Match of the Round
West Wallsend SFC 1-2 Wallsend FC
Wallsend scored a memorable derby win as they spoiled the party at Johnston Park on Sunday afternoon with a 2-1 victory during West Wallsend’s old boys day and their captain Bryson Cox’s 150th game.
The sides went into the half-time break locked at 1-1 after the two left fullbacks got on the scoresheet in the opening 45 minutes.
Wallsend’s Matt Williams opened the scoring in the 23rd minute when he backheeled a Zac Parkes shot into the back of the net.
But West Wallsend’s Wesley Pryce headed home the equaliser 10 minutes later.
Daniel Keelan entered the field as a substitute eight minutes into the second stanza and gave the visitors a boost when the striker put Wallsend in the lead in the the 70th minute.
Red Devils held on to win the game and secure a crucial three points that saw them rise off the bottom of the table and into sixth place.
Wallsend’s coach Michael Gatt said he thought his team played well and he hoped the victory would drive them towards bigger and better things during the remainder of the season.
“I’ve always had belief in the boys, just unfortunately, consistency hasn’t been our strong point this season,” Gatt said.
“But the boys have been building towards that for a while. We finally took the chances that we created. It was our day. We played pretty well and we got two chances and buried both.
“Westy had a couple of chances late too, but it was about time we got a victory over them, that’s for sure.”
Gatt added that it was a good, close game, played in front of a loud crowd that provided a good derby atmosphere.
West Wallsend’s coach Bailey Cox thought that missed opportunities cost his side the game.
“They took their chances and we didn’t take ours. I think that sums it up,” Cox said.
“We didn’t play our best but we had enough chances to win it.
“I think the occasion got to us. We were a bit nervous at the start. We were a bit better in the second half, but again, we just didn’t take our chances.
“Wallsend were pretty decent. They were a lot better than the last times we played them. They played a different formation, which surprised us a little bit.”
Cox said that despite the loss, it was still a great day at Johnston Oval in front of a packed crowd.
Wallsend’s rise to sixth on the table sees them remain three points outside the top five. Wallsend will look to build on their momentum this weekend when they travel to take on Kahibah on Sunday.
West Wallsend climbed up the table into second spot despite the loss due to goal difference. The Bluebells will be looking to bounce back from their first loss in five games on Saturday when they host Cessnock City Hornets at Johnston Park.
Singleton Strikers FC 1-3 Kahibah FC
Kahibah scored a 3-1 win away from home against Singleton at Howe Park on Saturday.
Kahibah opened the scoring in the eighth minute when Riley Ferguson found the back of the net with a header after getting onto a Matt Lee cross.
The Strikers levelled the score up at 1-1 when Hayden Nichol equalised five minutes out from the break.
Singleton went down to 10 men in the 78th minute as Eligh Hetherington was shown a second yellow card.
The visitors took advantage of the extra man as Tyson Masters put Kahibah in front in the 80th minute and then sealed the three points with his second goal of the game in injury time to make the final score 3-1.
Kahibah’s coach Mat Moncrieff was pleased with the way his men played and described their performance as a dominant one.
“We played well and we finished strong,” Moncrieff said.
“In the second half, we were pretty dominant. The wind was a fair advantage and we were against it in the second half. It died down with about in the last 15 minutes and that’s when we scored our last two goals.
“It was a pretty dominant performance and I’m happy with where we’re at.
“The red card 100 per cent helped us but I would have been disappointed if we didn’t win even if they finished with 11 men on the park.”
Moncrieff was thrilled to see Ben Higgins return to the field in first grade for the first time in three months after suffering an injury early on in the season.
Kahibah’s push for a top-two finish gained serious momentum following their win as they moved within four points of both West Wallsend and Singleton. They return home this Sunday when they host fellow Round 21 winners Wallsend at Kahibah Oval.
Singleton went into the weekend ranked second but dropped to third as West Wallsend have scored more goals than them and they now have the same for and against difference. The Strikers have the bye this weekend.
