Match of the Round
Adamstown Rosebud JFC 0-2 Maitland FC
Adamstown Rosebud JFC coach Martin Slade said that switching off cost his side as they went down 2-0 to Maitland FC at Adamstown Oval on Sunday afternoon.
Despite an arm-wrestle of a match between the two sides, the reigning premiers came out on top and were clinical in critical moments to snatch up all three points.
The Magpies didn’t take long to get off the mark, as they took the lead in the fifth minute through Renee Pountney.
Georgia Amess tore down the sideline with the ball before she unleashed it across the face of goal, which Marry Ntsweng flicked onto the run of Poutney who tapped it into the back of the net.
Josie Morley was forced from the field in the 17th minute after she injured her knee in an awkward collision during a corner kick. Youngster Ceanna Frost was substituted in her place.
Adamstown remained in the contest and created chances, with their best chance coming from Tori Johnson, whose strike smashed the crossbar in the 32nd minute.
But straight after her shot, Johnson was taken from the field due to injury and was replaced by Ashleigh Vetter in the 32nd minute.
Maitland took the 1-0 lead into the half-time break with the match still in the balance for both clubs.
The away side looked to be the more comfortable of the two in the second half as they created more opportunities in front of goal and Georgia Amess continued to cause havoc down the right wing.
Magpies midfielder Sophie Nenadovic looked to have the ball on a string as she completely controlled the centre of the park and dictated the play.
Maitland doubled their lead in the 61st minute when Keely Gawthrop netted her first goal of the season.
Amess provided another assist as she cut the ball back across the face of goal to an unmarked Gawthrop, who slotted the ball past the reach of Sneddon to give her side a 2-0 advantage.
Maitland’s injury toll grew as Julia Innes and Willow Neal each suffered injuries late in the match.
Adamstown continued to push to put one past the reigning premiers, but they were denied by Maitland’s defence and goalkeeper Annabella Thornton.
The Magpies held onto their 2-0 lead until the final whistle, which saw them remain undefeated in the 2025 season and soar into first place on the table.
Slade was pleased with most of his side’s performance but admitted that critical moments hurt them.
“We switched off twice and let Marry into the box which we knew we couldn’t do. Two individual errors hurt us,” Slade said.
“We weren’t as calm and composed on the ball as we have been.
“Going a goal down in the first five minutes is not ideal but we held our own. Tori hit the crossbar and we did create chances.
“It just goes to show how far this club has come that we are getting closer to the bigger clubs.
“We created opportunities and AB [Thornton] made a few good saves.
“We are not creating as much as what we could but they are a good outfit. They have some good players. They are at the top of the league for a reason. It is a testament to what they have built up there. They have depth all over the place.
“From our point of view, I thought the game was a little bit of an arm wrestle and we stopped them from playing how they wanted to play.”
Adamstown is still yet to win a match in their 2025 campaign, despite strong performances.
Slade was disappointed to not walk away with any points as he understands the importance of every point this season.
“To close the gap, we have to start converting games into points,” Slade said.
“We can’t rest on our laurels, we have to win now.
“You have to have a little bit of luck, but results speak for themselves.”
Maitland coach Joe Wright said the win was a little bittersweet after losing multiple players to injury throughout the match.
“You never wish injuries on anyone whether they are your players or not. It is a bit of a dampener on the win but sadly injuries do happen in football,” Wright said.
“I think we started really strong in the first half and it was good to get an early goal.
“It did take us some time to adjust to the first half injury and Adamstown gained some ascendancy due to that. Then the second half was relatively balanced before we finished strong in the back half.
“It is nice to get a clean sheet for the first time this season. Credit to the entire team that we were able to keep Adamstown to zero.
“In patches there were elements of our playing principles that is improving and getting better and better each week. I am happy with the result.”
Despite the move into first on the table, Wright said he is not more interested about performances over table positions and admitted he was glad to have the bye in round five to regroup.
“It is just a week to week thing. We are just focusing on the next game,” Wright said.
“There is still a lot of the season to go. I am not interested in where we sit on the table.
“I think the bye has come at a good time for us. Hopefully, it allows us to assess the damage from the weekend and see where we are at.”
Maitland will return after the bye to take on Newcastle Olympic at Cooks Square Park in round six.
Adamstown will look to regroup when they travel to Alder Park to face New Lambton FC on Saturday.
Lake Macquarie City FC 2-3 New Lambton FC
New Lambton FC secured their first win of the season after a dramatic comeback against Lake Macquarie City FC at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility on Friday night.
The Roosters took a 1-0 lead into the half-time break after Tahlor Thackray tapped the ball into the goal at the back stick in the 44th minute.
But two goals in three minutes from New Lambton striker Tara Andrews turned the game on its head.
Andrews got onto the end of a long ball and sliced it into the back of the net in the 47th minute before she smashed home a second in the 50th to give her side the lead.
The Roosters levelled the score in the 78th minute through Ani Jensen with a strong strike.
But in the final minutes of regulation time the Golden Eagles were given a chance to snatch the win when they were awarded a penalty after Andrews was taken down inside the penalty area by Caitlin McMahon.
Things went from bad to worse for Lakes as goalkeeper Taylah Gray was sent from the field for match official abuse after the penalty decision was made.
This forced outfield player Thackray into goalkeeper, with her first duty to try and save a penalty kick from a former Matildas’ striker.
Andrews converted calmly from the spot and slotted the ball into the back of the net to secure a hat-trick and all three points for her side with a 3-2 victory.
The Roosters will continue to search for their first three points of the season when they travel to Magic Park to face Broadmeadow Magic next Friday.
New Lambton will hope to continue their momentum when they return home to Alder Park next Saturday to host Adamstown Rosebud JFC.
Charlestown Azzurri v Broadmeadow Magic
This game was postponed due to wet weather conditions.
Bye – Newcastle Olympic