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BEN HOMER

Match of the Round
Edgeworth Eagles 3 (McBreen 29’, Holz 72’, Fayers 85’) defeated Adamstown Rosebuds 1 (Read 90’) at Adamstown Oval, Sunday 14th August 2.30pm

With five of the Eagles regular starters rested for the final round fixture, first-grade chances fell to some of Edgeworth’s 22s players with Sam Maxwell playing the full match at right back, while Will Bowers, Bailey Garland and Chris Fayers all came off the bench in the second half.

Damian Zane praised his young side after they scrapped their way to a 3-1 win on Old Boys’ Day at Adamstown Oval on Sunday.

“Will Bower, Bailey Garland and Sam Maxwell who started today, they are only 17 at the moment and they came on and were great,” Zane said.

“Will went for a nice run, Bailey set up a goal, and young Chris [Fayers] came on and scored. They are very confident and moving forward it is very exciting.”

In front of Peter McGuiness, who announced to take the reigns at Adamstown next year, the youthful Rosebuds started with plenty of energy. Thom Lino looked the most likely for the home side.

But, after an even opening 20 minutes, the Eagles found their groove as Aden Gardner sprayed their first real chance wide.

Just before the half-hour mark Keigo Moriyasu swung in a free kick from the right onto the head of McBreen who picked out the bottom right corner with precision to put the visitors ahead.

At half-time, the Eagles went into the break leading 1-0.

When play resumed, Adamstown’s Mason Palmieri was in the thick of the action. The assistant coach who has returned to the field in the second half of the season, after injuries and suspensions racked the Rosebud’s depth was first involved in a scuffle after sliding in on Eagles midfielder Dylan Holz.

Then, Pat Wheeler clipped him with a high foot in the Edgeworth box, Palmieri staying down to check if he had all his teeth was very close to winning a penalty.

Will Bower tried to backheel flick on a cross from Gardner on the right later on but was denied by a brilliant dive from Rosebud’s keeper Paul Bitz. The save fell to Holz who smashed it into the side of the next.

Straight off the substitutes bench, Chris Fayers put the nail in the coffin when he rounded Bitz after a break and rolled his shot into the back of the net for a 3-0 lead in the 85th minute.

Alex Read grabbed a late consolation for the home side, but it was too little too late in the end as they went down 3-1.

Adamstown’s stand-in coach Chris Dale was very impressed with his side’s effort in the final match of the season.

“In terms of the effort, I was very impressed. It was a bit frustrating to get done by a set piece in the first half. But, it’s a learning process for all of us. During my two weeks in the job I have learnt more in two weeks than I have in two years.”

 

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Jets Youth 2 (Thurgate 6’, Brymora 53’) defeated Valentine Phoenix 0 at Cahill Oval, Saturday 13th August 3pm

The Jets Youth ended their 2016 PlayStation 4 NPL Northern NSW season on a high, winning their third match in succession to end what has been, on the whole, a positive year.

After a slow start to the season, where they won just one of their opening eight matches, the Jets Youth side roared home, to finish the season off with seven wins, three draws and eight losses to finish in 5th spot.

The young Jets took just six minutes to open the scoring when Finn Paris played a perfectly timed ball through to Angus Thurgate who ran down the right edge of the box, cut inside, and thumped his right foot shot across Phoenix keeper Beyhan Irmako for a 1-0 advantage.

Both sides were unable to grab another goal before the break, as the Jets went in with a slender 1-0 lead. Immediately after half-time though the Jets struck again, this time through Kristian Brymora. After a weaving run from Ryan Ensor through the heart of Valentine’s defence, the ball fell to Finn Paris on the right edge whose low cross was touched by Brymora at the near post but was saved well by Irmako.

The ball fell back to Brymora on a tight angle on the right who shot again with his left and was saved by Irmako once more. It was a case of third-time lucky for the Jets striker as he finished into an empty net when Valentine’s keeper couldn’t regather his save.

Valentine were unable to find a goal to get them back in the match, as the Jets won against the Phoenix for the second time this season.

