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Edgeworth seized the Northern NSW National Premier League lead with two late goals against Lake Macquarie while Broadmeadow Magic’s finals chances hang in the balance after a 2-1 loss to derby rivals Hamilton Olympic on Sunday.

Lake Macquarie, knocked out of the FFA Cup midweek by third-tier Cardiff City, looked poised to atone at Macquarie Field when they led Edgeworth 1-0 thanks to a first-half header from Matt Toohey.

But Keigo Moriyasu equalised in the 81^st minute and Aiden Bryce scored the winner two minutes from time to lift the Eagles (21) a point above Lambton, who were surprise 2-1 losers to the Jets youth team on Saturday after a double to Kristian Brymora.

At Magic Park, the home side took a deserved lead in the 13^th minute when Takumi Sunada’s free kick deflected off the wall, wrong-footed keeper Tyler Warren and bounced in off the left post.

Olympic levelled through a Kane Goodchild penalty against the run of the play in the 25^th minute after Magic keeper Niko Giantsopoulos brought down Daniel Bird.

Scott Smith won his side a second penalty in the 39^th minute after a collision with Magic captain Josh Piddington. Giantsopoulos saved his spot kick, but Smith stroked home the rebound to put the visitors in front.

Both keepers produced one-on-one stops against Goodchild then James Virgili in the space of a few seconds early in the second half, and substitute Andrew Swan typified a committed Olympic defensive performance with a diving header on the goal line to deny Piddington a chance in the dying minutes.

Hamilton coach Michael Bolch was pleased to see a “big turnaround” from his side’s 4-2 defeat against Edgeworth in the FFA Cup on Wednesday night. 

“I was happy with the commitment of the boys,” Bolch said. “I thought it just became an arm wrestle.

“They were probably the better side when they led 1-0, even though it was a deflection. From there we got back into the game. I know they had a lot of corners and balls into the box, but I don’t think they really created anything or got in behind us.”

The win put Olympic (18) in fourth above Maitland (16), who lost 3-1 at previously winless Adamstown. Aaron Niyonkuru scored in the third minute for Rosebud before Alex Read scored twice to make it 3-0. Ben Martin pulled a goal back for Maitland from the penalty spot in the 83rd minute. 

Magic (12) are six points outside the top four halfway through the season and face Edgeworth this weekend.

Valentine (19) edged out Weston 2-1 on Saturday to stay third thanks to goals from Josh Murray and teenager Dean Pettit.

Under 20s Olympic won 4-0
Under 18s drew 1-1

NPL Youth
Charlestown City Blues
Under 16s Olympic won 3-0
Under 15s Olympic won 2-0
Under 14s Olympic won 8-0
Under 13s Olympic won 3-0

Zone League 2
Olympic vs Uni Mens
1st Grade Olympic won 7-1
2nd Grade Olympic won 3-0

NET results
Under 10s Olympic defeated Cooks Hill 5-0
Under 11s Olympic defeated Cook Hill 2-1
Under 12s Olympic defeated New Lambton 1-0

Olympic Junior Results
Under 16a Olympic defeated by Kotara 0-4
Under 15a Olympic defeated by Maitland 2-5
Under 13a Olympic defeated by Kahibah 2-3
Under 12b Olympic defeated by Valentine 1-2

Under 9/1 Olympic defeated by Magic
Under 9/2 Olympic
Under 8/1 Olympic defeated Magic
Under 8/2 Olympic defeated by Magic
Under 7/1 Olympic defeated Magic
Under 6/1 Olympic defeated by Magic
Under 6/2 Olympic defeated Magic
Under 6/3 Olympic washed out

Wednesday night
Under 15 Olympic defeated by Maitland 1-2
Under 12 NET Olympic defeated Valentine 2-0

source: theherald.com.au

Broadmeadow Magic v Hamilton Olympic
2.30pm Sunday 21^st May at Magic Park

Last Meeting: Semi Final – 2^nd Leg, 2016: Hamilton 1 Broadmeadow 2 at Darling Street Oval.

Ladder: Broadmeadow 7^th (12pts), Hamilton 5^th (15)

Last 3 Starts (most recent first):

Hamilton – Drew Roosters 1-1 (h), Drew Phoenix 1-1 (a), Won Bears 2-0 (h)

Broadmeadow – Won Jets 5-1 (a), Lost Magpies 0-7 (h), Drew Rosebuds 0-0 (a)

 Bottom Line

If this derby is half as good as the drama which was on show the last time these two sides met, it should be an entertaining contest.

