Monthly Archives: July 2018

Edgeworth Eagles v Hamilton Olympic

Sunday 15^th July, 2:30 pm at Jack McLaughlan Oval

Two big wins in as many weeks and a dollop of luck in results elsewhere has Edgeworth back on top of the league.

A midweek bounce-back has Hamilton dreaming of the top four once more, and it looks closer than it has all season.

If we were to bear witness to a match as entertaining as the last time these two met, we’d be lucky indeed. That one was Hamilton’s 3-2 win in sixth round of the FFA Cup. Back in round six of the NPL NNSW, Edgeworth won out over Hamilton by the same scoreline.

Edgeworth will farewell Mitch Dobson this weekend, who will leave a big hole in one of the league’s best defences. It might force a reshuffle in coming weeks, but for this weekend at least things are as per usual.

What will please the Eagles is being back on top for the first time since round 11 after Broadmeadow failed to take all three points away from Charlestown last weekend.

Edgeworth held up their end of the bargain beating Weston at Weston, 4-1 last Saturday. It was another first-half blitz, and in their past two, they’ve scored seven goals in the opening half.

Hamilton could have been level on points in fourth but behind on goal difference if not for a 3-2 defeat to Jets Youth last Saturday.

They might be ruing what may have been after beating out Charlestown 2-0 on Wednesday to climb within three points of Maitland in the top four.

What will be especially encouraging about the win over the Blues is that it was without centre-back and captain Kyle Hodges, who missed out with an injury. Jed Hornery and Blake Green were on the bench, slowly returning from injuries themselves.

NPL Youth:Round 19

Edgeworth vs Hamilton Olympic at Jack McLaughlan Oval

U16s kick off 2.30am

U15s kick off 1.00pm

U14s kick off 11.30am

U13s kick off 10.00am

Broadmeadow Magic v Adamstown Rosebud

Sunday 15^th July, 2:30 pm at Magic Park

Knocked off the top spot for the first time since they rose there back in round 11, Magic will want to do all they can in order to get back there this weekend.

Local rivals Adamstown will be stinging after defeat last Sunday saw them slip down the ladder and virtually wave goodbye to their slim finals hopes.

A similar result to their round six exertions will see Broadmeadow hold up their end of the bargain. They won 4-0, with three goals in the final half-hour helping to blow the scoreline out.

It’s a good chance for Magic to strike back this weekend after they were beaten 1-0 by Charlestown last weekend and knocked out of top spot as a result.

James Virgili was a notable absentee last weekend as he spent time in China with the Newcastle Jets squad. He’s expected to return this weekend and is sure to play a big part.

Magic Park has been a fortress for Broadmeadow this season. They’ve lost just once there in the league and have taken 17 points from eight matches at home.

In comparison, Adamstown hasn’t been too shabby on the road. They’ve picked up 11 of their 16 points and have lost just one of their past five away from home.

Things didn’t go all that well at home last weekend though, going down 3-0 by a Lambton side which played the final half hour with just ten men after Michael Sessions was sent off.

It’s the continuation of a somewhat worrying trend which has seen Adamstown fail to win in their last six matches, including the FFA Cup, stretching back to their 2-1 defeat to Jets Youth back on June 3.

 

Lambton Jaffas v Valentine Phoenix

Saturday 14^th July, 2:30 pm at Arthur Edden Oval

Undefeated in the league since the middle of May, Lambton will be hoping they can keep that trend up this weekend.

In their way is a Valentine side down on luck, points, and goals. If they can turn things around, they may yet avoid the last spot on the ladder – is this weekend the one?

Whether or not a similar scoreline to the last time these two sides met will be enough to constitute a turnaround isn’t quite clear. It was a scoreless draw, back in round six.

It’s an unbeaten run for Lambton which has featured five wins and three draws – two of the latter against fellow top-four hopefuls Edgeworth and Broadmeadow.

Last weekend was another good result and it edged them closer to top spot – a 3-0 win over Adamstown, made more special by the fact Jaffas managed to play out the final half hour with only ten men.

The downside from that result for Lambton is that they’ll be missing defensive marshal Michael Sessions. They’ve conceded just 17 goals this season and will be hoping to keep that number as is.

