Match of the Round
Cooks Hill United 3-0 Kahibah FC
Kahibah FC head coach Blair Newham is set for a frustrating review and a quick turnaround, as his side was downed 3-0 by an energetic Cooks Hill United at Fearnley Dawes Athletics Field on Friday night.
The hosts started with intensity; a brilliant press being rewarded early when Stephen Hoyle headed in the first goal off a corner in the fourth minute.
The visitors took nearly ten minutes to make their first venture on goal, with Hoyle leading from the front on the Cooks Hill press and keeping the defence on edge.
The Rams looked to finally get into the game when a handball in the box saw the referee point to the penalty spot, but Jackson Burston was denied by a stunning save from Daniel Eisenhauer, the goalkeeper keeping his side ahead.
The Rams finally began to match Cookers for energy come the end of the first half, but the side struggled to link up on several occasions, only matching one shot on target the whole half as they went into the sheds down 1-0.
The hosts’ relentless press paid off in the 51st minute, with Daniel Yaxley scoring from outside the box to cap a dominant spell.
Kahibah unloaded their bench at the hour mark in an attempt to wrestle back momentum, but it backfired as the challenges began flying in from all directions. Matters worsened in the 65th minute when Kahibah’s Shiwa Dul and Cooks Hill Nicholas Curran collided, with the Rams midfielder shown a red card.
With the visitors still creating chances, Cooks Hill reverted back to what had worked well across the match to put the result beyond doubt, and it paid off in the 79th minute, as sustained pressure in the box saw Liam Wilson bury Cookers' third and final goal.
It ended a difficult night for the Rams as they were handed their fourth consecutive loss, with Newham lamenting his side’s struggles to get into the match.
“[It was] frustrating all over the park,” Newham said.
“We concede on the first set piece, got ourselves back into the game, fought hard, earned ourselves a penalty.
“[It was] a great save from the goalkeeper, a real momentum shift in the game. They continued to play and we went within ourselves a little bit.
“They had chances. They took them. We struggled to get into the game. That's football, the boys have got to be a bit better in those respects.
“There are things we can do ourselves to improve on, there are things we can do better to bounce back and be resilient when things aren't going our way.”
For Cooks Hill head coach Jamie Dunning, the result came at an ideal time, pulling his side out of relegation, heading into May with a game in hand.
The coach had particular praise for Hoyle’s effort and how his side bounced back in an important fixture in the context of their season.
“We could play him anywhere, Stevie [Hoyle],” Dunning said.
“I've got no Kane [Woolston], Josh Benson's out for a while. It was a needs-must situation, and he's been absolutely brilliant for us. He brought the young boys in and they created chances tonight, and [the score] could have been more.
“The boys knew how important tonight was. We trained really well Wednesday, best training we've had.
“We keep the intensity up. I'm someone who loves chasing, we had to chase Adamstown last week, we had to chase these boys this week to go above them.
“Hopefully, we go and chase Maitland next week and start really improving our league position.
“After tonight's performance, I'm happy, but not satisfied. I always want more.”
Both sides are set for Hahn Australia Cup fixtures this coming week, with Cooks Hill travelling to Jack McLaughlan Oval on Tuesday to face Edgeworth Eagles before returning to Cooks Square Park next Friday for their round 12 clash with Maitland FC.
Kahibah will play Lambton Jaffas twice next week at Arthur Edden Oval, the sides facing off in the Hahn Australia Cup on Wednesday, followed by their NPL NNSW clash on Saturday.
Charlestown Azzurri 3-5 Broadmeadow Magic
Broadmeadow Magic head coach Jim Cresnar has commended the team effort his side has shown as they overcame a determined Charlestown Azzurri side 5-3 at Lisle Carr Oval in the final match of the round on Sunday.
Magic were expecting a fight from a rejuvenated Blues outfit under new head coach Josh Rufo, and they got it early on as defender Reece Papadimitiros scored a brilliant strike from outside the box to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.
