South Coast Flame Captain Matthew White is ready to take on FC Gazy Auburn on Sunday but insists that Gazy will be up for the challenge.

South Coast suffered a nightmare 7-0 loss at the hands of the Western Condors in Round 1, however they responded to their Round 1 loss with a dramatic 2-1 win against the Fernhill Foxes in the FFA Cup during the week.

Flame showed resilience during their win against the Foxes - a trait which may become crucial by the time they take to the field at Progress Park.

South Coast and Gazy Auburn have met 3 times, with both teams winning once game a piece and the other match being a draw. The most notable of these fixtures was their encounter in Round 4 of the 2018 FFA Cup, with Gazy snatching a 2-1 win on that occasion.

Auburn finished the 2018 State League season just 3 points behind the Flame, and South Coast will be looking to extend that gap as the 2019 season moves forward.

FC Gazy Auburn are one of the clubs that are being tipped to face the axe at the end of the season, as Football NSW restructures the State League to become NSW NPL4.

Gazy have made it their business over the off-season to make sure that does not happen, and hence have made several recruitments.

These recruitments have not gone unnoticed from Flame captain Matthew White, who says that they will be a tough outfit to beat - especially on their home turf.

“Gazy have recruited well from what I’ve heard. They were unlucky last weekend, not to get the three points - from all reports”.

“They are going to come out firing, and I’m sure our boys are going to be ready” South Coast will hope to put on a better performance than they did last Saturday, and despite a much improved performance in the FFA Cup - the Flame still have a lot of work to do if they are going to compete with the big teams.

Our U/20 side will look to notch up their first win of the season against Auburn, who snatched a 1-0 win over Hurstville Zagreb FC last Sunday. Flame could have snatched a win against Western Condors last week, however the side will use their resilient second-half performance as the foundation for a good performance this weekend. In the corresponding fixture last season, Gazy defeated South Coast 4-2 before the Flame annihilated Gazy Auburn 6-1 at home later in the season.

Our U/18’s will also be looking to grab their first win of the year in Auburn, as they kick off Sunday morning. Signs of immaturity from the young group were prevalent last week against Western Condors, however the side will look to put those issues to bed this weekend.

​Article by Jarrod Pollard

Round 2: NSW State League
FC Gazy Auburn vs South Coast Flame FC
Progress Park, Auburn
U/18 Kick off - 11am
U/20 Kick off - 1pm
First Grade Kick off - 3pm