Match of the Round
Broadmeadow Magic 0-2 Newcastle Olympic
Broadmeadow Magic coach Niam Nikfarjam was not in attendance at his side’s 2-0 defeat to Newcastle Olympic at Magic Park on Friday night following the fallout from public comments he made about the squad last week.
Nikfarjam criticised his players in the round 20 preview last week stating that his players had poor attitudes and were lucky to even be in finals contention, a dramatic fall from grace for the reigning premiers and champions.
The match was intense from the first whistle, as Magic hit the crossbar in the first 20 seconds.
Each side was desperate to open the scoring and created multiple opportunities, but it was Olympic who broke the deadlock just before half-time.
Sophie Walmsley was able to find Marion Dunbabin unmarked out wide and got the ball to her. Dunbabin was able to beat goalkeeper Stella Morgan to get her toe to the ball first and slice it between the posts.
Magic pushed for the equalizer but was unable to find the back of the net.
Olympic extended their lead with a goal from substitute Alanah Russell in the 85th minute.
Elodie Dagg whipped a free kick into the penalty area, which Morgan was able to clear but only as far as Jemma House, who struck the ball back into the box. The ball fell to the feet of Russell, who turned on the ball before she fired it into the back of the net.
Nikfarjam made the decision not to attend the match after discontent within his squad following last week’s comments.
But the coach watched the match on BarTV and said that he stood by his comments last week.
“What I said last week wasn’t incorrect, but I could have approached things in a different manner,” Nikfarjam said.
“It was my decision not to be at the game after the interview.
“I admit that my pre-match approach in getting the motivation I was after wasn’t appropriate. My players have the right to be upset.
“The poor performance comes from the top as a coach all the way down to the players.
“I take responsibility on my part on the recent results. Our team has not been performing to their potential as we have some quality players.
“Whatever happens in regards to the club decision, I will take accountability for it.”
Magic’s coach was pleased with the response from his side against Olympic and thought his side was unlucky to not get a result on Friday night.
“The girls played hard and wanted to prove themselves,” Nikfarjam said.
“I wanted to see a response and they did that by creating chances but were unlucky not to get the win. They played hard.
“I cannot fault their efforts from Friday night.
“I thought Olympic got out of jail.
“They went out there wanting to prove a point to everyone to say that they are good players and can all play good football. They wanted to prove that what their coach said was untrue.”
Broadmeadow has only secured one win in their last five matches and Nikfarjam hopes his side can bounce back in the lead-up to finals.
“At the moment, I have to rebuild my relationship with my players and go back to where we were in terms of trust,” Nikfarjam said.
“To all of my players who got offended by my last interview, I want to say that they are all good players and have the potential to be unstoppable but just need to be on their game. If they are on their game they can achieve anything with the correct mindset and right attitude.
“I still have belief in my squad’s ability and I am sure they will show resilience and bounce back.”
Olympic coach Craig Atkins was delighted to secure a crucial three points for their premiership hopes and praised his side’s resilience to get the job done.
“I thought it was a great performance by all of our players,” Atkins said.
“But it was one of those games where it was a derby, so it was physical and tough.
“We kept attacking our goal after Magic put us under pressure and showed a lot of resilience. There were moments when Magic had good patches, but we stuck to our duties and credit to the girls, they got the result.
“I thought we defended really well across the park.
“Overall, I am very pleased with the performance. Every player contributed and each girl that came off the bench was fantastic and helped to change the game.
“It gives us a big lift heading into the last couple of weeks.”
Olympic continues to sit second on the table but has moved up on equal points with league leaders Maitland FC with two games to go in the regular NPL Women’s NNSW season.
They will hope to stay in the premiership fight when they take on Magic again next Saturday in their round 13 rescheduled round at Darling Street Oval.
The defeat is Magic’s third in five games, as they cling onto a finals spot in fourth with New Lambton now one point behind.
They will be desperate to bounce back against Olympic away from home next weekend and secure their position in the top four.
