The former Sydney FC championship winner and now Wolves coach was once a Cove hero. Carney said he was expecting a similar atmosphere from last year's fixture when the two sides go up against each other at WIN Stadium on Sunday, April 21.

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When the sky blues academy team travelled to Wollongong in 2023, the Wolves put on a masterclass, winning 6-2.

Whilst the Wolves active supporter base 'The Wolfden' is always in fine voice, on that particular day, The Cove were on point, chanting and cheering their team on for the full 90 minutes.

After a sensational start to the season which saw the Wolves top of the National Premier League NSW Men's table at one point, a lean month has followed.

Three losses in their last four have seen Carney's team fall drastically down the table. However there was a positive in the team's last game, that being that they fought back from two goals down to record a 2-2 draw away to St George FC.

Heading into the clash against Sydney FC, coach Carney said that he expected his team to once again thrive off a big crowd.

"I've actually mentioned that in the team talk, regarding the performance of last year," Carney said.

"I think if all fans are there it makes the atmosphere better and playing at WIN Stadium is great, especially with that added bit of atmosphere to go with it. It makes a big difference, so it would be great to get that support down there.

"We're going quite well this year. They're not as prominent as last year, but still you can't take these things lightly. You've got to go out there and if we play like we did in the second half against St George, I think we should get the win."

Carney added that his team weren't anywhere near panic stations yet despite the team's last win in the league coming against Hills United on March 15.

"We started off great," he said.

"But even the performances over the last few weeks. If anyone's been watching, they can see they have been great. We played on top of APIA, were were up against Olympic and were all over them but conceded late goals.

"I don't think this season we've ever been beaten on stats. All out stats show that we've been on top of the teams and had most shots, most corners, and most shots on target. So for that reason, I'm still confident we'll have a good season.

"For me, it's a lot of positives."

The Wolves take on Sydney FC at WIN Stadium this Sunday at 3pm. The U20s fixture kicks-off at 1pm.