George Tsamouras Football Journey

Newcastle Olympic take on Cooks Hill FC at Darling St Oval in Round 17 of the 2026 NPL competition of Northern NSW. Reserve Grade need the win to maintain their lead in 1^st place on the points table while First Garde need it to get off last spot on their respective points table!

Newcastle Olympic Reserve Grade came away with an impressive 2-0 away victory at Maitland which enabled them to maintain their slender 1 point lead from second placed Valentine FC. After the 2-1 away midweek victory by Cooks Hill over Charlestown Azzurri, they too join Valantine on equal 2^nd place on the table with three teams fighting for 1^st spot!

Cooks Hill face Olympic at Darling St Oval following six consecutive wins while Olympic have recorded 3 wins, a draw and two losses in the same period. Olympic ran out easy victors over Cooks Hill earlier in the year by 3-0 and on their day will have very little difficulty doing the same in this match too. Much will depend on First Grade players requiring minutes, “playing down”, in Reserve Grade!

The match is scheduled for a 12:00pm kick off on Saturday 27^th June at Darling St Oval.

Newcastle Olympic First Grade hit a historic low after two mid-week wash out fixtures being played. For the first time in living memory, they occupy equal last place on the points table and will be fighting tooth and nail to avoid relegation in the remaining six matches of the season!

Cooks Hill come into this match having won two, drawn two and lost one of their last five matches to Olympic who have lost four and drawn one in the comparable period! Olympic face 7^th placed Cooks Hill on Saturday and equal last Charlestown Azzurri the following Wednesday! Points against these two opponents are of paramount importance if the team is to avoid relegation as after these two matches they have Broadmeadow Magic, Belmont and Edgeworth!

The team competed during their 1-0 loss at Maitland but against Cooks Hill at home they need to win all three points. There is no room for any other result.

The match is scheduled for a 2:00pm kick off on Saturday 27^th June at Darling St Oval.

Source: Tom Tsamouras

Newcastle Olympic Reserve Grade triumphed by 2-0 at Cooks Square Park in Round 16 of the 2026 Northern NSW NPL competition and remain on top of the points table while First Grade suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat.

Newcastle Olympic dominated play at Cook Square Park throughout the game and were worthy victors by 2-0. They dictated play in the first 30 minutes during which they scored once through a penalty won and scored by Jesse Fitzgerald and hit the woodwork on no fewer than two occasions. In the last 15 minutes of the first half Maitland took control of the midfield and put Olympic under a little pressure to preserve the score line into the half time break.

The second half belonged to Olympic with the team dominating possession, scoring a second goal in the 67^th minute through Jesse Fitgerald and demonstrating composure and confidence from beginning to end. Indeed, there were moments where Olympic teased the opposition by maintaining possession and forcing them to run around trying to retrieve the ball.

The win enables Olympic to remain in first spot on the table on 32 points, exactly one point ahead of Valentine who defeated Edgeworth Eagles 1-0 on the previous day. Cooks Hill follows in 3rd spot on 28 points but with a game in hand. This is against Charlestown Azzurri on Wednesday night and if they win, they will join Valentine in equal second spot one point behind Olympic.

Newcastle Olympic First Grade were not as fortunate as their Reserve Grade counter parts. They conceded as early as in the 3^rd minute of play and although Maitland created more chances to add to the score they were unable to do so.

The arm wrestling between the two teams continued until the end with neither adding to the score. Maitland tried to score a second to put the game beyond the reach of Olympic while the latter were trying to score to draw the match.

Despite the narrow defeat the performance was a lot closer than the difference on the points table between the two teams. The loss brings Olympic to 1 point off the bottom, a position occupied by Charlestown Azzurri who have two games in hand.

Source: Tom Tsamouras

Round 16 of the 2026 NPL competition of Northern NSW pitches Newcastle Olympic against Maitland FC at Cook Square Park on Sunday! The two matches for both Reserve Grade and First Grade will be difficult and both teams need to be at their very best to come away with any points.

