By Blake Jarrett

Maitland FC 1 def. by Broadmeadow Magic FC 5
Sun 19 Apr 2:30 PM
Cooks Square Park
Match of the Round

The PS4 National Premier Leagues Round 2 Match of the Round saw Maitland FC demolished by Broadmeadow Magic in the Magpies’ first home game in the top flight in twelve years.

There was a battle within the war in this clash, as Dino Fajkovic and Dennis Fajkovic came up against one and other after many seasons of standing side by side for the likes of South Cardiff and Lambton Jaffas.

Maitland were unlucky not to be ahead early in the match as Magic keeper Nathan Archbold pulled of a brilliant save, diving to his left to keep out a Harry McGuire strike from distance.

The sides looked set to go into half time at 0-0, however Dino Fajkovic opened the  scoring in the 40th minute, slotting a one on one from a tight angle after a good run down the left hand side.

He completed a quick-fire double moments later with a great strike from outside the 18 yard box.

Magic took the two nil lead into the break and Maitland needed to come out firing in the second half if they were to take a point let alone a win from the match.

To achieve this they moved Matt Comerford higher up the park, sacrificing Ryan Broadley, but this only had a negative effect as Peter Haynes scored to triple the away side’s lead.

Fajkovic then netted a hat trick to make the score 4-0. Shortly after he volleyed home a sensational left foot strike to seal the win, scoring his fourth of the game.

Maitland’s Alex Read headed in a goal late in the match from a Jai McKellar cross, but it was too little too late as Magic shot themselves to the top of the table with a 5-1 win.

It was a valuable three points to Broadmeadow, and a positive sign after they were held scoreless in Round 1 against Hamilton.

Magpies assistant coach Reece Thompson described the post match feeling as being ‘guttered’, but conceded that Broadmeadow were simply far more clinical.

Matt Thompson picked up a knock, but is expected to recover for next week.

The loss sees Maitland fall to the dreaded last position, however a win in Round 3 against the Jets Youth at home will see them move up the ladder.

Magic finish the round in first position, and will look to maintain their spot there next Friday night as they travel to Jack McLaughlan Oval to challenge rivals Edgeworth.

 

Hamilton Olympic FC 2 def. Edgeworth FC 0
Sun 19 Apr 2:30 PM
Darling Street Oval

Hamilton welcomed high flyers Edgeworth to Darling Street Oval in their first home match of the PS4 National Premier Leagues season.

The Eagles began the match in soaring form after a 4-0 Round 1 win over Charlestown and a 5-0 mid week FFA Cup win over South Cardiff.

They could have led early in the piece, however a Brody Taylor strike from close range could only find the side netting.

After a frustrating 0-0 draw in the opening round Hamilton were looking for their first goal of the season, and it came in the 20th minute as Simon Mooney pounced on a loose ball to slot home into an empty net, after Kane Goodchild had a one on one saved by Eagles keeper Jim Fogarty.

Jason Korotkich doubled the home side’s lead with a wonder strike, volleying a neat chip from 30 metres out that sailed over Fogarty and into the back of the net.

The side in blue and white went into half time with the 2-0 lead.

Danny Ireland produced a fine one on one save shortly after half time, and things just did not seem to be going the Eagles’ way.

Neither side could muster a second half goal, with Hamilton holding on for their first win of the 2015 season, propelling themselves to equal first with fellow Round 2 winners Broadmeadow and Weston.

Olympic coach Mick Bolch was very pleased with his side’s first win of the season.

‘I was happy with how we played today. Jason Korotkich and Rhys Cooper were great, and Danny Ireland just makes things look easy. We took our chances well,’ he said

Edgeworth coach Damien Zane was disappointed his side couldn’t take away a point, but was not too phased after three matches in a week.

‘It was a fairly even game. They capitalised on our mistakes. We were a tad flat but not to take anything away from Hamilton. They were a bit hungrier than us today.’

‘At this level if you make mistakes you get punished. They took two shots and scored two in the first half’.

Zane commended opposition keeper Danny Ireland who he suggested ‘is at another level and definitely good enough to be playing at a higher level’.

Hamilton finish the round equal top of the ladder, in second position on four points and next week travel to Adamstown to compete in the Match of the Round.

Edgeworth slip from first to fourth, and will be keen on regaining top spot next week as they host first placed Broadmeadow on Friday night.

 

Charlestown City Blues FC 4 def. Adamstown Rosebud FC 2
Sun 19 Apr 2:30 PM
Lisle Carr Oval

Charlestown City Blues hosted Adamstown for the second time in five days at Lisle Carr Oval yesterday.

The home side entered the round in last position after being thumped 4-0 by Edgeworth in Round 1, so a win was the only acceptable outcome in this fixture.

Veteran striker Scott Smith opened the scoring for the Blues, before Ben Hughes doubled the home side’s advantage to put them in the box seat.

Charlestown went into the half time break with a 2-0 lead, leaving them extremely confident they would pick up all three points.

Their cause was helped just after half time as Daniel Bird scored the side’s third.

A Nick Bale double closed the gap for Adamstown, and it looked as though the Lisle Carr Oval crowd had another thriller on their hands, as the two sides produced Wednesday night in the Westfield FFA Cup.

Smith completed a well deserved double to break Adamstown’s hopes of a comeback, and the match finished 4-2 to the home side.

