![Wollongong Wolves coach David Carney said he believed his team could make a charge for the top four in the NPL NSW competition. Picture by Anna Warr Wollongong Wolves coach David Carney said he believed his team could make a charge for the top four in the NPL NSW competition. Picture by Anna Warr](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/181794477/b0b264da-eda1-4117-a01f-4027de0fd2d0.jpg/r0_307_6000_3694_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
What was only recently a pipe dream is now a real reality for Wollongong Wolves as David Carney's side looks to extend its five match unbeaten run.
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The Wolves' most recent win was a 2-0 triumph away against Hills United in the National Premier League NSW Men's competition. The victory extended their unbeaten run to five games, with four wins and a draw in that time.
In some ways their upcoming game away to the Wanderers Academy on Saturday, June 29 is a full circle moment for the Wolves. The side could have gone top of the league with a win against the same opposition back in round seven. It wasn't to be as WSW won 2-0 at WIN Stadium.
That loss sparked a downward trend of results for Carney's men, winning just two of nine league games following the Wanderers loss.
How quickly things turn in football, with the then in-form Wanderers leading the league by some margin, before having a barren run of their own to see them now fifth on the ladder, four points in front of the Wolves in the finals spots.
Carney said his team were not about to let such a big game slip again like they did back in March.
"We had the chance to beat them in the first round to go top of the league and we let that slip," Carney said.
"So now it's a chance to go a step closer towards the top four. I think we can make the top four. So we can't let that slip. We've got four wins and a draw out of the last five. The performances have been good and everyone's played their part. It's been a team effort.
"We've got a real belief that we can get in the finals."
Confidence is key
The Wanderers have lost a couple of their A-League products in recent weeks due to the professional league's off-season, which has seen the side slide down the ladder.
WSW has lost four in a row and seems to be low on confidence, which is something the Wolves coach said he hoped could be exploited.
"Confidence is a big thing in football but it can easily turn," Carney said.
"Sometimes when you're lacking in confidence, all it takes is that one game to get it back. I'm sure they'll be looking at that and I'm sure some of their players have been through it before. Even though they're young players, they're a big club in Australia.
"This is the stuff they need to handle if they want to go to the next level. For us, we've just got to continue what we're doing."
Kickoff for the match on Saturday is 3pm. The fixture will be streamed on Football NSW's YouTube channel.