Qualifying Final
Lambton Jaffas 0-2 Edgeworth FC
Lambton Jaffas’ coach David Tanchevksi said that Edgeworth FC wanted the win more in their 2-0 defeat at Arthur Edden Oval on Saturday afternoon.
The 2023 premiers and champions dip in form continued after they were outclassed by the Eagles in front of a home crowd.
Edgeworth flew out of the gates and applied the pressure early to the Jaffas to create goal-scoring opportunities.
Edgeworth broke the deadlock in the 31st minute through the leading goal-scorer of the competition Ryan Feutz.
They caught Jaffas on the counterattack and the Kiwi duo combined again this year as Seth Clark placed a perfect ball over the top for Feutz who made no mistake and slotted into the back of the net.
Lambton tried to respond minutes later but they were denied by goalkeeper Ben Conway.
The Eagles went into the sheds at half-time with the 1-0 advantage before they extended their lead in the 59th minute from a cheap turnover.
Matthew Cahill from Jaffas passed the ball straight to Edgeworth attacker Flynn Goodman who passed the ball to Keanu Moore.
Moore sliced the ball through to Feutz, who struck the ball with power past the outstretched reach of goalkeeper Ben Kennedy.
Edgeworth continued to apply the heat, but the score remained 2-0 at the full-time whistle.
Tanchevski said his side was disappointed with their performance and admitted that Edgeworth deserved the win.
“Look our performance was a bit flat,” Tanchevski said.
“Edgeworth wanted it more than we did. They edged us out a bit.
“Over the balance of the game it was even I thought.
“Both of our goals were mistakes that Edgeworth capitalised on. Besides that, I don’t think we gave them too many opportunities to score. We also had some chances ourselves.
“The boys are disappointed because they know that they can play better than what they did.”
Lambton Jaffas will get a second chance when they face Charlestown Azzurri next weekend in the Minor Semi-Final in a do-or-die clash.
“We know we have a second chance so we have to hope that we can get ourselves back to the level we were at in the first part of the season,” Tanchevski said.
“We also need a bit of luck at times but hopefully it will turn. We haven’t been able to buy a goal lately.”
On the flip side, Edgeworth’s coach Pete McGuinness was thrilled with his side’s performance and believed the right team won on the day.
“I was really happy that we put in a very good performance after a great week of training,” McGuinness said.
“The boys enjoyed the week of preparation after what has been a pretty heavy schedule for us and I thought it showed.
“I thought all the players contributed well and can be happy with their efforts.
“I thought we were good value for the win showing great discipline and effort.”
McGuinness said the win will help them build momentum as they head into the Major Semi-Final against premiers Broadmeadow Magic for a spot in the Grand Final next weekend.
“It’s always nice to get off to a winning start which allows us to build confidence and momentum,” McGuinness said.
“We look forward to the next challenge against Magic. “
Elimination Final
Charlestown Azzurri 2-0 Newcastle Olympic
Newcastle Olympic’s 2024 campaign is over after they were defeated 2-0 by Charlestown Azzurri in the Elimination Final at Lisle Carr Oval on Saturday afternoon.
It was the Ty Cousins show for the Blues as the attacker went into the referee's book for good and bad reasons.
It looked as if the two sides would head into the half-time locked up at 0-0 but the Blues edged ahead before the break.
Quinton Phillips-Tapsell crossed a ball into the penalty area, where the ball bounced through a sea of players and to the feet of Cousins, who sprinted into the box.
The attacker put his laces through the ball and smashed it into the back of the net.
Cousins netted his second of the day in the first minute of the second half to secure the win for Azzurri.
Harrison Frendo drove down the field with the ball before he cut it back across the face of the goal. It looked like the ball would hit the head Jack Gallagher, but it missed and bounced to an unmarked Cousins who blasted the ball past goalkeeper Adam Pearce.
Charlestown almost made it 3-0 in the 54th minute when Olympic cheaply turned the ball over into dangerous territory. Gallagher tried to chip Pearce but his strike hit the crossbar and over the net.
Olympic had a couple of chances to get themselves back into the contest but were unable to make the most of their opportunities.
Drama struck late into stoppage time when Cousins was sent off for a dangerous tackle which started a scuffle between the two sides.
He will miss Azzurri’s Minor Semi-Final match against Lambton Jaffas next week in another do-or-die battle to stay in the NPL Men’s NNSW competition for another week.
The loss for Olympic means their season has come to an end as they now look towards 2025.