Match of the Round
Broadmeadow Magic FC 1-0 Edgeworth Eagles FC
Broadmeadow Magic coach Jim Cresnar knows there is still plenty of work to do but believes Sunday’s 1-0 win against Edgeworth Eagles increased his side’s premiership chances significantly as his men went three points clear at the top of the table.
The Eagles entered the rescheduled round 12 match leading Broadmeadow on goal difference as the two sides were locked on 50 points.
They looked set to both move to 51 when the score was still 0-0 with four minutes remaining in regulation time after both sides had struggled to produce their best football in horrible windy conditions.
But the game came to life when Edgeworth defender Tyler Harrison clattered into Broadmeadow attacker Cody Nancarrow inside the 18-yard box and conceded a penalty.
Magic’s skipper Tom Beecham had been rock solid alongside Ben Diamond in the heart of the home side’s defence all game, and he showed nerves of steel as he sent Ben Conway the wrong way and slotted his penalty kick into the bottom-right corner to secure a hard-fought 1-0 win.
Cresnar was ecstatic at full-time and said while he would let his players enjoy the victory on Sunday, he would be bringing them back down to earth at training during the week to ensure they were focused and ready to fire in their final two regular season matches.
“It’s huge. It definitely improves our chances of winning the premiership,” Cresnar said.
“The individual efforts were exceptional today. It was a tough game, and the conditions were difficult to play in.
“Credit to the players. They were winning most of the individual battles, and that’s really what it came down to, as well as the transitional moments. It was exceptional.
“I said to the boys at half-time that this game was going to be all about key moments and making key moments count. Cody, to his credit, got in front of the bloke and obviously it was a foul, and that was a key moment in the game.
“We’ll let them celebrate today because this is such a big moment, but we’ll be back into training on Tuesday and getting their heads right for Friday’s game.”
That match on Friday night is against Valentine FC at Magic Park, where Broadmeadow will also face Cooks Hill United in the final round of the regular season on August 10. If they win both of those games, they will be premiers.
Edgeworth will need to win their remaining two matches against Weston Bears away this Saturday and Charlestown Azzurri at home on the final matchday.
But they will also need Magic to lose one of their matches if they are to reclaim top spot.
The Eagles’ coach, Peter McGuinness, was disappointed with the result and is well aware that Magic are now in the box seat to claim the premiership. But he said that his club would not give up during the final fortnight.
“I was proud of the effort put in by the boys,” McGuinness said.
“I felt the condition of the field and the wind didn’t help either side to play any free-flowing football.
“We are disappointed that winning the premiership is now out of our hands, however, we will continue to do everything we can to stay in the running until the end.”
Adamstown Rosebud FC 0-2 Belmont Swansea United FC
Belmont Swansea United coach Mick Stafford says team spirit and the work rate of his players was the difference when they took down Adamstown Rosebud 2-0 at Adamstown Oval on Sunday afternoon.
The two sides entered the half-time break locked at 0-0, but it only took seven minutes for BelSwans to strike in the second stanza as Drew Patterson charged onto a Kane Woolston cutback and netted from close range.
That duo thought they had linked up again to double the visitors’ lead in the 85th minute, but Patterson was ruled to have been offside before receiving a Woolston pass and finding the back of the net with a classy shot.
Woolston had benefitted from Adamstown failing to deal with a throw-in down the left edge to assist the first goal, and it was almost a carbon copy down the opposite edge four minutes into stoppage time when he got in behind again and squared a pass to Ethan Hall.
Hall made no mistake with his first-time finish to make sure the three points would return to Blacksmiths.
“It was very rewarding, and everyone really soaked up the moment,” Stafford said.
“Probably the worst conditions I’ve seen in a long time in regards to the pitch and the wind, and it made for a pretty terrible game for the spectators. We played some ugly football, but team spirit and the boys’ work rates got the job done for us.
“It’s been a difficult period for us of late, but we had the belief that we could still get some results. It was definitely enjoyable in there after the game.
“It’s not over yet, but it’s a positive step forward. Three points and a second clean sheet in a row gives us confidence. We’ve just got to keep surviving. That’s all we ever wanted to do, and we’re doing that.”
The 2-0 victory saw BelSwans establish a five-point gap between themselves and the 11th-placed Rosebud, giving their chances of avoiding the relegation play-off and staying up in their first NPL campaign a significant boost.