Last season, Olympic and Magic produced two classic semi-final contests, with the second leg going down to the wire at Darling Street Oval as Hamilton almost produced an immense comeback.

This season, if finals are to be reached by both these clubs they need to start turning good performances into winning ones. Both sides have controlled the ball well and created chances in their matches this season, however, it has been in front of goal where both have hit snags.

Broadmeadow had scored one goal in seven hours of PS4 NPL NNSW football, before a five-goal blitz last weekend against the Jets. While the Jets have the leakiest defence in the competition, it was just the confidence Magic’s strike paring of James Virgili and Kale Bradbury needed.

Although they will face a much sterner test this weekend against an Olympic side boasting the second best defensive record.

Olympic, in comparison, fluffed their lines in front of goal against Lake Macquarie. It took a howitzer from Grant Brown in the 86^th minute to snatch a point.

Injuries to key personnel including Tommy Spencer, Rhys Cooper, Danny Ireland and Andrew Swan have handicapped Olympic over their nine matches thus far. It would be naive to discount the influence of those four in the Olympic side.

With Broadmeadow also in an injury crisis – including Alex Kantarovski, Lawrence Foteff, Scott Robertson, Jayden Barber and Jon Griffiths – this should even up the contest which should be tight.

Olympic will have a boost with new signing Sean Pratt joining the side from the Central Coast. However, Rhys Cooper (knee) will remain on the sideline.

Olympic went down to Edgeworth 4-2 in the Westfield FFA Cup while Broadmeadow made it eight goals in two matches with a 3-0 win against New Lambton.

What the Coaches Said:

Ruben Zadkovich (Broadmeadow)

“Big games. We are looking forward to both these next two games. We’ve got Olympic and then Edgy [Edgeworth] at home. Two really big games. A little bit disappointing in the last two weeks, we’ve lost a lot of boys to injury and crucial, crucial players. We went into the [Maitland] game with three of our starting players out of the game, and it showed the way we started the game and then it was like Murphy’s Law, four penalties a red card. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“[Hamilton] are probably [similar to us] just not taking their chances in front of goal. It’s probably our biggest flaw, just not taking our chances when we have them. The results were not really a reflection, the three draws we had, we all should have won. The results weren’t really a reflection of how we have played, and I think Olympics probably the same.”

Mick Bolch (Hamilton)

“Obviously, they are going to be on a bit of a high after scoring five on the weekend and they’ve got New Lambton midweek so I’m sure they will score a few against them. It’s just been a matter of time until they click. They’ve got the same side as last year, bar a new goalkeeper and the boy from Perth [Scott Robertson]. They’ve got quality all over the park.”

“You get excited and all that, but, you don’t have to do all the work or put a lot of emphasis on building the boys up to it. These are the games they want to play. If you have seen the two semi-finals last year that were epic encounters. I’m sure this one will be no different.”

Key: With both sides experiencing an injury crises, whose depth will stand tall in the derby?

U20s Broadmeadow Magic vs Hamilton Olympic  kick off 12:30 Sunday 21 May at magic Park

U18s Broadmeadow Magic vs Hamilton Olympic  kick off 10:45 Sunday 21 May at magic Park

YOUTH NPL:

U16s Charlestown City vs Hamilton Olympic kick off 10.00am Sun 21 May Lisle Carr Oval

U15s Charlestown City vs Hamilton Olympic kick off 11.30am Sun 21 May Lisle Carr Oval

U14s Charlestown City vs Hamilton Olympic kick off 1.00pm Sun 21 May Lisle Carr Oval

U13s Charlestown City vs Hamilton Olympic kick off 2.30pm Sun 21 May Lisle Carr Oval

Valentine Phoenix v Weston Workers Bears
2.30pm Saturday 20^th May at Cahill Oval

Last Meeting: Round 14, 2016: Valentine 2 Weston 2 at Cahill Oval.

Ladder: Valentine 4^th (16), Weston 9^th (7)

Past 3 Starts (most recent first):

Valentine – Lost Eagles 0-1 (h), Drew Olympic 1-1 (h), Won Jets 1-0 (a)

Weston – Won Blues 3-0 (h), Lost Eagles 1-2 (h), Lost Olympic 0-2 (a)

Bottom Line

These two sides meet at the halfway point of the season having had differing results last weekend in contrast to their respective positions on the ladder.

