Match of the Round
Kahibah FC 0-5 Lambton Jaffas
Kahibah FC head coach Blair Newham admitted his side had “a tough pill to take” after being dealt a 5-0 reality check by Lambton Jaffas in their inaugural NPL Men's NNSW match at Fred Wright Oval on Thursday night.
Green and black were plastered all around Gateshead as a healthy crowd turned out in force at the Rams' newly christened home.
As one of the most devastating attacking outfits in HIT106.9 Northern League One, the Rams weathered several early forays by Jaffas and turned defence into attack quickly thanks to efforts from Matt Homer and Daniel Byrne.
A set piece saw Jaffas make their first breakthrough as Patrick Bond scored from a well-orchestrated corner in the 24th minute.
Tensions threatened to boil over, but the Rams continued to generate chances on the counterattack, nearly finding their first goal were it not for Jaffas’ goalkeeper Ben Kennedy, as the score remained 1-0 at half-time.
Jaffas found their second for the night early in the second half off a free kick, with a header off Mitchell Rooke finding the net in the 48th minute.
Lambton found the net for a third time in the 64th minute when Bond combined with Jimmy Oates from a free kick.
A fourth followed five minutes later when a Rams defensive lapse saw Lachlan Griffiths swoop on a loose ball.
A cross in the 79th minute sealed the 5-0 victory after Riley Taylor’s header was deflected by Rams goalkeeper Issac Quinn, and a failed clearance from defender Lewis Hextell sent the ball into the net.
Capping a tough night off, an ugly tackle in injury time saw Hextell receive a red card, his omission from round two adding further selection headaches.
The result made for grim reading for Kahibah, who had conceded just 10 goals across the entirety of last season.
But Newham believed that his side would be better for the result despite a far from ideal start to their time in the NPL NNSW competition. With seven debutants in the side plus losing several key veterans, including captain Robbie Turnbull, just before kick-off.
“Lambton took their chances well. We didn’t,” Newham said.
“The thing we knew we would struggle with was that we knew we could compete for some time coming up, but it’s that extended period of time at this level now.
“We didn’t have the discipline to defend at the end with the troops we had on. I thought we prepared well and when we were in the game, we were good.
“In previous games, we might have got away with those [defensive errors], but with the quality that Lambton have up front, it’s always going to be tough even on a good day.
“That’s the first game I’ve been involved with Kahibah where we haven’t scored, which is a tough pill to take as well, especially with the chances we created.
“The better team won for sure, and we’ll learn a lot from that. A lot of those boys have never been in those positions before, especially the guys I worked with last year.”
Jaffas coach David Tanchevski felt his side dealt with Kahibah’s unknown challenges well.
It was a stark contrast to his side's start in 2025, with Jaffas taking 10 games to score seven goals.
“It was a tough first half,” Tanchevski said.
“There was no soccer played in the first half, so it was a bit frustrating.
“We didn’t know how they were going to play, it was a little bit more direct than what we thought, they’re going to take points from teams, they’re well organised, it’s hard to break them down.
“We just kept moving the ball around and teams tire out eventually when they chase the ball for long periods.
“That was our game plan, and it came off in the second half, and we started to score a few goals.
“The competition has gotten a lot stronger between first and last, the gap is a lot smaller than what it used to be. You don’t see a lot of massive results around the competition last year or this year.”
Jaffas will play their first game at home against Edgeworth Eagles on Saturday night, while Kahibah will travel to face Adamstown Rosebud FC at Adamstown Oval on Friday night.
Edgeworth Eagles FC 1-0 Broadmeadow Magic
Edgeworth Eagles FC head coach Peter McGuinness praised his side's ability to navigate a ‘cagey’ affair, with a full team effort needed to deliver a valuable 1-0 win over reigning champions Broadmeadow Magic at Jack McLaughlan Oval on Friday night.
Hot off their HMRI Charity Shield victory last week, Magic started the match in a similar aggressive fashion, as Luis Lara Delgado asked plenty of questions but was well answered by the likes of Edgeworth’s Xander Woweries and Tyson Jackson.
The Eagles settled momentum in the latter stages of the half as the sides went into half-time locked up 0-0.
Both sides continued to trade barbs in the second half, trading corners and upping the aggression.
But Magic was unable to find the back of the net thanks to several brilliant efforts coming from Eagles' goalkeeper Ben Conway.
His tidiness in front of the goal amidst a strong Magic attack was rewarded in the 86th minute when Aaron Niyonkuru scored a stunning goal from the corner, his effort missing everyone to go into the back of the net and stun the Eagles’ fans.
James Cresnar would come close to equalising, but his radar would come up short as the Eagles survived seven minutes of injury time to win.
While defence was critical to contain Magic’s attack, it was the effort shown by the whole side that McGuinness took particular confidence from.
“It was a pretty cagey affair, a pretty tight match,” McGuinness said.
“I thought it was heading for a draw to be honest, but [it was] very pleasing to get it.
“The underlying fact of what we emphasised going into that game was that if the effort was good, we knew we could start to build a bit of momentum and a bit of understanding with so many new players.
“You can have all the plans in the world, but if you don’t have good effort, which we gave it in bucketloads… it worked well for us.
“He [Niyonkuru] delivers a great corner. He’s always on the mark.”
Broadmeadow will return home next week and will be hungry to notch their first win when they face Valentine FC on Friday night.