In a stat which might raise some eyebrows, Lambton has actually conceded fewer goals this season than Valentine has scored. Phoenix has missed the goals of Jalon Brown big time this season, and they have just 13.

One of those came last weekend, as Phoenix fell agonisingly short of an all-too-important point. An 87^th-minute goal to Sam Walker locked up a 2-1 win for Lake Macquarie.

They currently have two games in hand on the three sides above them, and Valentine are five points adrift at the bottom of the ladder. With the likes of Magic and Charlestown ahead in the run home, a positive result today would make all the difference.

What the coaches said

Sam Griffin (Valentine assistant)

“It’s probably one of the few games that you can’t do a great deal of research on because of their turnover of players at the moment, a few injuries, [you don’t know] who’s going in or out so we’re just going to have to play it as it lies come Saturday. It is Lambton though, so they’re always sharp.

“The result against them earlier in the season was a bit of a reflex action because we got thumped by Lakes the week before and had to go very defensive. Now, at a different stage of the season where we need points, a 0-0 draw is no good to us. We’ll be on the front foot, and hopefully with a few of the numbers they have out we’ll have a few more opportunities and be able to get the one we missed out on in the first round.

“One of the boys said to me after the game last week ‘I don’t feel like we’re playing any worse than we did last year’ when we were top four or five for most of the year. We’re just not getting the results go our way, and for a team which is down the bottom, our resolve and our attitude is pretty good.

“If we come out and play as well as we have been and as well as we can, we get that little bit of luck that everyone needs I can see us taking three points.

“Nathan Hundley broke his foot against Maitland and we only found out before the Lakes game, so he’ll be out but we’re not sure for how long. Wilson Edwards is out, and Zac Sneddon is unlikely with a quad strain.”

 

Maitland Magpies v Newcastle Jets Youth

Sunday 15^th July, 2:30 pm at Cooks Square Park

Fresh from the bye and still inside the top four after missing a week’s action, Maitland know little but a win will do this weekend.

Same goes for their opponents though, who scored a big win last weekend and will ride a wave of confidence into Sunday.

It was tight last time the two sides met, and if not for the heroics of Jets goalkeeper Noah James things might not have been so 1-0 to Maitland, back in round six.

They spent a week away from the pitch last week with the bye, and now Maitland needs to come back firing if they’re to lock down a semi-finals spot.

Their last match was the 0-0 draw with Valentine, which was preceded by a 2-2 draw with Adamstown. Two points which could easily have been six, but it’s a case of looking ahead for the Magpies.

Defeat this weekend would see them give up their spot in the top four, and it could see them drop as low as seventh. This is a big one for Maitland.

Whereas defeat for Maitland would see them drop out of the top four, a win for Jets Youth could potentially have the youngsters as their replacements inside the finals spots.

While they can’t qualify for the NPL NNSW finals, there is a definite culture of winning which has been ingrained in the side and that was on full display last weekend in the 3-2 win over Hamilton.

There was individual brilliance from Yerisimakis Petratos, a pair of nicely worked goals and some good defending. They’ll be boosted this weekend by the return of a number of players from China, where they travelled with members of the senior squad.

  

Weston Bears v Charlestown City Blues

Sunday 15^th July, 2:30 pm at Rockwell Automation Park

It’s nearly the backend of a tough run for Weston which, for the most part, they haven’t weathered all too badly.

This weekend might prove their biggest challenge yet though, as they’ll host a Charlestown side which is flying high after its big win in round 16.

It was tight and it was with ten men for the closing stages, but it was Charlestown who emerged triumphant with a 2-1 win over the Bears the last time these two sides met.

The big news out of Weston this week has been the announcement of their coach for 2019. Kew Jaliens will step into the role, one he’s already familiar with given his work with the side as an assistant coach this season.

The immediate focus will be finishing this season as high as possible, and last weekend’s 4-1 loss to Edgeworth was stretched their winless run out to four games.

Weston has done the job over more-fancied opposition twice at home this season with famous victories over both Magic and Maitland. Can they manage another one on Sunday?