The ninth-placed Bears grabbed their first three points of the season against Charlestown in a clinical 3-0 win, while Valentine fell 1-0 to Edgeworth in a tight affair at Jack McLaughlan Oval.

The importance of this match for Valentine is plain for everyone to see. After such a positive start to the season, they can’t afford to lose two consecutive matches before the midway mark.

A win, however, and they could cement themselves into the top four and may prove difficult to dislodge.

On the flip side, Weston will be buoyed by their 3-0 home win against the Blues and will be looking to back that win up with another strong performance at Cahill Oval.

After a tough opening two months to the season, the Bears didn’t deserve to be winless at this point and have been building throughout the season.

Zac Thomas, James Thompson and Adam Smith’s confidence will have been boosted by goals last weekend, as will the Bears defence and keeper Kane Runge who kept his first clean sheet on the weekend.

The Phoenix come into the match with the better head to head record of late. They haven’t lost in their last three matches against the Bears which dates back to 2013.

In the Westfield FFA Cup midweek, Weston went down 3-2 to Maitland while Valentine beat the Suns 4-2.

What the Coaches Said:

 Darren Sills (Valentine)

“They are an improved side. I went and watched them against Edgeworth and I thought they battled away quite well. They’ve got a great striker up front, Cooper Buswell. He’s a really impressive striker, I like him. For his age, he shows a lot of maturity. There are other blokes there who have been there for a while. Jake Barner, he’s doing well for them. The old bloke, Greg Anderson, he is still rock solid.”

“It’s massive. We’ve got two massive games and if you have a look the big name teams all play each other in the next two weeks and if we can get a result this weekend and the following that is putting it right in there. Again, you look too far ahead and you miss out what you should be concentrating on.”

Steve Piggott (Weston)

“Darren and his young partner Sam, his assistant, have got them going well. Structurally they are pretty sound. They have got the young American up front who scores goals and he is a bit of a handful. They had a difficult match against the Suns and got through it late, so we are both in the same boat. They are up the table, they deserve to be there.”

“We just lacked the intensity and the drive to mix it with [Maitland in the FFA Cup]. Again, they are a big strong physical side and we didn’t even take it to them. That’s the disappointing part for the coaching staff, not just myself. It was just one of those days where your team doesn’t turn up and even your best players who are normally consistent have bad days.”

 Key: After a strong performance at home last weekend, can the Bears respond after a disappointing midweek showing against Maitland?

Lambton Jaffas v Newcastle Jets Youth
2.30pm Saturday 20^th May at Arthur Edden Oval

Last Meeting: Round 17, 2016: Jets Youth 3 Lambton 0 at Arthur Edden Oval.

Ladder: Lambton 1^st (20), Jets Youth 11^th (3)

Past 3 Starts (most recent first):

Lambton – Won Magpies 2-1 (a), Won Rosebud 3-1 (a), Won Blues 2-1 (a)

Jets – Lost Magic 1-5 (h), Drew Roosters 3-3 (a), Lost Phoenix 0-1 (a)

Bottom Line

Lambton will look to continue their dominant form on Saturday – which has seen them rise to the top of ladder – against a Jets Youth outfit who have struggled so far this season and sit last.

Coming off the bye in round nine, the Jaffas quickly clicked into gear against Maitland, scoring first, before they had to dig deep in the second half with just ten men to hold on for a 2-1 victory.

The Jaffas have lost just once in their nine matches played, and in doing so have scored a league-high 21 goals – four more than their nearest rival.

Lambton also managed a midweek Westfield FFA Cup win, taking down Adamstown 1-0.

In contrast, the Jets Youth have conceded the most in the competition to date with 28 in their nine matches at an average of just over three per game.

Their defence seemed to be on the improve after successive, tight 1-0 losses against Edgeworth and Valentine, but in the last two matches, they have conceded eight.

The Jets went down 5-1 to Broadmeadow last weekend, so their confidence may have taken a bruising, especially after letting in five goals against the worst attacking side going into last round.

It seems this match has only one result based on the statistics – a big win to Lambton.

