Match of the Round
Broadmeadow Magic FC 4-2 Cooks Hill United FC
Broadmeadow Magic coach Jim Cresnar thought Saturday night’s 4-2 victory over Cooks Hill United at the Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility highlighted the depth at his club and the bright future ahead as several youngsters made successful starting debuts.
Both teams were nowhere near full strength, with Magic having one eye on the finals series and the Australian Championship that will follow, and Cooks Hill having one eye on this Wednesday night’s Australia Cup Round of 16 derby against the Newcastle Jets.
A 27th-minute Tom Parkes strike separated the sides at the half-time break before five goals flew in across the second stanza.
Regan Jose made it 2-0 in Magic’s favour just 57 seconds into the second half with a classy finish into the bottom-right corner after Cooks Hill failed to clear a Kale Barrett cross.
Jesse Hill tripled their lead on the hour-mark when he headed home a corner from close range.
Cooks Hill hit back in the 65th minute when Hayden Farley curled a cross from the right to Luke Vallone at the edge of the area, who picked out the top-right corner with a brilliant header.
Magic restored their three-goal lead in the 71st minute when Jacob Curry charged in behind onto a Hill through ball and buried his one-on-one chance.
The match ended 4-2 after Lucas Miller netted Cooks Hill’s second in the 83rd minute to complete the scoring.
The victory saw Broadmeadow end the season on 59 competition points following 19 wins, two draws and just one loss all the way back in round one. That is a new NPL-era points tally record.
Cresnar was proud of his side’s performance and said raising the premiership trophy with his players and club members after the match was a special feeling.
“I think it showed our depth. There were five debutants out there, which was great to see,” Cresnar said.
“I understand that Cooks Hill didn’t play their strongest team either, but at the same time, you have to get the result. It was a good opportunity for certain individuals for us and they were exceptional.
“All the senior players out there led the team well; guys like Tommy Beecham, Ryan (Ensor) and Stewey (Jayden Stewardson), and Cody (Nancarrow) too. They all did really well.
“It was a good game that was pleasing to watch. Both sides had opportunities, and we were good enough to take more of ours.
“We’re very proud of our players’ efforts this season and their enthusiasm. Being presented with the trophy after the match was special. The club is ecstatic with the back-to-back premiership wins.”
Magic have now earned the right to have this weekend off after finishing on top of the table, but they will look to sharpen up for the finals when they meet the Central Coast Mariners in a trial game on Saturday in Tuggerah.
Cooks Hill’s coach Chris Zoricich was hoping to see some of his players put their hand up and demand a shirt for their Australia Cup clash, but for the second game in a row, he thought no one really did that.
He was still pleased with how a young and understrength team battled in their final-round game though.
“We pretty much played our reserve team, and I know Magic had a few out as well,” Zoricich said.
“We did okay in parts. The first team members that Broadmeadow had playing for them were the difference between the two teams, I think. They just provided composure at times and a bit more quality.
“Overall, I was pleased with our effort. With the team that we put out, it was a really good effort.”
Cooks Hill ended the campaign in ninth place on the table.
Edgeworth Eagles FC 1-0 Charlestown Azzurri FC
Edgeworth Eagles coach Peter McGuinness said his side would take momentum into the finals series after scoring what he described as an important win as they edged out Charlestown Azzurri 1-0 at the Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility on Friday night.
A 77th-minute penalty goal was the difference between the two sides as Jackson Brady converted from the spot after Flynn Goodman had been brought down in the box.
The Eagles then defended their way to their 11th clean sheet of the campaign to finish the season with the best defensive record of all 12 teams, having only conceded 15 goals in 22 league games this year.
The victory also saw the Eagles secure a second-place finish and earn themselves a home game for this Saturday’s qualifying final against the Weston Bears.
After spending the majority of the season on top of the table but losing three of their most recent four games prior to Friday to drop out of the premiership race, Edgeworth’s round 22 victory was one they needed to have, according to their coach.
“It was an important win to get the home semi and I’m pleased we could do that,” McGuinness said.
“I was really happy with the performance. I thought, with the ball, we were really good. We held a lot of possession, and although we didn’t create a heap of opportunities, I thought we were dominant with the ball and we moved it well. I also thought our press was really good, and it was all round a pretty solid effort.
“We’d spoken about the fact we needed a good performance and a good result to take into the finals, which we were able to do. I feel it was a step in the right direction to get back to our old selves.
“We needed to win to have that feeling again, and the boys were all pleased with themselves without being over-ecstatic.”
The loss was Charlestown’s sixth in a row on the run home, and they finished the season having claimed just one of the final 21 points that were on offer for them. That saw them miss out on the finals as they ended the campaign ranked seventh.
Adamstown Rosebud FC 2-1 New Lambton FC
Adamstown Rosebud completed their first three-game winning streak of the season when they scored a 2-1 victory against New Lambton FC at the Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility on Sunday afternoon.
The side’s strong finish to the campaign recently saw them fight their way clear of the relegation zone, and on Sunday they locked in an eighth-place finish as they climbed above Cooks Hill United on goal difference.
After surviving last season through the Promotion/Relegation Play-Off Finals series, Chris Moylan’s men showed significant improvement this season and will take some serious momentum into the 2026 campaign.