Charlestown coach Shane Pryce was inspired by his side’s performance and their overall determination.

‘I was very proud of the playing group today,’ he said.

‘We had some soul searching after Wednesday night’s loss, and after today I am very happy with the players. Scott Smith especially has stood up, relishing the increased responsibility I have given him. He really leads by his actions on the field’.

Adamstown coach Graham Law commended his side’s spirit, but conceded that they were outplayed.

‘We weren’t in the game, in fact Azurri looked like they were fighting for their lives,’ he said.

‘They wanted it more then us today. We had more shots at goal however they scored four goals, which is a big concern. The better team won today.’

Adamstown were without Stu Musialik, Garry Kenneth, Roger Dowdell, Alex Gillespie and three more senior members, which forced the club had to field a bench full of Under 22’s players, who Law believed did an exceptional job when they were introduced.

Next week Charlestown will move into the top four with a win as they take on Lambton Jaffas at Arthur Edden Oval.

Adamstown host the Match of the Round, as they search for their first PS4 NPL win in 2015 against heavyweights Hamilton Olympic

 

Weston Workers FC 2 def. Lambton Jaffas FC 1
Sun 19 Apr 2:30 PM
Rockwell Automation Park

In a huge Grand Final rematch Weston Workers took on the Lambton Jaffas on their home turf, looking for their first win of the 2015 season.

The first real chance in the match came in the eleventh minute, as striker John Majurovski fired a free kick into a strong Bears wall from just outside the 18 yard box.

The Jaffas opened the scoring through a brilliant piece of play in the 21st minute. Majurovski picked out the lone Jaffa, Luke Remington, in the box with a pinpoint cross, and then an exquisite touch from Remington teed up Alex Palozzi just outside the 18 yard box who drove a thunderbolt into the bottom right hand corner.

In the 27th minute Tim Pratt denied Riley McNaughton from close range, and it turned out to be a crucial save as the Bears immediately launched an attack that saw them equalize through Rob McBeth.

The 1-1 score line remained for the rest of the first half, and at the break it looked as though the three points would go to whichever side could be more clinical in the second stanza.

A minute into the second half Jaffas keeper Brad Swancott was called into action, producing a sublime diving save to deny Bears’ Liam Thornton from putting his side in the lead with a powerful strike.

It was the Bears who took the lead half an hour later as Garry McDermott slotted a one on one chance into the bottom left hand corner, a goal which saw the Bears  fans come to life. 

Chances to McNaughton and Majurovski in the dying stages of the game were not  converted, as Weston held on for a well deserved 2-1 victory.

Bears coach Trevor Morris summed up the performance with a short sweet statement ‘pretty gutsy, Weston spirit, never say die attitude: it was all there today’.

‘Having Troy Hearfield pull out 30 minutes before the game didn’t help, and having James Monie pull out this morning didn’t help, but I told the boys we need to make our own luck and I was super confident they’d put in a good performance,’ he went on to say.

Jaffas coach Dave Tanchevski described the match as a tale of two halves, suggesting at half time his side should have been three or four goals up, but conceded in the second half they were not as sharp as the first.

‘We didn’t finish as well as we should have, and even though we conceded two goals we could have still won the game quite easily.  I thought we outplayed them in the first half,’ he said.

The result leaves the Bears in equal first, in third place, and they will look to push on up the ladder next week when they challenge South Cardiff away from home.

Lambton drop from second to fifth, and return home next Saturday where they play host to Charlestown in a match where the winner will finish the round in the top four.

 

South Cardiff FC 3 drew Newcastle Jets Youth 3
Sun 19 Apr 2:30 PM
Ulinga Oval Fantastic

The final game of Round 2 of the PS4 National Premier Leagues was contested at Ulinga Oval, as South Cardiff welcomed the Newcastle Jets Youth.

Both sides were desperate for a win, as the Gunners picked up a point in Round 1,  and the Jets Youth went down.

The opening goal of the game came for the Jets Youth through Radovan Pavicevic who capitalised on a Gunner defensive error.

Sean Clearke equalised for the home side but goals to Ryan Ensor and Jake Adelson saw the Jets Youth go into the break with a 3-1 advantage.

Chances were plenty in the second half, however the score remained 3-1 after the first 25 minutes.

Gunners striker Mitch Wallace scored the first goal of the second half, with just under 20 minutes to go, putting the Gunners right back in the contest.

With just five minutes remaining Dean Kelley bagged the equaliser, and the match finished 3-3.

A huge wind was present at Ulinga Oval, and the Gunners were assisted by it behind their backs in the second half.

Coach Greg Asquith was pleased with the comeback, and commended the performance of the opposition.

‘It was hard to get momentum today as the Jets were were very sharp,’ he said.

‘We played well in first half and created chances. We had the wind in the second half and that helped us create more opportunities. We showed tremendous character and dug in deep to come back from 3-1 down at half time.’

The Gunners were without Nathan Stevens and Matt Grey after injuries in their midweek Westfield FFA Cup loss, and Asquith believed their replacements, Lee Ashton and Cameron Herring, were exceptional.

The home side finishes Round 2 in seventh place on two points, and return to Ulinga Oval to take on the Weston Bears next Sunday.

The Jets Youth are one point and place below South Cardiff, and face a tricky assignment next weekend against Maitland at Cook Square Park.