The FFA Cup fourth round saw several Illawarra sides punch their ticket to the next stage of the competition including Community League side Coledale Waves and Illawarra Premier League leaders Tarrawanna Blueys, but also saw the end of the line for State League side South Coast Flame and Community League’s Gerringong Breakers.

Match 73 – Tarrawanna Blueys vs Rydalmere Lions FC

@ Cawley Park, 7:30pm Wednesday 10 April

Tarrawanna Blueys took one step closer to repeating last year’s magical run, taking out NPL 2 side Rydalmere Lions in a 4-2 victory at Cawley Park.

A 5^th minute Jake Morlando goal got things underway for the Blueys before a Rydalmere own goal put the side two goals up. Dalibor Malesevic pulled a goal back for the Lions before the half-time break before pulling Rydalmere level in the 52^nd minute, but a goal to Sam Munro three minutes later restored the Blueys lead and a 70^th minute strike from Yusuke Maruyama ensured that Tarrawanna’s name would be in the hat for the next round.

Match 77 – Dulwich Hill FC vs Wollongong Olympic FC

@ Valentine Sports Park, 7:45pm Wednesday 17 April

Wollongong Olympic closed out the fourth round in dramatic fashion, going down 5-3 on penalties after a 2-2 draw to NPL 3 side Dulwich Hill at Valentine Sports Park.

Dulwich Hill found themselves two goals up with twenty minutes remaining before Olympic pulled a goal back before levelling the scores in the final moments of stoppage time. A tense period of extra-time followed before penalties, where a lone save from Dulwich Hill’s Alex Gornall was enough to send Olympic out of the FFA Cup.

Match 87 – Western NSW Mariners FC vs University of Wollongong FC

@ Proctor Park, 7pm Wednesday 10 April

District League side University of Wollongong FC were due to play NPL 3 side Western NSW Mariners at Proctor Park in Bathurst, but the Students instead opted to pull-out of the fixture.

A statement released by the club stated that “the 8hr round road trip mid-week was a tough task with students/workers losing 1.5 days from their schedule, and with only short notice that we were to be at Bathurst,” and that “the backlog of NPL3 fixtures for the Mariners has made it extremely difficult to find a more appropriate date. Even moving the game back 8 days was not considered due to WNSW Mariners Easter catch up games.”

Match 90 – Woonona FC vs GHFA Spirit FC

@ Ian McLennan Park, 7:30pm Wednesday 10 April

Woonona Sharks booked their spot in the next round in impressive fashion, knocking out the at-the-time NPL 2 leaders GFHA Spirit FC with a 3-1 win at Ian McLennan Park.

Woonona opened the scoring in the 11^th minute through Corey Haines-Grose in what was the only goal of the opening half. Corey Haines-Grose added his second of the match in the 48^th minute before sub Ryan Sutcliffe nabbed a goal to give the Sharks a three-goal lead. A 67^th minute consolation goal was all that GFHA Spirit got from the match, with Woonona progressing to the fifth round.

Match 92 – Kemps Creek United SC vs Wollongong United

@ Bill Anderson Reserve, 7:30pm Wednesday 10 April

Wollongong United made light work of Southern Districts SFA side Kemps Creek United at Bill Anderson Reserve, running out 4-1 victors.

Wollongong United took a 1-0 lead going into the half-time break before extending their lead out to four midway through the second half, with a late consolation goal for Kemps Creek the only sour note for the travelling Wollongong United supporters.

Match 93 – Western Condors vs South Coast Flame

@ Chopin Park, 7:30pm Thursday 11 April

State League side South Coast Flame have been eliminated from the FFA Cup, losing a two-goal lead over fellow State League side Western Condors to fall to a 3-2 defeat at Chopin Park.

A great first-half for the Flame saw Hiroaki Ushijima and Seiya Oba find the back of the net but a horror second half saw the Flame dumped out of the cup, with Josh Obeng and Christian Martinez netting to level the scores before an 86^th minute strike from David Muller secured the match for the Condors.

Match 94 – Coledale Waves vs Manly Allambie United FC

@ Ian McLennan Park, 8:30pm Tuesday 9 April

Coledale Waves continued their cup run in dramatic fashion, eking out a 1-0 victory over Manly Warringah FA side Manly Allambie United at Ian McLennan Park.

A goal to substitute Duane Byrnes was enough to separate the two sides, with Coledale moving on while becoming the first Community League side to make the fifth round of the competition.

Match 98 – Gerringong Breakers FC vs Sutherland Sharks FC

@ Ian McLennan Park, 8:30pm Tuesday 16 April

Community League side Gerringong Breakers had a tough match against NPL side Sutherland Sharks at Ian McLennan Park, with the Sharks progressing thanks to a 9-0 victory over the Breakers.

The Sharks were too strong for the Breakers, opening up a five-goal lead before the half-time break before adding four more in the second period of play to end the Breakers’ run for 2019.

Match 99 – Coniston FC vs West Ryde Rovers SC

@ JJ Kelly Park, 7:30pm Wednesday 10 April

Coniston progressed to the fifth round in style, running out convincing 6-0 winners over Gladesville Hornsby FA side West Ryde Rovers at JJ Kelly Park.

Coniston grabbed the lead early and never let go in the match, with a strong second-half performance helping run up the score and see the side through to the next stage of qualifying.