Edgeworth will hit the road for the first time this year, travelling to Arthur Edden Oval to face the high-flying Lambton Jaffas on Saturday.
Valentine FC 1-2 Belmont Swansea United FC
A stormy backdrop on Saturday afternoon proved fitting for a fiery local clash, with Belmont Swansea United having to dig deep to overcome a spirited Valentine FC side 2-1 at Croudace Bay Complex.
BelSwans showed their experience in the opening 15 minutes, as they asked several questions of the young defence and Valentine goalkeeper Brodie Volkiene.
But the Phoenix would strike first in the 16th minute thanks to a brilliant piece of individual brilliance from Luka Karihaloo.
They would only hold the lead for three minutes, as Reece Newton equalised off a corner against a condensed Phoenix defence.
As both sides struggled to gain the upper hand, tensions boiled over near the end of the first half, with BelSwans receiving eight fouls and Phoenix defender Kale Barrett receiving a yellow card in stoppage time, the sides locked at 1-1 at the break.
Tensions continued to rise in the second half, with three Valentine players shown yellow cards for reckless tackles inside the opening ten minutes. When a BelSwans challenge got the benches involved in the 52nd minute, head coach Michael Stafford was shown a red card.
Phoenix captain Harry Lane and defender Cale Graham were both shown yellow cards in the 65th minute and quick thinking by BelSwans new arrival saw Andrew McGee
break the deadlock for the visitors with the match-winning goal.
Valentine will travel to Magic Park to face Broadmeadow Magic on Friday, while BelSwans will play their first match on home turf on Sunday, hosting Cooks Hill United FC at Blacksmiths Oval.
Weston Bears 4-1 Newcastle Olympic FC
Weston Bears delivered a near-perfect start to their 2026 campaign on Saturday night at Hunter City Motor Group Stadium, with a flurry of goals either side of half-time powering them to a 4-1 win over Newcastle Olympic FC.
After a tense opening 40 minutes that saw both sides trade efforts on goal, a quick counterattack saw Blake Archbold deliver a perfect pass into the box to find Brock Beveridge who would score the opener of the match, five minutes before half-time.
The second half began in stark contrast to the first, with Chris Hatfield finding the net just 45 seconds after the restart to give the Bears a 2-0 lead.
The lead was further extended eight minutes later, as a defensive lapse saw three consecutive shots in quick succession against scrambling Olympic goalkeeper Adam Pearce; with Buettner having enough on the third attempt.
The back-to-back goals shellshocked the visitors, as Beveridge then scored his second off a free kick in the 67th minute to put the result beyond doubt.
Olympic’s Kale Bradbery gave the visitors something to cheer about in the 80th minute when he scored via a fortunate ricochet off the woodwork, but it proved little more than a consolation in their 4–1 defeat.
Weston will travel across the expressway next week to face Maitland FC at Cooks Square Park on Saturday night.
Newcastle Olympic FC will travel again for their second consecutive weekend, as they face Charlestown Azzurri FC at Lisle Carr Oval on Sunday.
Cooks Hill United FC 2-2 Maitland FC
Cooks Hill United demonstrated that their off-season progress is no flash in the pan, pushing Maitland FC all the way before a late goal secured a 2-2 draw at Fearnley Dawes Athletics Field on Sunday.
The hosts shot out of the blocks, with a cross from Jye Bailey setting up Kane Woolston for the opening goal inside the first five minutes.
But the lead would last less than a minute, as Magpies striker Regan Lundy scored off a similar cross to equalise.
A third goal inside the first half hour would come 20 minutes later, as Woolston would nab his second thanks to a pinpoint long-range effort from defender Kai Bradley.
With the score 2-1 at half-time and the heat blistering, both sides turned to their benches in the early part of the second half, with the Magpies desperately trying to find an equaliser.
Despite strong defence from Cookers, Maitland were able to equalise in the 70th minute thanks to a brilliant effort from substitute striker Jayden Ritchie.
Neither side could find a match-winner despite desperate efforts as the score remained 2-2 when the final whistle blew.
Cookers will travel south to face Belmont Swansea United on Sunday, while Maitland will return home to face Weston Bears FC on Saturday.
Charlestown Azzurri FC 2-0 Adamstown Rosebud FC
Closing out a sizzling weekend of football on Sunday, Charlestown Azzurri FC delivered a strong defensive performance to keep Adamstown Rosebud FC at bay, securing a 2-0 victory thanks to late goals in the final ten minutes at Lisle Carr Oval.
The opening half of the match saw the sides trade long-range ventures into opposition territory, with Azzurri getting close to goal on several occasions.
The visitors struggled against a disciplined defensive line, with Kieran Hayes and Nicholas Kacev providing solid cover in the opening exchanges.
The second half saw the Buds reduced to ten in the 68th minute when Azzurri striker Matthew Cahill latched onto a long-range effort and drove toward goal. Adamstown goalkeeper George Scorer’s reckless tackle left little doubt about the outcome.
The shift saw the hosts take advantage and despite brave defence from the Buds, Azzurri finally found a way through in the 81st minute thanks to substitute Caleb Reed, with Cahill scoring three minutes later to put the result beyond doubt.
Azzurri will remain at home in round two when they welcome Newcastle Olympic to Lisle Carr Oval on Sunday.
Adamstown will have a five-day turnaround, welcoming newcomers Kahibah FC to Adamstown Oval on Friday night.