The northern NSW club, which has won back-to-back premierships and grand finals in the past two years, reached the last 16 of the FFA Cup and are now eyeing an unlikely spot in the final.

The Eagles knocked off Bentleigh 3-1 in extra-time in Melbourne and now head to Perth to tackle the champions of Western Australia. Already this year they defeated Far North Queensland away from home in the FFA Cup round of 32.

“The boys are enjoying it,” Edgeworth coach Damian Zane told FourFourTwo.

“This NPL Final series is a touch weird because it’s after the grand final. For the first 20 minutes we weren’t at the races but I couldn’t fault them either.

“At half-time I gave them a bit of a stern voice and I think they realised come on, we’re in this. When they equalised it was a bit heartbreaking but you wouldn’t have thought it, I think we had more left in the tank than them.

“In extra-time we could have had a couple of more goals. It is a competition we want to do well in and now we’re sort of thinking we’re one match away from the final and then anything can happen.”

Zane is expecting another tough match game against Perth SC.

“I haven’t seen much footage, it’s hard to get so it’s hard to tell how good they are,” he said.

“But obviously they’re good because they won their comp and they demolished Devonport so it’s going to be a tough match. The boys are disciplined in training and for a semi-professional team they’re very professional in how they do things.

“We’ve just got so much depth, if someone looks like they’re struggling we can always change things. We’re quietly confident we can deal with the travel and hopefully get a positive result.”

Edgeworth’s success has been built on a number of talented young players, such as Lachlan Pasquale, Keanu Moore, Aden Gardner, Brody Taylor and Ayden Brice, along with several seasoned veterans such as ex-A-League striker Daniel McBreen.

Zane believes some of these youngsters could go on to professional football.

“Bricey I think’s unique,” he said.

“He’s tall and great in the air for a young guy. Really calm on the ball. Keanu, I thought he terrorised Bentleigh. They just didn’t have an answer for him. We’ve got a heap coming in behind them as well so the club’s in a good position.”

Zane is the cousin of former Socceroo Clayton Zane, who has just been appointed as Mark Jones’ assistant coach at the Newcastle Jets after serving time as the club’s National Youth League coach.

“He’s been doing really well and I think the youth team is a credit to that,” he said.

“I’ve watched them going around and Newcastle’s doing quite well for its population. He’s done a really good job.”

As a player Zane spent time playing in Europe, in the Romanian second division, and in the NSW State League with the likes of Rockdale and Bankstown. As a coach he has been with Edgeworth for a number of seasons after taking over the club’s youth teams.

“I thought I could change things from the top, it’s turned out alright,” Zane said.

“I’ve got a real passion for the club and I really want to see them consolidate their position in the comp. We hadn’t won anything for a while. I want to see them set up, off the park we’re doing some amazing things.

“Setting up so one day I’d like to think if there is a second division to the A-League then one day Edgeworth is looked at as one of the clubs that could go into that second division. I guess I probably do have ambitions [of coaching at a higher level] but at the moment I’m pretty happy where I am.”