Match of the Round
New Lambton FC 2-5 Broadmeadow Magic FC
Broadmeadow Magic coach Jim Cresnar was ecstatic for the club to finally lift the premiership trophy after 11 years after a 5-2 victory over New Lambton on Sunday.
Magic’s men finally lifted the silverware in the final round of the NPL Men’s NNSW season away from home at Alder Park.
New Lambton opened the scoring in the second minute with a wonder strike from Charlie Kelly.
The midfielder had time on the ball and struck it from about 25 metres out of the goal and the ball flew past the reach of goalkeeper Lewis Alvarez.
But Magic didn’t take long to equalise with tap-in from Jarred Baker in the 11th minute.
Bailey Wells struck the ball on target but the shot hit the crossbar and bounced off to the feet of Baker who made no mistake and buried his attempt.
Baker netted his second a minute later to put Magic in front for the first time in the match.
The attacker found the ball at his feet once again unmarked at the back post and tapped and slotted the ball into the back of the net.
Magic took the 2-1 lead into the half-time break before they extended their lead early in the second half.
Wells got his name on the scoresheet in the 51st minute with a spectacular strike on his non-dominant left foot.
The midfielder danced his way around his defenders before he unleashed a lethal shot that caught goalkeeper Shayne Van As off guard as it flew into the goal.
New Lambton got themselves back into the contest after Kent Harrison got onto the end of a through ball from Kelly and hit the back of the net in the 58th minute.
But Broadmeadow put their foot down once again and reestablished their two-goal lead in the 64th minute.
Substitute Jayden Stewardson found himself unmarked inside the penalty area with the ball at his feet. The striker made no mistake and slotted the ball into the bottom corner of the net.
Magic put the cherry on top of the premiership-winning cake when Wells netted his second of the match in the 86th minute with a hard and low strike.
Cresnar was over the moon for the club to lift the silverware after such a long period of time and said it was a team effort from everyone involved at the club.
“I am ecstatic and very happy for the players and the club,” Cresnar said.
“I know the amount of effort and time that has gone into this from everyone involved.
“It has been a team effort from the players and all of the coaching staff. It is not just the likes of me but people like Jake [Curley] who has been an integral part of our success.
The Magic coach was thrilled with his side’s efforts to come from going behind early in the match to come out on top ahead of a tough finals series.
“We were down 1-0 in the first two minutes, but it shows the team culture that we have created that we were able to get back on top of things pretty quickly,” Cresnar said.
“The player's self-belief and knowing the importance of playing a good game of football pushed them to get over the line.
“We wanted to win so that we won the premiership outright on points, not just on goal difference.
“Now we have the week off to freshen up a bit after a busy schedule of football and get ready for the final in two weeks’ time.”
New Lambton season has come to an end as they finished 10th on the table. They will hope to continue building and have a more successful year in 2025.
Adamstown Rosebud FC 0-1 Lambton Jaffas
Lambton Jaffas fell short of the premiership despite a 1-0 win over Adamstown Rosebud at Adamstown Oval on Sunday afternoon.
The Jaffas were premiership favourites for the majority of the season before a run of poor results saw their dream slip away and Magic claim the silverware in the final round.
A second-half goal was all that could separate the second and second-last teams on the table.
Ben Hay hit the woodwork in the first 30 seconds to put Adamstown on notice.
But Rosebuds had the best opportunity of the first half in the fifth minute after a miscommunication by the Jaffas’ defenders allowed the ball to spill out to Joshua Haines on the edge of the penalty area.
Haines cut the ball across to the run of Charlie Naylor, who smashed the ball towards the goal and forced goalkeeper Ben Kennedy to pull out a top-shelf save to keep the scoreline at 0-0.
Jaffas finally broke the deadlock in the 64th minute when Matt Cahill hit the back of the net.
Kale Bradbery screamed down the pitch with the ball before he crossed it over the sea of players and onto the head of Cahill, who nodded the ball past the reach of goalkeeper Stuart Plant.
Neither side was able to add to the scoreline again, as the visitors left with the three points.
Jaffas finish their season second on the table with 52 points, three behind premiers Magic.
They will switch into gear for the finals as they return home to Arthur Edden Oval to welcome Edgeworth FC in the qualifying final next weekend.
Adamstown ends their competition campaign 11th on the table with nine points.
Chris Moylan and his men will now prepare for the fight of their lives as they enter the promotion/relegation play-off series, which sees them face HIT106.9 side West Wallsend SFC in two legs.
The winner on aggregate will advance to the one-off play-off final which will determine the final team in the NPL Men’s NNSW competition for 2025.
Maitland FC 4-5 Edgeworth FC
Edgeworth FC bounced back in a nine-goal thriller on Sunday after a 5-4 win over Maitland FC at Cooks Square Park.
The Eagles opened the scoring in the fifth minute after a hard and low shot from Ryan Feutz trickled under goalkeeper Matthew Trott and into the back of the net.
The Magpies equalised through Isaac Collins after his smooth touch to bring down a high ball over the top allowed him to strike the ball with power at the edge of the penalty area straight past goalkeeper Ben Conway.
