Match of the Round
Belmont Swansea United FC 0-0 New Lambton FC
New Lambton FC coach Shane Pryce was proud of his team’s resilience but thought they once again lacked a cutting edge in front of goal as they contested a stalemate against Belmont Swansea United in the match of the round.
It was a significant milestone for the two teams at Blacksmiths Oval on Saturday afternoon as they both kept their first clean sheets of the campaign, but they both failed to fire at the other end despite creating a few chances each.
The Golden Eagles did well to pick up their seventh point of the season after entering the match without skipper Josh Piddington and losing both Zach Verhoven and Jagger Wholert to injury in the first seven minutes.
Their fourth draw of the campaign saw them cut the gap between themselves and 11th-placed Adamstown Rosebud to seven points with four games remaining, while BelSwans climbed from 10th to ninth as they went two points clear of the relegation playoff zone.
Pryce was pleased with the way his men rallied after losing two key players to early injuries and described the performance as solid.
“I thought it was a fairly even contest. Did we probably have a few of the better chances? Yes, I do believe so,” Pryce said.
“There were a couple of chances there that we were a bit unlucky with, but it was another solid performance by everyone.
“We got a few injuries out of the game and lost two players early. We had to make a few early changes but we were still competitive right ‘til the end. The subs came on and did a really good job.
“We had a chance there at the end to snatch it but we couldn’t do that. That’s probably the story of our season. Our leading goal-scorer is on four and the next best is three, so we’ve definitely been lacking some goals.”
BelSwans’ coach Mick Stafford was pleased with the point as his men ended a five-game losing streak to get their push to avoid relegation in their first season in the NPL back on track.
“I believe the result is a small step in the right direction. We could have taken a huge step and won the game, but it was a cagey game that looked like both sides just didn’t want to lose,” Stafford said.
“From where we were and losing so many games on the trot, a clean sheet and a point is a step in the right direction.
“We seemed a bit tired and a bit rushed, but the effort was superb in our third game in six days. The boys turned up for each other, and even though it wasn’t our best performance, it was our first clean sheet of the season, and we got a point against a well-established club.
“I think that New Lambton are a really good team and don’t deserve to be where they are.”
Next up for BelSwans is a trip to Adamstown Oval this Sunday afternoon for a rescheduled round 12 clash against Adamstown Rosebud.
New Lambton will host their rescheduled round 12 fixture at Alder Park on Friday night when they challenge Lambton Jaffas in the derby.
Lambton Jaffas FC 7-0 Valentine FC
A Lambton Jaffas side that struggled to find the back of the net during the first half of the season put away seven unanswered goals in front of a home crowd at Arthur Edden Oval on Saturday afternoon, and coach David Tanchevski believes the dominant victory over Valentine is a sign of things to come.
The hosts opened the scoring in the third minute when Jimmy Oates produced an outrageous lob to beat Brodie Volkiene from a tight angle.
Tom Waller doubled the lead with a pearler into the top-left corner in the ninth minute before Bailey Newton netted from the penalty spot in the 35th minute and Riley Taylor scored a tap-in less than a minute later.
Taylor then doubled up with a clinical one-on-one finish in the 57th minute, and Riley McNaughton made it 6-0 when he picked out the bottom-left corner with a free kick from the edge of the area in the 86th minute.
Sam Donnellan registered his first goal of the season in the 87th minute to complete the scoring and put the Jaffas in seventh heaven.
Tanchevski was impressed by the performance and said that his team were playing like they belong in the finals and could make an impact in the post-season.
“The boys have been putting in good performances back-to-back for a few weeks now, and I thought that was another one,” Tanchevski said.
“We were good in front of goal, but there were four or five more chances we should have scored but didn’t, so that’s pleasing and disappointing. Apart from that, we were really good. We really suffocated Valentine.
“We’ve got most of our players back on deck and the boys are starting to play the way we want to play. They’re being a bit more aggressive and braver, and they’re getting the results.
“I think over the past six or seven games, we’ve improved a lot from where we were. I think the way we’re playing now, we deserve to be a semi-final team, and if we do get in the finals, we can be competitive, for sure.”
Lambton are now fourth with three games remaining, and next up for them is a rescheduled round 12 derby clash against New Lambton at Alder Park on Friday night.
Valentine dropped from ninth to 10th following their defeat. They will play their rescheduled round 12 game this Sunday evening when they host Maitland FC at Croudace Bay Complex.
Charlestown Azzurri FC 1-2 Cooks Hill United FC
Charlestown Azzurri slipped out of the top five for the first time this season when they suffered a 2-1 loss in front of a home crowd at Lisle Carr Oval against Cooks Hill United on Saturday afternoon.
Cooks Hill thought they had taken the lead in the ninth minute when Daniel Yaxley got onto a Xavier Williams cutback and netted off the ground following a collision with Matt Hoole. However, the Cooks Hill midfielder was ruled to have handled the ball on the way down.
Reece McManus then almost put Azzurri ahead at the other end in the 17th minute, but a curling strike from outside the box rebounded away off the crossbar.
