HIT106.9 Northern League One Round 17 Review: New Lambton secure third straight premiership after Bluebells hold Belswans
Match of the Round
West Wallsend SFC 0-0 Belmont Swansea United
West Wallsend recovered from back to back defeats to keep Belmont Swansea United to a goalless draw on Sunday.
It was be an even first half at Johnston Park with Belswans holding the majority of possession but the sides tallied an equal number of chances.
Belswans strikers Kane Woolston came the closest during the first half. Woolston rocketed a first-time half-volley towards goal from 10 yards out, forcing Bluebells goalkeeper Joel Magnee to pull out a brilliant save.
The second half started with Belswans domination as West Wallsend struggled to hold any form of meaningful ball possession.
But a red card to the Belswans centurion full-back Corey Wilson handed the Bluebells a needed advantage to get something out of the game. But they could not capitalise on the leverage of numbers.
Winger Cameron Lodge found himself in a perfect position to score a timely winner on the stroke of full-time but drew his shot too wide across the face of the goal with the final touch of the game.
Only one other side has managed to keep a clean sheet against Belswans this season, an achievement something West Wallsend coach Darren Sills was proud of.
"In trying conditions, I thought we did really well,” Sills said.
“It was fantastic to finally get a home game. And full credit to the club for doing everything they can to get us on there.
“Having said that, if you said to me at the beginning of the day, given our last two performances, will I be happy with a 0-0 draw? I probably would have said yes.
“But they had Corey Wilson sent off and I thought we didn't really capitalise on the fact that they were one down with about 20 to go but taking a point off them is probably okay.
“Full credit to Joel Magnee. He made a magnificent save one-on-one in the first half, from point-blank range, that kept us in the game. In the end, we fought hard but didn't quite have the killer punch.”
While Sills was happy with the improved performance, a three-game winning streak is now imperative for his side if they want any chance at making the top five and catching Toronto, Kahibah, or Singleton.
"We know we can match it with the better teams," Sills said.
"We probably needed to create a little bit more but that's the way I set them up to make sure we got something out of that game and with that, we had to be a little bit more defensive-minded to do that.
“Moving forward, we need three wins in a row to ensure semi-final football, so that will definitely change."
The draw affirms a second-place finish for Belswans which will see them play third place in the major semi-final.
Belswans coach Mick Stafford was happy with how his side performed but said the final touch toward the goal needed a major facelift before the end of the season.
"We stuck to our discipline and structure quite well,” Stafford said.
“We definitely created enough chances to win the game but it didn't fall in for us today. Westy made it tough and we'll take the clean sheet and move on to Singleton and then the semi-finals."
“Just that final touch was missing but we'll go back, work on it and look forward to some semi-final football.
"I'm super happy with the effort once we went down to 10. We didn't go into our shell and we had the better chances and any other day, they might go in and we're happy. But we'll move on."
Thornton Redbacks 1-3 New Lambton FC
New Lambton came from behind to seal the 2022 Northern League One premiership as they downed Thornton 3-1 on Saturday.
Centre-back Sam Rossi opened the scoring for the Redbacks at Thornton Park, scoring from a corner 20 minutes into the game. Thornton managed to hold onto the lead as New Lambton were unable to penetrate a side known for their defensive capabilities on their day.
But the niggles of a two-week break were quickly shaken off at half-time as the Eagles ran away with the win.
Dylan Bozinovski scored from an incredibly acute angle, wrong-footing the goalkeeper as he thought a cross would ensue.
Goals for Joel Caldwell and substitute Morgan Okeno rounded out the game for New Lambton and secured the premiership.
New Lambton coach Tom Davies was thrilled by the resilience and patience his side showed when faced with Thornton’s intimidating defence. A switch of mindset and intensity shone through during an impressive second half performance.
"The second half was really good,” Davies said.
“[We were] a little bit flat in the first half. Maybe because of having a week off or for whatever reason, we conceded a silly goal on a corner as we didn't really pick up players in the box. Then Thornton made it hard for us, got numbers behind the ball and made the field as small as they could, so credit them for that.
“We were a bit sloppy in possession. So we chatted about a few things at half-time and I wanted that reaction from the boys in the second half and it was really good to see.
