The Entrance v Berkeley Vale
The Entrance returns home to Pat Morley Oval this Sunday as they look to solve the puzzle that no other team has done this season and hand Berkeley Vale the first loss of their 2023 campaign.
The Entrance enters round 9 coming off a dramatic 3-3 draw against the newly promoted East Gosford side. Despite going 3-1 down in the second half, the Reddies were able to rally back against the Rams with two crucial goals to secure a vital point to their name.
Scoring does not seem to be a problem for this Entrance side this season as they have managed to score in all but one game, however, conceding 24 goals in 6 games sees the Reddies currently record the worst defensive record in the league.
Leaking early goals has been a major problem for this young Entrance side this season but the late signings of Joshua Fletcher and Cameron Anderson look to provide some stability in the backline for Andrew Ollier’s side.
“Since introduced into the squad, the pair of Josh and Cameron have been playing next to each other at the back which will hopefully provide more stability, they are going to be extremely helpful for the young boys,” voiced Reddies head coach Andrew Ollier.
After a few years away, Andrew Ollier returned to his club this season as he works with former Central Coast Mariner Josh Rose to steer this young squad to success in 2023.
Giving grade debuts to multiple players 16 years and under, the Entrance bolsters the youngest first-grade squad in the whole of the competition.
When reflecting on this weekend and what his side need to do better as they prepare for Berkeley, Andrew declared that conceding early has been a major problem in recent weeks. “We did well to fight back last round, this weekend will be tough, really tough, there are no easy games in this competition it doesn’t matter who you play.”
“The team has to get up for it as I’m sure the opposition will be, we need to stop letting in early goals which put us on the backfoot straight away so a better start will go a long way for our chances on Sunday.”
Berkeley Vale is one of just two teams who still hasn’t recorded a loss after 6 rounds of the 2023 edition of the MPL competition.
A lot of their early success in 2023 can be put down to their new coach, former Central Coast Mariner Andre Gumprecht, along with an influx of new players who have hit the ground running for their new club.
In 2022, Berkeley Vale won the Association Cup as many consider them favourites to win the lot that year, but an old, beaten squad failed to live up to expectations as the season progressed which saw them fail to make the top four.
However, this fresh and new squad are proving they have what it takes to compete with the competition’s best and for MPL silverware after their impressive unbeaten run to start their season.
“In principle, we have built a whole new structure around our u18 up to First grade which has had its challenges, but we are hoping that it sets us up for the future,” spoke Mark Pratt.
“Some older Wombats are still in the first grade and reserve grade helping with administering the team song.”
Unfortunately for the Wombats, one of their key signings from the off-season, Nick Trengrove, picked up an injury last week which could see him sidelined for the considerable future.
Another one of their latest signings, striker Kane Woolston, returns to the league after a two-year stint in the lower divisions of Newcastle.
Berkeley Vale was also able to usher away youngsters Ashton Hurley and Mitch Landini from the Entrance as they prepare to face their former club this Sunday.
“Obviously everyone is happy with how we have started considering there are a lot of new players, but we feel we are not there yet, and we still need to improve further and get a little more consistency.”
Despite being undefeated, the Wombats currently sit in third but with a game in hand over league leaders Killarney, a win in that fixture would see Berkeley Vale join Killarney on equal points.
Mark Pratt also spoke on what he is expecting from the opposition and what he believes is the key to them taking all three points come Sunday.
“It’s a local derby so I’d expect nothing less than a tight hard-fought game. We will need to deny the Reddies any opportunities and become more ruthless in front of our opponent’s goal from the start of the game.”
Match Official – Anthony Kabbout
All Round 8 Fixtures –