Newcastle Olympic Reserve Grade are at the top of the points table with 29 points while Maitland hold fourth spot on 22 and with a game in hand. Olympics’ mid-season slip up which saw them lose three successive games after leading the pack by as many as 6 points appears to be over.

The two problems faced by the team have been injuries and playing only two competitive matches in four weeks. Hopefully the wet weather is behind us and the team will return to the rhythm that saw them winning 7 games and drawing 1 from their opening 8 matches! Injuries to key players such as Jesse Fitzgerald and Oliver Steinerts coupled with the departure of others like Kane Treble and Steven Theacos to First Grade, has left the coaching staff with less options on the bench.

Olympic defeated Maitland by 3-1 at Darling St Oval earlier in the year but Maitland are strong at home and last week defeated Valentine who were league leaders until that match. On their day, Olympic can destroy the best of teams but to achieve this against Maitland, they need to give 100%.

The match is scheduled for an 11:00am Kick off at Cooks Square Park on Sunday 21^st June 2026.

Newcastle Olympic First Grade will also have their hands full against Maitland FC but for different reasons! The boys in blue are 3 points off bottom place and a mere 1 point off second last which leads to a play off to remain in the division. By contrast, Maitland FC is in 4^th place on the ladder and has a very good chance of making the finals.

Maitland defeated Olympic 3-2 in the Darling St Oval fixture earlier in the season and will be looking to do the same at Cooks Square Park. If Olympic have self-belief in being able to spoil the fun for Maitland, they most certainly can come away with a point or even points! Everything will depend on the attitude with which they begin the match and the level of commitment they demonstrate during the match.

The match is scheduled for a 1:00pm Kick off at Cooks Square Park on Sunday 21^st June 2026.

Source: Tom Tsamouras

Newcastle Olympic Reserve Grade returned to the top of the league table after an emphatic 3-1 win over Kahibah FC while First Grade were held to a 3-3 draw.

Playing in cold and moist conditions at the unfamiliar time of 9:00am Newcastle Olympic took on a Kahibah FC side sporting from their first win of the season! Despite being only their second match over the past four weeks Olympic set to work and was able to hit the lead in the 11^th minute through Lucas Walsh and the 39^th minute through Wil Phillips!

By half time there was no misconception about who was in the driving seat at Darling St Oval, particularly after the 1-0 loss by league leaders Valentine, the day before! A win in this match would return the boys in blue to 1^st spot on the ladder where they had been for most of the season.

Olympic continued to go through the motions in uncomfortable conditions in the second half but did not add any more goals to kill off the game. In the 84^th minute Kahibah scored through Lachlan Hodgetts and for a moment an upset was on the cards. This was put to rest in the last minute of play by Kaiden Boldery who made the scoreline 3-1 to Olympic!

This was Olympics’ 9^th win of the season but only their second in the past six weeks! The win in conjunction with Valentine’s 1-0 defeat at Maitland returns Olympic to the top of the table by one point!

With seven matches remaining there is plenty of time to create a commanding lead while at the same time room to lose the lead too if there are any further slip ups.

Newcastle Olympic First Grade were able to salvage a 3-3 draw from a team which is bottom of the table and which was leading the match from the 65^th minute until 10 minutes from time!

Despite the changes in coaching staff and despite two weeks break, Olympic fell behind to an own goal in the 26^th minute before Kale Bradbery equalised in the 36^th minute and Dominik Brymora put them 2-1 right on half time.

With the start of the second half Kahibah equalised the match in the 52^nd minute with Jackson Burston and went 3-2 ahead with Jilles Bos in the 65^th minute. Olympic then chased the game until 10 minutes from time when Wil Southcombe was able to score and save the day!

This draw keeps Olympic to within 3 points of relegation and 1 point to second last spot which leads to a play off to avoid relegation!

source: Tom Tsamouras

Newcastle Olympic return to Darling St Oval to contest Round 15 of the 2026 NPL competition against lowly placed Kahibah FC. In both matches, Reserve and First Grade, securing 3 points is of the utmost importance for different reasons.