However, in big matches, the Jets Youth invariably stand up and expect them to put in a strong performance on Saturday. The real question is whether it will be enough against a Jaffas side with quality in abundance?

What the Coaches Said:

Paul Gomez (Jets Youth Assistant)

“I think it is for them [playing against former A-League players]. They’re a group of players that get motivated by the bigger challenges, so I think it will have a positive effect on them going into the match and give them something not only to get up for in the game but aspire to as well.”

“If you are going to assess [Lambton’s] strengths, it’s all over the pitch. The depth that they have got in their squad is one of the best going around town. It’s hard to isolate areas where their weaknesses lie. If I had to pick one [strength] out, obviously, the athleticism of their wing backs in Ridge Marpu and Dane Greentree and those are the areas we need to look at to make sure that we isolate.”

Key: Against the last-placed Jets, can Lambton keep their focus and put on a ruthless showing?

Adamstown Rosebud v Maitland FC
2.30pm Sunday 20^th May at Adamstown Oval

Last Meeting: Round 14, 2016: Maitland 4 Adamstown 2 at Cooks Square Park.

Ladder: Adamstown 10^th (4), Maitland 3^rd (16)

Past 3 Starts (most recent first):

Adamstown – Drew Blues 2-2 (a), Lost Jaffas 1-3 (h), Drew Magic 0-0 (h)

Maitland – Lost Jaffas 1-2 (h), Won Magic 7-0 (a), Won Roosters 1-0 (h)

 Bottom Line

Adamstown will be aiming to grab their first win of the season when they take on a Maitland side looking to bounce back from a disappointing performance last weekend against Lambton.

The Rosebuds are fresh off the bye, however, they did play a Westfield FFA Cup match on Wednesday – a 1-0 loss to Lambton – so they won’t come in totally fresh.

Since their round six match against Lake Macquarie where they went down 2-1 the Rosebuds have been on an upward trend ever since and while they are yet to win this season they don’t seem far off.

Opponents Maitland come into the match a little disappointed and keen to make a point after going down 2-1 to a ten man Lambton outfit last weekend. However, a 3-2 win over Weston midweek will have restored some confidence.

They set the bar high after a 7-0 demolition job of Broadmeadow Magic the week before and fell well below the standards they had set after that victory.

While they have had a disjointed start to the season, with wet weather catch up matches as well as Westfield FFA Cup commitments, it seems things may settle down for the Magpies and they can get down to business.

Maitland will come into the match as favourites based on their form to date. The Magpies also won both matches last season by a combined margin of 10-3 and Adamstown will be gunning for their first victory over them since 2015.

What the Coaches Said:

Pete McGuinness (Adamstown)

‘Obviously, we really want to win a game of football. I think the last few weeks, we drew with Magic, then we had a win midweek in the Cup game and performed quite well against Jaffas, just not as much, I guess, class as they had. But, I thought in that game we were still having a real good go at them.

“At 2-1 down, [against the Jaffas] they got one in injury time to win 3-1, that was a better performance again, so I think if you look at those matches, our last three games, albeit one was a cup game against a NewFM team, we’ve had a draw, a win and a loss, a close loss really. So, there is a bit of momentum there to say things are improving.”

Phil Dando (Maitland)

“We need to get back to where we were the week before. Credit to Lambton Jaffas, they did well against us to stop us playing the type of football we want to play. We’ve just got to get back to playing as well as we can play. I’m still disappointed, particularly the way we played the week before. I wanted to get something out of the game anyone, put it that way. I believe at our best we are a match for anyone in the comp. To lose to anyone I’m disappointed.”

“[Adamstown] are obviously getting nearer to a win and it’s going to be our job to make sure it’s not us that gives them it. There is not a lot between top and bottom in this competition and so we’ve got to be at our best to go there and get a result. We need [a win] to get close to the target I’ve set us for the first half of the season, so, if we’re going to be genuine title contenders… we need a win.”

Key: Adamstown have only scored seven goals in their last eight matches. Maitland scored seven in one game. Can the Rosebuds find form in front of goal?

Lake Macquarie City v Edgeworth Eagles
2.30pm Sunday 20^th May at Macquarie Field

Last Meeting: Round 13, 2014: Edgeworth 1 Lake Macquarie 0 at Jack McLaughlan Oval.

