BLAKE JARRETT

Broadmeadow Magic FC 3 def. by Weston Workers FC 4
Sun 31 May 2:30 PM
Magic Park
Match of the Round

The Northern NSW PS4 Round 8 Match of the Round was an absolute spectacle yesterday afternoon, producing a seven goal thriller at Magic Park as Broadmeadow welcomed Weston.

Magic, in particular Peter Haynes, dominated the opening 20 minutes. Haynes scored the opener off a header from a Scott Petit corner in the sixth minute, then in the 17th minute made a crucial tackle and assisted Kale Bradbury for his ninth of the season.

At 2-0 up Magic looked as though they would kick on as they did against the Jets, however the loss of Peter Haynes to injury halted their momentum halfway through the first half.

Weston were playing fairly poorly, however Jamie Subat and Garry McDermott stood up for the visitors and changed the game. Subat cut a ball back to McDermott in the 29th minute, whose shot was saved by Magic keeper Nathan Archbold. Five minutes later however, the pair combined again as McDermott this time found the net from a Subat cross.

Chris Berlin who came on as Haynes’ replacement hit the post in the 44th minute, and the sides went into the break with Magic ahead 2-1.

The second half was just as good as the first. Nathan Morris took the match under his wing, hitting the cross bar from a free kick in the 50thminute, then finding an unmarked Carl Thornton six minutes later from a free kick, who headed home the equaliser.

Tim Pratt kept the scores level with a brilliant diving save five minutes after the hour mark, denying Scott Petit who was sure his shot was goal bound.

Weston went ahead for the first time in the game in the 70th minute, as McDermott this time assisted Subat, after a great piece of play down the right hand side by Rob Macbeth and Robbie Turnbull.

Ten minutes later Magic got themselves back even, as Petit provided another assist, his fourth in two games, as Dino Fajkovic headed home his left footed cross at the back stick.

The final ten minutes of the game were tense as both sides searched for a winner. It came in the final minute, as Garry McDermott claimed another assist, back heeling an exquisite pass to Jake Millsteed who slotted home the Bears’ fourth and most important goal of the game.

After six weeks at the top of the table Broadmeadow finish the round in third place. Next weekend they take on struggling Charlestown who remain in tenth.

The Bears edged themselves within two points of the top of the table, but remain in fourth. Next weekend they will again feature in the Match of the Round, at home against Edgeworth on Sunday afternoon.

 

Edgeworth FC 3 def. Newcastle Jets Youth 1
Sat 30 May 2.30 PM
Jack McLaughlin Oval

Edgeworth hosted the Newcastle Jets Youth in the first of three matches on Saturday afternoon, with the chance to move to first, for a night at least, there for the taking.

The Eagles entered the match on the back of four wins in a row, so were boosted with confidence. They were missing key players Bren Hammell, Justin Tannock and Dylan Holtz however.

The Newcastle Jets Youth were playing their second game in six matches after being beaten 5-2 by Broadmeadow last Monday night.

Keanu Moore sent the home side into the break ahead 1-0, with a strike in the 31st minute the difference between the sides.

A minute after the hour mark the Jets equalised, but found themselves behind again just three minutes later when the Eagles regained their lead through Aaron McLaughlin.

The Jets pushed on to even up the match for a third time, however Brody Taylor killed their hopes late in the game.

The Eagles were then reduced to ten when Taylor received a second yellow card, however this would not impact on the result as the Eagles went on to win 3-1.

Eagles coach Damien Zane has been impressed by his side in recent weeks, and is growing in confidence after each performance.

‘It was very tough again today in the conditions however we fought well,’ he said.

‘The Jets played well and we gave them a couple of chances but we defended well. They probably had more possession but we had more chances’.

‘Jim Forgarty did well today, as did Josh Evans, Pat Wheeler and Lachlan Pasquale defensively’.

‘We are gaining confidence and starting to believe we belong up there at the top of the table’.

The win took the Eagles to first, however Hamilton’s win yesterday sees Edgeworth finish the round in second, only on goal difference. Next weekend they will be participating in the Match of the Round on Sunday away to Weston.

The Jets Youth slip to sixth, after Lambton overtook them after a win against Maitland. They feature in the only Saturday game next weekend against Adamstown.

 

Adamstown Rosebud FC 3 def. South Cardiff FC 0
Sat 30 May 2:30 PM
Adamstown Oval

The second of two Saturday clashes in Round 8 saw Adamstown host South Cardiff at Adamstown Oval.

The Buds were forced to play without star striker Guy Bates for the first time since losing him after it was discovered he was not cleared to play in the PS4 NPL.

It was new signing Nick Hill’s first match for the club, and Coach Graham Law decided to include him in the starting lineup.

The Gunners were missing their four key attacking players in Mitch Wallace, Sean Clerke, Jung Deok and Dean Kelley, so goals were going to be hard to come by for the away side.

Adamstown went into the half time break with a 1-0 lead thanks to a Matt Paul strike in the 20th minute.

Early in the second half the Gunners went extremely close with one of their few chances, as Nick Russell’s shot from a Nathan Stevens cross cannoned off the crossbar.

Five minutes after the hour mark however Paul netted his second, putting the Rosebud ahead by two, all but finishing off the game.

Ten minutes later in the 75th minute the result was beyond doubt as Jordan Harrison hit home the third and final goal of the game, with the Rosebud winning 3-0.

