Match of the Round
Cessnock City FC 3-2 South Cardiff FC
Turner Park was buzzing on Saturday night as Cessnock City defeated South Cardiff 3-2 in a high-tempo match.
Goals from Isaac Peek, Curtis Johnston and Zac Kronholm secured the three points and elevated the Hornets into third on the table.
"It was a very physical game which we expected," Hornets coach Brad Miles said.
"We were a bit erratic early with the fast pace. We lost Kyle Williams after 10 minutes with a knee injury.
"We really worked hard off the ball, which is a credit to the boys. It created a couple chances which we were good enough to take and go into the break 2-0 up.
"A bit of ill-discipline from us let Southy back in the game but a good result and a well-deserved three points.”
Sam Modderno continued his stellar season with a brace for South Cardiff, the second goal a stunning free kick into the top right corner from 20 yards.
But Gunners coach Perry Mellon ultimately did not have enough firepower to silence the noisy Hornets crowd.
"It was a game that we never controlled," Mellon said.
"When you go to Cessnock you need to silence the home crowd and dominate the game but we weren't able to do that for long enough.
"A few poor mistakes lead to their goals which gave us too much work to do.”
Kahibah FC 1-3 Toronto Awaba FC
The triumphant chants were long and loud from the away changing room on Thursday night after Toronto Awaba downed Kahibah 3-1.
The three points at Kahibah Oval catapulted the Stags into first place on the table but only for 24 hours.
The victory was the perfect Easter present for Stags coach Jarrad Hiles.
"Super effort from the entire squad and we'll definitely enjoy the Easter break," Hiles said.
"We got off to a flying start scoring two goals inside eight minutes. First goal to Jarrod Purcell from a fantastic Nick Roberts pass.
"Second goal came from a Bailey Snowden free kick which fell for Clancy Muddle to slot home.
"Kahibah then got control of the game for the rest of the half and got a deserved goal, 2-1 at half-time.
"Kahibah dominated possession again starting the second half but I felt they didn't trouble us too often and we regained momentum and had a really good 10 to 15-minute period and got our reward as Nick Roberts headed home from a terrific Clancy Muddle ball into the box.
Kahibah boss Mat Moncrieff reflected on the game.
"Definitely a tough loss to comprehend but Toronto are very tough outfit that play for the whole 90 minutes,” Moncrieff said.
"They scored a very good goal on their first attack of the game, then we gifted them one shortly after.
"For the last 20 minutes of the first half and the 20 minutes after the break, I thought we had the game in control.
"Tyson Masters headed home a goal just before half-time then we had more than enough chances to level the score or even gain an advantage.
"But Toronto scrapped well for the last 20 minutes, they finished the better team where they scored another good goal to put the game to bed.
"We just need to be better and play for the whole 90 minutes.”
Singleton Strikers 5-0 West Wallsend
The Singleton brotherhood bowled over West Wallsend 5-0 on Good Friday on a night of milestones.
Three pairs of brothers, Barner, Cox and Nicol, represented the Strikers in front of their home supporters at Howe Park.
Joel Barner continued his rich vein of form scoring two goals with brother Jake also scoring.
Club legend Jackson Cox celebrated his 200th appearance with a goal and played alongside his older brother Brad.
Captain Hayden Nicol capped his 100th appearance with a goal and celebrated alongside his younger brother Lachlan.
A historic occasion in the Strikers' history books and a return to the top of the HIT106.9 Northern League One table was the icing on the cake.
It was the perfect Easter present for Singleton gaffer Mick Jarvis.
"We spoke about standards and being consistent," Jarvis said.
"It was a big night for the club and players with Hayden Nicol celebrating his 100th game for the Strikers and Jackson Cox's 200th.”
Thornton Redbacks 1-1 Wallsend FC
In a match that could have gone either way, Wallsend coach Michael Gatt conceded a 1-1 draw was a fair result at Thornton Park on Friday night.
"Definitely a hard-fought match," Gatt said.
"We gifted them a goal halfway through the first half when we played a ball across our goal straight to their striker and he finished it calmly.
"The battle in the middle of the park was a great one.
"Brad York scored from the penalty spot late in the game.
"The pleasing thing is that we have only conceded two goals over the last three games including the Australia Cup game, so the flood gates are closing.
"Both teams had late opportunities to steal the three points but I feel a draw was a fair indication of the game.
"Especially with playing three games in six days the boys did themselves proud.”
It seemed to be heading for a Redbacks victory but the never-say-die Red Devils had other ideas.
"Slightly disappointing result," Thornton Redbacks assistant coach Nima Nikfarjam said.
"After conceding an equaliser at 84 minutes, this game had a good lesson for us that we cannot switch off until the final whistle and we must concentrate for the whole game.
"We controlled the game for long periods in the second half however we switched off for five minutes and got punished for it.
"Moving forward our boys have to take their chances and respect the ball possession more.”
Belmont Swansea United had the bye
