Match of the Round
Broadmeadow Magic 0-0 Charlestown Azzurri
Broadmeadow have put their premiership destiny in their own hands as Magic remained at the top of the table despite being forced to share the points with Charlestown Azzurri.
It was a scoreless draw at Magic Park on Sunday afternoon but the point was enough to keep Magic at the top of the table, three points ahead of Lambton Jaffas who slipped up against Valentine.
Broadmeadow coach Jim Cresnar will know that his side will remain at the top after they sit out this weekend with a catch-up round scheduled thanks to their vastly superior goal difference. They will go again in a fortnight when they welcome Valentine FC. If Magic beat Valentine and New Lambton in their final two matches, they will be crowned premiers.
Azzurri has moved up the table to fourth and will hope to cement their position in the finals further when they travel to Macquarie Field to face bottom of the table Lake Macquarie City FC in their rescheduled round 14 match on Saturday.
Cooks Hill United 5-0 Maitland FC
Cooks Hill United made it six matches unbeaten after a dominant 5-0 win over Maitland FC at Fearnley Dawes Athletics Field on Saturday.
Zaik Luck opened the home side’s account in the 12th minute after he ran onto a ball inside the penalty area and sent goalkeeper Matthew Trott the wrong way.
Cooks Hill doubled their lead one minute later when Carter Smith struck the ball on the turn hard and low into the back of the net.
Smith extended their advantage in the 31st minute as he slotted the ball into the goal before an own goal from Callum Bower gave Cooks Hill a 4-0 lead at half-time.
Cooks Hill continued to dominate in all areas of the pitch in the second half and they put the game to bed in the 57th minute when Smith secured a hat-trick.
The win keeps Cooks Hill in the fight for a top-five spot, two points behind Newcastle Olympic and Charlestown Azzurri.
They will hope that they can continue their momentum when they take on Edgeworth FC in a fortnight, with Chris Zoricich’s side not in action during this weekend’s spare round.
Maitland will be desperate to bounce back from their second consecutive loss, which has seen them fall to ninth on the table. Mick Bolch will hope that his side can turn their fortunes around when they return home to face New Lambton FC in their rescheduled round 14 match on Saturday.
Edgeworth FC 4-0 Lake Macquarie City FC
Edgeworth FC kept its momentum going after a 4-0 victory over Lake Macquarie City FC at Jack McLaughlan Oval on Saturday.
The Eagles opened their account in the 26th minute after they were awarded a penalty when Aaron Oppedisano was brought down inside the penalty area.
Ryan Feutz stepped up and calmly converted from the spot to give his side the lead.
Oppedisano and Feutz combined again to net Edgeworth’s second goal in the final seconds of the first half. Feutz tapped the ball into the back of the net after Oppedisano sliced it across the face of goal.
The Eagles kept their foot down in the second half as Keanu Moore took the score to 3-0 after he hit the ball low and hard from the edge of the penalty area into the bottom corner of the net.
Feutz secured his hat-trick for the afternoon and place at the top of the golden boot race with a powerful strike from outside the penalty area that flew past goalkeeper Cobe Preston.
The win further secured Edgeworth’s position in third on the table which they will hope to maintain when they take on Lambton Jaffas at Arthur Edden Oval on Saturday in their rescheduled round 14 clash.
Lakes continue to sit at the bottom of the table, unable to pick up points to save their season. They will look to finish their campaign on a high when they return home to Macquarie Field to host Charlestown Azzurri on Saturday.
New Lambton FC v Newcastle Olympic
Match postponed due to wet weather conditions.
Valentine FC 3-1 Lambton Jaffas
Valentine FC secured a crucial upset to keep their season alive after they downed Lambton Jaffas 3-1 at Croudace Bay Complex on Saturday.
Jaffas were eager to reclaim the place at the top of the table but were unable to get the job done with the Phoenix too strong for them.
The away side opened the scoring in the 17th minute through Bailey Newton. The Jaffas broke down the pitch before Matthew Cahill fired a shot towards goal. The strike was saved by goalkeeper Brodie Volkiene but the ball spilled into the path of Newton, who tapped the ball into the back of the net.
But Valentine struck back just before half-time after a header from Toby Jensen. His first strike was saved by captain and goalkeeper Ben Kennedy before the ball bounced into the air and allowed Jensen a second bite at the cherry as he nodded the ball into the empty net.
The Phoenix had a chance to edge ahead in the minutes after the break with a powerful strike from Isaac Preston-Poole but his attempt rattled the crossbar and went over the goal.
In the 71st minute, Valentine finally broke ahead through Nicholas Martinelli before Jensen netted his second of the day to secure all three points for his side.
Valentine will hope to continue their momentum when they welcome Adamstown Rosebud on Saturday in their rescheduled round 14 match.
Jaffas will be desperate to bounce back and remain in the hunt for the premiership when they return home to Authur Edden Oval to host Edgeworth FC on Saturday.
Weston Workers FC 6-0 Adamstown Rosebud
Weston Workers FC made it three wins in a row after they thrashed Adamstown Rosebud 6-0 at Rockwell Automation Park on Sunday.
The home side opened the scoring in the seventh minute when Cooper Buswell ducked and weaved his way around Adamstown’s defence before he slotted the ball into the back of the net.
Jye Bailey doubled the Bears’ advantage two minutes later when he headed the ball past goalkeeper Liam Michels.
Weston extended the score again in the 18th minute through Christopher Hatfield before Bailey netted his second of the afternoon in the 40th minute to take the score to 4-0 at half-time.
The Bears did not slow down in the second half as Yuta Konagaya hit the back of the net in the 61st minute before Bailey secured his hat-trick 10 minutes later to round out the scoring.
The win sees the Bears move up into eighth, five points outside the top five.
They will hope to extend their unbeaten streak when they travel to Darling Street Oval to face Newcastle Olympic in their rescheduled round 14 clash on Saturday.
Adamstown remain 11th, with their hopes of moving out of the relegation play-off zone drifting further away.
Chris Moylan will hope that they can turn things around when they take on Valentine FC on Saturday.