Match of the Round
Cooks Hill United FC v Belmont Swansea United FC
Fearnley Dawes Athletics Field, Saturday 3:30pm
Cooks Hill United coach Chris admitted his side needed to refocus on this Saturday’s match of the round clash against Belmont Swansea United at Fearnley Dawes Athletics Field as they go in search of some consistency in the league.
Zoricich was one of the proudest men in Newcastle on Wednesday night after his club qualified for the Han Australia Cup round of 32 for the first time when they took down Broadmeadow Magic at Magic Park 2-1 to advance to the national stage of the Cup.
Zoricich said his men were awful in Coffs Harbour but well and truly rose to the occasion against Magic and could not have been any prouder of his players and everyone involved at the club.
“Everyone’s pretty ecstatic. I’m just so proud of the boys to be honest. They put in so much effort,” Zoricich said.
“The way they commit themselves to training every week, I’m glad they get some reward for that.
“I couldn’t ask for more really; they gave me absolutely everything. We got a bit of luck too but we got the result.
“It’s so great for the club. There were so many people there supporting us. It’s a good reward for everyone.”
But Cooks Hill have now turned their attention back to the league and this Saturday’s clash against BelSwans, where Zoricich challenged his men to start delivering some consistency going forward.
They have not yet strung back-to-back wins in the league and have gone loss, win, loss, win almost all year, leaving them in ninth place with 12 points from 10 matches.
Cooks Hill are well-aware they have a tough task on their hands on Saturday when they welcome a BelSwans side to town that are unbeaten in their past five matches and have only lost three of their 11 games in 2025.
“It will be tough against BelSwans. Hopefully the boys enjoy the Cup victory but we know it’s going to be very tough on Saturday,” Zoricich said.
“They are a good team. They are very good at what they do and they don’t try to be something they’re not. They are going to be very difficult to beat during the second half of the season.
“We’re going to have boys backing up and we will have to look at rotating a little bit, because the players put in a big shift tonight. We’ll see how they pull up but there are some tired and sore bodies there.”
One player that Cooks Hill will have to be wary of on Saturday is BelSwans’ new US import Drew Patterson, who has impressed since arriving at Blacksmiths.
Patterson has set up a goal and scored another in his first two games and was voted players’ player in a rescheduled round 11 match last Friday night against Newcastle Olympic at Darling Street Oval that ended 2-2.
BelSwans’ coach Mick Stafford commended the gun attacker and said he looked forward to Saturday’s clash.
“Drew has taken us to another level. He’s a professional in the literal and figurative sense,” Stafford said.
“Anyone who watches our games can see that his skillset is very high. He’s played 90 minutes every game and he trains every day.
“I’m very pleased with the way we turned that Olympic game around after a disastrous start, going down two goals in six minutes. It’s good to see the mentality of the boys. They keep fighting together to get something out of games.
“We should have won that game in the end, but it’s a huge step for us as a club to be getting a point from an established club like Newcastle Olympic. We have to be proud of ourselves.
“Cooks Hill are a good side and they played us off the park when they beat us (3-1 in round four) at Blacksmiths. They were sharp.
“Chris is a good coach who knows what he’s doing. There are plenty of players in that team that can hurt you.
“We’ve got a lot of improvement in us since then, and we’re looking forward to righting the wrongs of that night.”
Stafford expected to have a full squad to choose from as BelSwans look to score their third win of the season and get themselves closer to the top five, which they are currently four points outside of.
Adamstown Rosebud FC v Lambton Jaffas FC
Adamstown Oval, Saturday 2pm
Adamstown Rosebud coach Chris Moylan is feeling confident in his side’s ability this season as they prepare to welcome Lambton Jaffas to Adamstown Oval on Saturday afternoon.
Adamstown are 10th on the table but are just two wins outside the top five with plenty of games still to come against the teams around them.
They were in action last Saturday when they hosted Charlestown Azzurri at Adamstown Oval and they picked up a point in the rescheduled round 10 contest that finished at 2-2.
Dino Fajkovic (11’) and Taj Buck (53’) put the Rosebud in front twice, but Charlestown’s Jethro Elkington (29’) and Rene Ferguson (57’) cancelled out those goals.
Moylan enjoyed watching his side improve this season and was confident they can make it two from two in the league against the Jaffas.
“We’re really looking forward to this weekend’s game against Jaffas. We’re getting better each week and we will keep doing what we’ve been doing,” Moylan said.
“We’ve beaten them already this season, but that doesn’t really mean much. They had a few players missing that day and they’re a different team now.
“If we stick to our guns and do what we need to do, we’ll be okay again.
“We’ve missed a fair bit of footy recently and it’s been challenging. Like it has been for everyone else. We’re right back in the swing of it now though; trained last week and played on the weekend.
“We played really well against Charlestown, as we did against Maitland (a 3-1 loss in round 14). Against Maitland, we just didn’t get the result, and we had 20 shots on goal to Maitland’s six or seven. It was the same against Charlestown. We played really well but made a couple of mistakes and got penalised, but I was happy with a point against them.”
Lambton have lost their past two matches but are just three points outside the top five, which they can enter this weekend if results go their way.
Jaffas coach David Tanchevski was disappointed when his men went down 1-0 on home soil against Adamstown earlier in the season and labelled the round four fixture as one that they should have won.
