The Newcastle Jets take on recently crowned NPL Victoria premiers Avondale FC this Sunday, with a place in the Australia Cup final on the line.
Under new head coach Mark Milligan, the Jets have defeated Adelaide United 2-1, Cooks Hill United 5-0, and Macarthur FC 3-0 on their way to the semi-final against Avondale FC.
On the other hand, Avondale started their Australia Cup run back in April in the qualifying rounds, defeating Westgate 4-1, Altona City 2-0, Manningham United Blues 5-0 and Dandenong Thunder 2-0. From there, they took on Stirling Macedonia in the Round of 32, beating them 5-1. They then defeated APIA Leichhardt 3-1 in the Round of 16, before going on to demolish Brisbane City 6-2 in the quarter-finals.
Avondale have several players that may be recognised by avid watchers of the A-League. George Ott, a New Zealand U23 international and former Wellington Phoenix player, has 6 goals in 12 games for Avondale. Stefan Zinni, formerly of Western Sydney and Melbourne City, has been a consistent threat for Avondale over the years, having played over 100 games whilst scoring more than 30 goals since joining them in 2018.
Avondale were recently crowned premier of the NPL Victoria, beating out fellow Australia Cup semi-finalists Heidelberg United by four points. Manyluak Aguek led the team in scoring with 13 goals in 26 games. As a team, they led the NPL Victoria in scoring with 66 goals, whilst their 27 conceded was the second best defensive record in the competition.
The game will be shown exclusively on Paramount+, with kickoff set to be 3pm on Sunday, 31st of August. The game will be hosted at Avondale’s home ground, Avenger Park.
