After taking a week off with the bye, Wangaratta City FC’s reserve women’s squad will return to the turf at South Wangaratta this weekend in a mouth-watering clash between the top two teams in the competition.

The ladder leading Lady Devils host second-placed Cobram Roar this Sunday 24 May at South Wangaratta in what’s shaping up as the match of the season.

Wangaratta is one of the form teams in the competition, with three wins and a draw from the last four starts, but the Roar aren’t to be dismissed.

The Roar may have lost two matches so far this year, but on offence and defence, they’re essentially matching the Lady Devils, with identical goals conceded (four) and having scored just one fewer goal (21 vs 20).

Division two women’s coach Kristy Mellor said they were eager to recommence their season against a quality foe.

“The bye was nice last week but we are looking to regroup, refocus and train hard for the game this weekend,” she said.

“I've approached every game this year as a challenge, each team is an unknown to me so starting strong has been important every game.

“Cobram has been strong in division two for a number of years, they will be experienced players.

“We will look to our more experienced players and leadership group to take the initiative and provide support and guidance to the younger players this weekend.

“The players to watch for this Sunday will be Mel Tanti in goals, Matilda Cavicchiolo in defence, Kat Carmody in the midfield and Bronte Robinson in attack - if these players are in form we should have a good game.”

Meanwhile, the senior men’s side will look to bounce back after a disappointing derby performance when they host Cobram from 3pm.

With just two points separating fourth-placed Cobram from the seventh-placed Devils, this match has major ramifications for how the rest of the league looks.

Senior coach Vitaly Leschen said the younger players in the squad have improved not only with their skills, but their mental approach to the game.

“The core of young boys, all of them have stepped up this year, both in terms of quality but also shifting the mentality from playing seniors at a young age to wanting to influence results in seniors,” he said.

“Energy is still good, we move onto the next job and that is getting a result against Cobram.

“The league this year is incredibly close - one thing I said to the boys was I don’t think we have played a team we can’t beat on our day.

“Cobram are quality, they have just played the top team recently.

“It will be a tough game but at our home deck for the first time in a few weeks, we need to win.”