Newcastle Olympic defeated Cooks Hill Utd 3-2 in the 2026 Northern NSW Men’s Reserve Grade Qualifying Final at Maitland’s Cooks Square Park, today. They will now face Minor Premiers Valentine Phoenix FC and if successful, will qualify for the Grand Final at Darling St Oval.
The match was tight with little time and space on the ball permitted by either side. Despite this it was Olympic who had 5-6 clear cut goal scoring opportunities by half time to Cooks Hill’s one!
In the second half the game continued in the same tempo with Olympic tight at the back and creating chances in attack while Cooks Hill trying to be compact all over the field. The first goal came for Olympic in the 52nd minute after sustained pressure from the boys in blue. In a move which exposed Cooks Hill’s defence several times, Rhys Butler finished off with a curling shot from just outside the box!
Olympic continued to control the game and it was only a matter of time before a second goal would be added. The Olympic goalkeeper was a spectator for most of the match but in the 63rd minute he conceded a shot from well outside the box which was struck beautifully to bring the score to 1-1.
Olympic piled on the pressure but Cooks Hill refused to crack. The more the game went on the more you felt that whichever of the two teams scored the next goal would be the eventual winner.
In the 80th minute Olympic won a corner which was whipped to the far post by George Tsamouras and a lurking Rhys Butler struck another shot to the previous goal to send the ball crashing on the post and into the Cooks Hill net. With 10 minutes to go and the scoreline at 2-1 it was hard to see another goal.
In the 85th minute Kane Treble rounds his defender on the left that enables him to send in a low cross which was met by Blake Clifton on the line and a simple tap in brought the score to 3-1 in favour of Olympic. The game was now all but a formality and all Olympic needed to do was hold on for the remaining five minutes.
In the 87th minute everyone began biting their nails as a shot from the narrowest of angles resulted in Cooks Hill getting a second goal and the score line being reduced to 3-2! Despite all efforts by Cooks Hill in the remaining minute and a half, the score remained 3-2 and Olympic booked a meeting with Valentine next week and if successful, a place in the 2026 Reserve Grade Final!
Cooks Hill will meet Maitland who earlier eliminated Broadmeadow Magic 5-0!
Source: Tom Tsamouras
George Tsamouras Football Journey 