Match of the Round
Weston Bears FC 1-3 Broadmeadow Magic FC
Broadmeadow Magic coach Jim Cresnar thought Saturday’s contest at Rockwell Automation Park had a finals football feel to it as his men registered a crucial 3-1 victory against the Weston Bears.
It was a result that Weston’s assistant coach Nathan Morris thought eliminated his side from premiership contention after they fell 16 points behind league leaders Edgeworth Eagles and 13 points behind Magic, albeit with two games in hand on those two teams.
It was Magic’s leading goal-scorer James Cresnar who opened the scoring in the blockbuster clash when the central midfielder charged onto a Jarred Baker pass behind the defence and calmly picked out the bottom-right corner from close range in the 11th minute.
Weston were keen to bounce back from a midweek loss on home soil against Lambton Jaffas and they hit back in the 25th minute.
Black Archbold put Brock Beveridge away on goal and the attacker blasted in his fourth goal in six matches to lock the score up at 1-1.
It remained that way until the 67th minute when Cody Nancarrow was played in behind by Tom Parkes and restored Magic’s lead with a classy finish.
Tom Edmonds sealed the win in 90th minute with a tap-in from close range after a Nancarrow shot had struck the post and rebounded into the substitute’s path.
Broadmeadow coach Jim Cresnar thought Weston had plenty of periods of play where they were on top, and said he was proud of the way his side absorbed the pressure and battled resiliently to earn the three points.
“It was good to see two good teams trying to play football,” Cresnar said.
“The game definitely had a finals feel to it. In their case, they want to still be in the hunt for the premiership, and in our case, we want to make sure we keep Edgeworth honest.
“Our guys were very good; very impressive. They dug in when they needed too and it was a bit tight there at one stage. Weston were in control of the game but our resilience and tenacity carried us through, I think.”
For the Bears, while the result did not go their way, the match was certainly a learning curve as they prepare for some significant matches in the near future, including the Australia Cup Round of 32, the State Cup final and the league finals.
“It was a good game. We enjoy being part of those games,” Morris said.
“We’ve worked hard to get into the position where these games have meaning. We enjoyed the contest, and it was a good game to be a part of from the coaches’ perspective.
“We’re a good side and they’re a good side, and normally it comes down to taking your chances, which they did while we probably left a few out there. That’s all it came down to really for us.
“Our midweek game against Lambton was our one-off game for the year. It was a wake-up call where we found out what will happen if we don’t play the way we normally play. We got deservedly punished, but against Magic, we got close to being back to where we want to be.
“The result has created a little shift now. We needed to win that game to be fighting for the minor premiership.”
Weston are still third on the table and are back at home this Wednesday when they challenge Edgeworth Eagles in a rescheduled round 10 match.
Magic are still second, just three points behind Edgeworth Eagles, and they will also be in action on Wednesday when they travel to Fearnley Dawes Athletics Field to challenge Cooks Hill United.
Maitland FC 3-1 Charlestown Azzurri FC
Maitland FC assistant coach Nick Harmon believes that the Magpies are starting to fire at the right time of the season following a strong showing in a 3-1 victory against Charlestown Azzurri on Saturday night.
Sean Pratt’s first goal of the campaign had Maitland ahead 1-0 at half-time in front of a home crowd at Cooks Square Park after the midfielder picked out the bottom-right corner from just inside the 18-yard box in the 29th minute.
Skipper Braedyn Crowley provided the assist for that goal with a low, driven free kick, and he then scored the second himself.
Crowley stormed onto a Daniel McFarlane pass in behind the defence down the left edge before cutting inside and unleashing a powerful strike into the bottom-left corner less than a minute after play had restarted in the second stanza.
McFarlane then picked out that same corner with a free kick from just outside the box to make the score 3-0 in the 49th minute as Maitland started to run away towards victory.
Azzurri coach James Pascoe looked to his bench to launch a fightback and Jarryd Sutherland provided the spark less than four minutes after being introduced when he found the back of the net from just outside the box on the hour-mark.
But that was the final goal of the contest as the home side prevailed 3-1.
“From where we started at the beginning of the year, it’s been a big transformation in our style of play,” Harmon said.
“We’ve been lacking the cutting edge in the final third recently, but we definitely displayed that and could have had two or three more. It was a pleasing result.
“When they scored, I still think we were pretty comfortable. It was just a lapse in concentration. Other than that, we played our brand of football and implemented what we set out to do.”
Maitland are still seventh on the table but will climb into fourth if they can get the job done in a rescheduled round 10 clash against Belmont Swansea United at Blacksmiths Oval on Wednesday night.
Azzurri are still clinging to fourth and will host Cooks Hill United in round 20 at Lisle Carr Oval this Saturday.
Adamstown Rosebud FC 0-0 Newcastle Olympic FC
Neither side was able to crack their opposite defence when Adamstown Rosebud and Newcastle Olympic contested a 0-0 draw at Adamstown Oval on Saturday afternoon.
