Match of the Round
Newcastle Olympic FC 0-1 Broadmeadow Magic FC
Newcastle Olympic coach Paul DeVitis was disappointed following his team’s 1-0 loss to Broadmeadow Magic in Sunday’s red and blue derby at Darling Street Oval but applauded his players’ effort and attitude.
Magic opened the scoring in the 43rd minute when Jack Simmons received a pass out wide on the left and drove past Jye Rodway before delivering a pin-point cross to James Cresnar for a back-stick tap-in.
Olympic went inches away from equalising 10 minutes into the second stanza when a Kale Bradbery strike was denied by the post.
The task got even tougher for the hosts in the 58th minute when Luke Rutledge was handed his marching orders after receiving his second yellow card.
Adam Pearce kept Olympic in the contest when he pulled off a splendid diving save in the 65th minute to deny Cresnar what would have been a wonder goal from distance.
That was the best chance of the final half an hour as Magic held on to prevail 1-0.
DeVitis said he thought a draw would have been a fair result given balance of the game and the way his team battled while down to 10 men.
“It was a very tight affair, and I thought it was very even in the first half, until a few minutes from half-time when they worked something down the left and it was an inch perfect cross for the goal, so I was disappointed to be 1-0 down at the break,” DeVitis said.
“The second half, they came out and were better than us early.
“The red card made it tough because we had to play 30-35 minutes with 10 men against a team that’s already one up.
“To our credit though, we were probably better with 10 men. We stepped up, which you do see happen quite a lot.
“I can’t fault the boys. The effort and attitude were there, and to get nothing out of the game, especially being a derby, was really heartbreaking.
“Some teams going down to 10 men at 1-0 down against a team like Magic might just fold, but we lifted, and the crowd got into it.
“I thought based on the chances created, a draw would have been a fair result, but it’s easy to say that after a loss. They got the goal that counted.”
Broadmeadow’s win was their third on the trot and their 12th in 14 games this season, and it completed a sweep of the red and blue derby against Olympic.
Coach Jim Cresnar thought his men were impressive for most of the game in enemy territory but admitted they took a step back when Olympic were reduced to 10 men.
“I thought we tried to play football and at times we were able to change to point effectively, which was highlighted by the goal we scored,” Cresnar said.
“Defensively, we were solid again, especially Ben Diamond and Tommy Beecham at the back and even Sam (Kamper) and Will (Ingram) as well. The back four were very consistent in their efforts.
“Apart from the opportunity Olympic had when Kale hit the post, they didn’t really create too much.
“I think we weren’t as good when we went a man up though. We were playing better when it was 11 on 11.”
Magic are still second on the table and will be back in action this Wednesday night when they take on Maitland FC in a rescheduled round nine clash at Cooks Square Park.
Olympic are still fifth and will host Lambton Jaffas at Darling Street Oval in round 18 on Sunday.
New Lambton FC 0-1 Maitland FC
New Lambton FC coach Shane Pryce was heartbroken for his side at full-time after they conceded an injury time goal to go down 1-0 against Maitland FC at Alder Park on Saturday afternoon.
Playing with nine men after Tom O’Connor received a straight red card in the 67th minute before Kent Harrison was booked for a second time three minutes later, the Golden Eagles were defending for their life during the final 20 minutes.
Just when it seemed as though they were set to get away with a point, Maitland found the winner in the fourth minute of injury time when a Benjamin Power-O'Toole strike deflected off a New Lambton defender in the box and into the path of Magpies skipper Braedyn Crowley.
Crowley reacted quick enough to guide the ball past a grounded Samuel Esquilant and into the back of the net.
New Lambton almost equalised in the sixth minute of injury time, but a Samuel Donohoe header went just wide as Maitland held on to win.
Pryce was gutted for his players but thought it was an important lesson for them, declaring that missed opportunities, not the red cards, cost them the three points.
“Heartbreaking, definitely. I think the effort and performance our team showed, they deserve full credit,” Pryce said.
“I think we definitely deserved something out of the game, but in the end, we didn’t convert our chances, which could have alleviated a lot of what was to follow.
“We need to take our chances when they’re presented, but to come away from that with nothing is gut-wrenching for the boys.”
New Lambton are still six points from safety in last place but can cut that to three if they can get the job done on home soil on Wednesday when they host Adamstown Rosebud in a rescheduled round 11 clash.
Maitland climbed into sixth as they joined fifth-placed Newcastle Olympic on 18 points.
They can jump Olympic if they get a point or three out of a rescheduled round nine fixture against Broadmeadow Magic at Cooks Square Park on Wednesday.