Belmont Swansea United FC 5-0 Cessnock City Hornets FC
Belmont Swansea United are starting to find form at the right time of the season as they secured a 5-0 win on home soil against Cessnock City Hornets at Blacksmiths Oval on Saturday.
The hosts were up 3-0 by the 16th minute, a lead that they took into half-time before scoring two goals in six minutes just after the hour-mark.
There were five different goal-scorers for BelSwans on the day as Brendon Hall netted first in the fifth minute, Reece Newtown doubled the side’s lead in the seventh, Joel Nicholson added a third in the 16th, Cameron Lodge fired home the fourth in the 62nd and substitute Mark Davis completed the scoring in the 68th.
BelSwans’ coach Mick Stafford was impressed with the fact that his side earned their third consecutive clean sheet and was thrilled with the manner in which they scored their goals.
“I was very, very happy with the start. To get three really good team goals in 16 minutes was a good reflection of what we’ve been working on and it was good that it’s finally come off,” Stafford said.
“All the goals were very composed finishes. We got the ball in the right areas and stayed composed and there was a good final pass with a clinical finish.
“We defended pretty well too.”
BelSwans are fifth following the win but the defending champions are now three points clear of the side running sixth.
Stafford’s men will travel out to Ulinga Oval this Sunday to challenge South Cardiff in the Match of the Round.
Cessnock City Hornets finished the weekend at the bottom of the table as they slipped six points outside the top five. They have now lost three on the trot and will be out to snap that streak on Saturday when they play away at Johnston Park against West Wallsend FC.
South Cardiff FC 2-6 Toronto Awaba FC
Toronto Awaba’s Nick Roberts was at his brilliant best on Sunday afternoon as he scored four goals to secure a 6-2 away win against South Cardiff.
Toronto Awaba are 10 points clear at the top of the table after gaining another crucial three points.
The Stags led 3-0 after half-an-hour and went into the break 4-1 up. They scored the first two goals of the second half and then conceded a late goal with two minutes left to play.
Roberts opened the scoring in the 12th minute with a stunning strike from about 30 metres out, and then Zane Winslade doubled Toronto Awaba’s lead in the 28th minute.
Roberts struck again on the half-hour mark before the Gunners pulled one back in the 35th minute through Tom Walker.
Ethan Wilson restored the Stags’ three-goal lead in the 42nd minute when he made the score 4-1.
Roberts came out firing as he completed his hat-trick in the 55th minute and then added a fourth 10 minutes later to put his side ahead 6-1.
South Cardiff substitute Alexander Phillips netted the final goal of the game in the 88th minute.
Reserve grade coach Kristopher Cook, who has overseen the first-grade side for the past two weekends in the absence of Jarrad Hiles, thought the Stags were lethargic a week earlier during their 1-0 win against Cessnock and was proud of the way they overcame that at Ulinga Oval.
“We spoke about that in the sheds before we went out. We wanted to be crisper and get out there and move the ball like we normally do, and I think the boys did it,” Cook said.
“We probably didn’t play our best, but we were back into our habits. We kept the ball, kept it simple and moved it as fast as we could.
“A couple of times we invited them in by overplaying our hand and they got a couple of goals off that. But from last week, it was a 10 out of 10 improvement, for sure.”
Cook was full of praise for Roberts, who he labelled a club legend and said scored some classy goals on the day.
“It was unreal,” Cook said of Roberts’ performance.
“For a bloke who’s played 150-odd first grade games as a striker, I think today was his first hat-trick, and not only did he do that, he went on to score four.
“The bloke is a club legend and he’s only 28. He lives and breathes the club and it’s great to see him be rewarded.”
The win sees Toronto Awaba go 10 points clear at the top of the table. The Stags will host Thornton Redbacks at Lyall Peacock Field this Saturday as they look to continue their premiership push.
South Cardiff’s loss saw them drop to eighth place on the table. They are now six points behind fifth-placed Belmont Swansea, the side that they will host at Ulinga Oval in the Match of the Round this Sunday.
Thornton Redbacks had the bye.
