STRUGGLING Taree Wildcats will need points from all the final five Football Mid North Coast Premier League clashes this season to make the playoffs.
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A loss to Kempsey Saints last week leaves the Wildcats three points off fifth placed Kempsey and Camden Haven. The Wildcats play Camden Haven tomorrow at Omaru.
They meet last placed Wauchope next weekend and captain-coach Jordan Howard admits they'll then need to get some points out of games against leading clubs Port United and Wallis Lake to secure a top five berth.
Howard agreed this isn't an ideal situation. He said a loss to Camden Haven in the first round, when the Wildcats were down on numbers, has contributed to the problem.
Taree will be without veteran Justin Atkins tomorrow after he sustained a hamstring injury against Saints. However, Tom Griffen is expected to return.
"That'll mean we shouldn't have to make any reshuffle,'' Howard said.
Howard said the Redbacks, like the Wildcats, have struggled with consistency this season.
"This usually comes down to the players who are available, it's a problem all the clubs towards the lower end of the table have. It comes down to depth,'' he said.
The Wildcats have been formidable at Omaru Park in the last couple of seasons, but Howard agreed this hasn't really been the case this season.
"We've been really disappointing in the last three games at home,'' he said.
Challacombe challenge
OLD Bar will defend the Bryson Challacombe Shield in the annual clash with Taree Wildcats in Football Mid North Coast southern junior and senior matches at Omaru Park tomorrow.
The clubs have contested the shield since 2013 and it is played in memory of Bryson, who played with Taree and Old Bar. Bryson died in 2012 from a rare form of cancer.
Taree Soccer Club president Ben Sedlen said all competitive junior matches between Taree and Old Bar along with the Football Mid North Coast Southern League game featuring the Wildcats and the Barbarians will count towards the overall pointscore.
"We'll have games going from 9am,'' Mr Sedlen said.
The clubs will also be raising funds for Redkite, an organisation that helps families impacted by cancer. A function will be held tomorrow night at Club West to assist the cause.