-week when they play their catch-up game against Kanwal, would see the Wombats elevate into second place. Berkeley Vale was fortunate enough to boost their squad with a late signing of Scott McGinley, Scott who joins his brother Paul in the midfield, was able to score on his debut and provided Berkeley Vale with their only goal of the day. As they start to welcome injured players back into the team, expect Berkeley Vale to pick up their form as they try to keep in touch with league leaders Killarney.

Woongarrah took on their local rivals Kanwal last weekend in the BPL Match of the Round that finished with both clubs sharing points in a 3-3 draw. Woongarrah fought hard to come back from a 2-goal deficit and were quite unlucky not to grab the win late in the game. That was Woongarrah’s third draw of the year, no other team in the competition has had that many draws thus far in the season. That draw however was enough to lift Woongarrah out of the relegation zone, but they are only safe by two points.

Woongarrah will enjoy playing their sixth game at home on Sunday, as the Wildcats have only had to play away from home twice this year. Luke Rogers will have his men raring to go as they look to further distance themselves away from the bottom two in the club championship. A win this weekend against former competition favourites could turn their whole season around, Rogers will plan to have his physical squad take it to the Wombats from the first whistle.

MATCH OFFICIAL – LUKE DUNKERLEY

Terrigal v The Entrance

Terrigal hope to finally play at their beloved ground Duffy’s Oval as they welcome a confident Entrance side looking to take it to the O’lads

Terrigal was trailing by a goal last weekend after a below-average first half, However, Martyn Griffiths and his men were able to adapt and come away with the win after scoring three unanswered goals in the second half to beat Kariong 3-1. One thing Terrigal has struggled with this season is conceding goals as the O’lads are yet to keep a clean sheet in all seven fixtures. Only three more teams in the entire competition have conceded more goals than Terrigal but Marty’s men still claim third place with four wins to their names.

A late penalty from Stuart Adams saw him take his tally for the year to five as he now joins Jack Ellwood on top of the golden boot standings. Adams is a two-time BPL Player of the year winner and his impact on this Terrigal side will be a major part of their success this year. Terrigal is scheduled to play at Duffy’s oval for the first time this season after they have had to move all of their home games away to a neutral venue due to the wet weather. Anticipate a big crowd looking to support the O’lads as they welcome themselves back home and look to secure all three points.

The Entrance who are fresh off their second win of the season will try to stay in the winner’s circle and pick up back-to-back wins for the first time this season. After a 1-0 win over Wyoming in round 9, the Reddies successfully secured their first clean sheet of the year, this is even more commendable because the entrance side was coming off their biggest loss heading into their showdown with Wyoming.

The Entrance, who boast statistically the youngest side in BPL this year, are only three points out of the top four and a win this weekend could see the entrance elevate into the finals spot if other results go their way. A lot of this new Entrance squad are former Terrigal players so tensions will be high as this young squad won’t want to lose to their former teammates and club, expect a real back and forth battle on Sunday.

MATCH OFFICIAL – SEAN LACY

Southern & Ettalong v Kanwal

Southern & Ettalong will look to join Kanwal on level points with a win in front of a home crowd this Sunday as the Bulls are scheduled to travel to James Browne Oval

After winning arguably their biggest match of the season against Terrigal (2-1) in round 8, the Lions could not repeat this performance the following week as they took on undefeated league leaders and lost at home 3-0. For the first time this year, Southern failed to score a single goal in ninety minutes. Current golden boot leader Jack Ellwood was forced off the field for Southern as he suffered an ankle injury that could see him sidelined for a while. Ellwood has been in outstanding form to start the season and the midfielder is going to be missed.

Southern currently boasts a record of three wins, one draw, and two losses as the Lions sit in fifth place on ten points. A win for Southern this weekend however could see Dale Eggleton’s side jump into the top four. On paper, this Southern side should be in contention for finals football come the end of the year but will need to start playing a consistent level of football if they want to make this a reality. Dale as always will have his side well-drilled as they look to get back in the winning circle come Sunday.

Ryan Walker and his squad will be feeling quite disappointed after letting a two-goal lead slip to their rival Woongarrah last weekend in the Round 9 Match of the Round. Despite a late push from Woongarrah, that result finished 3-3 as Kanwal hold their spot in second. Kanwal has cemented their spot as one of the top contenders in the BPL this year and has proven and continued to be a tough test for all challengers.

Kanwal started the year going unbeaten in their first three games but what was more incredible is that the Bulls didn’t concede a goal in all three fixtures. Kanwal’s defence finally slipped when they met league leaders Killarney in round 6 and lost by a goal in a thrilling match (4-3). Since conceding their first goal, Kanwal hasn’t been able to keep a clean sheet since and has furthermore allowed five goals in their goal in the last two weeks. Walker will have his men well drilled and looking to get things back in order with a win this weekend.

Killarney v Kariong

Not much can be said for Killarney that hasn’t been said already. The Terriers remain the only unbeaten team in the competition and only seem to be getting betting week in and week out. After their impressive 3-0 win over Southern last weekend, Chris Ackerley and his defence led by Sam Kirk have now kept three clean sheets in a row and a total of five for the season. Killarney, in all seven games, has only conceded four goals total with three of those coming in one game, a truly remarkable statistic.

Adam Woodbine had his best game for the black and the white this past weekend as the veteran striker scored 2 goals and was awarded man of the match honours. Woodbine, who now has four goals total so far, is leaving his critics silent as many outsiders thought he was too old and wasn’t up to the standard of playing first-grade football anymore. After missing a penalty in round 1, Andy Klijn was given penalty duties one more time last weekend but failed to score from the spot once again. Killarney head back home this weekend as the Terriers look to distance themselves with a win over Kariong.

Kariong started strong last weekend as they held a 1-0 lead over Terrigal at halftime, however, the O’lads got the best of Kariong to hand the Cougars their fifth loss of the year. The test for Kariong will not get any easier in round 10 as they travel to Edsacc Oval to take on undefeated league leaders Killarney. Kariong’s results last weekend saw them drop back into the relegation zone on the club championship.

Kariong has scored at least one goal in all but two of their fixtures but still boasts the second worse goals in the competition. The Kariong attack must be at their absolute best on Sunday if they wish to penetrate the best defensive side in the league. Kariong’s main man up top James Draper has scored four of Kariong’s nine goals but has only been featured on the scoresheet once in their last five games. Draper’s performance on Sunday will be instrumental to Kariong if they wish to take any points from Killarney.

MATCH OFFICIAL – DAVID RICHARDSON