By Blake Jarrett

Edgeworth FC 1 def. by Lambton Jaffas FC 2
Jack McLaughlan Oval
Sunday 20th July 2.45pm
Match of the Round

The Jets loss to Lake Macquarie meant one thing for the Round 15 Match of the Round at Jack McLaughlan Oval: the sides were playing for so much more then just second.

A couple of weeks ago a fair assumption was that the Youth Jets side had the minor premiership wrapped up, but two losses in two weeks left Edgeworth and Lambton battling to come within reach of the first place side.

Lambton sat comfortably in second place heading into Round 15 on twenty-four points and with the Jets’ loss they had the chance to go within two points of first place. Edgeworth was third, one behind the Jaffas, and therefore had the chance to go within three points of first.

The match started rather slowly, with both sides turning over a great deal of possession.

In the twelfth minute Alex Johnson-Young appeared to have opened the scoring, breaking free and slotting the ball into the top right corner, however he was deemed to be offside as he ran onto a Nic Pepper through ball.

Three minutes later Edgeworth was again unlucky not to go ahead. They won a free kick just outside the eighteen yard box, and Bren Abbott-Hammel fired a free kick towards goal that was superbly saved by Danny Ireland.

In the twenty-ninth minute the Jaffas opened the scoring through Peter McPherson. His first shot was miscued but the ball fell back to him and after a good touch to control he fired a sensational volley into the top left hand corner.

Minutes later Edgeworth equalised. Wilson Edwards unluckily headed the ball past Ireland into his own net when attempting to clear a cross.

The sides went into half time locked at 1-1.

The second half was an extremely scrappy affair. Both sides were creating plenty of chances, but often lacked the execution required in the final pass or final shot.

Deep into stoppage time Alex Palozzi whipped a free kick into the box in a final attempt to find a winner. Riley McNaughton popped up for a header that looped up into the air and looked as though it would go over the bar, however it dropped into the back of the net.

It sealed a 2-1 win for the away side.

Jaffas players and fans went wild, aware that they are now a massive chance of winning the minor premiership.

Lambton coach David Tanchevski believed that the game was not pretty, and that perhaps the sides deserved to share the points.

‘It was an extremely scrappy game where neither side played their best football,’ he said.

‘Luck was on our side with that final goal, and I believe that a draw really would have been a fair result’.

Tanchevski said that despite the poor performance he was impressed by his side’s defence, as well as the way that Jobe Wheelhouse and Peter McPherson were playing out of the back.

The result means that the Eagles drop to fourth, overtaken by Weston. Next week they host Adamstown at Jack McLaughlan Oval.

The Jaffas, as previously mentioned, are now second and just two points away from first. A win next week at home against South Cardiff will set up a huge clash against the Jets the week after.

 

Newcastle Jets Youth 1 def. by Lake Macquarie City FC 2
Saturday 19th July 2.45pm
Macquarie Field

The opening match of Round 15 was a first versus last affair as the Newcastle Jets Youth travelled to Macquarie Field to challenge the Roosters.

The Jets occupied top spot, sitting five ahead of second placed Lambton. They were without three key players in Brandon Lundy, Radovan Pavicevic, and Andrew Pawiak.

Lake Macquarie was in the familiar position of last place, knowing every match is a Grand Final for them if they are a chance of beating relegation.

In the tenth minute Beau McDonald looked set to open the scoring as he ran onto a Reece Papas through ball and found himself one-on-one with Nathan Archbold, however he was ruled to be offside.

On the half hour mark the Jets won a free kick just outside the eighteen yard box, and Papas hit a clean strike towards the bottom right hand corner that was saved by Archbold.

In the thirty-fifth minute the Roosters had an appeal for a back pass turned down after Jesse Cook collected a tackle from a Jets defender.

Five minutes before half time Lake Macquarie opened the scoring with a superb Jarrod Olivieri header. Tom Walker whipped in a quality corner from the left corner spot, and Olivieri rose to make the score 1-0.

