East Gosford v Avoca
With just three rounds remaining, these two sides find themselves in a relegation battle as only 20 club championship points separate East Gosford and Avoca who will be fighting for crucial points this weekend at the home of the Rams.
With 21 club championship points up for grabs at Hylton Moore come Sunday, both clubs will be looking to put forward their best teams in the hopes of avoiding relegation come the end of the 2024 season.
After spending two years in Division 1, East Gosford clinched promotion in 2022 which has seen the Rams re-establish themselves in Men’s Premier League for the last two years.
Recent weeks have seen this Rams side continue to go toe-to-toe with the competition’s heavyweights but have little to show for it, recording four straight narrow losses against Berkeley Vale (1-0), Killarney (2-0), and Terrigal twice (1-0, 4-3).
Despite recording another slender loss last weekend to the O’lads, Troy Ward’s side snapped a three-game scoreless streak and was able to put three past Terrigal in the first half. Ward stated this will give his team plenty of belief in front of goal on Sunday.
“Three games without a goal was tough but it wasn’t through lack of chances. So long as the chances keep coming then I know with the players we have they will come. Scoring three on the weekend will give the lads some confidence heading into this weekend’s game against Avoca.”
Narrow losses have been a story of East Gosford season as four of their eleven defeats all year have come by just the one goal difference at full time. However, Ward is adamant that despite these close losses morale is still high as they gear up for their most important match of the 2024 season.
“Those four losses have actually lifted the boys as shown by those results considering the opposition we were up against. It’s shown us we can compete with the top teams and in those games probably should’ve got more from them. Moral is still high within the squad.”
East Gosford enters the weekend having already defeated their sharks in their only other encounter this season. “Our last game against Avoca was a good one with both teams getting opportunities to score. On that day we were more clinical with ours and blew out to a comfortable lead before we took the gas off and conceded a couple of late ones,” commented Ward.
“This time around I’m expecting a very determined Avoca side but as long as we play to our strengths like we have the last few weeks then we will be up for it. They have some good players and as long as we do our job and close them down and not switch off for the whole game then I’m confident in my boys.”
As for what needs to be done to ensure his men get the job done again on Sunday, Ward stated, “We will need to turn up and be ready for a fight. Scrap for everything but stick to our game plan. This game will be massive for both clubs as it could ultimately decide the final standings.”
“If we pick up all three grades we can go 41 points clear of them in the championship and be all but safe with only two games to play afterwards. This competition this year has been so close and one thing I’ve learnt is nothing is a given. We will have to be up for this in all three grades. Bring on the weekend.”
It’s sink or swim for the Sharks on Sunday as they look to maintain a spot in the MPL for next season.
This week’s visitors who currently occupy the second relegation spot on the club championship ladder, Avoca have everything to play for this weekend as a clean sweep of victories will see them leap out of the final relegation position.
It was a dream start for Avoca under new head coach Joel Cangy who in his first competition match in charge of the Sharks defeated premiership hopefuls Woongarrah 6-0 at Hamlyn Terrace.
However, it took Avoca another eight matches to find their second victory of the season as this side enters round 16 with a record of 2 wins, 1 draw, and 12 losses.
“It’s been a challenging season, and although last weekend can be considered one of our biggest losses, it was always going to be a tough outing after going down to 10 men in the first 15 minutes of the match against an in-form Killarney. Our lads have consistently shown that they’re up for it each week, and this week will be no different in terms of mentality,” said Cangy.
Although their season has been below the standard that we are used to seeing from this outfit, their relegation fate still remains in their hands as they can turn their season around this weekend.
Despite their standings, Avoca have proved this year that on their day they can match it with the competition’s best. Most notably, their round 9 fixture against league leaders Berkeley Vale, Avoca were able to battle with the Wombats for the entire ninety minutes as the game finished a stalemate at 1-1.
The Sharks have also recorded slender 1-0 losses to other MPL heavyweights Woongarrah and Southern & Ettalong which further proves the quality within their squad can compete with the best if they show up to play.
With so much on the line for the club this weekend, expect to see a very determined Avoca squad arrive at Hylton Moore on Sunday looking to claim every point up for grabs.
“East Gosford have a lot of skill and pace going forward, particularly when attacking from the flanks. They caught us out of position a few times the last time we met, which led to some defensive restructuring. We’ll need to be brave going forward, while also being committed and ready to handle our defensive transitions well.”
“The weight of the season rests on this game…we’ll be ready.”
Match Official – Luke Dunkerley
All Round 16 Fixtures –