Ladder: Lakes 6^th (13), Edgeworth 2^nd (18)

Last 3 Starts (most recent first):

Lakes – Drew Olympic 1-1 (a), Drew Jets 3-3 (h), Lost Magpies 0-1 (a)

Edgeworth – Won Phoenix 1-0 (h), Won Bears 2-1 (a), Won Blues 2-0 (h)

Bottom Line

Edgeworth returns to Macquarie Field for the first time since 2014 and they will be hoping for a different result than three years ago where they were forced to share the points after a late goal from Sam Walker.

The Eagles will come into this one as favourites after recording their fifth win in a row against Hamilton in the Westfield FFA Cup. On the weekend, the Eagles were made to work hard for their victory over Valentine, scoring once through veteran Daniel McBreen as they ground out a 1-0 victory.

While the end result was tight on Sunday, Edgeworth never looked like conceding with Josh Evans, Pat Wheeler and Dom Bizzarri nullifying the Valentine strike force to ensure they remain the best defence in the comp. They have conceded just five times in nine matches of football.

Lakes have been so very determined over their nine matches played so far. Many expected them to fall last weekend against Hamilton, but a dogged defensive display saw them share the points. It took a wonder strike from Olympic defender Grant Brown to breach their defence.

While they have dropped down the ladder in recent weeks, the Roosters have only lost one of their last four PS4 NPL NNSW matches and are hanging on to the coattails of the top four. A loss to Zone League side Cardiff in the Westfield FFA Cup may have hurt, but, will give Lakes more chance to focus on the league.

This round sees all of the top four clubs, meeting sides outside the top four, and a loss for all the sides outside the top four – including Lakes – could see their grip loosen.

Mentally it has been a huge week for Edgeworth, having to get themselves up for the Westfield FFA Cup clash against Hamilton.

If they are to strike, this weekend could be just the right moment to catch the Eagles napping.

Lakes welcome back midfielder Justin Broadley (toe) and Steve Rospigliosi (work). Josh Symons and Dean Holt (overseas) will be out of the side.

What the Coaches Said:

 Damian Zane (Edgeworth)

“They are probably similar to Valentine in ways. They’re probably a bit more counter-attacking than Valentine. They were sort of like Valentine last year, I think they have exceeded everyone’s expectations. They seem like a really tight unit. Sam Walker, I tried to sign him when I took over, I rate him pretty highly and Blake Green has been really impressive for me. They are a pretty handy team so we won’t be taking them lightly.”

“I like that they didn’t make a lot of changes when they came up. I think you’ve just got to look at our team. We don’t have massive turnover each year. I think the longer the group is together the better.”

Anthony Richards (Lake Macquarie)

“They’re the champs and they are coming good, so if this is going to be our grand final for the round one we are finishing with the best team in the comp. It’s certainly going to be a massive test for us to play against such a good side.”

“We like challenging ourselves and we would much rather play someone like Edgeworth than someone who is not in their position. It’s a good test for us and we want to try and see how we go against the good sides. We realise we don’t have the players they have got, but, we certainly love the challenge.”

Key: Will the Eagles be mentally ready after the midweek Cup match-up with Olympic?

source:sportstg.com

WELCOMED BOOST: Mariners youth player Sean Pratt, facing the camera, celebrates a goal for the Central Coast. Picture: Central Coast Mariners

HAMILTON Olympic will look to former Central Coast Mariners youth player Sean Pratt to make an immediate impact when they take on Edgeworth in the heavyweight clash of Wednesday night’s FFA Cup Northern NSW round five.

Olympic announced the signing of Pratt on Monday night and coach Michael Bolch said on Tuesday that the midfielder would play some part in the Cup clash at Darling Street Oval.

“He just bolsters our club,” Bolch said. “He’s an under-20s player so he’s outside the PPS and can play six or seven games before we bring him in.

“We’ve had Andrew Swan [hamstring] and Rhys Cooper [knee] injured and Leo Bertos has left, so we’ve got players out.

“He’ll probably play as a six or eight with us. He’s trained with us a couple of times and he’s tidy on the ball, he’s mobile and has a good work-rate.

“We need a bit of speed and mobility, and someone to make runs beyond the strikers. With Coops out, we haven’t been doing that enough.”

Bolch said Pratt, 18, was keen for a chance in the NNSW NPL and had been on the radar of “four or five clubs”.

