Match of the Round
Charlestown Azzurri FC v Edgeworth Eagles FC
This match was postponed due to wet weather.
Maitland FC 1-0 Lambton Jaffas FC
Maitland FC coach Adam Hughes stated that his players deserved the three points following a 1-0 Legends Day victory over the Lambton Jaffas at Cooks Square Park on Saturday night.
The Magpies secured their third win of the campaign with a winning goal in the 88th minute when Braedyn Crowley headed home from close range after a corner kick.
The Jaffas lost their goalkeeper Ben Kennedy to injury in the 18th minute and his replacement Jack Pandel pulled off a brilliant diving save to keep out a Daniel McFarlane free kick a minute after he entered the field.
At the other end, Maitland gloveman Matthew Trott was playing his final game for Maitland after 160 appearances across eight seasons for the club.
He pulled off several important saves and grabs to keep a clean sheet in his retirement match and help his side secure all three points.
The Magpies threatened on several occasions in the first half and it was the lethal left boot of McFarlane that looked most likely.
But the best chance of the opening 45 minutes went Lambton’s way as Bailey Newton stormed onto a Lachlan Griffiths cross, but what should have been a simple back stick tap-in from two metres out went wide.
The score remained 0-0 at half-time and Crowley had a chance to put his side ahead a minute after play restarted but he volleyed over the bar from just inside the 18-yard box.
The home side had the better of the chances in the second stanza and they were well and truly on top late in the contest.
They finally capitalised when Crowley headed home the late winner to secure all three points.
The ball pinballed off several heads in the box before the Magpies’ captain and leading goal-scorer found himself in the right place at the right time.
“I think it was persistence paying off to get that late goal,” Hughes said.
“When you look at the game overall, the way the performance was, especially in the second half, we stuck to what we’ve been working on and we didn’t change from what we were trying to do.
“I thought the players were all outstanding on the park and I think the win was deserved in the end.
“We had many opportunities in that second half where we had them pinned in their own half.
“It was relentless pressure where we were moving the ball well and looking for those moments where we could get in, but Lambton marshalled very well with Nikolai Topor-Stanley and Riley McNaughton at the back there.
“They protected their zones very well and it was something we had to break down, but in the end, it was just reward with the momentum that we had.”
The 1-0 win saw Maitland climb into eighth on the table and get themselves within three points of the top five.
They will be in action again on Wednesday night when they travel to Blacksmiths Oval to challenge Belmont Swansea United in a rescheduled round 10 clash.
Sixth-placed Lambton will look to bounce back in round 12 when they challenge New Lambton FC in the local derby at Alder Park on Friday night to kick off the second half of the home and away season.
Weston Bears FC 2-1 Valentine FC
Weston Bears assistant coach Nathan Morris thought his side were dominant without being clinical as they defeated Valentine 2-1 at Rockwell Automation Park on Saturday afternoon.
The Bears registered 31 shots, 10 of which were on target, but could only put two away during a match that was played in heavy rain at times at Weston’s home ground.
The hosts entered the game without their frontman Chris Hatfield after the striker was red-carded in the week in an Hahn Australia Cup clash.
This saw Brock Beveridge earn his second start of the season. The striker made an impact as he won and converted a penalty in the 23rd minute to put the home side ahead 1-0.
Valentine equalised in the 34th minute when Scott Pettit swung in a cross from the left that Weston skipper Chris Hurley headed into his own net as he attempted to clear the ball away.
The Bears almost regained the lead four minutes later and it would have been a second own goal for the game, but a Josh Winiarczyk header cannoned away off his own post.
It was still 1-1 at half-time despite Weston registering 15 shots in the opening 45 minutes.
The Bears regained the lead in the 54th minute when Aaron Niyonkuru slotted home from close range after Valentine’s keeper Brodie Volkiene had saved a Blake Archbold strike and was left stranded on the deck.
The home side had plenty of chances to go on with it and double their lead but they were unable to find a third as it remained 2-1.
Valentine thought they had equalised in the 80th minute when Hiroumi Ikeda netted following a corner kick, but it was ruled out after the referee spotted a foul in the box in the lead-up to his strike.
“We were never really not comfortable,” Morris said.
“We created a lot of good chances but it was one of those ones where we weren’t clinical in front of goal, which has been pretty rare for us this year.
“We could have made it a lot easier on ourselves, but sometimes it just happens like that.”
Morris added that the Weston coaching staff were curious to see how their players bounced back from the midweek 120-plus-minute Australia Cup penalty shootout win against Olympic. He thought they were impressive physically but fatigued mentally, and overall he was pleased with the way they overcame what was a gruelling fixture.
The Bears have two rescheduled games to play and they will back up for one of those on Tuesday night. They will have a chance to climb into second on the table and go within one point of first place in that one when they challenge the top-ranked Edgeworth Eagles at Jack McLaughlan Oval in their round 10 clash.
Next up for Valentine is a home game on Saturday when they welcome Maitland FC to Croudace Bay Complex in round 12.
Cooks Hill United FC v Broadmeadow Magic FC
This match was postponed due to wet weather.
Newcastle Olympic FC v Belmont Swansea United FC
This match was postponed due to wet weather.
New Lambton FC v Adamstown Rosebud FC
This match was postponed due to wet weather.
