For the first time in over 8 years, promotion and relegation has returned to Newcastle Football.
Four teams, over three weeks will battle it out for the remaining spot in NPL NNSW following the conclusion of the 2024 regular season which saw Belmont-Swansea United Football Club storm to promotion within the Northern League One competition while Lake Macquarie City FC were automatically relegated from NPL.
The remaining NPL NNSW side, Adamstown Rosebud will fight for their survival within the top tier competition against the defending Northern League One Champions West Wallsend SFC this weekend.
The match, a first in a two-leg series set to kick-off this Saturday at what is famously dubbed as “Wembley” among the West Wallsend locals shapes up to be big contest for both sides before the decider between the pair of teams is set to be played under the lights at Adamstown Oval next friday night.
The victor across the two-legged series will then meet either Toronto-Awaba or Kaihbah in a one-off winner takes all tie at Jack McLaughlan Oval on Saturday, September 7 for a spot in the NPLM NNSW competition in 2025.
It was a tough season in 2024 for Adamstown Rosebud, only accumulating nine points across the season racking up two wins and three draws alongside 17 losses and the most goals conceded. However, the nine points picked-up across the 22-game campaign was enough to finish five more ahead of automatically relegated Lake Macquarie.
The form as well for Rosebud’s paints a bleak picture, winless in their last nine games and also being defeated in seven straight matches and failing to score in six of the most recent times they have stepped foot onto the pitch.
Adamstown Rosebud FC current head-coach, Chris Moylan stated that the loss of Dino Fajkovic through suspension and Zac Griffin through injury hampered their run home but both are fit and ready to go this weekend.
The Green and White are expecting a tough outing against Westy this weekend with Moylan expecting a “difficult” match to unfold.
““We’re quietly confident as difficult as it is going to Westy,” Moylan said (via NNSWF)
“I’ve been out there a few times and it’s a challenging place to go and play football.
“Our boys will be up for it and they’ll know what to expect.
Despite a massive clash looming for Adamstown, Moylan stressed the fact this series is decided over two-legs.
“It’s a two-legged event. You can’t win them in the first leg but you can certainly lose them. You have to go into the game with that mindset.
“We know a little bit about West Wallsend and we think we know what to expect from them and to be honest, I think we’ll be ready.
For West Wallsend, the Bluebells come into the 2024 NPL Promotion and Relegation Playoff finals following a disappointing season according to head-coach Bailey Cox.
““I feel like we should have placed higher this year. We lost only one game more than we did last year when we came second, but we had a lot of draws in games we should have won,” Cox said.
Last season, West Wallsend claimed the status of 2023 NL1 Champions after defeating South Cardiff FC in a penalty shoot-out on grand final day at Johnston Park thanks to heroics from goalkeeper Blake Redman.
This year, the team from out West registered 11 wins, five draws and eight losses to finish fourth out of nine-teams with 38 points picked up which Bailey Cox described as the most injury affected season he has seen.
“It’s the most injury-ridden year I’ve ever had though. I was making six changes one week and five the next; going from line-up to line-up.
“We had a good run midway through the year and that was when I finally was able to only make one or two changes a week.
Despite a not up-to-standard campaign for the Bluebells coach, he is eager to fight it out against Adamstown this weekend.
““We’re super pumped for this weekend. Promotion has been the goal all year. We weren’t worried about coming first or where we finished in the top four; it was just about getting promoted this year.
“I haven’t seen too much of Adamstown, but from what I have seen and heard they are pretty fit, pretty aggressive, and they’ll go for the full 90 minutes and keep digging in. I’m expecting it to be a physical game.
“I know they finished second-last in the NPL, but they’ll be better than most of the teams in our comp.”
Cox also expects a vocal local crowd to pay a very-heavy part in this weekend’s clash against the Rosebud’s, which could help the team in blue take an advantage into the second-leg next Friday.
“A packed out Wembley is something else, you can’t really get a feel for what it’s like til the whistle goes. I’m hoping for a cracker day and entertaining clash for the fans,” Cox stated.
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