The Blues are down on troops and were missing the likes of Zac Lloyd, Ljubo Milicevic, and Daniel Laiman from the defence on Wednesday night when they went down 2-0 to Hamilton.

That defeat put Charlestown slightly behind the eight ball when it comes to the race for the top four – they’ve level on points (22) with Maitland in fourth, but the Magpies have a game in hand.

The match against Weston will be Charlestown’s third in seven days, and there might be some tired legs out there on Sunday. They might look back to last Sunday, and take confidence from a brilliant 1-0 win over then-leaders Broadmeadow.

Lake Macquarie has the bye

source: northernnswfootball.com.au

1st Grade Olympic won 2-0
Goal scorers
11. Scott Pettit
17. Leo Bertos (pen)

Valentine vs Olympic
Under 18s Olympic won 7-0
Under 14s Olympic won 4-3

source:Tom Tsamouras

Tonight’s deferred fixtures:

NPL Northern NSW Round 12

Charlestown City vs Olympic at Lisle Carr Oval

Newcastle Jets Youth 3 (Petratos 15’, 66’, O’Connor 58’) def. Hamilton Olympic 2 (Cooper 12’, Papas 61’)

Saturday 7^th July, 2:30 pm at Darling Street Oval

It was back-and-forth stuff at Darling Street on Saturday afternoon, with both Hamilton and Jets Youth holding the lead at various stages of the match.

They both came from behind – but in the end, it was Jets Youth who managed to do it that bit better as they clinched a hugely important win which moved them closer to the top four.

It was Hamilton who got things underway in the 12^th minute of play when a Tom Davies shot deflected nicely into the path of Rhys Cooper who turned home his fifth goal of the season.

A fantastic free-kick in the 15^th minute from Yerasimakis Petratos had Tyler Warren at full-stretch, but unable to keep the ball out and brought Jets Youth level.

Jets Youth went ahead in the 58^th minute when Joey O’Connor sent a brilliant header wide of an out-stretched Warren.As their opponents had done to them earlier in the piece, Hamilton struck back just moments later. Reece Papas was on hand to take full advantage of a mishandle inside the penalty area and made the score 2-2.

In the spirit of the tit-for-tat battle which was unfolding at Darling Street, Jets Youth struck back in the 66^th minute to go ahead once more. It was Petratos again, this time at the front-post after a fast piece of play to finish into an empty net.

Both sides kept pushing, particularly Hamilton who through Rhys Cooper especially looked like they may have had another goal in them. It wasn’t forthcoming though, and Hamilton missed the chance to gain ground on the top four.Jets Youth coach Labinot Haliti was pleased with the result against one of the league’s big clubs.

“Hamilton are traditionally a tough match but we got the victory, so it was a good weekend,” said Haliti.

“We had five of our youth team boys up in China with the first team, and that’s obviously the whole idea of the youth team, having as many boys as we can into the first team.

“If a young kid is doing well, they’ll get an opportunity and Joey [O’Connor] getting on the scoresheet was great, and it was a chance for some other boys who haven’t had so much game time or even boys from under 18s who stepped up.

“We were short of the people who have been playing pretty much all year, but the boys coming in, young boys stepped up and that’s the whole idea. We’re trying to build a competitive environment, players that will do a job and it was very good on Saturday.

“The results helped, and the players start to believe more.”

Haliti was particularly pleased with the way his side banded together and got the three points.

“As a team, back-to-front and front-to-back we did a job,” said Haliti.

“To be honest, we were ruthless, we scored three goals, but take nothing away from Hamilton they’re a good side too. We just got into our game bright and early, started moving the ball around and as the match started to go on we started to grow in confidence.

“Compared to where we were last week against Edgeworth, after five minutes we were down 3-0, so obviously as the match went on we built confidence and that helped a lot. The boys coming in stepped up, and it was great to see.”

