Wollongong Wolves preparing to take on Sydney FC in friendly match

Ahead of the round of 32 clash, the Wolves will battle A-Leagues club Sydney FC in a friendly match on October 30 at Albert Butler Park.

The clash will mark the first time the Wollongong side has taken the field in four months, with their last result being a 1-0 defeat to Marconi. The NSW Men's NPL season was cancelled after that round 17 game, while the Wolves' Cup campaign has been delayed since July due to COVID.

But Wilkshire's side recently returned to training, with their hit-out against Sydney FC confirmed this week. The clubs are no strangers to each other, having met in several friendlies over the years, including in Wollongong in 2019.

"They're bringing down their full squad and it will basically be two, 45-minute halves, and then at the end we will play an extra 45 for our under 20s to play against their younger squad players," the coach said.

"We were looking for a game before our FFA Cup game, and why not test yourself against the best team in the country? We always go into a game where we want to win, that's in our nature and our DNA here. But it's our first game back, the boys have only been for just over two weeks at training. So first and foremost, we want to get through injury free leading into the round of 32 clash.

"It's all about getting minutes in the legs, getting that understanding of how we want to play and that connection between the players, which has been fantastic so far in training."

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The friendly is set to provide the ideal preparation one week out from their Cup clash with Mount Druitt.

Last week, the Wolves were finally given the green light to kick off their campaign, with the side travelling to Popondetta Park to face their NSW NPL rival on November 6. The teams were drawn in July to face off in a round of 32 fixture, but the contest was delayed due to the COVID situation in NSW.

Wilkshire told the Mercury last week that the Wolves were keen to unveil their new recruits in the Cup tie, with Japanese duo Banri Kanaizumi and Takumu Tsujimura, the returning Peter Simonoski and Josh Macdonald among those in the mix.

"There's a lot of excitement around the group with the new boys linking up. We've got to hit the ground running, but everyone knows what's ahead of us and what an opportunity we have," Wilkshire said.

Wolves v Sydney FC tickets can be found here.

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