The visitors bounced back quickly with Luis Lara Delgado netting his first of the afternoon two minutes later, the sides heading into the break locked at 1-1.
The floodgates opened in the second half as both sides tried to up the tempo, with Magic the first to benefit as Ezra Palombini capitalised on a defensive lapse to give his side the lead for the first time in the 51st minute.
James Cresnar made it 3-1 12 minutes later thanks to a brilliant pass from Riley Smith, with the Blues turning to their bench in search of a shift in momentum.
Azzurri’s Nicholas Martinelli capitalised on a defensive miscommunication in the 81st minute to cut the margin to one goal, with the score 3-2 to the visitors heading into the final minutes of the game.
But it would be Delgardo who would end all hopes of a Blues comeback in the 89th minute, as a tackle by Kieran Hayes in the box saw the referee point to the penalty spot, and the Magic striker made no mistake to secure the result.
Hayes would grab a consolation goal in stoppage time, but Delgardo would get the last laugh, finding his way around defender Jordan Jackson and goalkeeper Samuel Esquilant to complete his hat-trick in the final minute of the game.
The result saw Broadmeadow claim the top of the table after Weston Bears loss to Valentine FC, but Cresnar understands the job is far from done as the regular season crossed the halfway mark.
“It's a great effort from the players and the team,” Cresnar said.
“He's [Delgardo] been an exceptional player for Magic. He's now becoming a lot more consistent; we just had to change a few things in his play.
“There are other players around him that are helping him become more of a goal scorer, having James [Cresnar] more high up the pitch now has changed the dynamics as well because it then allows us to play at times.
“This year the competition's slightly more equal, and you don't know who's going to be up for it as well.
“We're just making sure that our biggest thing is all around our consistency for us. The more consistent we are as a team, the more likely we're going to get the results.”
Broadmeadow will return home to play Edgeworth Eagles at Magic Park on Sunday, while Charlestown will travel to take on Adamstown Rosebud at Adamstown Oval on Saturday.
Weston Bears 0-2 Valentine FC
One of the shocks of the season unfolded at Hunter City Motor Group Stadium in Saturday afternoon’s opening match, as Valentine FC stunned table leaders Weston Bears 2-0 to fire a warning shot to the rest of the competition about just how high their ceiling is.
Coming into the match off a big loss at home to Olympic, Valentine put their recent strong form on the road to good use, matching the Bears' energy and measuring up in the midfield.
The Bears spent a solid portion of the match in Valentine territory, but were well matched by an incredibly disciplined opposition, the Phoenix conceding only one foul in the first half.
After heading into the sheds with the scoreline undisturbed, the match exploded into life in the second half, as both sides turned to their benches to try and find the breakthrough.
In the 64th minute, Valentine’s Kurtis White caught the Weston defence and goalkeeper Gerard Roebuck out of position, scoring a critical goal to give them the lead.
The Bears pushed for an equaliser, but despite shifting momentum down the right side of the field, they were repeatedly denied by a resolute Valentine defence. Tempers then nearly boiled over in the 81st minute, with defender Mana Iwasaki shown a red card.
Sensing a massive opportunity, Valentine pressed to put the match beyond doubt, and in the final minute of regular time, Max Middleby capped off a massive day by delivering the ball to substitute defender Cody Turner, delivering a famous win for the young side.
Valentine will stay on the road when they travel to face Belmont Swansea United on Saturday, while the Bears will travel to take on Newcastle Olympic on Sunday, determined to get their top spot on the table back.
Edgeworth Eagles 3-1 Maitland FC
Edgworth Eagles’ search for the perfect balance between attack and defence took a big step forward on Saturday, as the side overcame Maitland FC 3-1 in a physical encounter at Jack McLaughlan Oval.
After a moving tribute to Chris Turner, the Eagles, fresh off a promising performance against Edgeworth, hit the ground running, with Stefan Cordwell getting the hosts on the board inside the first minute.