Meanwhile, Bolch said Andrew Swan, who aggravated a hamstring injury playing off the bench against Edgeworth on April 22, was a chance to return for the Cup clash but Cooper was one or two weeks away. He said the likes of Peter McPherson, Matt Swan and Tommy Spencer could be rested ahead of the NPL game against Broadmeadow.

He added that Tyler Warren, who was players’ player in the 1-1 draw with Valentine and “did well on the weekend” in the 1-1 stalemate with Lake Macquarie, would remain in goals in place of Danny Ireland (illness).

Edgeworth coach Damian Zane said there would be no changes to his squad from the 1-0 win over Valentine on Sunday.

Elsewhere, Lake Macquarie hope to welcome back midfielder Justin Broadley from six weeks out with a broken toe for their clash with interdistrict side Cardiff City at Macquarie Field.

Steve Rospigliosi returns for the Roosters after missing their 1-1 draw with Hamilton on Sunday. Dean Holt and Josh Simmons will miss the match.

Rosebud coach Peter McGuinness was sweating on the fitness of goalkeeper Paul Bitz, Mitch Hunter, Alex Read and Ryan Ensor for the clash with NPL leaders Lambton Jaffas at Adamstown Oval.

Maitland host Weston at Cooks Square Park and Broadmeadow play second-tier New Lambton at Alder Park in the other games. All matches start 7pm.

source:theherald.com.au

Olympic captain, Kyle Hodges

Outstanding goalkeeping by Lake Macquarie player Ben Kelly and some poor finishing by Olympic’s attack resulted in a 1-1 stalemate at Darling St Oval in round 10 of the NPL competition.

Olympic took control of the game from the outset in frosty cold conditions and looked as if it was only a matter of time before they would take the lead.

Kane Goodchild was put through with only the keeper to beat and despite Ben Kelly slipping and falling, he managed to fire his shot into the body of the Lake Macquarie goalkeeper!

A few moments later Scott Smith crossed from the left, the ball found Kane Goodchild who, with only the goalkeeper to beat, blasted his shot slightly wide.

In the first counter attack by Lake Macquarie, Blake Green receives a cross and has no problem firing into an empty net to put the visitors 1-0 up within the first 17 minutes.

Despite this setback Olympic continued to dominate possession and continued to press forward. A great corner struck by Scott Smith was curling into the far top corner when Ben Kelly floated into the air and tipped over for a corner.

Shortly before half time the Olympic faithful were on their feet when Kane Goodchild fired a shot which cannoned off the body of Ben Kelly, crashed onto the crossbar, came back into play and players of both teams scrambled for a shot at goal or a clearance!

Despite this, 0-1 remained and Olympic left the field for the half time break.

The domination of possession continued in the second half by the home team who were desperately seeking the equaliser and a Lake Macquarie team happy to be simply be behind the ball and look for counter-attacks.

A great cross by Tom Davies from the right finds the head of Kane Goodchild who, with only the keeper to beat, heads slightly over the crossbar.

Another cross finds Kane Goodchild who fires a great shot on target but on this occasion he is denied by a great save by Ben Kelly.

After a sustained attack by Olympic, the ball was cut back into the path of Grant Brown who riffled a long range shot from outside the box to bring the score back to 1-1 four minutes from normal time!

Olympic dominated possession throughout the game and had close to a dozen clear cut chances to score. In part, poor finishing and in part, an outstanding Ben Kelly is what contributed to both teams sharing the points.

Under 20s Olympic won 6-0
Under 18s Olympic won 2-1

NPL Youth
Olympic vs Lake Macquarie
Under 16s Olympic won 2-0
Under 15s Olympic won 4-3
Under 14s Olympic won 4-0
Under 13s Olympic won 4-0

Zone League 2
Merewether Advance FC vs Olympic
1st Grade Olympic won 2-0
2nd Grade Olympic won 4-0

NET results
Under 10s Olympic defeated Magic 7-1
Under 11s Olympic
Under 12s Olympic defeated Charlestown 6-1

Olympic Junior Results
Under 16a Olympic
Under 15a Olympic defeated by Kotara South 1-2
Under 13a Olympic defeated by New Lambton 2-3
Under 12b Olympic defeated Singleton 2-1

Under 9/1 Olympic defeated Kotara
Under 9/2 Olympic
Under 8/1 Olympic defeated Nelson Bay
Under 8/2 Olympic defeated Mayfield
Under 7/1 Olympic
Under 6/1 Olympic defeated by Maryland
Under 6/2 Olympic
Under 6/3 Olympic

source: Tom Tsamouras

Hamilton Olympic v Lake Macquarie City Roosters
2.30pm Sunday 14^th May at Darling Street Oval

Last Meeting: Round 12, 2014: Lake Macquarie 5 Hamilton 1 at Macquarie Field.

