Match of the Round
Wallsend FC v South Cardiff FC
The match was postponed due to wet weather.
Thornton Redbacks FC 2-4 West Wallsend SFC
Round 24 kicked off on Friday night at Thornton Park where West Wallsend scored a 4-2 away win against the Thornton Redbacks.
Bluebells coach Bailey Cox thought his side’s first half performance was one of their best so far this season. The visitors came out firing and led 2-0 early after Kane Goodchild netted in the third minute and again in the 11th.
The Bluebells took that 2-0 lead into the break but it was Thornton that struck first in the second stanza when Kyle Williams scored on the hour mark after he had come off the bench as a substitute when play restarted after half-time.
West Wallsend restored their two-goal lead in the 70th minute when Josh Carroll converted a penalty that he won less than two minutes after he was introduced off the bench. Thornton keeper Oliver Mather got a hand to the shot but was unable to keep it out.
The Redbacks went down the other end and scored their second goal of the game three minutes later through Pat Wand.
But West Wallsend completed the scoring in the 83rd minute when Carroll flicked a header into the path of Jake Bower, who volleyed the ball past Mather to make the final score 4-2.
Thornton’s coach Nima Nikfarjam thought that the better team won on the night and put his hand up to take responsibility after his first-half tactics were not as effective as he would have hoped.
“The better team won the game. They were a lot stronger than us and they pressed us so hard and aggressively,” Nikfarjam said.
“We were 2-0 down after 10 minutes and we managed to keep it 2-0 ‘til half-time. The way I wanted us to play in the first half, it didn’t work out, so I’ll take responsibility for that. We changed back to how we normally play in the second half and we started creating chances and gained some possession.
“We scored to make it 2-1 and again to make it 3-2. We were pushing hard and they scored on the counter attack to make it 4-2.”
The Bluebells coach was pleased with his side’s performance, with Cox declaring their first half was one of the best they’d put together all season as they battled through less-than-ideal conditions.
“It was pretty cold being a Friday night at Thornton and it was dark too. The lights weren’t real good there,” Cox said.
“We started the game good. I was really happy with the first half. It was one of the best first halves we’ve played all year.
“For 20 minutes in the second half, we lost our way a little bit, and that’s when they scored and got back into it. But I subbed on Josh Carroll and Jake Bower and they changed the game for us. They gave us spark.
“Overall, it was a pretty good performance. We put together a good 60-70 minutes. It wasn’t a full 90, but as I said, it was one of the best first halves of the year.”
West Wallsend are still in control in the race for second place following that win. They are still three points clear of third-placed Singleton and four clear of fourth-placed Kahibah, who were also both winners in Round 24.
The Redbacks are still eighth on the nine-team ladder and are four points outside the top five with just three games left to play.
The competition will break this weekend and will return on Sunday, August 20, when West Wallsend host Singleton at Johnston Park and Thornton travels to The Gardens to challenge Wallsend.
Belmont Swansea United FC 0-1 Singleton Strikers FC
A second half Jack Clare strike was the difference when Singleton Strikers secured the three points with a 1-0 away win against Belmont Swansea United at Blacksmiths Oval on Saturday.
The score was locked 0-0 at half-time before Clare broke through for his side in the 73rd minute.
Both teams pushed hard to search for the second goal of the game but the visitors held on to earn a crucial win.
Singleton are still just three points behind West Wallsend in third place and remains one point clear of Kahibah after both teams also won in Round 24.
The Strikers’ coach Mick Jarvis was pleased with his side’s first win in over a month but conceded that they weren’t anywhere near their best on the day.
“I thought it was a tight tussle between two sides who aren’t quite playing their best football at the moment,” Jarvis said.
“Both sides have struggled putting full sides on the pitch in recent times. In saying that, you play what’s in front of you, and both sides did that. It could have gone either way. There was not a lot in it.
“I think, in the end, we had the better of it, but I didn’t think at any given time we had complete control of the game.”
BelSwans coach Mick Stafford thought that his side played some impressive football on the day, but once again things just didn’t click in the front third.
“We played well, but again, the front third is lacking at the moment. We just can’t put our chances away or create too much,” Stafford said.
“Credit to Singleton though. They did defend very well. They’re a hard team to break down.
“The football we’re starting to play now, possession-based football, we’re getting there. It’s something we’ve wanted to do for a while and we’re going to stick with until the end of the year and into next year.
“We’re just missing that final blow up top, whether it’s personnel-wise or finishing our chances. The football gods are just not shining on Blacksmiths anymore.
“Everyone at the club from top to bottom are working their socks off every week to try to find a way to fix our problems. We keep putting a step in the right direction, and now we just need to keep battling to the end.”
Both coaches commended their respective debutants as Patrick Tillemans came off the bench and played the final 10 minutes of the game for the Strikers, and Harry Liackman played the entire 90 minutes for BelSwans.
Belmont Swansea now have three weeks between games as they sit out with the bye in Round 25 following the coming washout weekend break.
Stafford said that while it’s not ideal to have such a long break between games at this time of the season, his club would take advantage of it to allow their players to rest and refresh ahead of their two must-win matches during the run home. Their next game will be at home against West Wallsend on Saturday, August 26.
The Strikers’ next match is also against West Wallsend. They will meet the Bluebells at Johnston Park on Sunday, August 20, when the battle for second spot heats up in Round 25.
Cessnock City Hornets FC 1-2 Kahibah FC
Kahibah kept pace with West Wallsend and Singleton in the race for second place when they earned a hard-fought 2-1 victory away from home against Cessnock City Hornets.
The visitors opened the scoring in the 12th minute at Turner Park when Tyson Masters found the top corner, and then Riley Ferguson doubled their lead in the 42nd minute when he tapped in at the back stick after Robbie Turnbull had whipped in a dangerous free kick.
Cessnock refused to go down without a fight and pulled one back in the 75th minute when Sam Baker scored a headed goal from a corner. The ball only just crossed the line before Brendon Robertson cleared it away and the goal was awarded to make the score 2-1.
The score remained in favour of Kahibah full-time following a nervous final 15 minutes for the visitors after they had impressed their coach earlier in the game.
“Their goal made it a bit ugly for us in that last 15 minutes, but we were pretty comfortable most of the game to be honest,” Kahibah’s coach Mat Moncrieff said.
“In patches, it was as good as we’d played this year. I’m happy with the majority of the game. We held possession as good as we have all year and created some good opportunities but we missed a lot of goals. Cessnock’s keeper was outstanding too to be honest.”
Next up for Kahibah after the washout weekend break is a blockbuster clash at Kahibah Oval against ladder leaders Toronto Awaba on Sunday, August 20. Cessnock are also at home that day when they host South Cardiff.
Toronto Awaba had the bye.