Match of the Round
Charlestown Azzurri 1-3 Lambton Jaffas
Lambton Jaffas head coach David Tanchevski said his side’s first-half performance against Charlestown Azzurri was among the best football they’ve played all year, as the visitors ran out 3-1 victors at Lisle Carr Oval on Sunday to keep their finals hopes alive.
The visitors set the agenda early, pinning the Blues deep in their own half with Mitchell Rooke scoring a stunning goal from long range in the 12th minute to give his side an early lead.
The Blues didn’t go into their shell but struggled to generate chances on goal, and the Jaffas made them pay in the 28th minute when Jimmy Oates doubled the lead with a header from a Rooke-delivered corner.
Jaffas continued to threaten, their midfield overcoming the Blues, but the visitors were unable to capitalise on several opportunities as they went into the break with a 2-0 lead.
The hosts came out with a lot more energy, slowly regathering their shape, and with it came more chances generated - but the side had work to do to claw back from a two-goal deficit.
With Jaffas threatening to put the game away, the Blues began to string passages of play together, and just after the hour mark, pulled a vital goal back from a set piece, with Harrison Frendo getting the ball past goalkeeper Ben Kennedy off a corner.
The score changed the dynamic of the match, as Jaffas continued to threaten to break out, while the Blues achieved parity in the physical battle.
Ultimately, in the 89th minute, it would be the Jaffas counterattack that would prevail, as substitutes Lachlan Griffiths and Karam Idris combined from a Rooke long-range lob, with Griffiths putting the ball in the back of the net to put the match beyond doubt.
The result sees the Blues concede their third consecutive loss and drop down to ninth, with head coach Josh Rufo knowing that every match now matters with the bottom of the table so tightly congested.
“[The] first half was not quite the standard that we're trying to reach,” Rufo said.
“It was just one of those things, sometimes the shape works and sometimes it doesn't. It just wasn't the standards that we were looking for.
“Second half was much improved, [but] the positive is that we've got another game next week.
“I think every game is quite evenly matched in the NPL this year. [Next week against Kahibah], it’s massive, probably the biggest game of the year for us next week, we've got to look to get our season going.”
It wasn’t a perfect performance for Jaffas either, but Tanchevski knows that a rebound performance after their loss to Broadmeadow Magic was critical, his side closing the gap on Edgeworth Eagles to push for finals football.
“The first half, we were excellent. Probably one of our best first halves we've played,” Tanchevski said.
“We were disappointed in the second half. I don't think we matched the energy that we had in the first half, but Azzurri played a bit better as well.
“We didn't have as much urgency; we probably played a little bit safe, to be honest. I would have liked to see us next time just keep taking the game to them and bring it home.
“We held lots of possession in that game, which was, I think, a key factor for us. If we can play football as we did in the first half today, we should be able to get a result [against Buds].”
The Jaffas will have a six-day turnaround before welcoming Adamstown at home, while Charlestown will travel to Fred Wright Oval on Sunday to take on the Rams.
Adamstown Rosebud 1-5 Broadmeadow Magic
Broadmeadow Magic head coach Jim Cresnar was impressed with how his side broke down Adamstown Rosebud, coming from one goal down at half-time to win 5-1 at Adamstown Oval on Saturday.
With the Buds on a winning streak and managing a 2-2 draw the last time the two sides played, Magic expected a big shift from the hosts, with the sides playing a decent amount of end-to-end football in the opening half hour.
It would be the hosts that would finally break the deadlock in the 36th minute, with Taj Buck pouncing on a Dino Fajkovic strike deflected by Magic goalkeeper Daniel Axford, the score proving the difference as the sides headed down the tunnels after an even first half.
But the defending champions put the time off the field to good use and came out ready to step up a gear.
Magic equalised seven minutes into the second half through Luis Lara Delgardo, swooping on a brilliant long-range ball from Tom Beecham, the score sparking Magic into action.
Jakob Cresnar then gave his side the lead in the 72nd minute through a brilliant Jack Simmons cross into the box, but signs looked ominous as the Buds struggled to find answers to stifle Magic’s momentum.
Will Ingram scored his side’s third six minutes later, thanks to a great through ball from Ezra Palombini, with a fourth goal less than a minute later from James Cresnar.
Completing their second-half dominance, Delgado scored his second in the final minute of stoppage time off a well-executed free kick to lock in the 5-1 result.
The win, combined with Weston Bears and Belmont Swansea United draw in Weston, saw Magic open up an imposing eight-point lead at the top of the table.
It was a disappointing end for Buds, their game plan, confidence and composure in the first half struggling to match Magic’s pressure and momentum when they got on a roll.
For Cresnar, it was seeing the side overcome the enthusiasm of Buds that was a big positive for his side, as they head into a critical fortnight ahead.
“The biggest key message [at half-time] was being patient, because it wasn't like they were dominant or had that phase where they'd done really well and got behind us,” Cresnar said.
“We had plenty of opportunities, and what we were trying to achieve was evident in the first half.
“They had a lot of energy and effort in the first half and made it difficult for us.
“We just needed to execute it better. We just needed one or two key moments, keep the focus of what our task was, which we did in the second half.”
Magic will have a tough assignment to keep their run going when they travel to Blacksmiths Oval to face BelSwans on Saturday, while the Buds will look to bounce back when they travel to face Lambton Jaffas earlier that day.
Weston Bears 2-2 Belmont Swansea United
The top-of-the-table clash between Weston Bears and Belmont Swansea United delivered a fixture to match the occasion at Hunter City Motor Group Stadium, the sides unable to be separated in a thrilling 2-2 draw on Saturday.