Edgeworth edged ahead once again seven minutes later through Feutz when he dribbled the ball around Trott before he slotted the ball into the empty goal.
Maitland struck back again in the 31st minute with a spectacular long-range free kick from James Thompson.
But the Eagles were determined to take the lead before half-time as an unmarked Keanu Moore at the top of the penalty area smashed the ball into the back of the net.
Thompson netted his second of the afternoon in the 49th minute for the home side after they were awarded a penalty kick after he was fouled inside the box by Conway.
The Magpies clawed their way into the lead for the first time in the match in the 59th minute after Braedyn Crowley juggled the ball and unleashed a powerful shot that caught Conway off guard.
But Edgeworth refused to bow out of the contest and took the scoreline back to level at 4-4 as Feutz secured a hat-trick in the 72nd minute. Feutz ducked and weaved around his defenders before he smashed the ball into the goal.
Substitute Riley Van Haren sealed the win for the visitors four minutes later when he found the ball at his feet unmarked inside the penalty area.
The win for the Eagles sees them cement their position on the table for the season in third as they head into the finals series.
They will travel to Arthur Edden Oval to face second-placed Lambton Jaffas in the qualifying final next week.
Maitland bowed out of the NPL Men’s NNSW competition, as they finish their 2024 campaign ninth on the table.
Newcastle Olympic 3-1 Lake Macquarie City FC
Newcastle Olympic have continued their winning ways to finish the regular season with a 3-1 win over Lake Macquarie City FC at Darling Street Oval on Sunday.
The home side had a chance to open their account in the 11th minute after they were awarded a penalty when Lachlan West was taken down inside the penalty area.
But Marcus Duncan attempt from the spot was denied by a strong save from Lakes’ goalkeeper Kobe Preston.
Olympic finally got themselves on the scoreboard in the 22nd minute after a strong strike on the volley by Joseph Langlois that rattled the back of the net.
Lachlan Griffiths doubled Olympic’s lead in the 39th minute with an almost identical strike to Langlois as he hit the ball with power outside the penalty area that flew past Preston.
The Roosters clawed one back in the 76th minute to get back in the contest with another long-range shot.
Substitute Jerome Abrahams smashed the ball from the edge of the penalty area and past the full stretch of goalkeeper Adam Pearce.
Olympic finished the season fifth on the table and will play finals football in 2024. They will take on fourth-placed Charlestown Azzurri in a do-or-die elimination final next weekend at Lisle Carr Oval.
The loss is Lakes’ 20th of the season, as the club played their final NPL Men’s NNSW game for at least 12 months due to automatic relegation. They will hope to bounce back in 2025 and take the HIT106.9 competition by storm.
Cooks Hill United 0-2 Weston Workers FC
Weston Workers FC won the battle for sixth position with Cooks Hill United after a 2-0 win at Fearnley Dawes Athletics Field on Sunday afternoon.
It was a hard-fought battle between the two sides, eager to finish their seasons in the top half of the table.
Each team had plenty of opportunities to open the scoring in the first half, but neither was able to break the deadlock.
The two sides headed into the sheds locked up at 0-0 and continued to search for a goal in the next 30 minutes of the second half.
Weston finally broke the deadlock in the 75th minute when Chris Hurley headed the ball into the back of the net off a corner kick.
The Bears put the game to bed in stoppage time through Blake Archbold. The winger used his pace to sprint down the pitch before he received the ball and ran towards the goal.
Archbold unleashed a powerful strike near-post that was blocked by goalkeeper Daniel Eisenhauer but the ball spilled back out and he made no mistake with his second attempt.
Cooks Hill’s five-match winning streak came to an end in their final game of the season but they will be proud of how they turned their season around.
They end their 2024 campaign seventh on the competition table and will hope to come back bigger and better next season.
Valentine FC 1-2 Charlestown Azzurri
Charlestown Azzurri made it four from four to finish the regular season after a 2-1 victory over Valentine FC at Croudace Bay Complex on Sunday.
The home side was unable to hold on and suffered their second loss in five days in their final match for the 2024 season.
Valentine opened the scoring in the 18th minute through Nicholas Martinelli to put the home side in front.
Tyrell Paulson carried the ball down the pitch before he released it at the edge of the box onto the head of Martinelli, who made a run into the box and nodded the ball past goalkeeper Ben McNamara.
But three minutes later the Blues struck back after Nigel Boogaard rose the highest in the sea of players to head the ball into the back of the net off a corner kick.
Azzurri took the lead for the first time in the match before half-time when Cameron Joice tapped the ball into the goal.
Neither side was able to add to the scoreline in the second half and ended the game at 2-1 in Chalestown’s favour.
The Phoenix have bowed out of the NPL Men’s NNSW competition, as they finish the season eighth on the table with 30 points.
The win is Azzurri’s fourth straight win and sees them finish the regular season in fourth position.
They will host fifth-placed Newcastle Olympic in the elimination final next week at Lisle Carr Oval.