Match 104 – Sydney CBD vs Bulli FC

@ Heffron Field, 7pm Tuesday 9 April

Bulli punched their ticket to the next round thanks to a slim 1-0 victory against Eastern Suburbs FA Championship side Sydney CBD FC at Heffron Field in Matraville.

It will be the fourth successive season Bulli has progressed to the fifth round of FFA Cup Qualifying and with the national draw only two matches away, the side will be looking to see how much further their run extends.

With seven Illawarra sides progressing to the fifth round, the fifth round looks to be a tough draw for many sides, with many Illawarra Premier League sides coming up against top-drawer opposition as their FFA Cup campaign continues.

Match 105 – Bulli FC vs Bonnyrigg White Eagles FC

@ TBA

Bulli will be hoping to make it one step further this season as they host NPL 2 side Bonyrigg White Eagles. The side has seen their Illawarra Premier League title defence suffer a few slip-ups in-between FFA Cup matches with a 1-0 defeat to Fernhill and a 3-0 loss to Tarrawanna meaning the side are currently on a two-match winless streak.

Bonnyrigg meanwhile have struggled to pick up winning results in the past few rounds outside of their 7-0 thumping of Sutherland Shire FA side Cronulla Seagulls FC in the fourth round, but the mid-table side will still prove a challenge for Matt Bailey’s side and the match could go either way.

Match 110 – Sydney United 58 FC vs Woonona FC

@ Sydney United Sports Centre, 7:30pm Wednesday 1 May

A tough draw for Woonona sees the Sharks travel up to Sydney to face last season’s NPL 1 bronze medalists Sydney United 58. While the Sharks have been inconsistent in their recent Illawarra Premier League matchups - drawing 2-2 with Wollongong Olympic on Sunday and losing out 3-0 at home to Wollongong United in the past two rounds – Woonona will be hoping to continue their FFA Cup campaign with a positive result over Sydney United 58.

Meanwhile Sydney United 58 have not had the strongest start to their NPL season, with the side sitting in 8th after a 5-0 loss to Marconi Stallions on April 13 but a 1-0 win against NPL 3 leaders Gladesville Ryde Magic in the fourth round will give them confidence to progress.

Match 113 – Rockdale City Suns FC vs Wollongong United

@ TBA

The return of the Macedonian Derby will no doubt thrill Wollongong United fans as they travel to NPL 1 side Rockdale City Suns in what is shaping up to be an interesting match. A pair of recent Illawarra Premier League wins over Woonona and South Coast United will give confidence to Wollongong United as they seek to push past Rockdale and book their spot in the next round.

Rockdale have had a rough start to their NPL season, parting company with coach Paul Reid after their fifth match of the season. But the side has recovered in the two weeks since Reid’s departure, moving up to 6th on the NPL 1 ladder and beating NPL 2 side St George City FA 3-0 in the fourth round to book a date with Wollongong United.

Match 116 – Dulwich Hill FC vs Tarrawanna Blueys

@ TBA

Tarrawanna will be hoping the mirror their 2018 run to the final round of FFA Cup Qualifying when they travel to face NPL 3 side Dulwich Hill. Despite losing their undefeated start to the season on Friday with a 3-0 defeat to Port Kembla, the Blueys remain on top of the Illawarra Premier League and will be fancying their chances.

But their opponents in Dulwich Hill have already tasted victory over an IPL side, downing Wollongong Olympic on penalties to book their spot in the fifth round and with the side sitting in 4th on the NPL 3 ladder, Dulwich Hill will be no pushover for Tarrawanna.

Match 120 – Coledale Waves FC vs Wollongong Wolves FC

@ Ian McLennan Park, 7:30pm Wednesday 1 May

Coledale Waves secured a dream fixture and the only all-Illawarra match of the round when the side was drawn against NPL 1 leaders Wollongong Wolves. The Waves made history by becoming the first Community League side to progress to the fifth round and while the side currently sits in 3rd in the Community League after a 4-4 draw with Balgownie Rangers, they will be hoping to continue their fairytale run against the Wolves.

Meanwhile the Wolves remain undefeated under coach Luke Wilkshire, sitting three points clear at the top of the NPL 1 ladder after the side defeated Hakoah Sydney City East FC 2-0 on Sunday. The Wolves struggled to get over NPL 3 side Dunbar Rovers in the fourth round, requiring a stoppage time winner from Taylor McDonald to sneak away with a 2-1 win but the Wolves will fancy their chances against Coledale in what promises to be an exciting matchup.

Match 124 – Manly United FC vs Coniston FC

@ Cromer Park, 8pm Wednesday 24 April

Coniston have a tough challenge to face as they travel to Cromer Park to take on NPL 1 side Manly United. The Illawarra Premier League side has been struggling to grab points in the league – currently sitting in 10^th place – but a 2-2 draw against Corrimal Rangers on Saturday is an encouraging sign for the newly promoted side.

Manly on the other hand have been struggling to see through their matches, picking up four draws in their opening seven matches of their NPL 1 campaign – including a 2-2 draw against last season’s champions Sydney Olympic on Friday - to sit in fifth. Manly booked their spot in the fifth round thanks to a 7-0 thumping of Nepean FA side Blue Mountains FC and will be hoping to continue their cup run with a win over Coniston.

Review/Preview by Cal Behrendt, on Twitter @CalBehrendt