Match of the Round
Lake Macquarie City FC 0-1 New Lambton FC
Lake Macquarie City FC coach Pete Preston described his side’s loss against New Lambton as frustrating as they went down 1-0 at Macquarie Field on Saturday.
The match was end to end in patches of the first half with either side having chances to go ahead early in the piece.
Kent Harrison thought he had opened the scoring for the afternoon for New Lambton in the 21st minute after he struck the ball with significant power towards the goal. But the ball ricocheted off the post and away from goalkeeper Cobe Preston.
The Golden Eagles hit the post once more in the second half before they finally broke the 0-0 deadlock in the 74th minute.
Riley Taylor curled a cross into the penalty area and onto the head of substitute Chase Lattimore, who was unmarked and nodded the ball into the back of the net.
New Lambton had the chance to double their advantage in the 80th minute with a powerful strike from Taylor but the shot was saved in spectacular fashion by Preston.
The Roosters were unable to get themselves back in the game as all three points went to the away side in Lakes’ 13th loss of the season.
Preston thought his side did enough to win the game except the back of the net.
“I thought we were very good for large parts of the game and had it on our terms,” Preston said.
“In the first half considering the weather and the pitch we played some decent football and created some really good chances but unfortunately we didn’t take any of them.”
“We are disappointed that we missed our chances.
“When we went into half time the game had a 1-0 scoreline all over it.
“Frustrating is the word that comes to mind. We are doing so much right but not getting the rewards.
“We did quite well without getting over the line.”
But the Rooster’s coach credited the opposition for adapting to the game which helped them come out on top and said his side will be determined to turn things around.
“New Lambton made changes which then trended in their favour and they played the conditions very well,” Preston said.
“Credit to New Lambton, they got the result that they wanted and needed.
“The boys were a bit upset and down after the game but we have tried to pick ourselves up pretty quickly and go again.”
The loss sees Lakes continue to sit at the bottom of the table on three points. They will be determined to fight it out for three points when they travel to Adamstown Oval to face 11th-placed Adamstown Rosebud next Saturday.
New Lambton remains in 10th position on the table but has extended the gap between themselves and the relegation zone to three points. They will hope to make it three from three wins when they return home to Alder Park next Saturday to host Cooks Hill United.
Adamstown Rosebud FC 2-7 Maitland FC
Maitland FC continued their winning ways on Saturday after a dominant 7-2 victory over Adamstown Rosebud at Adamstown Oval.
Adamstown entered the game full of confidence after back-to-back wins but was unable to put one over the Magpies in front of a home crowd.
After injuries to their number one and two goalkeepers Stuart Plant and Brendan Short, the Rosebuds were forced to promote young gun Liam Michels into the squad.
Maitland opened the scoring through captain Braedyn Crowley in the 31st minute before Matt Hoole doubled their advantage six minutes later.
Rosebuds struck back in the 54th minute with a strike from Aiden Halpin after a scramble from a free kick.
But as Adamstown looked to get back into the game, they were dealt a big blow after their captain and striker Dino Fajkovic received a red card for match-official abuse in the 62nd minute.
The Magpies put their foot on the gas and Crowley netted four goals in 12 minutes to take the scoreline to 6-1.
Jackson Burston put the cherry on top for Maitland and netted their seventh and final goal for the away side in the 85th minute.
Adamstown scored a constellation through Thomas Licata to take the final score to 7-2.
Rosebuds sit 11th on the table and will prepare for the bottom-of-the-table clash at home against Lake Macquarie City FC next Saturday.
The win moved Maitland into the top six with 21 points and they will hope to make it three from three when they travel to Authur Edden Oval to take on league leaders Lambton Jaffas.
Valentine FC 1-1 Cooks Hill United
Two goals in three minutes saw Valentine FC and Cooks Hill United share the points after a 1-1 draw at Croudace Bay Complex on Saturday afternoon.
Neither side was able to find the back of the net in the first half despite multiple chances for the two teams.
The Phoenix broke the deadlock in the 49th minute with a tap-in from Carl Thornton. The Valentine attackers crossed the ball across the front of the goal for Thornton to knock the ball into the back of the net.
But Cooks Hill struck back just three minutes later after Cody Nancarrow netted his 11th goal of the season.
The striker received the ball inside the penalty area and despite four defenders around him, Nancarrow struck the ball low and into the bottom corner of the goal.
The two sides had opportunities to win the game but were unable to hit the back of the net and the score remained 1-1 by the final whistle.
Valentine remains in fifth position on the table and will hope to return to the winner’s circle when they travel to Jack McLaughlan Oval to face Edgeworth FC next Saturday.
Cooks Hill sits ninth on the table with 16 points and stay on the road when they travel to Adler Park on Saturday to face 10th placed New Lambton FC.
Broadmeadow Magic FC v Weston Workers FC
This game was postponed due to wet weather.
Newcastle Olympic v Lambton Jaffas
This game was postponed due to wet weather.
Charlestown Azzurri v Edgeworth FC
This game was postponed due to wet weather.