Under 20s drew 1-2
Under 18s Jets won 2-3

NPL Youth
North Coast vs Olympic
Under 16s Olympic won 7-3
Under 15s North Coast won 0-3
Under 14s North Coast won 2-4
Under 13s Olympic won 3-0

Zone League 2
Hunter Simba vs Olympic
1st Grade Olympic won
2nd Grade Olympic won

Community Juniors
U16s Olympic 4-2 Lambton
U14s Olympic 3-4 Maitland
U13s Olympic 1-2 Kotara
U12s Olympic 2-2 Lambton

 

Valentine Phoenix 1 (Wood 21’) def. by Lake Macquarie City 2 (Walker 12’, 87’)

Sunday 8^th July, 2:30 pm at CB Complex

An important result for the makeup of the bottom of the ladder, it looked like the two local rivals would be sharing a point as they game came to a close with the scores locked at 1-1.

But up stepped Sam Walker, scoring his and Lakes’ second of the day with just minutes remaining to secure a clean sweep over Valentine and shoot the Roosters up the ladder.

As well as closing out the scoring, Walker got it underway in the 12^th minute. Paul Sichalwe played him a nice ball through the lines, and Walker chipped Scott Carter to put Lakes ahead.

Tom Sparre lost the battle with a bump in the CB Complex pitch in the 24^th minute, which allowed Valentine to come roaring back into this one.

Sparre attempted a clearance, but before he could connect with the ball it hit a bump and lost his footing, putting the ball directly into the path of Phoenix striker Joel Wood.

Wood played in Josh Murray, who was tackled but the ball fell nicely to Wood who made no mistake from close in front and levelled things up.

On the half-hour mark, Valentine lost a key man to injury. Zac Sneddon, still struggling with a bump he picked up in the opening stages succumbed and was replaced by Aaron Niyonkuru.

Mitch Hunter put a shot just wide in the 52^nd minute as Lakes started the second half stronger than their opponents. Joel Wood had a shout for a penalty waved away in the 64^th minute.

Chances at either end and it looked certain that a third goal would be forthcoming – and Sam Walker ensured that would be so in the 87^th minute, as he poked a ball past Scott Carter for his second of the day.

Stuart Plant pulled off a magnificent save from close range in the 89^th minute to prevent Reece Pettit, and it was Lakes who took all three points.

 

Weston Bears 1 (Morris 51’) def. by Edgeworth Eagles 4 (Cawley 12’, 17’, Bizzarri PEN 23’, Garland 43’)

Saturday 7^th July, 2:30 pm at Rockwell Automation Park

A first-half blitz on Saturday did the job out at Rockwell Automation Park as Edgeworth set themselves up to inflict some real damage to Weston.

They didn’t add to their tally in the second half, and a goal-of-the-season contender from Nathan Morris was little but a consolation as Weston went down for the second time in a week.

Adam Cawley opened the scoring in the 12^th minute after glancing in a ball which had been sent in by Aaron Oppedisano.

He doubled his, and Edgeworth’s lead just five minutes later. The beneficiary of a nice ball in from Will Bower, Cawley sent his header wide of Kane Runge and into the bottom corner.

Bower was involved again shortly after, he was brought down by Callum Bower inside the penalty area and a spot kick was awarded. Dom Bizzarri stepped up and sent Runge to the wrong way to make it 3-0 Edgeworth.

As he so often does, Tyson Jackson was on hand to set up Edgeworth’s fourth and put the result virtually beyond doubt before half-time. His ball across the six-yard box found Bailey Garland, who scored his second in as many weeks.

Five minutes after half-time, Weston had one back through an extraordinary strike from Morris. Charging out of the back line, Morris won the ball and played a one-two with Jackson Burston.

Without taking another touch, Morris hit through the ball and left Josh Low standing. It was little but consolatory in the end though, Weston now without a win since round 12 while Edgeworth shot to the top of the ladder.

Edgeworth coach Damien Zane praised an exceptional opening 45 minutes.

“The first half was really good, and in the second half the conditions worsened and it was tough to play in, but we grinded out a win,” said Zane.

“We were probably scoring more goals than we thought we would at the start of the year, and we had a few of our defenders who missed a bit of pre-season so we concentrated on getting the defence back right, which we did.

“About a month ago, we felt the only thing that was left to do was the final third and not just creating chances, but taking them more so. We’ve been working hard on that, it’s sort of the final piece of the puzzle for us.

“With the turnover of players, we never thought we’d be that fluent at the start of the year so this was the plan coming to fruition. We’re starting to gel and look quite dangerous, which is good.”

