Match of the Round
Toronto Awaba FC 1-3 West Wallsend SFC
West Wallsend made a serious statement on Sunday when they scored a 3-1 victory away from home against ladder leaders Toronto Awaba FC in the Match of the Round at Lyall Peacock Field.
The third-placed Bluebells are now level on 31 points reducing the gap between themselves and the Stags to seven points.
This year’s grand final will be played at Johnston Park in West Wallsend, and Bailey Cox’s men are determined to be a part of it in front of a home crowd.
Westy showed that they belong on the big stage when they beat Toronto Awaba for the second time this season on Sunday.
The visitors scored two goals in two minutes late in the first half, both of which came from set pieces.
The first goal was an own goal that brushed the head of Toronto Awaba’s Bailey Snowden following a West Wallsend throw in. Striker Kane Goodchild scored the second after pulling the ball down just outside the 18-yard box following a West Wallsend free kick and then turning and hitting it sweetly into the back of the net.
The Stags pulled one back in injury time of the first half after Nick Roberts was fouled in the box to earn his side a penalty, which Jarrod Purcell struck into the back of the net.
West Wallsend were able to extend their lead to 3-1 midway through the second stanza when Goodchild won his side a penalty and converted it himself.
Cox was proud of his team for putting in as much effort as they could from start to finish.
“Toronto started well. They are a good side,” Cox said.
“They were on top early and it took us a bit to figure it out. They had a good chance too, early on, and Reddo (West Wallsend goalkeeper Blake Redman) pulled off a pretty good save. After that we got our foot in the game, and our first goal really lifted us.
“We held them pretty well and they couldn’t really break us down. Our press was pretty good.
“It wasn’t our best game as in playing-wise, but effort-wise, we put together a full 90. Every bloke on the field gave 110 per cent for a full 90 minutes.
“I can’t fault the boys and I couldn’t be prouder of them.”
Toronto Awaba coach Jarrad Hiles spoke highly of the Bluebells after the match and thought his side played well early on.
“It was a good game. They’re a good team, the best team we’ve played all year,” Hiles said.
“They’re physical, fast and well-drilled with good structure.
“The first 20 to 25 minutes, we were good. We started pretty brightly I thought. We created opportunities and got out wide but the final pass let us down.
“The ball movement was good and our movement off the ball was great.
“But credit to them, they were the better team on the day and they’ll be there at the business end of the year.”
Hiles’ players were stinging after the loss and want to make amends this weekend when they challenge Cessnock City Hornets away from home at Turner Park on Sunday.
West Wallsend also play on Sunday when they face another tough away test as they travel to Kahibah Oval to take on the fourth-placed Kahibah.
Thornton FC 3-2 South Cardiff FC
It was Friday night fever at Thornton Park for a second week in a row as the Redbacks defeated South Cardiff FC 3-2 to kick off the round.
The Redbacks have jumped off the bottom of the table and straight into finals contentions after securing another victory.
Diego Cerda opened the scoring for Thornton in the 11th minute but the Gunners equalised in the 22nd when Brendon King hit the back of the net.
Pat Wand restored Thornton’s lead in the 38th minute when the central midfielder scored his second goal in three games to send the home side into the break ahead 2-1.
South Cardiff equalised late in the game when Vincent Asembo found the back of the net in the 78th minute.
But the Redbacks earned all three points when Jacob Tudball scored the winner in the 86th minute, just 12 minutes after he had entered the match off the bench.
The win was Thornton’s second in a row and with the side picking up seven points in their last three matches, which has elevated them off the bottom of the ladder and into fifth place.
The Redbacks are now on 19 points. All four sides below them sit only one point away, making the race for the finals tighter than ever.
Thornton will play a third straight Friday night game at home this week when they host second-placed Singleton Strikers, and the Gunners have the Round 20 bye, so will remain outside the top five for at least another week.
Singleton Strikers FC 2-0 Cessnock City Hornets FC
Singleton Strikers returned to winning ways on Saturday when they defeated Cessnock City Hornets 2-0 at Howe Park.
The Strikers went into the match having lost back-to-back games, during which they had conceded seven goals, but they put that to bed when they rallied to keep a clean sheet.
The Strikers went ahead in the 21st minute when Jack Clare got onto the end of a Joel Barner cross and headed home the first goal of the contest.
The score remained 1-0 at the break and Jed Horder doubled the Strikers’ lead in the 73rd minute before the hosts held on to win 2-0.
The Strikers were able to get the three points without a number of regular first-grade players including Jake Barner, Joe Civello, Hayden Nichol, Lachlan Nichol, Brad Cox, Jackson Cox, Ben Henry and Marcus Morris.
Coach Mick Jarvis was pleased with the way that everyone who did play stood up and got the job done.
“The word I would use to describe us would be conservative. We were very conservative and did the small things right,” Jarvis said.
“We were down eight players and had a lot of young players step up. They did exactly what was asked of them and the older boys that were still left there guided them around well.
“It was a real grind and everyone was up for it.”
Cessnock were also without several first-grade regulars and with the loss meaning that the side finished the weekend in eighth on the table. They sit just one point outside the top five but face a tough task this Sunday when they host Toronto Awaba at Turner Park.
Singleton Strikers remains in second spot following their victory. They are level on 31 points with West Wallsend and are seven points behind league-leaders Toronto Awaba. Singleton will play in the first game of Round 20 this weekend when they travel to Thornton Park on Friday night to challenge the Redbacks.
Belmont Swansea United FC 0-0 Kahibah FC
Neither side were able to take their chances a Belmont Swansea United and Kahibah contested a 0-0 draw at Blacksmiths Oval on Saturday.
The result saw BelSwans climb from eighth place on the ladder into sixth and they are just one point outside the top five. They are the highest-ranked of four teams on 18 points that sit just below Thornton Redbacks on 19.
The defending champions had lost four of their past five games heading into the home clash against Kahibah, but their coach Mick Stafford was pleased with the performance they produced.
“It was a step in the right direction after a tough few weeks for the boys. It was good,” Stafford said.
“I was very proud of the squad’s efforts.
“They defended really well. The goal every game is to achieve a clean sheet and go from there.
“We haven’t been conceding many goals in all our losses. We’ve just got to be solid all around the park and now work on trying to find ways to put the ball in the back of the net.
“I think we had the better of the chances and we were quite unlucky at times. We played some really good composed football in the top third and that’s what we’re going to keep working on.”
Kahibah’s coach Matt Moncrieff found the game to be quite entertaining from the sideline.
“It was a cracking game actually, as far as a 0-0 game goes. Anyone who paid to get in would have been happy with what they saw,” Moncrieff said.
“I think both teams’ players just ripped in for 90 minutes. We both had chances but it was one of those games. I think for four or five years now, there’s been nothing between BelSwans and Kahibah.
“If BelSwans play like they did against us in their last seven or so rounds, I think they’ll cause other teams headaches because it’s probably the best I’ve seen them play this year.”
Both teams will play this Sunday following their 0-0 draw. BelSwans will travel to The Gardens to challenge Wallsend while Kahibah hosts West Wallsend in the Match of the Round at Kahibah Oval.
Wallsend FC had the bye.