Boasting two of the best attacking sides in the league, the visitors' lethal counterattack delivered in the 15th minute, with Marco Gueli and Andrew McGee once again combining to set up Dean Pettit, the striker giving BelSwans an early lead.
It proved to be short-lived, however, as only two minutes later, consecutive errors by Barney Irvine-Rundle and Adam Blunden saw the Bears equalise, an Oli Calculli cross bouncing off Blunden and into the net for an own goal.
The sides would go into the break with the score 1-1, but had exchanged plenty of chances, which only continued in the second half as the game opened up.
After overcoming several forays by the Bears into their box, BelSwans regained the lead 12 minutes into the second half through their counterattack.
A Christopher Fayers lob from deep finding Gueli and the striker producing a piece of individual brilliance to get past the defence.
But it would once again be only a momentary lead, as a brilliant Carson Wood cross saw Christopher Hatfield produce a contender for goal of the round three minutes later, the sides back on equal terms.
Ultimately, despite both sides creating plenty of chances and the Bears pushing late with several corners, BelSwans ultimately held out, both sides walking away with a point apiece.
BelSwans will return home for a top-of-the-table clash with Broadmeadow on Saturday, while Weston will travel to face an improving Cooks Hill earlier the same day.
Edgeworth Eagles 0-1 Cooks Hill United
Edgeworth Eagles have been handed their third loss of the season, as Cooks Hill United produced the upset of the weekend to win 1-0 at Jack McLaughlan Oval on Saturday afternoon.
Starting the match looking to bounce back from a disappointing loss to Belmont Swansea United, Cooks Hill started well, matching the Eagles for intensity with plenty of end-to-end football being played.
But the visitors started to gain the upper hand in the midfield, the inclusion of Kai Bradley and Kane Woolston proving effective in the second line.
It would take a period of sustained pressure in the Eagles’ back third to finally produce the first goal right on half-time, with Stephen Hoyle producing a long-range effort outside the box to find his way past Ben Conway.
After a first half that saw most action in the midfield, the game opened up in the second, as both sides took plenty of shots on goal, the Eagles managing nine efforts and seven corners, being well held out by the likes of Daniel Clements and goalkeeper Daniel Eisenhauer.
The Cooks Hill defence would ultimately separate the sides, with the Eagles unable to find a way past after three minutes of stoppage time, being held scoreless for just the second time this year.
Edgeworth will look to bounce back quickly when they travel to face Valentine FC on Saturday, while Cooks Hill will return home to welcome Weston Bears.
Maitland FC 1-0 Valentine FC
Maitland FC have continued their rise up the NPL NNSW table, ending Valentine FC’s positive streak on the road to win 1-0 at Cooks Square Park on Saturday afternoon.
With a young and improving Phoenix side out to continue their growing form, the match would prove to be a physical clash as both sides tried to wrestle momentum in their favour.
But the hosts looked more threatening on goal, and it would be a critical error from Valentine’s defence that would see Daniel Mcfarlane capitalise, the striker putting Regan Lundy into a one-on-one with goalkeeper Brodie Volkiene, the Magpie making no mistake.
Discipline began to creep into the contest after half-time as Valentine wrestled back momentum and created more chances on goal.
Despite earning seven corners and six shots across the match, the Phoenix struggled to capitalise, with the Magpies defence rushing their attempts and limiting the quality of their opportunities.
With an evenly matched contest also playing out in the midfield, Valentine made a final-ditch effort in stoppage time to produce an equaliser, but ultimately, they ran out of time as Maitland held on to record a third consecutive victory, climbing over Edgeworth into fourth place.
Valentine will return home to play the Eagles on Saturday, while Maitland FC will stay at home, enjoying an eight-day turnaround before welcoming Newcastle Olympic on Sunday.
Newcastle Olympic 3-3 Kahibah FC
The clash between Newcastle Olympic and Kahibah FC produced one of the most entertaining matches of the weekend, the sides unable to be split after a 3-3 draw at Darling Street Oval on Sunday.
With Kahibah coming in on a five-game NPL losing streak and Olympic a three-game losing streak plus a change in head coach, there was an air of weight to the affair, with a loss potentially catastrophic for both in terms of final hopes and relegation possibilities.
The Rams’ early attacking pressure paid off in the 26th minute when Jilles Bos, who had threatened on several occasions, delivered a cross that deflected off Dominik Brymora and into the net for an own goal.
The hosts responded well, with Kale Bradbery levelling the scores on the counterattack ten minutes later. Brymora then made amends for the own goal by heading home from a well-worked corner, sending Olympic into half-time with a 2-1 advantage.
After making several timely changes early in the second half, the Rams equalised in the 52nd minute through a corner of their own, a Jackson Burston header flying into the back of the net and proving to be the shot in the arm the visitors needed.
Sensing a chance to press the advantage, the Rams upped the intensity and stretched the Olympic defence, and in the 65th minute, a ricocheting ball found Bos, who tucked it away with relish to give the visitors the lead back.
Olympic refused to back down, but with the game slipping away, the hosts were given a chance to score off a throw-in in the 79th minute. The ball found Wil Southcombe in a prime position, the midfielder delivering a critical strike to equalise.
Despite both sides’ best efforts to find a winner, after ten minutes of action and five minutes of stoppage time, they couldn’t be split, resulting in shared points.
The Rams will return home to face Charlestown Azzurri on Sunday, while Olympic will travel up the expressway to face Maitland FC.