The goal has always been semi-finals for Edgeworth, but Magic’s loss on Sunday means the Eagles are now in first place.

“We’ve got to the stage where with the results in the week’s past, we’re still two wins off the semis but we’re at ease with that,” said Zane.

“We’ll start looking at premierships, for us, it’s a long way. Six games away, and I know it’s an old cliché but we’ll take it game by game and see where we end up.

“If we continue improving, we’ve been training really well. The last two Tuesday night sessions, you could see a positive result coming each week. We’re looking strong physically, and if we keep working hard then I think we’ll keep getting rewarded.”

 

 

Adamstown Rosebud 0 def. by Lambton Jaffas 3 (Own goal 27’, Duncan 34’, Crowley 39’)

Sunday 8^th July, 2:30 pm at Adamstown Oval

A three-goal first-half set Lambton on their way to tighten their grip on a spot inside the top four on Sunday afternoon.

The last half-hour was much trickier as the visitors were forced to defend with ten men, but they kept the sheet clean and secured three points.

Lambton opened the scoring in the 27^th minute when a tricky corner in wasn’t dealt with at the near post and found it’s way in with the help of a Rosebud defender.

Another corner, this one in the 34^th minute would bring Lambton further undone. Marcus Duncan rose highest this time, the defender scoring his second goal from a set piece this season and a crucial one for Lambton.

They had three just before halftime when a pass across the defence from player-coach Shane Cansdell-Sherriff sold his left-back short. Lambton swooped, and Braedyn Crowley finished for his third goal in two games.

Lambton went down to ten men in the 61^st minute when Michael Kantarovski was sent from the pitch for a challenge which was adjudged worthy of a yellow card. It was the midfielder’s second of the day, so he was off for an early bath.

Despite having the man advantage for more than half an hour at the back end of this one, Adamstown was unable to find the breakthrough. They slipped down to ninth on the ladder, while Lambton jumped to within three points of top spot.

 

Charlestown City Blues 1 (Goodchild 41’) def. Broadmeadow Magic 0

Sunday 8^th July, 2:30 pm at Lisle Carr Oval

Last time these two sides clashed it was a fiery affair, with a red card in the second-half and plenty of talking points.

While it wasn’t so fiery and the talking points weren’t as plentiful on Sunday, the result was monumental and things have tightened up across the league as a result of the Blues’ solitary goal.

Already racked by injuries, Charlestown now has another to deal with after Daniel Laiman went off in the opening minutes.

Things were tight and chances were at a premium, with neither side willing to give an inch. It took a touch to send the defender the wrong way, and a tricky finish from Kane Goodchild to send Charlestown in front just before the half-time break.

The injury crisis went from bad to worse for Charlestown in the 44^th minute, as Ljubo Milicevic was helped from the field and substituted off after going down.

Things began to open up in the second-half, with Magic looking to go forward and find a way through in order to maintain their advantage at the top of the ladder.

Jim Fogarty was in goal for his first match in Charlestown colours and was proving important with a swag of saves and punches clear to keep the red men at bay.

He and a depleted Charlestown defence did enough in the end – keeping Magic out, their lead intact, and going level on points with Maitland in fourth.

source: northernnswfootball.com.au

Newcastle Jets Youth v Hamilton Olympic
Saturday 7^th July, 2:30 pm at Darling Street Oval

It’s a depleted Jets Youth side this weekend, up against a Hamilton side who could be struggling for match sharpness despite playing on Wednesday night.

It was tight and it was messy last time the two teams faced off, but it was Jets Youth who triumphed with a 2-1 victory back in round five.

With much of the senior side heading to China for a short pre-season tournament, Ernie Merrick has decided to take along a number of young talents to give them a taste of senior football.

It means Jets Youth will be without mainstays Jack Simmons, Jackson Frendo, and Kieran Hayes for an important clash with Hamilton this weekend.

It will be a big loss, particularly so considering how they’ll be stinging after last weekend’s big 5-1 loss to Edgeworth. A win this weekend could push Jets Youth into fifth.