They struck first on Sunday when captain Dino Fajkovic netted his 14th goal of the campaign with a powerful volley from distance in the 21st minute.
But it was level at 1-1 at half-time after Dylan Christoffersen equalised with an equally impressive volley of his own from the edge of the area in the 36th minute.
Fajkovic helped restore the lead in the 53rd minute when he charged onto a ball in behind and squared a cross into the box that New Lambton’s Reinhard Lloyd turned into his own net as he battled with Cameron Davies to get to the ball first.
Neither side could add to the scoresheet after that goal as Adamstown held on to win 2-1.
New Lambton will look to end the season with a win this Wednesday night when they return to the Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility to continue their round 21 match against Newcastle Olympic that was called off during the first half due to lightning strikes earlier this month.
Lambton Jaffas FC 4-2 Maitland FC
Lambton Jaffas came from two goals down to earn a victory that secured finals football for them as they took down Maitland FC 4-2 at the Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility on Sunday evening.
The Magpies took an 11th-minute lead when Daniel McFarlane blasted in a cracking strike from well outside the 18-yard box.
The midfielder helped double the lead in the 18th minute when he struck the post with another quality strike and the ball deflected off Lambton’s Nikolai Topor-Stanley and into the back of the net.
Topor-Stanley got the ball rolling for Lambton’s comeback when he got onto the end of a curling Sam Donnellan corner kick to head home the Jaffas’ first goal in the 35th minute.
Lachie Griffiths made it 2-2 going into half-time when he tapped in from close range after Jimmy Oates picked him out with a cross from the left edge in the 43rd minute.
Oates then fired Lambton into their first lead of the contest in the 70th minute when he got onto a Matt Cahill cutback and drove the ball home.
Tensions flared after that goal with some push and shove that saw the goalscorer and Maitland’s Jordan Jackson both receive yellow cards.
The Magpies pushed hard for an equaliser in the final 20 minutes but a Riley Taylor strike three minutes into injury time sealed the win and secured the three points for the Jaffas.
That result saw David Tanchevski’s men climb above the Magpies into fourth place.
They could meet Maitland again in Sunday’s elimination final, but the venue of that game is still unknown as Adam Hughes’ men can go back into fourth if they beat Belmont Swansea United at the Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility when their round 21 match that was called off due to lightning is completed.
The Magpies can also drop out of the top five if they lose on Wednesday and Newcastle Olympic beat New Lambton FC in their rescheduled round 21 clash.
Valentine FC 0-2 Weston Bears FC
Weston Bears put their four finals rivals on high alert when they defeated Valentine FC 2-0 at the Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility on Sunday night.
The Bears secured their seventh clean sheet of the campaign as they climbed to 50 competition points for the first time in the NPL era, but it was at the other end that they impressed as two midfield maestros netted long-range stunners to get the job done.
Cooper Buswell opened the scoring in the 31st minute with a thunderbolt of a strike from outside the 18-yard box that soared past a diving Brodie Volkiene, who was unable to get a hand to it.
Weston took their 1-0 lead into half-time, and it remained that way until Burke Fahling drove home a strike from outside the box in the 66th minute to put them ahead 2-0, which was the way it remained at full-time.
Those two strikes saw the Bears end the season with 61 goals, 11 more than first- and second-placed sides Broadmeadow Magic and Edgeworth Eagles, who were both next best with 50.
The result also saw Weston end the regular season on a four-game winning streak and a seven-game unbeaten run as they now take some impressive form into this Saturday’s qualifying final at Jack McLaughlan Oval against Edgeworth.
Valentine’s loss saw them end the campaign ranked 11th. They will now have to fight for survival in the Promotion/Relegation Play-Off Finals series, which will kick off this weekend.
Belmont Swansea United FC 2-3 Newcastle Olympic FC
Newcastle Olympic kept their finals hopes alive with a 3-2 victory over Belmont Swansea United in the final game of the round at the Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility on Sunday night.
Only a win would have kept Olympic in the hunt for fifth place, and they were dealt a blow in the 12th minute when Luke Rutledge brought down Joe Kable in the box and Drew Patterson blasted BelSwans into the lead from the spot.
Mick Stafford’s men took their 1-0 lead into the half-time break, and it remained that way until the hour-mark when Ben Hay found the back of the net with a curling free kick from the right edge.
Hay then set up the goal that put Olympic ahead eight minutes later with a corner from the same side that Rutledge bundled in from close range.
Their side continued to find success down the right edge in the 76th minute when Jye Rodway got in behind and squared a cross to Roy O’Donovan, whose shot rebounded off the crossbar and was put away by Kale Bradbery to put Olympic ahead 3-1.
BelSwans gave Olympic a late scare when Cameron Lodge netted from close range after a Sam Kirk header was deflected off the goal line following a corner, but Olympic held on to earn the three points that kept their season alive.
Paul DeVitis and Mick Bolch’s men will return to the Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility on Wednesday night to challenge New Lambton in a round 21 match that was called off due to lighting strikes earlier this month.
They are ahead 1-0 in that match thanks to a Jesse Fitzgerald goal.
If Olympic can win that match and Maitland FC lose against BelSwans that same night, Olympic will go through to the finals.
BelSwans and Maitland are locked at 0-0 in their round 21 match that will also restart during the first half after being called off due to lightning.