Olympic came closest to scoring in the first half when a Reece Cooper header that was destined for the top-right corner in the 36th minute was pushed over the crossbar by Adamstown’s goalkeeper George Scorer.
The home side almost went ahead four minutes into the second stanza when their skipper Dino Fajkovic produced an acrobatic spinning volley that forced a brilliant diving save out of Olympic keeper Adam Pearce.
Pearce pulled off two more diving saves to deny Fajkovic before full-time to keep Adamstown out, while Olympic failed to fire at the other end as the contest finished all square at 0-0.
It was a result that saw Olympic drop out of the top five as they slipped to sixth, and they could be seventh going into their round 20 clash at home against Edgeworth Eagles at Darling Street Oval on Sunday if midweek results do not go their way.
Adamstown also dropped a position on the table as they found themselves in 11th place.
They will be looking to climb back out of the relegation zone when they travel to Rockwell Automation Park to challenge Weston Bears on Sunday.
Cooks Hill United FC 1-2 Edgeworth Eagles FC
It may not have been their prettiest win of the season, but the Edgeworth Eagles remained undefeated as they registered a 2-1 victory away from home against Cooks Hill United on Saturday afternoon.
The match at Fearnley Dawes Athletics Field was less than a minute old when the league leaders showed their class.
Jackson Brady made an overlapping run past Aaron Oppedisano out on the right and whipped in a perfect cross that Joe Melmeth met with a header that found the back of the net.
One of the goals of the season then got Cooks Hill back level in the 25th minute when Liam Wilson was given far too much time and space by the Edgeworth defence.
Wilson unleashed a pearler from well outside the box that gave Ben Conway no chance as it flew just inside the left upright, and the score remained 1-1 at the half-time break.
It was all square until the 79th minute when Alex Gillespie brought down Chris Fayers in the box, and Brady made no mistake after the referee pointed to the spot.
Cooks Hill then pushed hard for another equaliser, but the Eagles were able to secure their 15th win in 17 matches to remain three points clear at the top of the table.
Next up for Peter McGuinness’ men is a rescheduled round 10 clash at home against Weston Bears at Jack McLaughlan Oval on Wednesday night.
Cooks Hill will also be in action on Wednesday when they host Broadmeadow Magic in a rescheduled round 11 match.
Belmont Swansea United FC 0-3 Lambton Jaffas FC
A second clean sheet victory in five days saw Lambton Jaffas climb into fifth place as they outscored Belmont Swansea United 3-0 at Blacksmiths Oval on Sunday afternoon.
The visitors took the lead in the third minute when Joey Langlois stormed onto a Riley Taylor cutback and smashed a strike into the top-right corner.
Ben Kennedy kept the visitors in front in the 29th minute with a brilliant diving save to deny a Kane Woolston header from close range to ensure the score remained 1-0 at the half-time break.
Bailey Newton was introduced off the bench on the hour-mark and the Jaffas attacker made his presence felt almost immediately when he played a perfect pass in behind for Lachlan Griffiths, who dribbled around BelSwans’ keeper Kye Abrahams and slotted the ball into an empty net.
Newton made the score 3-0 in the 71st minute with a thunderbolt of a strike from a tight angle, which was the way it remained when the final whistle sounded.
BelSwans dropped to 10th following that loss and will be looking to bounce back when they host Maitland FC in a rescheduled round 10 match on Wednesday night.
The Jaffas will be looking to make it three on the trot when they host Valentine FC at Arthur Edden Oval on Saturday afternoon.
Valentine FC 2-1 New Lambton FC
Valentine FC have clawed their way out of the relegation zone once again following a courageous 2-1 victory on home soil against New Lambton FC at Croudace Bay Complex on Sunday night.
New signing Blake Robinson fired home the winner for his new side in the 87th minute after entering off the bench in the 70th, with his strike guiding a 10-man Phoenix side to a crucial three points that lifted them from 11th to ninth.
The hosts led 1-0 at the half-time break after Cale Graham opened the scoring with a cracking strike from the edge of the 18-yard box that flew into the bottom-left corner just 77 seconds after the match had kicked off.
But the Golden Eagles levelled it up at 1-1 in the 53rd minute when Kent Harrison converted from the penalty spot.
Valentine defender Hiroumi Ikeda brought down Dylan Christoffersen in the box to concede the penalty and was red-carded for doing so, which meant the hosts were required to play the final 40 minutes a man down.
They rose to the occasion as they absorbed the pressure thrown at them by New Lambton before striking late to win.
Robinson won possession for his side high up the field close to the right sideline and then made a superb supporting run as Liam Ryan cut in towards goal.
Ryan squared a pass inside to his new teammate and Robinson made no mistake as he fired the hosts to a 2-1 win in his second game for the club.
The victory saw the Phoenix go two points clear of now 11th-placed Adamstown Rosebud, and they will be looking to extend that gap when they meet Lambton Jaffas at Arthur Edden Oval in round 20 on Saturday.
New Lambton will meet Belmont Swansea United in a must-win game at Blacksmiths Oval on Saturday evening.