The Flame have one eye firmly set on promotion as the South Coast side continues its blazing run of good form this season.
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Despite some off-field distractions - including head coach Darren Jones's sudden departure last month - the Flame have won their past five games to sit equal top of the Football NSW League Two Men's ladder after 11 rounds.
Stan Pappas, previously assistant to Jones, took the reins with the support of Jason Spencer.
And as their winning streak continues, Flame captain James Baldacchino told the Mercury his team had continued to grow in confidence.
"We're quite positive at the moment and I think the group is coming together nicely," he said.
"We're obviously understanding our roles and responsibilities, which is a key part, and we're progressing and winning games. But I still think we've got a lot of room to improve and we're taking that week by week, and we're working well with the coaches. Hopefully we can keep progressing in the league."
The Flame have accumulated 23 points and are only behind competition leaders UNSW on their for-and-against record.
And while it's still relatively early days - with the regular season running until late August - Baldacchino admitted they had started dreaming about getting promoted.
"It's our job to walk out on the pitch and win games for the club, and our main object is to be promoted - and that could take time or it could potentially happen by the end of the year," he said.
"That's in the back of our minds, but we'll just take it week by week and keep our focus solely on training week in, week out and performing as well as we can as a squad on game day."
Baldacchino, who is a former Wollongong Wolves defender, arrived at the Flame at the start of 2023 as part of a strong recruitment drive by the club. South Coast's other recruits included ex-Central Coast Mariners and Sydney United 58 midfielder Jacob Poscoliero, and Illawarra Premier League talents Adam Voloder (Coniston), Jacob Gjorsevski (Tarrawanna) and Seiya Miyamoto (Bulli).
Baldachinno said he was drawn to the Flame because he thought he could play a role in the team tasting success.
"My main focus for the club is to get promoted. I see it as another pathway for these young kids that want to still succeed and play football at a higher level," he said. "That's part of a reason why I wanted to come on board and work closely with the club. I want to do the best I can to help the club succeed.
"It (promotion) is our main objective this year, but things can change. If we can all stay fit and healthy, then it could be anything. It's a long season, 30 games, and in the NPL there's usually only 22 matches, so that's another change that we've got to adapt to.
"We have to focus on our squad as a whole, it's going to take a collective 20-man squad that needs to chip in. That's the key for us, so hopefully we can keep going week by week and keep getting the results that we're getting at the moment."
The Flame will look to continue their winning momentum when they host UNSW in a top-of-the-table clash at Ian McLennan Park on Saturday. The club's under-20s boys and women's teams will also be in action.
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Joshua Bartlett
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