“Pretty much from the start of the second half our intensity was up and turned the game around, which was good to see. We made a few changes to make sure we got the three points in the end. So it was really important to see in that context to see the reaction in the second half from the boys."
Thornton co-coach Gary Wand was delighted with the performance despite the final score. He credited his defence for holding out New Lambton as long as they did, especially during the first half.
“We probably had the better of the first half, to be honest,” Wand said.
“We were letting them have possession of the ball but we frustrated them a bit and we had a couple of reasonable chances.
"Their first goal was a good finish that wrong-footed the keeper. It was only about a metre out from the end line. But the two goals in two minutes killed us and due to our injury toll we had no fresh substitutes to bring on. We were bringing on blokes that played a full game in reserve grade.
"We did really well. If we could have had a full squad of players, we would have given them a real shake. But [now] we know that we can mix it when we have to.
"Zac Skippen and Sam Rossi did very well again but it's hard to say that when you've conceded three goals and I couldn't personally blame any of our defenders. We had a lot of hard work and the whole back six worked hard and were under the pump the whole time, particularly in the second half.
“Jayden Ziernik did really well again and kept Riley Taylor very quiet. I think he deserves a mention for that reason.”
The premiership was a fitting achievement for New Lambton, with the Eagles promoted to the NPL Men's NNSW competition next season.
Singleton Strikers 3-1 Toronto Awaba FC
Singleton Strikers have placed themselves in a good position to reach the finals after a dominant performance against Toronto Awaba, winning 3-1 on Saturday.
Toronto had the slightly better start at Civic Park putting Singleton under the pump for the first 15 minutes. But a Brad Cox goal for Singleton midway through the first half signalled a turnaround of the game flow into the Strikers' favour.
Going into the sheds Singleton coach Mick Jarvis did not want a repeat of the round eight game against Toronto, which saw them concede three goals in the second half. With that Singleton came out just as strong as they finished the first half.
Goals for captain Hayden Nicol and Jackson Cox rounded out the game and confirmed a victory for the Strikers.
Jarrod Purcell scored a consolation goal at the end for the Stags, scoring from an awkwardly positioned free kick, curling the ball past the goalkeeper.
Jarvis was in high spirits after their win, having credited a solid team effort but highlighted a few key standouts that made the difference in the end.
"We were under the pump for the first 10 to 15 minutes,” Jarvis said.
“Good energy from Toronto but there were no alarm bells. But once we got organised, we got back into our groove.
“Having Jackson Skinner back was really good. He brings a lot of composure at the back and having Marlow [Court-Kriesch] and Benny Henry on either side of him was good.
"We went into half-time knowing plenty of work [still needed] to be done considering [Toronto] put three goals on us in the second half when we played them last time. But I'm really happy with the composure and believing in the system football we're playing for the moment.
"Lachie Nicol was huge today and the Cox boys were good, [especially] Brad Cox who took them on all day and [Toronto] struggled with him on that right edge.
"Without trying to be biased, I thought we controlled the game after the first 10 minutes. We were composed and pretty clinical in what we were doing. Pass completion was really high, so I'm happy. No injuries and we're good."
Toronto assistant coach Grahame Jones said his side needed a significant improvement of form heading into the finals with the realistic potential of facing Singleton once again. This time in the elimination semi-final.
"We were not up to scratch to what we normally play,” Jones said.
“We turned over a lot of possession and I suppose you could say we didn't deserve to win the game.
"We still had chances to get back into the game even though we didn't play well. I suppose we had a field player playing in goals as we didn't have a goalkeeper today. So that made it hard.
"Matty Jenkins is a field player in reserve grade but he's got a bit of height, so we put him into goals.
"We've got to improve if we're going to beat the better teams."
Cessnock City Hornets 2-4 Kahibah FC
Kahibah came away with a defining win over Cessnock on Saturday as the Rams’ 4-2 victory pushed them into third place with a game in hand on the sides chasing below.
In an action-packed game that produced an abundance of chances at Turner Park, Kahibah had the perfect opportunity to open the game's account through Rhys Tippett. But the veteran striker’s penalty rattled the crossbar inside the opening two minutes.
The penalty miss would prove threatening for Kahibah as Cessnock took the lead 17 minutes in through striker Kyle Gillis. The Hornets almost went 2-0 up not long after, hitting the post on a second attempt at goal.