Adamstown coach Graham Law was a delighted man after the win, as the Rosebud’s mixed start with injuries and poor results seems to be left behind.

‘I think we played very good,’ he said.

‘We haven’t played bad for weeks, we have been playing well and I am pleased with how the boys are working’.

‘The win over South Cardiff was a collective performance however our two newer guys did great; Nick Hills has settled in well and played very good, and Travis Cooper also went well as our striker’.

‘Southy battled hard but we could’ve scored more than three in that match’.

Gunners coach Greg Asquith was disheartened after another loss but was happy with the fight his side showed.

‘We played OK in patches I think, and at times we kept the ball well in the back two thirds,’ he said.

‘We had no luck up front. We hit the bar early in second half but we really missed someone like Mitch Wallace or Dougie (deok) up front’.

The Rosebud took a giant step away from the relegation zone, and are now six points clear of last placed Charlestown. They are in seventh position and trail the Jets Youth and Lambton by one and three points respectively. They have the chance to go ahead of the Jets next weekend when they face them in the only Saturday match of Round 9 at Adamstown Oval.

The Gunners remain in eighth position, on five points from their eight games. Next weekend they return home to Ulinga Oval where they will host Lambton Jaffas.

Lambton Jaffas FC 2 def. Maitland FC 1
Sat 30 May 2:30 PM
Arthur Edden Oval

The third of three key Saturday matches saw Lambton Jaffas host Maitland FC.

This match would usually have an enormous ring to it, as they share three ex-Jets favourites in Jobe Wheelhouse, Matt Thompson and Michael Bridges, however only Wheelhouse was available on Saturday.

The Jaffas dominated the first half, creating more chances and enjoying more possession. As has been the case this season however, they could not convert the chances in the first half.

Maitland defender Zac Hill was forced from the field in the first stanza with an ankle injury and is now in doubt for Round 9.

The teams went into the break scoreless, with both aware they needed to be more clinical after the break.

The game soared into life just after half time. John Majurovski scored to put the Jaffas ahead 1-0, however his goal was cancelled out just minutes later as Jye McKellar scored a long range volley to lock the scores up at 1-1.

With 20 minutes to go Luke Remington stood up for the Jaffas, putting them back in the lead with their second goal of the game.

That is the way the score finished, with the Jaffas picking up all three points in a hard fought 2-1 win.

The Jaffas win was somewhat soured as new signing Jamie Byrnes was sent off after receiving two yellow cards in quick succession, and he will now be out for next weekend’s game against his old club South Cardiff.

Jaffas coach Dave Tanchevski was proud of the effort and the performance of his side, however was again concerned about the lack of chances taken.

‘It was a really similar story, we should have been up at half time, but we didn’t take chances again. We are playing really playing good each week but we just are not finishing,’ he said.

‘I thought Sesho (Michael Sessions) was really good today. He picked up our Players’ Player award and was really solid all game. Luke Remington and Riley McNaughton had good games as well. Overall though it was a good team effort and performance’.

Maitland coach Reece Thompson was disappointed with the result but was happy with the way his side responded after being second best in the first half.

‘The Jaffas controlled the game in the first half through Jobe Wheelhouse and Peter McPherson, however in the second half we did better,’ he said.

‘I thought we could have jagged a point with a bit of luck but I cannot fault the players’ efforts.’

The win takes the Jaffas above the Newcastle Jets Youth into fifth position. Next weekend they face South Cardiff away from home on Sunday at 2.30pm.

Maitland remain in second last on just four points from their eight matches. It does not get any easier for them next week, as they have to face leaders Hamilton Olympic at home also on Sunday at 2.30pm.

Hamilton Olympic FC 4 def. Charlestown City Blues FC 2
Sun 31 May 2:30 PM
Darling Street Oval

The final match of Round 8 of the Northern NSW PS4 National Premier Leagues saw last placed Charlestown travel to Darling Street Oval intent on taking all three points against the favourites, Hamilton Olympic.

The talk off the field during the week was how Kane Goodchild would perform against his old club, and despite a number of goals flying in during this match he was surprisingly absent from the score sheet.

The home side started the better of the pair. Jacob Bailey opened the scoring for the second week in a row, in the twelfth minute of the game.

Charlestown equalised just eight minutes later, as Jarrod Ross netted for the away side in the 20th minute to make the score 1-1.

Goals to Simon Mooney and Matthew Swan sent Olympic into the break ahead 3-1. They were dominating the play as expected, intent on finishing the round in the top two.

The second half began much like the first, however Jacob Bailey took just ten minutes this time to score, netting a double and giving his side a three goal advantage with 40 minutes to play.

With 23 minutes remaining on the clock Scott Smith scored the Blues’ second of the game, giving them a fighting chance.

It wasn’t to be for Charlestown however, as Hamilton won 4-2 after dominating the last placed Blues, as was expected.

The win takes Hamilton into first position after Broadmeadow Magic lost to Weston. They lead Edgeworth only by superior goal difference. Next weekend they take on the struggling Maitland FC at Cook Square Park on Sunday at 2.30pm.

Charlestown are still rooted to the bottom of the table following the loss, on just three points from eight games. They do not get a break from top three teams next weekend, as they go up against heavyweights Broadmeadow Magic at Lisle Carr Oval, also on Sunday at 2.30pm.