Newcastle Olympic Reserve Grade return from a bye over the long weekend and probably needed to recover from the brutal encounter with Adamstown Rosebud in the previous round. Olympic have one win in their last five outings and occupy 2^nd place on the ladder, 2 points behind Valentine FC.

Kahibah on the other hand recorded their first win of the season but occupy last spot on the table, 6 points behind second last, Charlestown Azzurri! In the previous round they were on the receiving end of a 11-1 thumping at the hands of Cooks Hill and have conceded 41 goals in 12 matches!

The difference in strength between the two teams is enormous and with a defence that leaks 3.5 goals on average, it will be difficult to see how Kahibah can avoid defeat. Olympic had a brilliant start to the season with 7 wins and 1 draw before they lost three games in a row! They recorded a hard-fought win against Weston since then and a brutal 0-0 draw against Adamstown prior to this game. A win in this match is of paramount importance to keep the pressure on Valentine and reclaim their throne on the points table.

The match kicks off very early, 9:00am on Sunday 14^th June at Darling St Oval.

Newcastle Olympic First Grade have undergone some changes since their match against Adamstown in Round 15 of the competition. Their coach Michael Bolch has left the club and been replaced by interim coach Alex Tagaroulias.

Kahibah are at the bottom of the table on 10 points while Olympic are just 3 points above them! Indeed, there are six clubs with only 4 points between them and all six will be battling to move away from the relegation zone!

Olympic will have worked very hard over the past two weeks to put the poor results behind them and make a fresh start on Sunday. A win will give them confidence and 3 points to move mid table and away from the danger zone.

Belief in their ability to fight and win will be the objective at Darling St Oval on Sunday.

The match kicks off at the very early time of 11:00am on Sunday 14^th June at Darling St Oval.

Source: Tom Tsamouras

Newcastle Olympic was held to a scoreless 0-0 draw by Adamstown Rosebud at the LMRFF in Speers Point on Saturday night while First Grade lost 2-0 and is now flirting with relegation at the opposite end of the points table!

On a cold night at Speers Point, the few spectators who braved the conditions were treated to a high intensity match with few goal scoring opportunities at either end. Just like the Round 3 fixture at Darling St Oval, the match was physical and sometimes even brutal! Unlike the 10 yellow and 2 red cards that were shown by the referee in the first game, there was only one yellow shown in this match! This occurred in the 32^nd minute when Thomas Rooke of Adamstown took out Olympic midfielder George Tsamouras in a heavy tackle which should have been a straight red!

Olympic dominated possession throughout and threatened Adamstown but was unable to create any clear-cut goal scoring opportunities. The 9-1 corner count showed how much they dominated but Adamstown’s physical approach to the match meant that they also needed to be careful of quick counter attacks.

Adamstown had done their homework on the Olympic side. This was evident very early in the match when Olympics’ midfield distribution outlets were heavily marked by the opposition to contain their offensive play. This was successful perhaps due to the marking, the physical play, and possibly due to the fact the team had not played for a fortnight due to the washed-out match against Charlestown Azzurri.

Despite this, in the last 25 minutes Olympic had Adamstown playing in their final third of the field and were using the “high-press” to the point that the Rosebuds had difficulty playing out! Spectators were left biting their nails as the Olympic forwards and midfielders swarmed the Adamstown players trying to play out in an attempt to force the error that would enable them to score.

The error didn’t come and Olympic were held to a 0-0 draw, their second draw of the season, against the same opponent! This result moved them to within 1 point off league leaders Valentine FC whose match against Cooks Hill was washed out earlier in the day.

Two hours earlier and at the same venue Newcastle Olympic First Grade took on Adamstown Rosebud and were beaten 2-0, their third successive defeat by a team equal last on the points table, going into this match!

