MATCH OF THE ROUND
Kariong v The Entrance
Kariong will look to keep their tremendous recent home form going into this Sunday as they welcome an Entrance side desperate for points in the round 16 match of the round.
Kariong enters round 16 in statistically their best form of the season as the Cougars are currently unbeaten in their last 2 fixtures. Kariong left it late last weekend to come from behind to salvage a point against Avoca. It was Chris Lennon who scored a late equaliser and with that goal, Lennon now finds himself on top of the BPL golden boot standings with 7 goals. Kariong will be very eager to head back home to Kariong Oval this week as they look to repeat their last performance in front of a home crowd. On that day in round 12, Kariong defeated Berkeley Vale 4-0 to pick up their first clean sheet in the club’s BPL history and also the club’s biggest win in this competition.
Ryan Finch is anticipating a hard contest against a side that has already claimed victory over them this year. “We are expecting a tough game against a side with a lot to gain in regard to points towards the club championship. We remember from last time where they played well as a team with a lot of energy and pace in the final third.”
“Over the last couple of games, we have had some positive performances which have shown in our results, so we definitely want to keep that going,” stated a positive Finch.
After a rather impressive opening 5 rounds from the Entrance where they were able to pick up 5 points, in recent weeks the Reddies have been struggling to get results as they now find themselves fighting in a relegation battle. Since their 1-0 win over Wyoming in round 9, The Entrance has not been able to pick up any points in their last 4 fixtures as they now find themselves second last on the BPL ladder. The Entrance knows what it takes to defeat Kariong as they did so to pick up their first win of the season back in round 7. On that day the Reddies defeated Kariong 3-1 but will now have the tough task of repeating that performance away from home and on enemy territory.
Ray Seers will be hoping this weekend can bring his first win since taking over as head coach for the Entrance. “The players are well aware of the significance of this game in particular. Both teams are in the same boat, we need to get points this weekend. I know Ryan Finch will have his team ready to go from the start until the end.”
Seers stated his squad will have no excuses to not perform come Sunday. “We will be in the same headspace. There will be no excuses after ninety minutes plus injury time this Sunday. I think it will be a great game of football.”
Wyoming v Southern Ettalong
Wyoming will be out to replicate their only win of the season as they are set to battle against Southern Ettalong this Sunday.
Wyoming is coming off two 1-0 losses in back-to-back fixtures against Woongarrah and Killarney as the Tigers remain at the bottom of the BPL table and club championship. Wyoming is currently only 10 club championship points from safety as the battle to avoid relegation continues to become tighter and tighter every week. Having only lost by a single goal in their last two fixtures, Wyoming no longer records the worst defensive record in the league but the struggles at the other end of the field remain at large.
Wyoming only records 7 goals to their name after 11 rounds of the competition and is the only team in the league yet to score double-digit goals as a team. There has only been one occasion this year where Wyoming has been able to record more than one goal in a game, that fixture was in their only win of the season when the Tigers defeated Southern Ettalong 2-1. Wyoming will take plenty of confidence from that game as they look to replicate their only win and walk away with crucial club championship points come Sunday.
Southern & Ettalong finally got themselves back in the winner circle after their 3-1 victory over The Entrance last weekend in round 15. Despite a few weeks off and limited training, Southern started their contest with plenty of pressure on the opposition which resulted in the Lions enjoying a 2-0 lead at halftime. The almighty Keith Gumbs who is still yet to find the back of the net this season turned provider last Sunday as he had a hand in Southern’s opening two goals.
Gumbs will be inspired to overcome his goal-scoring drought this weekend as he looks to help his team avenge their loss to Wyoming with an emphatic win this weekend. Last weekend also saw the return of Southern’s leading goal scorer Jack Elwood who once again found the back of the net with a header to take his tally of the year to six, an incredible feat for the defensive midfielder. Granted results go their way and the Lions are successfully able to walk away from Sunday with three points to their name, they will close the buffer between them and the top four to just 2 points so there is a lot at stake when Southern kick off this weekend.
Berkeley Vale v Killarney
Berkeley Vale will be looking to be the first team to defeat the unbeaten league leaders Killarney during their round 16 clash.
After multiple weeks off the pitch, Berkeley Vale was finally able to get back in the winner’s circle with a tight 1-0 win over third-placed Terrigal. Berkeley Vale was able to overcome their biggest defeat of the season, a 4-0 loss to Kariong, thanks to an early goal from Scott McGinley who has been a vital addition to the Wombats squad. Mark Pratt’s side has taken quite a hit with injuries throughout this season and another key player to Pratt’s side will now miss the season after an injury last weekend.
