Magpies coach Mick Bolch said three wins from next four games is the goal

The straight-shooting Magpies coach was speaking in the lead-up to Sunday's first home game of the reduced season for the premiers against Lake Macquarie City - a match which has suddenly taken on huge importance.

It comes on the back of a disappointing 4-1 loss to fellow heavyweights Edgeworth last weekend, which showed that after the disrupted start to the season, the Magpies have a lot of work to do.

"Look, firstly the 4-1 result wasn't a fair indication of last week's match," Bolch said.

"But in a shorter season like this one, you can't afford to drop many games .. two, maybe three at most. We've already dropped one.

"The circumstances are so unusual this season that going into the game it was hard to gauge where you're at. But one of the things that was obvious last week was that we were behind Edgeworth in our fitness - not major, we'll be right in another two games, but it was a bit of a wake up call."

Related content:

Comerford injured as Maitland lose 4-1 to Edgeworth

While Lake Macquarie wouldn't normally be seen as a major threat, their form in the opening round against the powerful Lambton Jaffas was impressive, only going down 1-0 to a late goal.

So where does Bolch need to see improvement?

Not surprisingly, on the back of four goals, he points immediately to his defence.

"Three of the four goals were from schoolboy errors," he said. "It was the worst defensive performance we've put in since I've been at the club.

"But these are the same back four that won us the title last season, so it was very much out of character. I don't think you'll see those same mistakes again."

On the positive side, new recruit and star striker Braedyn Crowley opened his account with a goal - always a good thing for a striker at a new club - and hit the post on another occasion.

"I thought the attack wasn't quite as smooth as I'd like, but it was the first time they've played together in a competition match so that's to be expected," Bolch said.

"Braedyn also brought out a couple of good saves from the keeper, so he could probably have scored a hat trick.

"On another day we could have been two goals up and it would have been a different match, but we just didn't quite get the execution right in the front third.

"I think the form of Jimmy Thompson was a highlight for us. He played some terrific balls for Joel Wood and Braedyn."

The loss of forward Matt Comerford to a hamstring injury compounded a bad day for the Magpies against Edgeworth.

"It means Sean Pratt will see some action and we're looking for him to make an impact."

Do you know you can subscribe to get full access to all Maitland Mercury stories? Subscribing supports us in our local news coverage. To subscribe, click here.