Photo: Sproule Sports Focus

Ben Homer

Match of the Round

Edgeworth Eagles 2 (Taylor 83’, Moriyasu 45+1’) defeated Broadmeadow Magic 0

Jack McLaughlan Oval

Sunday 10^th July, 2.45pm

Edgeworth threw down the gauntlet to PlayStation® 4 Northern NSW National Premier League rivals on Sunday with a dominant display against third-placed Broadmeadow Magic. Although the Eagles won the match through two late goals, Edgeworth created most of the chances on a heavy Jack McLaughlan Oval.

The home side were unlucky not to be in front by two after the opening fifteen minutes after Nick Hartnett denied Brody Taylor with a diving save low down to his right. Less than a minute later Taylor again had his shot from the edge of the six-yard box blocked by Broadmeadow’s keeper.

Broadmeadow’s best chance of the half came right before the break when Scott Pettit found himself one-on-one with Edgeworth keeper Jim Fogarty. But in his first match back from a recurring hamstring injury, Pettit was unable to get enough power behind his shot.

Magic’s Peter Haynes didn’t return for the second half and was replaced by Paul Sichalwe, and the change seemed to turn the match in Broadmeadow’s favour. But, on the 60-minute mark, the ascendancy shifted back to the Eagles when Keigo Moriyasu entered the fray.

First, a free kick was given to Moriyasu, which was in a similar position to the one he scored against the Jets – on the left side of the field – but just a fraction closer to goal. Magic players crowded around the referee disputing the decision and it was easy to tell that they knew what an important moment in the match this could be.

Moriyasu didn’t disappoint as he hit the top left corner, but Hartnett was up to the task, making a great save. Another free kick was given to the Eagles this time on the right. Moriyasu stepped up again and sent it bending and swerving past the back post.

Broadmeadow had survived the first two chances, but the third would be too much. Moriyasu received a pass from Daniel McBreen on the far right edge of the pitch and without hesitation put a pinpoint cross towards the back post. Keanu Moore couldn’t get to it, but Brody Taylor ghosting in at the back post did. He slid his shot under Hartnett and the Eagles had the lead.

If the assist wasn’t enough, Moriyasu became the outright leading goal scorer in the NPL Northern NSW when he dispossessed Luke Virgili, stepped inside Josh Piddington and unleashed a powerful left-footed strike into the top right corner to make it 2-0, exciting the Eagles faithful in the stands.

Damian Zane was happy with his side's overall performance, but wants them to be ‘a bit more ruthless in these big games.’

“We just need to be a bit more ruthless and not leave it to the last fifteen minutes. It wasn’t like we were wasteful either, we seemed to be hitting the target, maybe just not sweet enough. Moving forward we want to be a bit more ruthless, but in the end, I thought 2-0 was a fair reflection of the game.”

For Broadmeadow, co-coach Bobby Naumov was disappointed with his side's first-half showing.

“The first half we were poor and we just didn’t compete well enough. We just didn’t keep the ball well enough. We gave them too much space to play and just didn’t compete. We were lucky to stay in the game.”

However, Naumov was pleased with the second 45 minutes.

We came out in the second half and I thought we were well and truly in the game. We were probably unlucky not to get something out of it. Two bad mistakes late in the game cost us two goals.”

Next weekend Edgeworth travels to Hamilton for a top of the table clash while Broadmeadow meet the Jets Youth at home.

 

Valentine Phoenix 3 (Marpu 19’ Motherway 54’, Russell 88’) defeated Lambton Jaffas 2 (Remington 5’, Hay 82’)

Arthur Edden Oval

Saturday 9^th July, 2.30pm

 Valentine coach Darren Sills was realistic about his side's finals hopes as they kept their dream of making the top four alive at Arthur Edden Oval on Saturday afternoon with a come from behind victory against Lambton Jaffas. The win puts Valentine just five points behind Maitland who are in fourth spot but coach Sills isn’t thinking too much about the finals.

“Mathematically we can still make it, but we aren’t really thinking about it. It’s all cliché about taking it one game at a time, but we aren’t worrying about semi-finals. They seem like they are cut and dry at the moment but if things fall into place then they fall into place.”

Luke Remington opened the scoring for the Jaffas when former Hamilton striker Pat Brown’s shot was blocked by Ridge Marpu and fell to Remington on the edge of the box. The former Young Socceroos’ scuffed left foot shot took and deflected and found its way inside the bottom right corner.

However, the home side's lead was short-lived as Josh Murray’s short pass from the left edge of the eighteen found Marpu at the back post who tapped in to make it 1-1 after just 19 minutes. The Jaffas’ bad luck with injuries the continued as Riley McNaughton limped off the field after a clash of knees.

Valentine’s Alex Tserepas then left the field with an ankle injury soon after. Jobe Wheelhouse was the next to join the growing casualty list before the break as he left the pitch with a recurrence of the calf injury which kept him out of Lambton’s last two matches.

Locked at 1-1 at the break, Valentine needed a spark and Tom Motherway provided it when he struck a right-foot shot from the right side of the box to give them a 2-1 lead.

The Jaffas then searched for an equaliser, as Kevin Davidson’s goal-bound volley was somehow blocked, as Lambton’s centre back almost made it three goals in three games. Finally, the home side found their equaliser, when Ben Hay from in front of goal, picked out the bottom left corner from just outside the eighteen-yard box.