They will head out to Cook Square Park on Saturday to challenge Maitland in round 21.
Adamstown will be playing to get themselves out of the relegation play-off zone this Wednesday night when they meet New Lambton in a rescheduled round 11 match at Alder Park.
A win would see them overtake Valentine FC with two matches to play.
New Lambton FC 1-3 Lambton Jaffas FC
Lambton Jaffas kicked off the rescheduled round 12 matches with a comeback victory over New Lambton FC at Alder Park on Friday night that coach David Tanchevski thought highlighted just how much his playing group have matured and developed as a team.
New Lambton’s Kent Harrison stunned the Jaffas with the opener in the eighth minute as he got in behind and blasted a strike into the bottom-left corner.
But Jaffas Tom Waller netted his second goal in as many games from close range in the 24th minute.
Jimmy Oates gave Lambton the lead in the 51st minute in almost identical fashion to the way Harrison had netted for New Lambton.
Matt Cahill secured the three points with a tap-in less than a minute after he was introduced off the bench in the 72nd minute.
“It’s very good signs and the boys are playing with confidence,” Tanchevski said.
“After going 1-0 down, we had a reaction that hasn’t been there from us for most of the year. When we’ve gone down before, the boys have put their heads down and didn’t think they could get back in the game.
“Now, we know we can keep playing the way we’re playing and get back in the game. We’re scoring goals now and that’s given us confidence.
“Once we got that equaliser back, we pretty much controlled the game from there on.”
Lambton’s 3-1 win saw them ensure finals football remains in their hands as they remained fourth with just two matches left to play.
Next up for them is an away game against Cooks Hill United at Fearnley Dawes Athletics Field on Saturday.
New Lambton are still seven points behind Adamstown Rosebud in last place, and they will meet the 11th-placed side in a must-win rescheduled round 11 clash at Alder Park on Wednesday night.
A loss or a draw in that match would see their relegation to Northern League One for 2026 locked in.
Valentine FC 1-6 Maitland FC
Maitland FC took a giant step towards securing finals football and their skipper Braedyn Crowley fired himself out into the lead on the golden boot tally as the Magpies dismantled Valentine FC 6-1 at Croudace Bay Complex on Sunday night.
Crowley finished the match with a hat-trick to go to 19 goals in 19 games, surpassing former Edgeworth Eagles frontman Ryan Feutz, who netted 18 goals in 13 matches before departing for Sydney Olympic in July.
The Maitland captain got the ball rolling from the penalty spot after Benjamin Power-O'Toole had been brought down in the box in the 13th minute.
He doubled his side’s lead less than four minutes later with a clinical first-time finish after getting onto the end of a pin-point Aden Gage Raftery cross from the right.
Valentine struck back in the 24th minute when Dean Pettit showed great skill to bring down a long ball and bury a one-on-one strike past Taylor Pate, and the score remained 2-1 at the half-time break.
Crowley’s right-hand man Daniel McFarlane rattled the crossbar three minutes into the second stanza with a powerful strike from the edge of the area.
But he would not be denied in the 50th minute when he curled a free-kick from even further out into the top-right corner.
The two goalscorers combined for Maitland’s fourth in the 62nd minute when Crowley played McFarlane in behind and the midfielder controlled the ball before picking out the bottom-left corner.
The skipper then completed his hat-trick in the 71st with a tap in after charging onto a perfect Power-O'Toole cross from the left.
An own goal then completed the scoring in the 79th minute when an Isaac Collins header was headed into the back of the net by Valentine skipper Harry Lane to make the final score 6-1.
The victory saw Maitland remain fifth but finish the weekend more than a win ahead of all sides outside the top five.
Next up for them is a home clash on Saturday when they welcome Belmont Swansea United to Cooks Square Park.
Valentine ended the weekend in 10th spot and are still just two points clear of 11th-placed Adamstown Rosebud.
The Phoenix are away at Magic Park this Friday night where they will take on Broadmeadow Magic.
Weston Bears FC v Charlestown Azzurri FC
This match will be played on Wednesday night at Rockwell Automation Park.
Cooks Hill United FC v Newcastle Olympic FC
This match will be played on Wednesday night at Fearnley Dawes Athletics Field.