The boys in blue fell behind in the 14^th minute to a goal by Nicolas Gismero and another by Kayden Soper in the 37^th minute. Two yellow cards in the 28^th and 30^th minutes by Jared Muller didn’t help the team, having to play with one man short for one hour of the game! Adamstown missed many opportunities during the first half and were unlucky not to have been in the lead by a bigger goal margin.

The second half didn’t produce any goals but with a two-goal cushion Adamstown was able to keep Olympic at length from their goal. The final 13-3 shots on goal ratio to Adamstown tells the story of the night! Indeed, of the 3 shots on goal by Olympic, not one was on target!

This result brings Olympic to equal third last spot on the points table on 13 points, with the two teams bellow them, Valentine on 11 and Kahibah on 10, not having played on the weekend due to the weather!

Source: Tom Tsamouras

Newcastle Olympic face Adamstown Rosebud FC in Round 14 of the 2026 NPL competition of Northern NSW. After the wash out against Charlestown Azzurri in Round 13 and the expected heavy rain on Thursday-Friday the games for both the men’s Reserve Team and First Grade will be held at the LMRFF of Speers Point.

Olympic Reserve Grade have the opportunity to frog leap Valentine FC on the points table who face a tough away game at Cooks Hill. Olympic sit just 2 points behind in second spot and have recorded their first win against Weston after three consecutive defeats!

Adamstown is in 9^th place on the ladder and are winless in their past 6 matches! In the Round 3 fixture which was postponed and replayed on Wednesday April 1^st, the score between the two teams was a 1-1 draw. This was a physical match which will be remembered for the 10 yellow cards and two red handed out by the referee.

Both teams will have something to prove and both will want the 3 points.

Kick off is scheduled for 8:00pm on Saturday 30^th May, 2026 at LMRFF 2.

Newcastle Olympic First Grade face Adamstown Rosebud two hours earlier at the same venue! Both teams had washed out games last week against Charlestown Azzurri and Kahibah respectively. Olympic have won 3 games all season and occupy 8^th spot on the points table on 13 points while Adamstown have won just 2 games and are in last place on 10 points.

With only 3 points separating the teams a loss by Olympic could land them in last place on the table and a battle to escape relegation. A win for Adamstown will get them off last place and give them some breathing space to pull away from the danger zone.

In the Round 3 fixture earlier in the season the teams played out a 2-2 draw at Darling St Oval.

Kick off is scheduled for 6:00pm on Saturday 30^th May, 2026 at LMRFF 2.

Source: Tom Tsamouras

Round 13 of the 2026 NPL Northern NSW competition between Newcastle Olympic and Charlestown Azzurri scheduled for Saturday 23rd May 2026 at Darling St Oval has been postponed due to the wet weather.

Source: Tom Tsamouras

Newcastle Olympic take on Charlestown Azzurri in Round 13 of the 2026 Northern NSW NPL competition.

Reserve Grade will be looking to record their 9^th win of the season in order to reclaim 1^st position on the points Table while First Grade their 4^th win of the season in an attempt to move away from the relegation zone.

After winning seven games and drawing one from eight matches, Newcastle Olympic Reserve Grade experienced a horror three weeks in which they sustained a 1-0 defeat by Edgeworth Eagles, a 2-1 defeat by Valentine FC and a 4-3 defeat at the hands of Lambton Jaffas!

All this came to an end last week with a 3-1 home victory over Weston Bears in a match which they had to work hard to win. They sit in 2^nd spot two points behind Valentine FC!

Charlestown Azzurri sit in 11^th position on the table on 3 wins, 5 defeats and 3 draws. In the second-round fixture Olympic had no problem defeating Azzurri by 3-0 and should be favourites to collect the 3 points at Darling St Oval on Saturday. Kick off is scheduled for 12:00am.

Newcastle Olympic First Grade have won once in their last eight outings and sit 3 points off bottom of the table! Although there are 10 games remaining they are in desperate need of points to move away from the bottom end of the points table!

