Match of the Round
Cessnock City Hornets FC 0-0 Thornton Redbacks FC
The Round 23 Match of the Round finished all square at Turner Park as Cessnock City Hornets and Thornton Redbacks contested a 0-0 draw.
Both sides pushed hard to score a winner in windy conditions throughout the 90 minutes but neither was able to find a breakthrough goal and they settled for a point.
Both coaches were proud of the way their respective sides defended but lamented missed chances that they believed cost them both an important victory.
The Redbacks’ coach Nima Nikfarjam said that he thought the draw was probably the fairest result.
“I would say that in our game, the draw was the fair result for both teams. It could have gone either way. We had a limited number of chances but could not take one, and they had one of two half chances too,” Nikfarjam said.
“With the conditions being a hot day, we didn’t play our best. We have a lot more potential to play better.
“Defensively though, we were more organised and more structured in comparison to the last game. That’s absolutely one positive from the game.
“We created two good chances – one clear one in the second half and one in the first.
“But we haven’t lost the game so I will take the one point. I don’t think it is going to help us a lot, but it’s still better than a loss.”
Hornets coach Brad Miles thought his side created enough chances to win the game but just couldn’t take one and was proud of the way his side defended.
“It was really windy conditions but we played some pretty good football,” Miles said.
“We just couldn’t score. We had our chances but couldn’t put one away. We defended really well. Our back four were really solid. Our transition was pretty good, but our finishing just let us down.
“As much as it was frustrating not to get a result, it was pleasing that we didn’t concede and lose the game. We had four 17/18-year-olds in the team with one debutant (Blake Armstrong) and they stepped up well.”
It is certainly going to be an uphill battle for these two teams in terms of finals football following their stalemate.
Cessnock are last on 19 points and Thornton are just one point ahead of them in eighth, and both sides are more than a win behind fifth-placed Belmont Swansea, sixth-placed South Cardiff and seventh-placed Wallsend, who all sit on 24 points after Round 23.
Thornton plays four games across the final four rounds of the campaign, the first of which will kick off Round 24 on Friday night when they host West Wallsend at Thornton Park.
Cessnock have three games and a bye remaining and will need to win all three of those to be a chance of finishing fifth.
Toronto Awaba FC 3-0 Belmont Swansea United FC
It was an afternoon of celebrations at Lyall Peacock Field on Sunday when Toronto Awaba were crowned premiers in front of a home crowd for the first time since 2002.
A Nick Roberts hat-trick guided the Stags to a 3-0 victory as they moved to an unassailable lead at the top of the table. They have accumulated 50 points in 21 games, 13 more than second-placed West Wallsend with just four rounds to go.
Roberts struck in the 23rd minute as he made no mistake after a Harry Rauf strike was parried into his path.
He then doubled the home side’s lead in the 38th minute and completed his hat-trick in the 61st minute, which was the only goal scored in the second stanza as his side cruised home to a three-goal clean sheet victory.
Stags coach Jarrad Hiles, who was a Toronto Awaba player when the club finished on top of the second division competition ladder back in 2002, said he was proud of his players on Sunday after the match.
“I couldn’t be happier, it’s incredible,” Hiles said.
“We were presented with our medals and the trophy, and we sang the song out on the pitch. It was special.
“The boys deserve it, from where they’ve come from, with coaches coming and going over the years and having gone through tough times. They work so hard. They’re a great bunch and they’re all really good mates and enjoy each other’s company outside of football too.
“There were a few people here today that have been around the club for many, many years and it means a lot to them. You could see what it meant to everyone actually, our supporters and the community, the players and their wives and girlfriends.
“It’s a great reward for the people that have hung in there and kept the club going in difficult times.”
Hiles thought that his side was in control throughout the entire contest during what was quite a warm afternoon for football.
“It was pretty hot and there was a pretty slow start from both sides. Ball movement was slow,” Hiles said.
“But we felt comfortable all the way through the game. I don’t feel like BelSwans threatened us at all in the first half. They had a few opportunities in the second half, but nothing clear-cut. They were quite good though, BelSwans. They play good football with the ball on the ground, knocking it around. It was just our day though.”