A bye and a series of washouts mean Hamilton hasn’t played a competitive fixture since the 17^th of June, their 4-1 win over Adamstown Rosebud. By the time they take to the pitch on Saturday afternoon, it will have been almost three weeks.

What was looking like a bit of a battered and bruised Hamilton outfit will have had time to recover and overcome a few niggles, despite a lack of match practice.

Of all the sides outside the top four, Hamilton looks like the one perhaps most likely to make a run on it. There are six points separating them and Maitland in fourth, but Olympic has three games and potentially nine points in hand.

What the coaches said:

Peter McGuinness (Hamilton)

“I’m expecting plenty of enthusiasm from the Jets, in youth development, the role is to develop the player holistically and part of that is giving them opportunities to test themselves in another level of football.

“Those players that get that opportunity this week will be full of energy and very excited to be playing first grade if they’ve been called up from the 18s. They’ll be well-prepared, well-organised, and probably champing at the bit to get on the pitch.

“Three weeks since our last game, we played Adamstown and then were washed out against Valentine [on 24 June and 4 July] and haven’t played since. The boys are very keen to play and have been so frustrated because we had a little bit of momentum, performing quite well and importantly we were getting results but it’s stalled everything.

“The one good thing is it’s helped Jarryd Sutherland, Jed Hornery, Blake Green who are all injured long-term. We haven’t played any football while they’ve been out, and all three are possibly a couple of weeks away.

“Stuart [Musalik] will play this weekend, as long as the surface is good then he’ll have a good impact on the game. I’m not sure how long he’ll last at top speed level, but he’s doing quite well and has earned the opportunity.”

NPL YOUTH

North Coast Football vs Hamilton Olympic at Polwarth Drive, Coffs Harbour

U13s kick off 1.00pm

U14s kick off 2.45pm

U15s kick off 1.00pm

U16s kick off 2.45pm

 

Valentine Phoenix v Lake Macquarie City

Sunday 8^th July, 2:30 pm at CB Complex

It’s the Lake Mac derby once again, and although there’s now some distance between these two teams on the ladder Sunday’s result could change the complexion of the bottom half of the competition.

You’d be well pressed not to remember the last time these two sides met. Out at Macquarie Field, it was 1-all within the first five minutes but Lakes eventually streaked out to an incredible 6-1 victory.

One of the defensive performances of the season last weekend secured Valentine their eighth point of the season, and incredibly their fifth draw. The 0-0 draw with Maitland was just the second time Magpies had been kept scoreless.

They’ll need to put in a similarly defensive solid performance this weekend in order to avoid the embarrassment inflicted last time they played Lakes.

If Darren Sills can get centre-backs Reece Pettit and Mele Temguia to play to the same standard they did against Maitland, it will hold Valentine in good stead on Sunday.

A win for either side will have a big impact on how things turn out come August. A Lakes win would put them eight points above Valentine and virtually guarantee them avoiding the spoon.

A Phoenix win would pull them up within two points of Lakes, and put the pressure on both them and Weston. It’d guarantee a real scrap to avoid the bottom place, and really put the wind in Valentine sails for the back end of their season.

Despite playing against ten men for almost sixty minutes last weekend, Lakes wasn’t able to pull off their third win in a row and finished 2-2 with Adamstown.

The Roosters are one of the most potent attacking teams in the league, with 25 goals scored, they are the highest-scoring side outside of the top four.

11 of those goals belong to Sam Walker, who is level with James Virgili in the race for the Golden Boot. With Virgili away this weekend on Jets duty, Walker could step ahead in the race.

What the coaches said:

Nick Webb (Lakes)

“I have no doubt Valentine will be as defensively strong as they were against Maitland last week, I’ve just watched the game and I think they’re very well structured. Reece Pettit does a great job marshalling the troops, Zac Sneddon sits in front, so we’re going to have our work cut out.

“We’ll be looking to move the ball as quickly as we can, get our front four more involved and get some more forward runs which would put their back four under pressure. We’ve got some work to do because last week we just weren’t in the same game, so we’ve got to make sure we step up this week and push hard.