They have won a total of three games all season and one of those was a 2-1 win over Azzurri at Lisle Carr Oval. Azzurri have won one game more but sit on the same points but with a game in hand.

They are a team which is either hot or cold. On their day they can beat the league leaders away (4-2 over Weston) and on a bad day they can lose at home to the bottom team of the league (1-2 by Valentine). This indifference in form was the cause of their coach James Pascoe to walk away from the club and focus on his family.

Hopefully Azzurri can be in the lesser mood on Saturday and Olympic can secure 3 points. Kick off is scheduled for 2:00am but a lot will depend on the amount of rain between now and Saturday.

GAMES ARE WASHED OUT.

Source: Tom Tsamouras

Newcastle Olympic Reserve Grade returned to their winning ways against Weston defeating the Bears 3-1. Olympic First Grade however lost again by 2-1 against the same opponent.

Newcastle Olympic Reserve Grade put smiles on everyone’s faces with a gutsy 3-1 win over Weston after three successive losses which cost them first place on the points table. Playing in front of their fans at Darling St Oval for the second successive game the boys in blue took control of the match and dictated play.

Without the handicap of players from first grade “playing down”, the midfield trio of Goble-Lote, Harvey and Tsamouras were controlling proceedings in the middle while Zervas, Fitzgerald and Butler were a constant threat up front.

In the 19^th minute a through ball by Blake Clifton in midfield to George Tsamouras and a quick one-two with Fitzgerald resulted in a wide pass to Zervas who laid the ball perfectly for Butler to strike it home and open the score for Olympic, 1-0!

A few minutes later Jye King of Weston was allowed to advance unchallenged until outside the box and from there he unleashed a long range shot which the Olympic goalkeeper wasn’t able to even get a hand for a 1-1 scoreline!

In the remaining 20 minutes until half time, an injury to Rhys Butler which caused a reshuffle of players as well as the natural confidence from the equaliser resulted in Weston getting the upper hand.

At half time Olympic swapped both centre halves who were filling in for Phillips and Paksec who were recovering from injury. The team regained control of the game and began to dictate play. With strength and composure at the back, crispy one touch passing in the middle and threatening strikes by their forward line, they were a delight to watch.

As early as the 46^th minute a quickly taken short corner by Walshe and Tsamouras resulted in a beautiful cross into the box and with a glancing header by Fitzgerald the score became 2-1. A little while later a magnificent move and a through ball by Tsamouras to Fitzgerald resulted in another goal but this was disallowed as offside!

With the introduction of Steinerts and Petersen Olympic were in complete control and it was only a matter of time before they scored again to secure the result. This came in the 82^nd minute when a pass from Fitzgerald found Steinerts on the edge of the box who had little trouble burying the ball at the back of the net with a smashing left drive.

Olympic not only returned to their winning ways but this was done against a strong opponent who fought and competed throughout the match. Despite the win Olympic remain 2 points behind Valentine on the points table but with 10 games remaining, there is plenty of time for them to return to 1^st spot.

Newcastle Olympic First Grade misfortunes continued against Weston, going down by 2-1 despite putting up a fight. The boys in blue began well but found themselves behind as early as the 24^th minute when Brock Beveridge opened the score for Weston with a long range shot from outside the box!

This lead was short lived as four minutes later a quick counter-attack produced a fine cross from Kale Bradbery and Ben Hays pounced to level the score 1-1. The arm wrestle continued between the two sides and just before half time a routine attack by Weston resulted in Chris Hatfield wrong footing the Olympic goal-keeper to send his side 2-1 into the half time interval.

In the second half Weston tried to score the goal that would secure the three points for them but Olympic fought all the way to try and equalise. The excellent performance by the Weston goalkeeper played a big role at keeping Olympic at bay!

Despite a gusty effort this was Olympics’ second successive defeat at home and it leaves them 14 points from the top and a mere 3 points off bottom spot. Next week they host Charlestown Azzurri and they are in desperate need of the two points to avoid a battle at the wrong end of the points table.

Source: Tom Tsamouras