The score was still locked at 0-0 at half-time, and although the hosts had the better of the chances in the first half, they found themselves behind 1-0 just three minutes into the second stanza when Williams headed home a Liam Spurway corner kick at the back stick.
Charlestown hit back five minutes later when Cooks Hill’s goalkeeper Daniel Eisenhauer spilled a Jarryd Sutherland cross and McManus was on the spot to tap it in.
But Azzurri’s chances were dealt a blow in the 66th minute when they were reduced to 10 men as Nathan Verity was booked for the second time.
Chris Zoricich’s men regained their lead in the 82nd minute when Zachariah Waddell picked out the bottom-right corner with a classy finish, and it remained 2-1 when the final whistle sounded as Cooks Hill ended the weekend four points outside the top five in eighth place.
Next up for them in the league is a rescheduled round 12 home game against Newcastle Olympic at Fearnley Dawes Athletics Field on Wednesday, July 30.
Before that, they will contest their Australia Cup Round of 32 and State Cup final fixtures.
Charlestown dropped from fifth to sixth following the loss and will be looking to bounce back on July 30 when they travel to Rockwell Automation Park to challenge Weston Bears.
Weston Bears FC 5-3 Adamstown Rosebud FC
Adamstown Rosebud gave Weston Bears an almighty scare at Rockwell Automation Park on Saturday afternoon, but the hosts prevailed in an eight-goal thriller to shore up third spot.
It was Adamstown’s skipper, Dino Fajkovic, who opened the scoring in the 10th minute with a first-time finish after charging onto a Taj Buck cutback, but the Bears equalised four minutes later when Brock Beveridge headed a pass to Mana Iwasaki, who headed home his first goal of the campaign.
Beveridge then blasted Weston in front with a powerful volley in the 42nd minute and the score remained 2-1 at the half-time break.
The hosts started to run away with the game when skipper Chris Hurley volleyed home from close range in the 75th minute before Aaron Niyonkuru calmly slotted a one-on-one strike into the bottom-right corner two minutes later to make the score 4-1.
However, Adamstown hit back quickly through Charlie Naylor and Cameron Davies to reduce their deficit to one goal with five minutes remaining.
Two Bears substitutes then iced the game in injury time as Ryan Blackburn squared a pass to Ryan Dundas for a tap-in to make the final score 5-3.
The Bears have almost certainly locked up third place following their 12th win of the campaign.
Next up for them in the league is a rescheduled round 12 match against Charlestown Azzurri at home on Wednesday, July 30.
But before that, they will contest their Australia Cup Round of 32 and State Cup final fixtures.
Adamstown are still 11th following their loss, and they will host their rescheduled round 12 clash against Belmont Swansea United at Adamstown Oval this Sunday.
Newcastle Olympic FC 2-3 Edgeworth FC
Edgeworth Eagles bounced back from their first loss of the season in style on Sunday as they took down Newcastle Olympic at Darling Street Oval.
The home side went ahead in the 34th minute when Lachlan West picked out the top-right corner with a classy finish, and they entered the half-time break with a 1-0 lead.
Edgeworth hit back in the 64th minute when Jose Atayde charged onto a perfect Aaron Oppedisano cross from the right and lashed in a volley at the back stick, and the Eagles then took the lead seven minutes later when Flynn Goodman converted from the penalty spot.
Jaylen Rodwell headed Edgeworth out to a 3-1 lead following a 86th-minute corner kick before Olympic’s Jye Rodway set up a grandstand finish with a goal from a tight angle to make it 3-2 deep in injury time.
However, it was too little, too late for the hosts as Edgeworth held on to prevail 3-2.
The victory saw the Eagles become the first team to reach 50 points this season. They were joined on the half-century by Broadmeadow Magic later that night, who they will meet in a rescheduled round 12 top-of-the-table clash at Magic Park this Sunday.
Olympic are seventh following their loss and will get a nine-day break before they travel to Fearnley Dawes Athletics Field for their rescheduled round 12 contest against Cooks Hill United on Wednesday, July 30.
Broadmeadow Magic FC 2-1 Maitland FC
Broadmeadow Magic had to dig deep to fend off a determined Maitland FC in the dying stages of a 2-1 victory at Magic Park on Sunday night.
Magic had entered the half-time break ahead 1-0 after Will Ingram’s 20th-minute strike from a tight angle separated the teams.
The home side doubled their lead in the 64th minute when Thomas Beecham netted from the penalty spot after Cody Nancarrow had been brought down in the box.
Maitland had struck the post either side of Broadmeadow’s penalty goal and they finally found the back of the net when skipper Braedyn Crowley headed home his 16th goal of the campaign to make the score 2-1 in the 76th minute.
The Magpies pushed hard to find an equaliser during the final 20 minutes of play, but Magic held on to extend their unbeaten run to 17 matches and join Edgeworth Eagles on 50 points at the top of the table.
Magic will now have a chance to move into outright first position when they host the Eagles in a rescheduled round 12 top-of-the-table clash this Sunday.
Maitland finished the weekend ranked fifth after being overtaken by Lambton Jaffas a day earlier.
Next up for them is a trip to Croudace Bay Complex this Sunday for a rescheduled round 12 match against Valentine FC.