Edgeworth doubled their lead ten minutes later, as Cordwell caught Maitland out of position again to set up Flynn Goodman for an easy finish.
The Magpies looked to lift the intensity but found themselves on the wrong side of the referee’s whistle, with one challenge forcing Edgeworth’s Cordwell off early and bringing Jayden Stewardson into the fray.
The substitute proved effective, as two minutes into stoppage time, he was brilliantly set up by Goodman to score Edgeworth’s third goal, the hosts heading down the tunnel with a resounding lead.
The visitors managed to stifle the Eagles’ momentum in the second half, finding parity in pressure, but the hosts’ defence proved up to the task.
It would be a Braedyn Crowley shot in the 85th minute that would finally see the visitors on the board, the ball bouncing off goalkeeper Ben Conway to go into the net and be marked as an own goal.
It would prove Maitland’s only goal of the night, as Edgeworth held on to claim victory and close the gap between them and Belmont Swansea United on the table.
Edgeworth will travel to face Broadmeadow Magic at Magic Park on Sunday after a Tuesday Hahn Australia Cup clash with Cooks Hill United, while Maitland will face a six-day turnaround before playing Cooks Hill on Friday night at home.
Adamstown Rosebud 2-2 Belmont Swansea United
Adamstown Rosebud had to dig deep to come back from a two-goal deficit to draw 2-2 with Belmont Swansea United at Adamstown Oval in the final match of Saturday afternoon.
BelSwans started the match in promising fashion, with Marco Gueli benefitting from a long-range loft over the defence to score his side’s first in the 22nd minute.
Despite the Buds attempts to equalise, the visitors doubled the lead less than ten minutes out from half-time, with skipper Reece Newton benefitting from a brilliant cross to score BelSwans’ second.
Coming out of the sheds with a 2-0 deficit, the Buds were a different side, and a brilliant piece of counterattack saw midfielder Kayden Soper get his side’s first goal inside the first minute of the second half.
The Buds locked the game up less than 20 minutes later, as Nicolas Gismero benefitted from a long-range ball over the defensive line to score in the 65th minute, momentum now firmly with the hosts.
Sensing a crucial victory, the Buds continued to press, however the BelSwans defence shifted back, not allowing the hosts to have a reliable shot on goal.
As stoppage time arrived, BelSwans finally found themselves with a chance to pull a late winner, but after several corners and shots on goal, Adamstown held on to pull a vital draw.
BelSwans will return home to play Valentine FC on Saturday, while the Buds will host Charlestown Azzurri earlier the same day.
Newcastle Olympic 0-2 Lambton Jaffas
Lambton Jaffas have continued their rise up the table and now sit one point outside of the top five after downing Newcastle Olympic 2-0 at Darling Street Oval on Sunday afternoon.
Both sides started the fixture evenly matched, trading shots on goal and asking plenty of questions of each other’s defence.
It would take a stunning strike from Drew Patterson to break the deadlock in the 27th minute, the score giving the Jaffas a spring in their step.
Olympic tried to up their momentum to find an equaliser but found a strong wall of defence led by Jimmy Oates that only conceded three shots on target, the sides heading to the change rooms with the score 1-0 to the visitors.
Jaffas would pull further ahead in the second half thanks to a goal in the 57th minute by Sam Donnellan, who was well supported in the buildup by Archie Finn and Joseph Langlois.
Sensing the match slipping away from them, Olympic managed to utilise their field position to pepper Jaffas line.
But after 15 shots on goal, several free kicks and six corners, the visitors’ goal remained unbeaten after three minutes of stoppage time, the Jaffas taking the three points at full-time.
Olympic will stay at home on Sunday as they welcome Weston Bears, while Lambton will play back-to-back matches against Kahibah FC at Arthur Edden Oval, the sides facing off on Wednesday in the Hahn Australia Cup before an NPL NNSW rematch on Saturday.