FOOTBALL
IT HAS been a big couple of weeks for Hawkesbury City boss Dean Bertenshaw.
The first grade coach, who has returned to the club in 2015, saw the Hawks host NPL 1 champions Blacktown City in a pre-season friendly late last month followed by the draw for the preliminary rounds of the FFA Cup.
Hawkesbury City will host Gladesville Hornsby Football Association club West Ryde Rovers in round three in mid-March and a win would set up an exciting fourth round clash with NPL 2 promotion hopefuls St George.
Bertenshaw said the club would be totally committed to the FFA Cup.
“We’re taking it 100 per cent seriously,” he said.
“You love to be in the cup and it would be really good for the area if we could progress.
“We don’t know much about the opposition but we’ll be putting our best team on the park as well as giving some of our younger players a chance to step up.”
Bertenshaw returned to the Hawks after helping guide Blacktown City to the NPL 1 title last season.
He said he was pleased with what he saw from his players in their 3-0 defeat to his former team.
“It was difficult for us,” he said.
“That was our first game which made it very tough whereas the Blacktown boys, other than being a very good side anyway, they’ve been back since November.
“They were far more advanced than us but we expected that.
“We knew as well that we’re seven weeks out from our first game of the season so we rotated a lot of players which was good.”
Bertenshaw said hosting a club of Blacktown’s pedigree was a sign of Hawkesbury’s development.
“It was a really good night actually,” he said.
“The grand stand and the hills were full. There were people everywhere.
“To have Blacktown’s first grade team come out and play us that would never have happened before so it was pretty special.”
The Hawks squad for the new campaign is all but finalised and includes new signings Ben Gough and Jason Browne.
“We’re pretty much done, we’ve only bought two new players so we’ve got a very settled squad,” Bertenshaw said.
“Ben is a three-time Australian schoolboy and with Jason they’re both ex-high level players from the Penrith area.”
Hawkesbury City starts their Football NSW State League 1 campaign on March 28 when they host Western NSW Mariners.