Lambton Jaffas FC 1-4 Weston Bears FC
Weston Bears proved once again they belong in the premiership hunt when they came from behind to defeat Lambton Jaffas 4-1 at Arthur Edden Oval on Saturday afternoon.
The Bears were looking to become the third team this season to register a five-game winning streak but were dealt an early blow in the 23rd minute when Lachlan Griffiths stormed onto a bouncing ball following an overhead pass from Jimmy Oates and volleyed a shot over George Stephens and in off the underside of the crossbar.
However, Weston hit back less than two minutes later when Chris Hatfield hassled Lambton’s keeper Jack Pandel into a misplaced pass, which Cooper Buswell pounced on to score from distance with a first-time strike.
The Jaffas were behind 3-1 by the half-time break after Nikolai Topor-Stanley conceded a 30th-minute penalty that Blake Archbold slotted.
Topor-Stanley then turned a Dom Archbold cross into his own net in the 43rd minute.
Buswell completed the scoring in the 70th minute to make the final score 4-1.
Weston are still third following their dominant victory while the loss saw Lambton fall from sixth to seventh.
The two sides will meet again on Wednesday night when they contest their rescheduled round six clash at Rockwell Automation Park.
Cooks Hill United FC 1-0 Adamstown Rosebud FC
Cooks Hill United returned to the winner’s circle and boosted their finals hopes when they defeated Adamstown Rosebud 1-0 on home soil at Fearnley Dawes Athletics Field on Saturday afternoon.
The hosts entered the weekend having lost their past three league games.
They took their first lead in a NPL competition match since April when Xavier Williams netted his first goal of the season in the 38th minute.
Josh Benson put the ball on a plate for his teammate after receiving a pass out wide on the left and beating a defender before cutting the ball back to Williams from the byline, who made no mistake from close range.
Adamstown pushed hard for an equaliser in the second stanza and threatened late through several set pieces, but Cooks Hill’s defence and goalkeeper Daniel Eisenhauer were up to the task to help their side secure their second clean sheet of the season.
The win was the fifth of the season for Chris Zoricich’s men and saw them move a win clear of the relegation zone and a win outside the top five.
They return to Fearnley Dawes Athletics Field on Saturday when they challenge New Lambton FC.
Adamstown are still 10th following the loss and their next game is also against New Lambton when they travel to Alder Park for a rescheduled round 11 match on Wednesday night.
Edgeworth Eagles FC 2-0 Valentine FC
Two late goals saw Edgeworth Eagles extend their winning streak to 11 matches as they took down Valentine FC 2-0 at Jack McLaughlan Oval on Saturday night.
The league leaders were unable to break the deadlock until the 84th minute when defender Xander Woweries picked out the top-right corner after spinning and shooting from just inside the 18-yard box following a corner kick.
Edgeworth secured the three points less than three minutes later when Jose Atayde intercepted a Brodie Volkiene pass and chipped the retreating keeper from distance to make the final score 2-0.
That result saw the Eagles keep their ninth clean sheet of the season in 14 matches as they remained one point clear of Broadmeadow Magic at the top of the table.
They are back at Jack McLaughlan Oval on Saturday when they host Maitland FC in the match of the round.
Valentine are still 11th following their 10th loss of the campaign.
They have another away game when they challenge Charlestown Azzurri at Lisle Carr Oval on Sunday.
Belmont Swansea United FC 1-2 Charlestown Azzurri FC
What Belmont Swansea United hoped would be a happy homecoming ended in disappointment on Sunday night as Charlestown Azzurri prevailed 2-1 at Blacksmiths Oval to wrap up round 17.
Playing at their home ground for the first time in 85 days following a run of washouts and eight consecutive away games, Mick Stafford’s men went behind in the second minute.
A Matt Hoole free kick from the right was headed away by a BelSwans defender but only to the edge of the area where Charlestown’s Reece Papas was waiting and drove a powerful volley through a crowd of bodies and into the back of the net.
A moment of brilliance brought BelSwans level in the 43rd minute as Joe Kable picked up the ball just outside his own 18-yard box and charged upfield into the Charlestown box, playing a one-two with Adam Woodbine before slotting his strike into the bottom-right corner.
Tyran Cousins then headed home the winner for Azzurri in the 66th minute when he pounced after a cracking Reece McManus strike from distance had bounced away off the crossbar.
The win ended a four-game winless run for Charlestown and saw the fourth-placed side finish the weekend five points inside the top five.
They will host Valentine FC at Lisle Carr Oval on Sunday afternoon.
BelSwans’ loss was their third in a row as they remained three points outside the top five but slipped to eighth.
They travel to Rockwell Automation Park to face Weston Bears this Saturday.