Minutes later Lake Macquarie had a good chance to double their lead but Jarrod Horne’s effort from inside the eighteen yard box was miscued and rolled out for a throw in.

The Roosters looked set to go into half time with a 1-0 lead; however Beau McDonald ended any chance of that happening when a well-timed header crashed in off the left upright.

McDonald’s goal was the last of the half, the sides going into the break at one apiece.

The Jets immediately went onto the attack in the second half. Ben Hay whipped in a hopeful cross a minute into the second stanza that ended up being too high for McDonald.

In the fiftieth minute Lake Macquarie restored their lead. Sam Walker charged into the box after cutting in from the left hand side and was brought down. Referee Byron Jaye deemed it a foul and awarded a penalty, which Walker slotted into the bottom right hand corner to take his season tally to twelve.

On the hour mark another brilliant cross by Ben Hay went to waste as none of the Jets attackers could get on the end of it.

In the sixty-fifth minute the Roosters was given a major scare. Dan Clements attempted to turn inside his own penalty area and was dispossessed by Reece Papas. Papas looked to unleash a shot on Archbold’s goal, but the Lake Macquarie defence held strong.

Sam Walker had a good chance to seal the victory in the eighty-eighth minute when he found himself one-on-one with Cook after a sublime Jake Kepreotes through ball, but Cook was up to the challenge pulling off a wonderful diving save.

The final whistle came as a relief for Lake Macquarie whose fighting attitude once again paid off. They had moved within three points of ninth spot, but the gap was frustratingly widened as South Cardiff defeated Charlestown the next day, meaning the Roosters are still six points behind. Next week they host Broadmeadow Magic.

The Jet’s lead at the top of the table has been cut down to two points. They face a massive task next week, taking on Hamilton Olympic at Darling Street Oval.

 

Adamstown Rosebud FC 1 def. by Weston Workers FC 4
Adamstown Oval
Sunday 20th July, 2.45pm

A weekend of big games continued at Adamstown Oval as Adamstown and Weston faced off, both desperate for the three points for different reasons.

Weston was the fifth placed side heading into Round 15, however a win could have taken them to as high as equal second, but a loss would see them drop out of the top five.

Adamstown trailed the fifth placed side by just five points as they sat in eighth, but it was a perfect chance for them to mount a finals push after they squashed the fear of relegation last weekend against Lake Macquarie.

The match began in Weston’s favour, and they went ahead after just eight minutes through Garry McDermott.

Just four minutes later Connor Evans doubled the Bears tally making the score 2-0 to the visitors.

In the twenty-fourth minute Evans made the score 3-0, doubling his own tally for the match.

Eight minutes before half time Mick Ryan added a fourth for Weston, and they went into the break with a dominant 4-0 lead.

Despite the lead it wasn’t all smiles for them in the first half. By the half time break they had been forced to substitute Jason Cowburn, Nathan Morris and Zac Sneddon who all suffered match-ending injuries.

With no substitutes to rely on in the second half the side did well to keep Adamstown scoreless for forty-two minutes.

They could not deny Nick Bale in the eighty-seventh minute however, as he rounded Carl Thornton and slotted a one-on-one shot past the advancing Tim Pratt.

That was the final scoring play of the match, with Weston winning 4-1.

Adamstown coach Anthony Richards believed that his side ‘played well, but got punished for a few mistakes’.

‘We won the second half 1-0. I’m very proud of the effort in the second half not to give up,’ he said.

Weston coach Steve Piggott was pleased with the performance, and suggested it could have been more as Garry McDermott, Jye McKellar and Robbie Turnbull all missed good chances.

‘The boys were sensational in the first half,’ he said.

‘We had our chances and we took them, and the game was over at half time’.

‘Our second half wasn’t the best, but a positive was that we didn’t concede until the eighty-seventh minute’.

Piggott was happy with the team as a whole, but suggested that Evans was handy, McDermott had a very good first half, and that Carl Thornton was superb at the back again.

The result sees Weston soar into third place, just two points from second. Adamstown fall to ninth.

