Toronto Awaba 0-0 West Wallsend SFC
West Wallsend SFC captain Bryson Cox believes his side finally got a little bit of luck when they locked in their spot in the promotion/relegation play-off final after a 0-0 draw with Toronto Awaba in the second leg on Friday night.
The Bluebells entered the final leg leading 4-2 after a dominant performance the week prior.
All they needed to do was put a stop to a hungry Toronto side looking to overcome the aggregate difference, and they did just that.
Toronto’s Damon Green looked to open the scoring almost immediately after Zane Winslade sent the ball from halfway to Green as he charged into the box side-by-side West Wallsend defence.
Green attempted to send the ball over Bluebells goalkeeper Blake Redman but was denied.
The end-to-end contest continued for the remainder of the first half, but the Stags were not slowing down.
Connor Fitzpatrick pushed to open the scoring before the half-time break when he was left unmarked in front of goal.
Fitzpatrick sent the ball towards the goal but a deflection by Bluebell's Dain Greentree saw the ball hit the crossbar instead.
Both sides continued to struggle to find the back of the net but a 75th-minute substitute looked like it was going to pay off for Toronto.
Jarrod Purcell charged down the field in the 82nd minute on the counterattack as he beat West Wallsend’s backline, but Redman put a stop to his momentum when he tapped the shot over the crossbar.
Bluebell’s Max Cavanagh attempted to extend his side’s scoreline in the 86th minute as he ran into the box side-by-side with Toronto’s Flynn Fittler, but goalkeeper Drew Olsen deflected the shot.
Despite constant attempts by Toronto, they were unable to overcome the two-goal deficit from the first leg and went down 4-2 on aggregate.
“The boys really deserved it from the way they played from the first leg,” Cox said.
“I feel like we always knew they were going to come out fast and change something to what they did, and they came out in a different formation which we struggled to deal with. But we just had to keep turning up.
“He [Blake Redman] saved us a few times in this final play-off series so far, and sometimes you just need a bit of luck.
“I feel like throughout this year we didn’t have a lot of luck with our eight draws. I feel like we should have won all those games. We’ve finally got some luck now.
“We had a few really good chances that we missed towards the end, getting them on the counterattack that would have killed it off.
“But I feel like we were probably fortunate that they didn’t score one and put a bit more pressure on us, but the boys really turned up for each other defensively. I was really inspired by their effort.”
West Wallsend will face NPL Men’s NNSW side Valentine FC in the promotion/relegation play-off final at 2pm Saturday 30 August at Magic Park.
Valentine FC 2-0 Singleton Strikers
Valentine FC lived to see another day when they defeated Singleton Strikers 2-0 in the second leg of the promotion/relegation play-off finals series at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility on Saturday.
The two sides entered the second leg locked up 0-0 after both sides failed to find the back of the net in the first leg.
Whoever broke the deadlock first looked likely to secure a spot in the promotion/relegation play-off final, and it was the Phoenix who did that.
Singleton dominated large parts of the first half with plenty of shots, but Valentine’s Brodie Volkiene kept his side in the match.
Both sides continued to struggle to open the scoring in the first half and were sent into the sheds still locked up 0-0.
After 20 minutes, it appeared that this game would be going to extra time but Valentine’s 63rd minute substitute Cooper Wilmott, proved to be the difference.
Nicholas Martinelli sent the ball onto the run of Wilmott as he charged into the box, beating Singleton’s Jackson Skinner. Wilmott sent the ball over goalkeeper Stuart Plant and into the bottom right corner.
Emotions quickly changed for Valentine when they were reduced to 10 men in the 79th minute after Ben Lavell received a second yellow card.
But Valentine was determined to hold onto their lead and put the nail in the coffin in the 90th minute.
Dean Pettit chipped the ball from the top of the box where he found an unmarked Martinelli in front of the goal.
Martinelli wasted no time and volleyed the ball into the back of the net.
Singleton was unable to claw one back as the score remained 2-0 when the final whistle blew.
The victory saw Valentine live to see another day in the NPL Men’s NNSW competition.
They will now fight for their spot in the competition as they go head-to-head with West Wallsend SFC at Magic Park on Saturday afternoon in the promotion/relegation play-off final.