He is seeking an improved performance this Saturday as his side look to get their finals push back on track.
Edgeworth Eagles FC v New Lambton FC
Jack McLaughlan Oval, Saturday 2pm
Edgeworth Eagles are hoping to put the disappointment of an Hahn Australia Cup defeat behind them when they host New Lambton FC at Jack McLaughlan Oval on Saturday afternoon.
The Eagles travelled to Rockwell Automation Park on Wednesday night to challenge Weston Bears and went down in a penalty shootout after the score was locked at 1-1 after extra time.
That was Peter McGuinness’ men’s first loss of the year after a 10-game undefeated streak in the league and two prior victories in the Cup, and they are determined to bounce back on Saturday.
First place is on the line for the Eagles as they sit one point behind league leaders Broadmeadow Magic, who play on Sunday.
New Lambton are still searching for their first win of the season after picking up their third point on Wednesday night in a rescheduled round 10 clash against Newcastle Olympic at Darling Street Oval.
The Golden Eagles led twice, but their goals from Thomas O'Connor (22’) and Kanata Furutani (45’) were cancelled out by strikes from Zach Thomas (29’) and Nathan Toby (47’).
Shane Pryce’s men remain last on the table but are now just five points behind Valentine FC with a game in hand on them.
Saturday’s clash is a chance to close that gap, but it will take something special for the competition’s only winless team to take down its only undefeated team.
Maitland FC v Weston Bears FC
Cooks Square Park, Saturday 4:30pm
Weston Bears are enjoying one of their most successful seasons in recent memory and are eager to claim another scalp when they travel to Cooks Square Park to challenge Maitland FC on Saturday evening.
The Bears are fired up after making history on Wednesday night by qualifying for the Hahn Australia Cup Round of 32 for the first time.
It was another gruelling midweek contest as they took on Edgeworth Eagles at Rockwell Automation Park and were locked 1-1 after both 90 and 120 minutes before goalkeeper George Stephens made three saves in the penalty shootout to help his side advance to the national stage.
Kew Jaliens’ men have won four of their past five league games and six of nine all up so far this season as they sit eight points behind leaders Broadmeadow Magic with a game in hand on them.
Many have already declared the premiership battle a two-horse race, but third-placed Weston have other ideas and are ready to pounce when Magic and Edgeworth slip up.
The Magpies are on the longest winning streak of all teams in the competition outside of the top two.
Their most recent victory was a 3-1 win at home against Adamstown Rosebud in round 14 before the June long weekend and they are raring to go as they look to make it four wins in a row for the first time under coach Adam Hughes.
Also on Maitland’s agenda is showcasing their improvement by overturning their worst result of the season back in March when they were thumped 5-1 by the Bears at Rockwell Automation Park in round four.
Newcastle Olympic FC v Valentine FC
Darling Street Oval, Sunday 2pm
Newcastle Olympic are desperately seeking a return to form when they host Valentine FC at Darling Street Oval on Sunday afternoon.
Olympic’s off-season recruitment of Mick Bolch to the coaching ranks and quality players like Roy O’Donovan, Ben Hay, Zach Thomas, Kale Bradbery and Adam Zervas to the squad had many tipping them to challenge for the premiership and they enjoyed a positive start with three wins from their first five games.
But their first-place hopes have been dealt a significant blow in recent months after winning just one of their past seven matches.
They are still clinging to fifth place but could drop out of the top five if they drop more points this weekend.
Olympic have played two catch-up games in the past week on home soil and drew each match 2-2 against Belmont Swansea United in a rescheduled round 11 clash last Friday and New Lambton FC in a rescheduled round 10 contest on Wednesday.
Nathan Toby and Jed Hornery were both sent off late against New Lambton and will miss at least this Sunday’s fixture.
Valentine are 11th on the table and are also desperate for a win as they look to snap a four-game losing streak and finally climb out of the relegation zone, which they can do if Adamstown Rosebud lose against Lambton Jaffas and the Phoenix get the job done against Olympic.
Charlestown Azzurri FC v Broadmeadow Magic FC
Lisle Carr Oval, Sunday 4:30pm
Lisle Carr Oval will host a battle of two premiership hopefuls to wrap up the round when Charlestown Azzurri welcome league leaders Broadmeadow Magic to town on Sunday evening.
One win in their past five league games has seen Azzurri fall nine points behind Broadmeadow but have played one more game which makes this weekend a must-win game for James Pascoe’s men to keep their hopes of finishing first alive.
Charlestown were in action last Saturday at Adamstown Oval and were forced to come from behind twice against a determined Rosebud outfit as the rescheduled round 10 contest finished at 2-2. Jethro Elkington (29’) and Rene Ferguson (57’) both got on the scoresheet to cancel out goals from Adamstown’s Dino Fajkovic (11’) and Taj Buck (53’) and earn a point.
Broadmeadow have beaten Azzurri twice already this season across the league and the Hahn Australia Cup and now look to make it three from three on Sunday.
Magic’s depth will be tested in this game after injuries to Riley Smith, Cody Nancarrow and Bailey Wells in their recent Hahn Australia Cup clashes.
Magic crashed out of the Cup on Wednesday night when they went down 2-1 against Cooks Hill United at Magic Park.
They will now look to bounce back against Azzurri and extend their winning run in the league to 10 games to remain on top of the table.
