Story and photo courtesy of Northern NSW Football
Match of the Round
Wallsend FC (5th) vs. Thornton Redbacks FC (4th)
Sunday 13th May, 2:30 pm, The Gardens
One week ago, this would have been a mouth-watering clash between two undefeated sides, however after both teams had their unbeaten streaks ruined last weekend, this fixture between Thornton and Wallsend will be about returning to the winners’ circle and safely back inside the top four.
Although last week marked the Redbacks first loss of the year, they’re still chasing their first victory away from home despite only conceding one goal on the road and only six in total.
Wallsend on the other hand, haven’t lost a game at The Gardens so far this year, and as they now sit outside the top four for the first time this season, they’ll be looking to solidify their home ground as a fortress.
Wallsend’s coach Ben Edwards, affirmed his confidence in his team returning to winning ways but admitted he was expecting a tough battle against the Redbacks.
“We’ll bounce back,” Edwards said.
“We’re trying to make our home ground a fortress and make it a hard place for other teams to visit – not just because of the surface.”
“I’m expecting them [Thornton] to come out hard to try and get back on their winning streak, as we will be as well.”
Edwards also suggested that despite being held scoreless for the first time last weekend, that he wasn’t worried for his forwards and expected them to return to their attacking potential this weekend.
“It had to come eventually, so I’m glad we got it out of the way now instead of at the end of the season.”
“It’s just something the boys have to learn from.”