“We need more urgency on everything, we need to want the second ball when it’s there in defence and attack, we need to move the ball quickly and take responsibility in attack and start to shoot when we have to instead of passing it off to someone else to take responsibility. Last weekend we got caught out many times and it looked like they were outnumbering us, but they had one less than us.

“We’ve spoken about that, and we’re looking forward to the weekend and hopefully earn some points like we have in the last three weeks. Joel Wood and Matt Paul are always dangerous for Valentine, we’ll be looking to shut those guys down and not let them run at us, but it will be up to our attitude on the day.”

 

Weston Bears v Edgeworth Eagles

Saturday 7^th July, 2:30 pm at Rockwell Automation Park

It’s a match between two sides who are both one position off – for Edgeworth it’s one spot from the top, for Weston it’s a spot from the bottom.

Weston will be hoping that this weekend is anything but the same as the last time the two met. That match finished 4-1 to Edgeworth, who capitalised on some poor set piece set-ups from the Bears.

After a superb win over Maitland back in round 12, Weston has failed to kick on from that result and have picked up just a single point since then. Last weekend was a tough result against strong opposition – a 3-0 defeat at Broadmeadow.

It’s a situation which the Weston committee deemed couldn’t continue, with news breaking last Friday that coach Steve Piggott wouldn’t see out his three-year contract and will depart at the end of the season after two seasons at the helm.

Whether or not that will bring the playing group together or see them limp to the finish line is yet to be seen. This weekend might provide some insight, as Edgeworth is another tough opponent.

Instability in the dugout is something which is far from the Eagles’ minds, especially after they claimed their biggest win of the season last weekend when they knocked five through what had been a solid Jets Youth defence.

What’s even scarier for Weston this weekend is that they did it with Dylan Holz on the sidelines, and Daniel McBreen and Will Bower returning from injury.

With things so tight at the top of the league, every match is a must-win for Edgeworth. Three premierships in as many years suggest they thrive on the pressure.

What the coaches said:

Damien Zane (Edgeworth)

“Any team coached by Piggo is pretty well set up defensively, they’ve had a big improvement from last season to this season. They haven’t lost at home to any of the teams that are in the top four, so we’re expecting a tough game. Traditionally there’s a bit of a rivalry between us, so our boys are going to have to be at their best.

“We’ve had issues up at Weston for years, back to when I was playing, a couple of years we’ve gone up there and won but it’s a different prospect this year. They’re really well organised, they’re playing some good football…last week I didn’t think they were as bad as the score-line suggested.

“There’s not much from last weekend we really need to improve on, they scored a goal from one mistake we made when we were probably disjointed while we made three subs. I was pretty happy, we finally took the chances we’ve been creating and to be 2-0 up after four minutes… we’ve lacked that finishing touch, but young Bailey Garland came in and his run helped with the first goal and he scored a cracker for the third. Hopefully more of the same from him this week.

“Dylan Holz is back, he’s got his stitches out and was given the all-clear. Sam Maxwell will probably have another run in the 20s, and apart from that we’re at full strength (but) Josh Evans may possibly be away.”

 

 

Adamstown Rosebud v Lambton Jaffas

Sunday 8^th July, 2:30 pm at Adamstown Oval

Back in the winners’ circle for the first time since late May, Lambton is now making their way back up the ladder while Adamstown’s resurgence has been slightly halted over the last fortnight.

It was against Lambton which that resurgence started to kick into gear, the two sides playing out a 1-1 draw, back in April, which was just Adamstown’s second point of the season.

It was a mighty effort from Adamstown last time out, coming from behind with ten men and actually lead Lakes at one stage. The 2-2 draw ensured they stayed in the eighth spot.

A red card to Robbie Turnbull last weekend means they’ll miss him on Sunday, which will leave an experienced hole in the backline. It’s a hole exacerbated by the absence of Benn Kelly, who will miss another week after his red card against Maitland.

Now six points off the top four with five games to play, a run on the finals looks unlikely but a win on Sunday could edge Adamstown closer. The focus will be on Sunday and no further, but it’s not a bad motivator.

Lambton moved within four points of top spot with a win over Charlestown last weekend. Now in third, the 2-1 win demonstrated just how important Braedyn Crowley is to that side.

