Wollongong United, Coniston to battle for Frat Cup trophy

Coach Oli Vrtkovski - who has been in charge for two of those wins - will look to add more silverware to the trophy cabinet on Sunday when they contest the 2020 final.

Standing in their way at Memorial Park are Coniston, who are coached by a man familiar to Vrtkovski, Jeff Allport. Allport led United to the Frat Cup title in 2018.

Both sides have both kept a clean sheet during this year's pre-season, a fact that hasn't been lost on Vrtkovski.

"Against some quality opposition like Corrimal and Olympic, to not concede is a fantastic result for us and that's where our strength has been," Vrtkosvki said.

"We will look to consolidate the same again this Sunday because we're pretty dangerous in attack but our defensive structure has been really good this pre-season.

"Coniston scramble really well in defence and that's credit to Jeff Allport, he's a seasoned coach who knows what to do with the personnel that he's got. Again they're going to be hard to break down.

"I've watched moments of them this year and they do like to get numbers behind the ball. They do like to break down their opposition and then counter attack. It's going to be different, that's for sure."

See more: Coniston aim to cap 'Cinderella story' in Cup final

Vrtkovski said United's recent record showed they took the Cup seriously.

"That's testament to us giving it the respect it deserves," the coach said.

"Some other clubs might not take it as seriously. But it's the first piece of silverware on offer and if it's there for the taking, why not?

"A key for us is to allow our boys to express themselves and essentially try not concede again."

Coniston was re-elevated to the Illawarra Premier League in 2019, finishing ninth. In 2020, the side has proven the surprise packet in the Fraternity Cup.

"The boys have done really well. There's no expectation really," Allport said.

"I don't think anyone in the soccer community expected us to get here and now that we have, we'll go out there and give it everything we've got. We know that we finished ninth last year, we want to do better than that.

"But we're not setting ourselves any other targets past that. We just want to do our best and keep improving, week on week."

While excited to reach the decider, Allport knows that United will provide a "massive test" on Sunday.

"They're a very experienced club, especially at this time of year," he said.

"You look at their bench, even players that aren't suited up could walk into other Premier League teams."

On Sunday, Allport said Coniston needed to play to their biggest strength: pace.

"We're a threat going forward and we have been in every game. I want that to continue as the season is going," he said.

"It's hard to single out any players because there's no egos or superstars in the squad. They all just work for each other."

Tarrawanna and Wollongong Olympic will also meet in the Frat Cup's third place play-off this Sunday.

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