Match of the Round
Valentine FC 0-3 Adamstown Rosebud
Valentine FC head coach Lee Sterrey has his work cut out to turn around the Pheonix’s fortunes, as his side was defeated 3-0 by Adamstown Rosebud at Croudace Bay Complex on Saturday night.
As the sun set over Lake Macquarie, both sides began cautiously, knowing a win would ease relegation pressure while defeat would leave them anchored to the bottom of the table.
But when Buds’ skipper Dino Fajkovic scored off a botched clearance from Phoenix goalkeeper Brodie Volkiene, a switch flicked on for the visitors.
The goal conceded saw the Phoenix’s effort drop, and the Buds, bolstered by the prospect of their first win of the season, began to apply pressure on the hosts’ defence.
The pressure culminated in the closing stages of the half, with a set-piece goal off a corner to midfielder Charlie Naylor seeing the Buds go into the break up 2-0.
The time in the shed did wonders for Valentine, the side coming back out as a far more determined outfit, matching the Buds for intensity and starting to ask questions of Buds goalkeeper, George Scorer.
But the visitors' tails were firmly up after a big first half, their transitions into counterattack stifling Valentine’s momentum.
The Buds' confidence was rewarded in the 60th minute as Fajkovic nabbed his second goal and the Buds’ third, putting any hopes of a Valentine comeback firmly to bed.
Despite some solid efforts from young winger Luka Karihaloo late in the game, Valentine couldn’t produce a consolation goal, with full-time seeing them suffer consecutive heavy losses and now sitting at the bottom of the table.
Speaking after the match, Sterrey believes the lack of experience and consistency week-to-week is a key area for his young side.
“We just don't do the smart things at the smart times. We can't keep giving gifts away and chasing games,” Sterrey said.
“We just didn't do enough with the ball. Once we took that first goal, we dropped off about 20 or 30 percent. That's hard with young players.
“You try and keep their confidence up and keep them driving them forward, all we can do is just keep working with the young players we have in the club.
“We know where we need to improve. The boys will regroup, we'll get together, and we'll still get around one another this week.”
By contrast, Buds coach Chris Moylan cut a relieved figure after singing the team song, his first win seeing Adamstown jump from last to ninth on the table, leapfrogging three teams.
“We were very disciplined, we stayed in our shape, and we stuck to the game plan,” Moylan said.
“Against Maitland, they pulled us apart. Tonight, we stayed disciplined and got the result.
“The boys played well, they responded well. It makes a difference when we have those players back that played last year, they're used to the system.
“At the start of this game, we played with a bit of nervousness. I think that [win will] give us a lot more confidence individually as well as a team.
“I mean, a tough game next weekend against Weston, but why not?”
The Buds will return home to play Weston Bears next Saturday, while Valentine will travel to face Charlestown Azzurri.
Maitland FC 2-1 Lambton Jaffas
Maitland FC assistant coach Nick Harmon believes his side’s focus on mentality and principles is beginning to be reflected in consistent performances, as the Magpies scored their first home win of the year in a last-ditch 2-1 win over the Lambton Jaffas on Saturday.
The sides both started with intent on Old Boys Day at Cooks Square Park, with Maitland determined to give their fans their first home victory of the year, while the Jaffas came in determined to turn their season around.
The opening quarter of the game saw the sides trade shots, with Maitland camped on their defensive line while Jaffas struggled to find a way through.
But when the hosts got their chance, they would put it to good use in the 14th minute, with defender Lochlan Reus benefiting from a strong cross to reward his defensive efforts with a goal.
Undeterred, the Jaffas continued to press, and in the 25th minute were finally rewarded when a penalty in the box saw Drew Patterson score the visitors' first goal from the spot.
Both sides would continue to trade chances, but neither side could find a way through, ultimately heading down the tunnel with the scores tied 1-1.
The Jaffas continued to struggle to find the back of the net in the second half, despite creating plenty of opportunities in the second half through shots on goal and corners.
As the match wore on, it seemed destined for a 1-1 draw until the 86th minute.
A challenge by Riley McNaughton on Maitland FC striker Braedyn Crowley turned the game on its head, with McNaughton sent off as tensions threatened to boil over.
As the clock clicked into stoppage time, the hosts, galvanised by the card, pushed for a late winner, and in the 92nd minute, a cross found midfielder Regan Lundy, who managed to sneak it past goalkeeper Ben Kennedy to claim a crucial victory.
It was the grit shown late that particularly impressed Harmon.
“It was a battle,” the assistant coach said.
“They're [Lambton] definitely a stronger team than their position tells us. I feel like if you look at it last year, we probably dropped points there [in this fixture].
“This year we’ve had those match winners and that true grit and really, really got stuck in. Sometimes you've got to win ugly and just keep building.
“If we're getting points on the board while we're building, that's where we want to be.
“We won't sort of go away from that. It doesn't matter who we're playing.”
The Magpies will face a tough assignment as they take on a firing Broadmeadow Magic next week away from home, while Lambton will look to snap a three-game losing streak at home the same evening when they take on Cooks Hill United.
Broadmeadow Magic 6-0 Cooks Hill United
Broadmeadow Magic have returned home in style, the defending champions putting Cooks Hill United to the sword in a 6-0 demolition on Friday night.
After the sides played a tense HRMI Charity Shield match earlier in the year that saw Magic prevail 1-0, the first half at Magic Park proved to be the opposite, the hosts scoring inside the first 30 seconds through striker Jakob Cresnar.
The score rattled the visitors, who looked to respond immediately with a series of attacking forays, but the hosts exploited the left flank again, with midfielder Keanu Moore scoring from outside the box in the 14th minute to double the score.
From there, the floodgates opened.