He’s got six goals from eight games this season, and given the test to Lambton’s depth Crowley will be crucial again this weekend. Jaffas will be missing Luke Remington, Nathan Verity, and Ryan Griffiths who are sidelined with injury.

Joel Griffiths and Jobe Wheelhouse are away but Lambton will welcome Bren Hammel back who will be important regardless of his match fitness. A win on Sunday would put Lambton five points ahead of fourth place.

What the coaches said:
Shane Cansdell-Sherriff (Adamstown)

“They have experience, they’re well-organised and well-drilled. They’ll know what they want to do and they’ll go and do it, so we’ve got to be prepared for what they’re going to bring to the table. We have to show them respect, they’ve got the quality that can hurt you.

“We’ve got to make sure we’re on our toes, we can’t switch off, we’re well-organised and we work hard. When you lose senior players like [Robbie Turnbull and Benn Kelly] that, it’s difficult because you’re taking away a lot of experience from the team.

“There’s a lot of young boys this year who are fantastic, but just that game management that the senior players are used to. It certainly affects you over the course of the game.”

 

Charlestown City Blues v Broadmeadow Magic

Sunday 8^th July, 2:30 pm at Lisle Carr Oval

It’s a battle of two of the leagues’ heavyweights, but the tables have certainly turned since the first weeks of the competition and now nine points separate the pair.

Broadmeadow was the first side to inflict defeat on Charlestown this season, a 6^th-minute goal to John Majurovski and a 76^th-minute red card to Shane Paul two of many talking points in the 1-0 result.

The Blues haven’t won in the league since May 13, a 2-0 win over Valentine back in round nine. They went close last weekend, but Lambton proved too strong in the 2-1 victory.

That made it four league losses in a row for Charlestown, who are still in fifth but that’s largely due to their stunning early season form. Kane Goodchild is returning from injury, a return to form could help get the Blues back into the finals.

A loss this weekend would make their task much harder – but it is a very tall order. The side above them, Maitland, has the bye and Charlestown can move level on points with a win.

The team in their way is one-point clear at the top of the league, have scored the most goals (33) and conceded the least (12). They’ve lost just twice all year, and once on the road.

Last weekend was a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Weston and one which James Virgili bossed. He scored once and set up the other two goals, and he will be missed this weekend as he travels to China with the Newcastle Jets.

It’s a good chance for Kale Bradbury to step up and make his mark on the team, which he’s already made a good showing with his nine league goals so far this season. A win would see them make what could be an important contribution to their goal difference, and maintain that lead at the top regardless of other results.

What the coaches said:

David Tanchevski (Charlestown)

“We’re expecting much of the same from Magic, they’ve been one of the best teams in the competition and every game against them is a tough game. Our first one against them this season was tough, not many chances and a tightly fought game so it’ll be much of the same on the weekend.

“We took a lot of confidence out of last week against Jaffas, we didn’t get the win but we had a lot of good chances and we were probably unlucky not to score at the end when Cal [Lewis] and Goody [Kane Goodchild] had a couple of good chances at the end there. The performance was much better than the past couple of weeks, we’ve been carrying a few injuries and players have been playing with injuries.

“It’s looking pretty strong for this week, it’ll be the strongest squad we’ve put out in about six or seven weeks. Kane [Goodchild] will be available to select off the bench, Pete McPherson will be on the bench for us, and we signed Daniel Ott through the week and he’ll be available for selection, and Jim Fogarty will make his debut for us this weekend. We’re just waiting on Kev [Davison] who injured himself in the first five minutes of the Jaffas game.

“It was always going to be difficult for us this year lacking some depth, we’ve probably felt that in the last four or six weeks and the results have been affected through that as well. We’ve got players back on deck now, players are playing for spots and there’s competition for spots again.

“It also brings freshness to the squad as well, there’s a lot of fatigue after the matches we’ve played over the past few weeks. Competition for spots, fresh faces, and it’s healthy competition.”

Source: northernnswfootball.com.au

We are back in action tomorrow night with our round 14 Re-scheduled fixture against Valentine FC out at Cahill Oval, Belmont!

First Grade kick off at 7.45pm while u20s at 6.00pm.

source: Tom Tsamouras