Riley Ferguson found an equaliser for Kahibah five minutes later, with Jamie Hadlow and Jasper Sambrook also scoring on the brink of half-time, giving Kahibah a comfortable 3-1 lead.
Cessnock captain Blake Roy, who was presented with a man-of-the-match medal by former Socceroos captain and Cessnock old boy Kevin O’Neill, gave his side a realistic chance to get back into the game, bringing the score back to a one-goal difference in the 61st minute.
But Asher Beasley broke the hearts of all the old boy attendees at Turner Park, sealing a 4-2 win with 10 minutes to go.
Cessnock coach Brad Miles put the difference down to experience during the heated game.
"It was a bit scrappy actually. It was end to end and quite windy and physical,” Miles said.
“We scored the first goal and we hit the post just after that, which would have been nice to go 2-0 up. But anyway, they clawed their way back.
“A lot of cards in the game as usual on old boys’ day. We missed Zac Kronholm in the middle of the park. He was a big out for us. There is not much else to say, they were just too good for us.
“[Kahibah] had a couple of older heads that settled their team down. They had [Robbie] Turnbull and Tippett up front, so they've been there and done that before and I think that was the difference.
"We’ve got one game to go and try to finish on a positive note against New Lambton. It'll be hard but we've got to turn up. We just weren't quite there [against Kahibah]."
Kahibah coach Mat Moncrieff noted it felt like a cruisy win for his side but credited the development Cessnock have made footballing-wise over the last year.
"It was pretty comfortable for us,” Moncrieff said.
“But they go quite well, Cessnock. They've come a long way in 12 months, to be honest. But it was probably the best team I've had all year and it was pretty comfortable as much as it gets fired up there at [Cessnock’s] old boys’ day.”
"We got bashed a little bit. There are a few boys walking wounded, so I don't know how that works out for Tuesday against Westy but we'll have to see what bodies we've got.
“Riley Ferguson probably had his best game of the year and Brendon Robertson had a really good match. But we didn't have a bad player on the pitch.
"I'm happy to get out of there with three points."
Wallsend FC 6-1 South Cardiff FC
Wallsend stunned not only South Cardiff but the rest of the league with the equal-biggest win of the competition this season, beating South Cardiff 6-1 to retain the Gallagher Shield on Sunday.
It was a quiet game at The Gardens until the 35th minute when Matthew Williams scored the opener for Wallsend. Brad York followed suit soon after, scoring his third goal in three games.
Wallsend started the second half the same way they finished, with Williams netting his second.
Pocho Barrera then scored a brace and confirmed the win for Wallsend, being 5-0 up with 15 minutes to go.
But the moment of the game was when the Red Devils subbed on goalkeeper Luke Jennings for a stint up front.
Jennings won a penalty not long after being substituted on. Given the score, Jennings was given the nod by coach Mick Gatt to take the spot kick. Jennings slotted it past the goalkeeper but a tremendous celebration was short-lived as he was then substituted off, having played his part in the victory.
Jack Diebold scored a consolation, ending the bizarre game 6-1.
Wallsend coach Mick Gatt was euphoric after the game, stating his side deserved a game like this and was a great base to build upon heading into next season.
"The boys were playing for the Gallagher Shield,” Gatt said.
“Reserve grade won, so they knew they had to win the game to retain the shield, so the boys gave everything they had and no different to Westy last week. They gave everything for the club and what we're building for.
"We scored goals. That's the main thing. We're building on it and the difference is that we've been able to train in the last few weeks. You saw the result against Westy and the result again today. So training makes a massive difference for these boys. They've been building on it and deserve all the glory.
"It's just the start of what we want to play next season. So these boys deserve it all, they're playing really well."
South Cardiff coach Scott Taylor said Wallsend were simply the better team on the day.
"They were lucky to catch us on the break, which they did for the goals and we were sloppy in our play. While we tried to address that and got slightly better, we got caught at the back, having a couple more men further forward,” Taylor said.
"I know we're capable of better and we've got to be better and it's up to the players to get out there, fight for everything and show we're not as bad as that.
"Had a talk at half-time and then we miss a golden opportunity two minutes into the second half. But it is what it is, no good sugar-coating it. They won second ball more and they wanted it more and that's disappointing from our point of view."