But, it was to be Valentine’s day when Reece Newton found Riley Russell on the left – after a break downfield – with a well-timed through ball. Russell still had plenty to do, but the 19-year old finished calmly, chipping Brad Swancott in the Lambton goal for a first-grade goal he won’t forget.

Lambton coach James Pascoe was very happy with his side's start but conceded the performance ‘wasn’t good enough.’

“The start was excellent and was everything we have worked at over the last month to get better at. Pressing high, more compact in our movement and moving the ball quickly when we win it. Then for whatever reason, that just stopped after ten-fifteen minutes and we got awfully sloppy. It’s not good enough.”

Darren Sills was content with a performance which was ‘as close to a 90-minute performance as we have had this year.’

“I think we deserved the three points. We got off to our normal slow start and then battled hard to get back in the game. At 2-1 we could have had three or four more goals, and then you are living on the edge with a one goal lead. It took all 14 of our players today to get that win and the winner was set up by the two subs [Newton and Russell].”

Next weekend Valentine meet bottom placed Weston at home while Lambton faces an away trip to Charlestown to meet the Blues.

 

 

Hamilton Olympic 3 (Bird 2’, Lucas 35’, Goodchild 37’) defeated Weston Workers Bears 1 (Turnbull 80’)

Rockwell Automation Park

Sunday 10^th July, 2.30pm

Hamilton Olympic kept within a win of top spot with a dominant performance away from home against the bottom placed Weston Bears. Three first-half goals were enough for the visitors to claim all three points at Rockwell Automation Park.

It didn’t take long for the opening goal in the match. Just over a minute in Olympic’s Daniel Bird prospered from a Nathan Morris back pass which deflected off Hamilton striker Kane Goodchild and into the path of Bird who put his left foot shot from the middle of the box across Weston keeper Benn Kelly and into the bottom right corner.

Hamilton’s second was much more spectacular. It came courtesy of a goal-of-the-season contender when the ball bobbled to Matt Swan following a Hamilton corner. Swan passed back to Cody Lucas who was ten metres outside the box, and Lucas struck a swerving right-foot shot which couldn’t have picked out the top right corner any better, relegating Benn Kelly to a mere spectator.

Kane Goodchild then found the back of the net for the 13^th time this season when a cross from Cody Lucas on the left found Goodchild’s left boot who smashed his shot passed Kelly for Hamilton’s third of the afternoon.

Late on in the second half Weston finally got one back. Isaac Peek’s cross from the right finding Robbie Turnbull at the back post whose right foot shot was too good for Danny Ireland in the Olympic goal to make it 3-1.

Hamilton coach Mick Bolch said his side ‘did really well in the first half.’

“It was probably over as a contest at halftime being 3-0. We had a couple of chances early on in the second half which could have put it to bed. But, Weston is always Weston, they have a lot of pride and always keep coming. A bit of a mistake from us at the back to give them a goal but overall I was really happy with the performance.”

For Weston’s coach Trevor Morris, it felt ‘like groundhog day.’

“We gifted them three goals and absolutely put them on a platter. Apart from that, we didn’t play too bad. It’s just the mistakes and they punished us for them.”

Morris felt as though the Bears improved in the second half.

“Whether they took their foot off the peddle at 3-0 or not I don’t know but we had a couple of good chances. We pushed higher up and forced the issue a bit more and did quite ok. But, we invite so much pressure on ourselves, that’s our biggest problem.”

Next weekend Weston face the long trip to Valentine to meet the Phoenix while Hamilton meet Edgeworth in a blockbuster at Darling Street.

 

Charlestown City Blues 3 (Johnson 5’, 14’, Kjiln 79’) defeated Adamstown Rosebud 1 (Read 90’ (P))

Adamstown Oval

Sunday 10^th July, 2.30pm

Charlestown broke a six-match losing streak and extended their unbeaten run against Adamstown to six matches on Sunday at Adamstown Oval. Charlestown haven’t lost to Adamstown since the Rosebud’s were promoted at the end of the 2013 season.

The Blues opened the scoring after five minutes when Jarryd Johnson cut down the right side of the box and struck a half cross, half shot which cannoned into the back post and into the net for an early lead for the visitors.

Charlestown doubled their advantage less than ten minutes later when Andy Kjiln played in a cross from the right edge to Jarryd Johnson who headed home at the near post for his second goal of the afternoon.

Charlestown went into the break with a 2-0 lead and held it for most of the second half until Kjiln turned from provider to goalscorer in the 79^th minute. Adamstown gave the ball away at the back to Rene Ferguson who ran diagonally down the left into the box, before cutting back to Kjiln who finished a 3-0 lead.

Dayne Pawlik was then sent off for the second time this season when he received a second yellow card for backchat to referee Andrew Digby.

Adamstown got one back into the dying moments of the match when Charlestown skipper Ben Hughes handballed in the box. Alex Read stepped up from the spot and sent his shot into the top right corner.

The win now puts Charlestown two points behind fourth-placed Maitland who have a game in hand and will give them plenty of confidence going into next weekend’s clash with the Lambton Jaffas. For Adamstown, they will travel to Maitland to take on the Magpies at Cooks Square Park.

 

Maitland Magpies v Newcastle Jets Youth

Cooks Square Park

Saturday 9^th July, 2.30pm

Washed out. Check northernnswfootball.com.au for rescheduled date and time.