Match of the Round
Thornton Redbacks FC 2-1 Cessnock City Hornets FC
Thornton Redbacks prevailed in the Match of the Round at Metford Recreational Reserve on Saturday where they overcame a half-time deficit to defeat Cessnock City Hornets 2-1.
The two sides looked set to go into half-time locked at 0-0, but Zac Kronholm broke the deadlock with a goal in the 45th minute that he put away after striking the crossbar twice in quick succession.
The Hornets were impressive in the first 45 minutes, but as has been the case for them in all three games so far in 2024, they were unable to match their performance after the break.
Thornton hit the lead in the 56th minute when Jacob Tudball marked his first start of the season with a goal.
Diego Cerda broke the deadlock again on the 70-minute mark with a tidy finish to put the Redbacks in front 2-1.
In a game of two halves, Thornton co-coach Gary Wand was pleased with how his side responded in the second half in order to get a result.
“We weren’t great in the first half and they were quite decent,” Wand said.
“We were pretty lacklustre but we turned it around. The most pleasing thing for us was the second half. It wasn’t so much a half-time talk, our guys turned themselves around. We knew how much better we could be.”
For the Hornets coach Brad Miles, it was a case of what could’ve been for the third week in a row as his side failed to fire in the second stanza once again.
“It was a game of two different halves again. First half we were really good and composed and in control of the game. But in the second half it’s like I put a different team out there,” Miles said.
“It’s the same story as the last two weeks. We’re a 45-minute team at the moment. It’s just not good enough.
“I think we just went away from our game plan. We spoke at half-time about going out there and doing the same thing. The only thing that changed was us changing ends. But we went away completely from what was working for us and we paid the price.
“We had our chances the whole way through the game. We had a few in the first half and we should have put the game to be early. But these things happen.”
Thornton’s victory was their second in as many games and they remain undefeated as they moved into second place on the table with seven points. They will line up in another Hunter Valley derby this Saturday in round four when they face Singleton.
Cessnock remained at the foot of the table following their loss and they are back at home at Turner Park this Saturday where they will attempt to earn their first points of the campaign when they host Wallsend.
South Cardiff FC 2-1 Kahibah FC
Round three got off to a flying start on Friday night when South Cardiff scored a 2-1 win against Kahibah under lights at Ulinga Oval.
Kahibah struck first less than two minutes into the match when they caught the Gunners out off a throw in and opened the scoring through Tyson Masters.
But the hosts equalised in the eighth minute when Elijah Nyman headed home a Justin Banek cross.
Banek then Southy ahead them ahead in the 14th minute when the left-footer scored directly from a corner that he curled in from the right.
That was the way the score remained as neither side could add to the scoreline in the second stanza as the Gunners held on to win 2-1.
The gunners were reduced to ten men after Banek received a second yellow card for a dangerous tackle in the 80th minute.
South Cardiff’s coach Perry Mellon was thrilled with the way they defended, especially during the final 10-plus minutes of the contest with 10 men.
“I thought we played pretty well. While we had 11 on the pitch, we were quite organised and I thought we had the better of the chances over the run of the game,” Mellon said.
“We followed the game plan and did what we wanted to do, so that was good.
“We’d used all our subs by the time we got the red card and it was quite a heavy track so there were a few boys cramping. There were probably five or six minutes of stoppage time as well so we ended up about 15 or 16 minutes with a man less, but Izaac (goalkeeper Izaac Terry) didn’t really had to make a save. We defended the aerial ball really well and dug in when we needed to, which was good to see.”
The win was South Cardiff’s first this season following an opening-round loss and a round-two bye. The 2023 grand finalists will be hoping to build more momentum on Saturday night when they host the undefeated ladder leaders Belmont Swansea at Ulinga Oval.
Kahibah’s loss was their second of the season after they sat out with the bye in the first round. They will be chasing their first points of the campaign when they challenge defending premiers Toronto Awaba at the Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility on Friday night off the back of the Stags’ round three bye.
Belmont Swansea United FC 3-0 Singleton Strikers FC
Belmont Swansea United extended their winning streak to three games on Saturday afternoon when they earned a 3-0 victory at Blacksmiths Oval against the Singleton Strikers.
Just as they have done this season following victories across the opening two rounds, the hosts started fast on Saturday afternoon when Nathan Mcallister netted his first goal of the campaign with a classy chip from the edge of the 18-yard box in the third minute.
Kane Woolston then doubled BelSwans’ lead in the ninth minute when he headed home a Matt Hall corner kick to give BelSwans a 2-0 lead.
Ethan Hall then made the score 3-0 in the 42nd minute with a sensational chip of his own, after the Strikers were unable to clear the ball following another dangerous corner kick.
BelSwans went into the break with a three-goal lead and neither side could find the back of the net in the second half as the hosts became the only team to secure nine points across the first three rounds.
The clean sheet was BelSwans’ first of the season and their coach Mick Stafford could not have been any more pleased with their defensive resolve and with how they performed at the other end of the park.
“Again, it wasn’t our best all-round performance, but it was pleasing to get some early goals and then back it up with a strong clean sheet against a decent Singo side,” Stafford said.
“We’re still clunky but we just have quality to put chances away when we get into good areas. I thought we were very clinical again in the top third. It’s very pleasing to see the goals going in so early.
“Our fitness and structure are really good in defence and everyone is sticking to the core principles. We were disciplined in our structure and they didn’t really break us down at all. They had one attempt on goal in the second half.”
BelSwans will travel to Ulinga Oval this Saturday night where they will take on South Cardiff under lights after Singleton meets Thornton Redbacks at the Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility earlier that afternoon.
Wallsend FC 2-3 West Wallsend SFC
Derby day did not disappoint on Sunday afternoon as defending champions West Wallsend scored a last-minute winner to break Wallsend hearts at The Gardens.
The score was locked at 2-2 going into stoppage time and the Bluebells’ skipper Bryson Cox popped up in the box to head home a James Lowe corner kick and make the final score 3-2.
All five goals were scored in the second stanza after the two teams entered half-time locked at 0-0.
Matt Williams opened the scoring for the hosts in the 50th minute as the Red Devils established a 1-0 lead.
But West Wallsend’s Spencer Clarke equalised five minutes later. Cody Halpin then put Wallsend back ahead in the 64th minute, but Clarke made the score 2-2 as he equalised for the second time in the contest less than a minute later.
The score remained that way until the final moments when captain Cox earned all three points for West Wallsend as the Bluebells scored their second win in five days following a 2-0 midweek win on home soil against Singleton in their rescheduled round one clash.
Westy’s coach Bailey Cox was over the moon with their derby result and praised his players for the way they bounced back from a loss in their first game of the season.
“The pitch was so hard to play on and it made for a scrappy, ugly game of soccer,” Cox said.
“I was very happy that we got the win. It would have been nice to put a better performance together, but with that pitch, I’ll take the three points.
“The goals we conceded were pretty scrappy too. Wallsend’s first goal kicked us into gear. We were a bit lethargic and the game was a bit slow and dead until they scored.
“I was really happy that we were able to come back after going behind twice, and to get the winner at the end was just so good.”
West Wallsend climbed up into third place on the table following the derby win but they have a bye this weekend. Their next game will be on March 20 when they host Kahibah at Johnston Park during the first Wednesday night round of the campaign.
Wallsend are now fifth after three rounds of football and they will go in search of their second win of the year when they travel to Turner Park to meet Cessnock City Hornets on Saturday afternoon.
Toronto Awaba FC had the bye.