Jets Youth coach Clayton Zane thought his side ‘did well considering the surface.’

“We got off to a pretty intense start which I was happy with, but at the back end of the first half we lost our way a bit and gave away a few set pieces. In the second half, I thought we continued on where we left off at the start of the first half and we could have had a few more goals.”

After a season which Valentine exceeded pre-season expectations, coach Darren Sills thought his side “did alright.”

“We conceded another early goal, which is a trademark of ours, and it was a game where we probably didn’t execute as well as we should have,” Sills said.

“That said, it’s a season we can build on. It’s a great season, we were tipped to come last from everywhere from the [player forum] to the paper, right across the board. We haven’t lit the world on fire, but we have been in games throughout the second half of the season.”

On reflection of the season coach Clayton Zane has been impressed with the development of his young side across the season.

“I was very disappointed with our start to the season, and that wasn’t that we weren’t playing well, but we just hadn’t learnt how to get results.”

“The second half of the season, I was very happy with the reaction from the boys. I look now at where we have come and we have taken a few steps forward and that’s what I need to see.”

 

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Lambton Jaffas 4 (Wheelhouse 4’, Remington 32’, 52’, Wood 60’) defeated Weston Bears 1 (Ashton 62’) at Arthur Edden Oval, Saturday 13th August 2.30pm

The Lambton Jaffas finished their on a high with a 4-1 thumping on the Bears, to end what has been an up and down season for the last season’s semi-finalists. The win ensures the Jaffas finish season 2016 in 7th spot and gives James Pascoe’s men somewhere to improve on going into 2017.

Jobe Wheelhouse opened the scoring with a blazing free kick from just the left of the semi-circle on the edge of the box. He thumped it into the top right corner, which hit the crossbar on its way in.

The Jaffas second came just after the half-hour mark when Joel Wood curled in a cross from the right which bounced to Luke Remington at the back post. The Jaffas winger then stepped past two defenders before stepping onto his right foot and putting it past Benn Kelly in the Weston goal.

After a dominant first half, the Jaffas went into the shed leading 2-0 and their dominance continued on the other side of the break and it was Luke Remington who found the back of the next once more.

On this occasion it was Ben Hay whose cross found him in the middle of the box to calmly volley into the left upright which deflected in – it was a stark contract for Jaffas fans to Wednesday night, where they couldn’t find the back of the net if they tried.

The Jaffas final goal of the afternoon, came 15 minutes into the second half, as Ben Hay cut inside the left edge of the box and crossed perfectly to Joel Wood in the middle of the box who tapped home for a 4-0 lead.

The Bears grabbed one back two minutes later to set up an intriguing finish when Robbie Turnbull sent Lee Ashton one-on-one with Brad Swancott.

Swancott’s save from Ashton’s initial shot ballooned into the air back to Ashton who headed home. Swancott was unable to believe his luck, as he stood hands on hips in disbelief, in what was potentially his final match in the competition.

Trevor Morris thought his side was behind the eight ball from the start of the match.

“Jobe Wheelhouse hit an absolute bomb in the first five minutes and we were really chasing the game from there.”

“We were well and truly in the second half, as they ran out of legs but we just didn’t execute. Brad Swancott also made a few great saves.”

On reflection of a disappointing season, Morris though the Bears didn’t have much luck at all.

“I’ve never witnessed anything like it, from the first training session to the last, we have just had so much bad luck and things have gone wrong,” Morris said.

“But, on the positives, the players never shirked it, they put in and I can’t ask any more from them,” Morris concluded.

 

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Broadmeadow Magic 2 (Pettit 39’, Kantarovski 86’) defeated Maitland Magpies FC 0 at Cooks Square Park, Sunday 14th August 2.30pm

With a confident 2-0 victory over the Magpies at Cooks Square Park, Broadmeadow Magic wrapped the third spot on the ladder and a match-up with rivals Hamilton in the semifinals. Scott Petitt and Michael Kantarovski scored for the second week to seal the deal.

After controlling much of the opening half, Maitland were unable to find the back of the net.