New Lambton FC 3-1 Maitland FC
Alder Park, Saturday 4pm
New Lambton have kept their finals hopes alive with a shock 3-1 upset over league leaders Maitland FC at Alder Park on Saturday afternoon.
A first-half hat-trick from Cass Davis secured a crucial three points that keeps the Golden Eagles in the hunt for a finals position.
Davis opened the scoring for the afternoon in the seventh minute after Lauren Allan sprinted with the ball down the pitch and past Maitland defender Madeline Howard. Allan cut the ball back to Davis, who was unmarked inside the penalty area and struck the ball into the back of the net.
The Magpies struck back through Yasmin Popovic in the 17th minute after she pinched the ball off a New Lambton defender and caught goalkeeper Ally Boertje off her line. Popovic screamed into the penalty area with the ball before she fired it into the goal.
But the Golden Eagles edged ahead once again in the 29th minute as Davis and Allan combined for a second time. Allan received a long ball before she crossed the ball into the path of Davis who sliced the ball past goalkeeper Annabella Thornton.
Davis secured her hat-trick and netted the final goal of the game with a wonder strike from well outside of the penalty area in the 41st minute. The ball soared over the sea of players and the fingertips of Thornton to make the scoreline 3-1 in New Lambton’s favour.
Maitland tried to claw back into the contest in the second half, but the Golden Eagles neutralized their attack and held onto the three points.
The win moves New Lambton, one point off the top four and keeps their dreams of playing finals football in 2024 alive.
But they will have to win all their remaining games and hope that other results go their way.
Maitland remains at the top of the table but is now on equal points with Newcastle Olympic in second position.
They will have another chance to get their revenge and end New Lambton’s top-four hopes when they go head-to-head next weekend in the round 13 catch-up round.
Mid Coast FC 1-9 Charlestown Azzurri
Taree Zone Field, Sunday 4pm
Charlestown Azzurri further cemented their position in third on the table after they defeated Mid Coast FC 9-1 at Taree Zone Field on Sunday afternoon.
Gemma Simon opened the scoring for the visitors in the 12th minute after she rose highest in the sea of players to head the ball into the goal.
Melina Ayres got her name on the scoresheet four times, while Ella Joyce and Sienna Fraser-Kelly netted one each. Simon hit the back of the net, and an own goal took the score to 9-0.
Zali Elford clawed one back for Mid Coast in the final minute of regulation time to make the final score 9-1.
Mid Coast continues to sit at the bottom of the table with three points and will be eager to finish their season on a high note.
Azzurri has moved clear in third position on the table and will hope to cement their spot in the lead-up to finals football.
The two sides will go head-to-head once again this Saturday at Lisle Carr Oval in their round 13 rescheduled fixture.
Warners Bay FC v Adamstown Rosebud JFC
Adamstown Rosebud JFC returned to winning ways after a 3-0 win over Warners Bay FC at John Street Oval on Sunday afternoon.
Three first-half goals were enough for Rosebud to secure all three points against the struggling Panthers.
The Panthers had a chance to open the scoring in the opening minutes of the match, but goalkeeper Olivia Sneddon provided two strong saves to deny them.
Adamstown broke the deadlock in the eighth minute after Tori Johnson found herself with the ball unmarked and drove forward before she struck the ball with power into the back of the net.
Rosebud struck again in the 21st minute after Jenna Doyle struck a perfectly placed free kick from outside the penalty area that soared past goalkeeper Jessica Woodbine.
Zoë Horgan sealed the three points with a spectacular long-range strike from outside the penalty area in the 42nd minute.
The game was forced to be abandoned after Warners Bay defender Ashleigh Bax went down with a serious shoulder/neck injury in the 60th minute.
Adamstown remains sixth on the table despite the win, five points behind New Lambton in fifth position.
Their finals hopes are over but they will be eager to finish the season on a high when they take on Maitland FC in the final round of the competition in two weeks.
Warners Bay sit seventh on the table and will be desperate to end the club’s tenure in the competition on a positive note in two weeks when they face Newcastle Olympic.