An ugly penalty in the box in the 20th minute saw Cookers defender Zaik Luck yellow carded, with Luis Lara Delgado not making a mistake from the spot to stretch the scoreline to 3-0.
Only a minute later, a defensive lapse from Cookers saw Jakob Cresnar net his second and Magic’s fourth, and the visitors were in all sorts of trouble.
With head coach Jim Cresnar injecting some new legs onto the field, the stem of goals scored tempered slightly, but Cookers found themselves at the wrong end of the field, managing only two ventures in Magic territory.
In the 37th minute, the pressure proved too much, as Delgado netted his second from a well-timed cross to make the score 5-0.
Jakob Cresnar made the result comprehensive in the 41st minute, the visitors heading into the break suffering the most difficult half of the entire season so far, down 6-0.
The sides would achieve parity in the second half, going shot-for-shot. But with Cookers unable to find the back of the net and the job already done for Magic, the scoreline remained unchanged at full-time.
Broadmeadow will continue their stint at home with a six-day turnaround before taking on Maitland FC, while Cooks Hill will look to put this match firmly in the rearview mirror when they travel to face Lambton Jaffas next Friday.
Edgeworth Eagles 2-1 Charlestown Azzurri
The Edgeworth Eagles have bounced back well from last week’s loss to Belmont Swansea United, overcoming a determined Charlestown Azzurri side 2-1 at Jack McLaughlan Oval on Saturday night.
The Eagles came into the match looking to improve their attacking form, and in the 22nd minute were helped along by an unfortunate Azzurri own goal, a Stefan Cordwell cross bouncing off defender Matthew Hoole and into the net.
Azzurri responded well, upping the tempo down the other end of field and producing plenty of goal attempts, but the side couldn’t find a way past Eagles goalkeeper Ben Conway.
On the verge of half-time, the Eagles went further ahead thanks to Reece McManus catching goalkeeper Samuel Esquilant out of position, the hosts heading into the break with a 2-0 lead.
The Blues came out a different side, with some brilliant work by substitute Isaac Preston-Poole in the 50th minute seeing the ball fall for winger Jarryd Sutherland, who gave the visitors their first goal of the afternoon and a sniff of a comeback.
But that would be as close as the Blues would get, the Eagles holding on to their one-goal lead and surviving 11 shots on goal to take the victory.
The Eagles will travel to Darling Street Oval next Saturday to take on Newcastle Olympic, while Charlestown Azzurri will return home with an eight-day turnaround as they look to hold onto their finals position when they play Valentine FC.
Kahibah FC 1-2 Weston Bears
Weston Bears continue to hold a slim lead at the top of the table but had to do it the hard way against a tough Kahibah side, coming from behind to win 2-1 at Fred Wright Oval on Sunday afternoon.
Fresh off a maiden home win in the NPL last week against Valentine and a tight 3-2 win over New Lambton in the Hahn Australia Cup, the Rams continued their recent form, with Jackson Burston scoring from outside the box to give the underdogs 1-0 lead in the 14th minute.
The score saw the table leaders swing into action, their dangerous attack rising in intensity, but being well met by a determined host.
But as the match crossed the half hour mark, the experience of Mana Iwasaki and Chris Hurley in the Bears defence proved effective to stem the Rams opportunities on goal, with the visitors growing in confidence to produce a bit of brilliance at the other end.
In the 38th minute, they found it in Iwasaki, the defender producing arguably the goal of the year so far shooting from inside his own half over an out-of-position goalkeeper Isaac Quinn to give the Bears their first goal, the score 1-1 at half-time.
Weston unloaded the bench early in the second half to try to up the tempo, the results proving effective at shutting down the Rams' attacking options.
With defence locked up, the Bears finally found their crucial second goal through replacement striker Blake Archbold in the 62nd minute to give them the lead for the first time.
The Rams unloaded their bench in the 69th minute to wrestle back momentum and had the chance to find an equaliser in the last play of the game, but couldn’t convert, missing out on a chance to pull a major result against a top table team.
The Bears will stay on the road when they take on Adamstown Rosebud FC next Saturday, while Kahibah will travel down the road to face Belmont Swansea United next Sunday.
Belmont Swansea United 2-2 Newcastle Olympic
Finishing off the round, Belmont Swansea United had to dig deep to keep their strong start to the season going, coming back from a two-goal deficit to draw 2-2 with Newcastle Olympic at Blacksmiths Oval.
The visitors came out looking for the three points against the big improvers and got on the board in the second minute with a brilliant piece of counterattack finding Jared Muller.
The score shocked the hosts into action, asking plenty of questions of the next half hour but struggling to get past the Olympic defence.
The visitors’ resilience without the ball was rewarded in the 37th minute, a brilliant free kick from Kierry James eventually falling for Muller, the striker netting his second to give Olympic a 2-0 lead going into half-time.
But as has regularly been the case in the first half of the season, BelSwans came roaring back in the second half, with a strong build-up of play in the Olympic box seeing Marco Gueli add to his impressive goal tally in the 51st minute.
Sensing the momentum shift, BelSwans continued to push, as Olympic tried to find a third goal to give them breathing space. It proved a seesawing clash, with both sides making and missing opportunities.
In the 89th minute, a botched restart from Olympic goalkeeper Adam Pearce saw the ball go straight to Andrew McGee with no one in front of him, with Steven Theacos having to resort to an ugly tackle to stop the striker, earning a red card
Surviving a free kick on the edge of the box and a corner shortly afterwards, Olympic appeared to be home, but a stunning last-gasp goal from Joe Kable in the final minute of stoppage time proved enough for both sides to share the points.
BelSwans will enjoy their fourth consecutive week at home when they welcome Kahibah FC next Sunday, while Olympic will return back to Darling Street Oval to host Edgeworth on Saturday.