Next week the Bears will be looking to continue their positive finish to the season as they host Charlestown City Blues in the Match of the Round, and Adamstown travel to Jack McLaughlan Oval to take on the Eagles.

 

Broadmeadow Magic FC 1 def. by Hamilton Olympic FC 2
Magic Park
Sunday 20th July, 2.45pm

Magic and Olympic is always one of the biggest games of the year, and yesterday was no different as the crowd was treated to goals, send offs and the sheer energy that this fascinating derby provides.

Usually this match is a first versus second or a second versus third match, however the sides entered Round 15 both outside the top 5. Hamilton was sixth and Broadmeadow seventh.

Clayton Poole opened the scoring, giving Olympic a 1-0 lead in the nineteenth minute.

James Monie then added an extra in stoppage time to send Olympic into half time with a 2-0 lead.

Rhys Tippet scored for Broadmeadow in the sixty-third minute, but Magic’s chances of a come-back were hit hard in the seventy-first minute when Alex Kantarovski was sent from the field after two bookable offences, both on Olympic youngster Rhys Cooper.

It did quite the opposite though as Magic peppered the Hamilton goal in the final twenty-five minutes, forcing Brad Swancott into plenty of vital saves.

In stoppage time Clayton Poole received his marching orders after a poorly timed sliding tackle.

Olympic held on though winning the match 2-1

Broadmeadow coach Glen Chapman was disappointed with the result, but not with the performance, and believes that his side is not yet out of finals contention.

‘We were excellent today, I was very proud of how the boys played, they gave it there all,’ he said.

‘At the same time I’m extremely disappointed with the result, however, unfortunately we haven't had any luck this year and we continue to miss good opportunities to score goals’.

‘All we can do is focus on our next game ahead against Lakes as mathematically we can still make the finals depending on few results and the way this competition has gone this year anything is possible’.

An extra talking point was the fact that Hamilton won all three grades in both fixtures against Broadmeadow this season.

The result yesterday though takes Hamilton back into the top five, and Magic stay stranded in seventh, now equal with Adamstown who are second last.

Next week Magic travel to Macquarie Field to take on the Roosters who have won two of their last three, and Hamilton host the Jets Youth.

 

South Cardiff FC 1 def. Charlestown City Blues FC 0
Ulinga Oval
Sunday 20th July, 2.45pm

The final match of Round 15 saw South Cardiff Gunners host Charlestown City Blues at Ulinga Oval.

With Lake Macquarie upsetting the Jets the day before, the ninth placed Gunners was aware that this was the most crucial, must-win match of their season.

Charlestown had the chance to finish the round in equal second with a win, but a loss could have seen them drop to sixth.

South Cardiff opened the scoring on the half hour mark as Mitch Wallace found Lee Ashton with a cross on the back-stick from the right hand side. Ashton confidently volleyed the ball back across the keeper into the bottom corner to make the score 1-0.

Neither side added to the scoreline in the first half and the Gunners went into the break with a 1-0 lead.

In the second half both sides pushed for goals. South Cardiff was looking to put the result beyond doubt and the Blues were looking to spark a comeback.

Neither side could find the back of the net though, and South Cardiff held on for their first win in five NPL matches.

Gunners coach Greg Asquith was very happy with the win and the attitude that his side showed.

‘I thought we did well. It was a battle but we did enough to win it. We scored a decent goal and I am happy that we applied ourselves for ninety minutes,’ he said.

Asquith also said that he thought Matt Darr and Matt Grey did well to frustrate Goodchild and Smith.

The side is now five away from fifth, and he believes it will be an interesting few weeks.

The loss saw the Blues fall from fourth to sixth, but remain well in the hunt to finish in the top five. They are equal with fifth placed Hamilton, and next week have the chance to again break into the five if they can beat Weston in the Match of the Round away from home.

The Gunners rise to eighth place, and have a massive task on their hands next week as they travel to Edden Oval to take on an in-form Lambton Jaffas.