Michael Dalton performed a goal-saving tackle only to have to leave the field with a fractured leg and will now be sidelined for the rest of the year. Berkeley Vale now has to focus on the challenge no one has been able to crack this season as they prepare to battle the undefeated Killarney. All three points this weekend will go a long way for Berkeley as they look to keep their distance from Woongarrah and Southern who are both coming for that fourth-place spot in the hopes of playing finals football at the end of the year.
After their 3-1 win over second-place Kanwal, the Terriers now found themselves with a 10-point cushion at the top of the BPL ladder. Killarney was on track to record another clean sheet last weekend but an own goal in the 88th minute from Adam Smith meant the Terriers would not get their eighth clean sheet for the season. Despite the own goal, Killarney still records the best defensive record by far, having only conceded 6 goals in 11 rounds.
Chris Ackerley’s side also boasts the best-attacking record in the competition with a total of 33 goals. Killarney has seemed to deal with the absence of their main striker Adam Woodbine who has been sidelined in recent weeks through injury. The veteran striker’s body has seemed to catch up with his old age as Woodbine looks uncertain to return this week for their important clash against Berkeley Vale.
Terrigal v Woongarrah
In-form Woongarrah will be out to close the distance on third-place Terrigal as the Wildcats are scheduled to meet the O’lads at Duffy’s Oval this weekend.
For only the third time this season the O’lads were unable to find the back of the net in ninety minutes of football as Marty Griffith’s side went down 1-0 to Berkeley Vale. In that game, their captain Jai McNamara was forced to leave the game early through injury and if McNamara remains unfit to play this Sunday it will be a big loss for the orange outfit. Terrigal is scheduled to play at Duffy’s Oval but may be forced to move elsewhere if the wet weather continues as they have done so multiple times this year.
Terrigal has only had the pleasure of playing at their home ground Duffy’s Oval once this season and on that instance, the O’lads picked up their biggest win of the season so you can tell how much the players enjoy playing there and what it means to them. Terrigal successfully grabbed a victory over Woongarrah earlier in the year, beating the wildcats 5-3. After their loss last weekend, this is a very important weekend for Griffith’s side to bounce back and keep their distance from Woongarrah who are closing in on a top-four spot.
Woongarrah continues to pick up results as the Wildcats have now their last three games. Before this fantastic run of form started, Woongarrah only had one win to their name and found themselves near the bottom of the ladder, but after 9-points on the trot, Woongarrah now finds themselves in fifth place and only 4 points away from the top four. A win over Terrigal this weekend will close that gap to just 1-point.
Woongarrah also enters this weekend coming off their first clean sheet of the season. Despite only winning 1-0 over Wyoming, Jayden Rogers could have doubled the deficit, but his two missed penalties made things tougher for the Wildcats who eventually held strong and got the job done. Woongarrah has had the pleasure of playing 8 of their 11 games at home which has seemed to be quite a benefit for the Wildcats. Luke Rogers will have his men well prepared for the tough task of Terrigal this weekend and with so much at stake expect a very close encounter.
Kanwal v Avoca
Kanwal will look to bounce from their second defeat of the season and claim another win over Avoca when the two sides meet at Wadalba this Sunday.
Kanwal was unsuccessful in their attempt last weekend to be the first team to hand the league leaders a loss, as the Bulls went down 3-1 to the Terriers. Although Ryan Walker’s side saw defeat, Kanwal would gain a lot of confidence out of that fixture as they held their own for a majority of the match and were only let down by their own errors which resulted in conceding the goals. Without those mistakes, the end result could have been a lot different, and Kanwal will be out to prove that they are still the second-best team in the competition.
Despite last weekend’s loss, Kanwal still enjoys a 4-point cushion over third and fourth place, but they must bounce back with a result this weekend if they wish to further solidify their spot for finals football. Kanwal was able to defeat Avoca earlier in the year 3-2 however it was a very close contest that could of went either way and expect this weekend to be no different when these two sides meet again.
Avoca scored late last weekend to give themselves a 1-0 lead against Kariong, but the Sharks couldn’t hold on as Kariong equalised with only minutes to go the two sides ended up splitting the points in a 1-1 draw. Neal Hide’s side has now recorded two draws in their last two fixtures as the Sharks remain without a win in their last three games. Avoca is now currently tied with Woongarrah for the most draws this season which is three.
Avoca will enter their clash with Kanwal knowing they have what it takes to challenge the second-place side. Avoca, who currently sits 9 points away from the top four, will be hoping they can grab a win this weekend and use that momentum to push for finals run. This young side has what it takes to compete with any team and their results this year have shown that with four out of their five losses coming by the way of only 1 goal.