The Stags now have a well-deserved break coming up, with the bye this weekend and then another weekend off when the competition breaks entirely, giving them three weeks between matches.
Hiles said that they would play an intra-club trial match during the time off to stay sharp, and they would continue training hard to prepare for the business end of the campaign.
BelSwans remain in fifth following their loss but were joined on 24 points by both South Cardiff and Wallsend. Stafford’s men will go in search of what would be a valuable three points this Saturday when they host Singleton Strikers at Blacksmiths Oval.
Kahibah FC 0-3 South Cardiff FC
South Cardiff coach Perry Mellon thought his team produced their most complete performance of the season on Sunday when they scored a 3-0 win away from home against Kahibah.
The Gunners led 2-0 at the break at Kahibah Oval and then sealed the three points with their third goal of the game with just 20 minutes left to play.
Brendon King opened the scoring in the 20th minute after the visitors turned defence into a swift attack.
After winning the ball while defending deep in their half, the Gunners moved it quickly through the midfield into the front third on the counterattack, and King was released in behind. He went around Kahibah’s goalkeeper George Stephens and found the back of the net from a tight angle.
Tom Walker then doubled the lead in the 31st minute when he got onto the end of a Jay Troyer cross and headed the ball into the back of the net.
The away side took the two-goal lead into the break and looked set to make the score 3-0 on the hour-mark when Jack Harrison got in behind but was fouled as he was about to shoot. Kahibah were reduced to 10 men as Liam Whitehead was sent off for the challenge.
South Cardiff eventually did add a third in the 70th minute when Harrison got down the left edge and squared the ball into the box for King to tap in at the back stick.
The Gunners then held out the hosts for the remainder of the match to keep a clean sheet and secure a valuable three points, and it was a performance that impressed their coach.
“It was our most complete performance of the year I would say,” Mellon said.
“It was very similar to the win last week against BelSwans. We were very organised and the boys all did their jobs and won their individual battles, and we were good enough to finish the chances that we made.
“It was probably our best defensive performance of the year too. We were in control of most situations and our goalkeeper didn’t really have to make many saves. We weren’t really threatened for the majority of the game.”
The victory sees South Cardiff join fifth-placed Belmont Swansea on 24 points following their loss away from home against Toronto Awaba.
But the Gunners are still sixth on goals for and against difference. Next up for South Cardiff is a huge away clash this Sunday against Wallsend.
Kahibah’s loss sees them miss out on a chance to climb into third place as they remained in fourth. Their next match is away from home at Turner Park against Cessnock on Sunday.
Wallsend FC 2-0 Singleton Strikers FC
Wallsend picked up a crucial three points when they defeated Singleton Strikers 2-0 in front of a home crowd at The Gardens on Sunday.
The Red Devils went into half-time with a 1-0 advantage after a Singleton own goal gifted them the lead in the first half.
Centre-back Zac Parkes then sealed the victory when he got onto the end of a corner kick and drove the ball into the back of the net to make the score 2-0, which was the way it remained when the full-time whistle sounded.
Wallsend’s coach Michael Gatt thought that the wind hampered the quality of the match, but said the Red Devils deserved the three points.
“It wasn’t a pretty game, mostly because of the wind. The game was pretty much dictated in the middle of the park,” Gatt said.
“Singleton had a couple of chances which we nullified quickly.
“Today, we were the better side, just in a scrap more than anything. It was a battle from start to finish.”
Wallsend’s win sees them move to 24 points, and while they are seventh place on the table, they are now level with fifth-placed Belmont Swansea and sixth-placed South Cardiff, who are both also on 24 points.
The Red Devils host South Cardiff this Sunday at The Gardens in a match that is significant for both sides’ finals hopes.
Singleton’s loss saw them remain three points behind West Wallsend in second place. The Strikers are away at Blacksmiths Oval against Belmont Swansea this Saturday.
West Wallsend SFC had the bye