Kahibah FC 3-0 New Lambton FC
New Lambton FC head coach John Bennis admits his side was not good enough in the big moments across the two legs as Kahibah FC completed a professional job with a 3-0 win at Fred Wright Oval on Saturday afternoon.
The result sealed a 5-1 aggregate victory and a place in the promotion/relegation play-off series final.
Kahibah picked up where they left off in the first leg, giving their home fans plenty to cheer inside six minutes.
A cross from wide found Jackson Burston, who finished from the top of the box into the top corner to make it 1-0 and extend the aggregate lead to two.
It was a disastrous start for New Lambton, who now needed two goals just to get back on level terms in the tie.
Kahibah continued to create chances after the opener, but New Lambton defended well and refused to fold, holding firm through a cagey remainder of the half.
They could not manage to fashion too many chances of their own, though, leaving themselves with a mountain to climb heading into the second half.
The second half told much the same story.
New Lambton competed well and held their own in possession but could not find a way to threaten the Kahibah backline.
As the visitors began pushing numbers forward in search of a way back into the match, Kahibah were afforded more space in behind, and in the 71st minute, substitute Daniel Byrne was played through and slotted calmly around the keeper to make it 2-0.
The goal effectively ended the contest, leaving New Lambton needing three goals in the final 20 minutes, an almost impossible task against a side of NPL Men’s NNSW quality.
New Lambton had no choice but to push forward regardless but were left exposed at the back in the 88th minute when Matthew Homer beat his man and chipped the goalkeeper into the path of Byrne, who completed his brace to make it 3-0 on the night and 5-1 on aggregate.
With the tie well and truly settled, Kahibah were able to see out the closing stages with the pressure off.
Bennis was honest in his assessment of the tie despite the lopsided final scoreline.
“You play games, and mostly they are decided by moments,” Bennis said
“We weren’t good enough in the big moments over the two games.”
Reflecting on the two legs, Bennis said his side showed enough, however, to prove they can compete with an NPL Men’s NNSW side.
“I think we showed enough over the two legs that we aren’t far off, and if we can keep building on what we produced this year and learn from the big moments, it will go a long way to us getting positive results in these big games going forward,” Bennis said.
“I’m proud of what these players have achieved this year. Seeing how they have grown has been very rewarding.
“We have a positive outlook; we’ve navigated our way back from a tough few years.
“There is a unified outlook and a reshaping of the club’s pathways, and New Lambton players will now have a clear direction on how to get from grassroots to senior football.”
Despite the final scoreline, New Lambton will feel it wasn’t fully reflective of how competitive the tie was across both legs, but ultimately Kahibah showed their class when it mattered most.
Kahibah will waste no time shifting their focus to the play-off final, aware they’ll need to perform at their best to get the job done against an experienced Newcastle Croatia.
For Kahibah, the win sets up a shot at preserving their NPL Men’s NNSW status for another season in the one-off final.
As for New Lambton, the result confirms another campaign in the HIT106.9 Northern League One, though they will feel there is plenty to be proud of in a rebuilding season that will leave them among the favourites heading into next year.
Wallsend FC 2-3 Newcastle Croatia
Wallsend FC head coach Chris Gallagher says his side came out second best after Newcastle Croatia edged a thrilling 3-2 second leg to progress to the promotion/relegation play-off series final on a staggering 9-8 aggregate scoreline.
The game was as entertaining as predicted, picking up right where the first leg left off.
Both teams came flying out of the blocks, with Croatia having a big early chance, but Kye Abrahams made a good save in the ninth minute.
Just a minute later, Wallsend themselves broke straight up the other end with Tyrell Paulson chipping goalkeeper Cesar Serpa to make it 1-0 in the 10th minute.
Starting the game perfectly, Wallsend continued to create chances, with a few tight offside calls going against them as they searched for a second.
Croatia dictated much of the remaining half and had the lion's share of possession, though chances still came at both ends.
Pushing for the equaliser, Croatia were rewarded just before the break, when Yuhei Sato beat his man out wide and delivered an excellent cross for Michael Sessions to head home in the 45th minute.
It was a killer blow for Wallsend to concede so close to half-time but despite conceding they responded with intent after the break.
In the 50th minute, a ball played over the top forced Serpa to come out and clear his lines, but his attempted clearance fell straight to Paulson, who lobbed it home on the volley for his second of the day.
It put Wallsend 2-1 up and, remarkably, 8-7 up on aggregate.
Wallsend nearly extended the lead moments later, but a strong save from Serpa kept it at 2-1.
With chances coming thick and fast, Croatia hit back in the 63rd minute, capitalising on a mis-clearance to level through Luke Jovcevski.
The momentum stayed with Croatia, and just four minutes later, Beau McDonald calmly finished a one-on-one chance to put Croatia 3-2 up.
Wallsend, who had led just minutes earlier, suddenly found themselves behind.
True to their season-long form, Wallsend pushed hard for another comeback.
They hit the post in the 75th minute and continued whipping balls into the box, but Croatia settled and managed the closing stages well.
Croatia were able to defend well and held on to win 3-2 on the day and advance 9-8 on aggregate.
Gallagher had no complaints about the result.
"The better team won on the day," Gallagher said.
"Across the two legs I did think it was quite tight. We hit the post and the crossbar in the second half today, so it wasn't like we had a lack of chances.
“Maybe on reflection we played a little too defensively once we got ahead and we should have gone for the throat like we have done all year."
Despite the disappointment, Gallagher was full of pride in his squad.
"I couldn't be any prouder of the boys, or the whole club," Gallagher said.
"First grade finished second-last last year, and now we're taking it to a quality, experienced Croatia side across two legs.
“It's been a massive turnaround, and it's great to see local and young talent back at the club"
Looking ahead, Gallagher said the goal now is to build on the experience.
"Next season is about consolidating; we need to become a dominant force," Gallagher said.
"We know the level we need to be at, and we’ll continue to get better."
Ultimately, Gallagher's side will be left to wonder how eight goals across two legs was not enough to reach the final.
After just missing out on automatic promotion on the final day of the regular season, it is a heartbreaking end to an otherwise successful season.
Despite the heartbreak, there is plenty to be proud of in a season that has transformed the club from relegation battlers twelve months ago to genuine promotion contenders.
They'll look to use this experience and head into next season among the favourites to claim promotion.
For Croatia, it caps a remarkable rise through the NNSW pyramid in just their first season in the HIT106.9 Northern League One.
Regardless of the result in the final, reaching this stage is an achievement in itself.
Having started their journey in Zone League Three back in 2022, Croatia now find themselves just one game away from the NPL Men’s NNSW, four years on.
They will now turn their full attention to Kahibah FC, confident their quality and experience give them a genuine chance of sealing NPL promotion.