The visitors got their first goal of the afternoon just before half-time which started from their own half.

Lawrence Foteff reefed a clearance from Magic’s left corner of defence to Kale Bradbury who went one-on-one with Maitland keeper Matt Trott. Trott saved Bradbury’s shot but was unable to keep Pettit’s follow up out.

With Magic needing just a draw to seal the third spot it was up to Maitland to throw caution to the win in the second half if they wanted third spot. It was Broadmeadow though, who had the better of the chances.

They put the match to bed four minutes from full-time when livewire Paul Sichalwe dodged past defenders down the left side of the box, and cut back to Kantarovski, near the penalty spot, who hit his left foot shot into the bottom right corner to double Magic’s advantage.

Magic’s coach Rob Virgili was happy Shane Paul, Michael Kantarovski and Jon Griffiths got out of the match without a yellow card and will be able to play next week. He was also pleased to get the result in tough conditions.

“It wasn’t the great game, in terms of football played,” Virgili said.

“Maitland did put it to us in the first half, but having said that chances wise we probably had the better of them. It was a bit of a battle, and it was good to keep a clean sheet. It was one of those ‘good to win’ games.”

Maitland’s Assistant Reece Thompson was, like Virgili, was happy to have his full side available for next weekend.

“We all got through unscathed and we didn’t get any injuries to we should be good for next week.”

“To be honest I thought we were the better side for the first half, and they caught us on the break. But, in the second half, I thought they were better. We took Matt Comerford off when we were down 1-0, and rested Ryan Clarke and we also took Brock Oakley off who was on a yellow card.”

“At the end of the day, we were looking to finish in the top four and we have achieved that,” Thompson concluded.

 

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Hamilton Olympic 3 (Goodchild 9’, 90+2’, Mooney 30’) defeated Charlestown City Blues 0 at Lisle Carr Oval, Sunday 14th August 2.30pm

Hamilton Olympic became the first side since Edgeworth in 1999 to go through an entire Northern NSW football season undefeated when they took down Charlestown at Lisle Carr Oval on Sunday.

They also made history in another area as well. Since 1959, where first-grade football table archives go back to, there has been no side who has gone undefeated and not win the premiership.

With Magic’s victory against Maitland, it was ensured that Hamilton will take on Broadmeadow over the next two weekends for a spot in the Grand Final.

It took just nine minutes for Olympic to hit the front when Simon Mooney played a short corner to Tommy Spencer. Spencer then rolled a centimetre-perfect cross to Kane Goodchild at the back post, who rose above Rene Ferguson to head home his 17th of the season and put him level with Keigo Moriyasu as the league’s golden boot.

Simon Mooney was the next on the scoresheet for Olympic, after Rhys Cooper from halfway chipped a low, pinpoint cross through the heart of Charlestown’s defence to Mooney, who nutmegged Blues’ keeper Nathan Archbold to double the visitor’s advantage.

Leading 2-0 at the break, Olympic kept Charlestown quiet for much of the second half.

Late in stoppage time, Goodchild finished off Hamilton’s undefeated season in style and ensured him to have the Golden Boot all to himself. Rhys Cooper’s cross from the right was headed by Charlestown midfielder Jarryd Johnson backwards to Goodchild at the back post, who headed perfectly past Archbold and into the top left corner to make it 3-0.

While finishing the season undefeated Hamilton coach Mick Bolch said it was disappointing to get ’42 points and not win the comp.’

“I think if you went back the last few years, 42 would have won you the competition. Realistically though, it’s brilliant to go through the season undefeated, but obviously, your goal at the start of the season is to win the premiership.”

In regards to the match, Bolch was very happy with the clean sheet considering Olympic were missing key defenders, Andrew Swan and Grant Brown, as well as goalkeeper Danny Ireland.

“We had our keeper and two of our defenders out and kept a clean sheet,” Bolch said.

“Over the season we kept eight clean sheets and only conceded 13 goals and considering we lost Mason Campbell in the pre-season, Marcus Duncan after round three and Tommy Davies after round six, I think that defensive record is outstanding,” Bloch concluded.