Ladder: Hamilton 5^th (14), Lakes 6^th (12)

Past 3 Starts (most recent first):

Hamilton – Drew Phoenix 1-1 (a), Won Bears 2-0 (h), Drew Eagles 1-1 (a)

Lakes – Drew Jets 3-3 (h), Lost Magpies 0-1 (a), Won Rosebud 2-1 (a) 

Bottom Line

Hamilton will be keen to get themselves back into the winner’s circle this weekend after a three-week period where they haven’t been firing on all cylinders.

They were brilliant in their round four catch-up match against Maitland three weeks ago, but, since then they have only won once in three matches on route to slipping out of the top four.

If the last three weeks is the worst Olympic will play all season, that will please Mick Bolch. They haven’t lost, and still have Rhys Cooper, Andrew Swan and Danny Ireland to welcome back to the side in the coming weeks.

Lake Macquarie too has stuttered recently after flying out of the blocks at the start of the season, however, coach Anthony Richards says his side much prefers to be the underdogs.

Against the Jets Youth, they started well, before fading in the second half and ultimately giving up the three points in the final ten minutes as the Jets Youth drew level.

Lakes don’t have a great recent record against Olympic even though they won in their last meeting. Hamilton have won four of the last six, with Lakes winning one, along with a solitary draw during that period.

Lakes have also not won at Darling Street since August 2008.

Kyle Hodges (toe) will be assessed before the weekend’s match after returning last week against former club Valentine. Danny Ireland, Rhys Cooper and Andrew Swan will remain out for Olympic.

What the Coaches Said:

Michael Bolch (Hamilton)

“Sam Walker is obviously a danger man up front, he’s leading goalscorer in the comp at the moment. Blake Green has been doing well for them, Tommy Walker has been doing well for them. They are a similar side to Valentine, they do well on the counter-attack. They work hard across the park, so we’ll need to be on our game.”

“We are not where we need to be. If you break it down in our last four games we have had two wins and two draws, so even though we are not playing brilliantly at the moment we are still picking up points and it’ll come. It’s just around the corner, the boys are working hard. We still have improvement in us.”

Anthony Richards (Lakes)

“I think we’d rather play these games, to be honest. These are the games that we like looking forward to, the big games where there is no real pressure on us. People sort of expected us to beat the Jets, yet, they are still a handy little side and well coached. These are the better games for us against the Olympics and Edgys [Edgeworth], where we go in as the complete underdog and that’s where we like to be.”

“Starsky and Hutch [Kane Goodchild and Scott Smith] up front they are pretty good those two boys, the two coppers. Or is it Jon and Ponch, out of CHiPs? They are good all over the park and they have been for a long time. Olympic has done really well to keep a core of players together and that is the secret.”

Key: Kane Goodchild and Scott Smith. Combined they have scored eight this season. Six of those have come at Darling Street. Can they strike again at home?

U20s Hamilton Olympic vs Lake Macquarie Sunday 14^th May 12.30 pm kick off at Darling St Oval

U18s Hamilton Olympic vs Lake Macquarie Sunday 14^th May 10.45 am kick off at Darling St Oval

NPL YOUTH:

U16S Lake Macquarie vs Hamilton Olympic Sunday 14^th May 2:30 pm  kick off at Macquarie Field

U15S Lake Macquarie vs Hamilton Olympic Sunday 14^th May 1:00 pm  kick off at Macquarie Field

U14S Lake Macquarie vs Hamilton Olympic Sunday 14^th May 11:30 am  kick off at Macquarie Field

U13S Lake Macquarie vs Hamilton Olympic Sunday 14^th May 10:00 am  kick off at Macquarie Field

IN OTHER GAMES:
Edgeworth Eagles v Valentine Phoenix
2.30pm Sunday 14^th May at Jack McLaughlan Oval

Last Meeting: Round 15, 2016: Edgeworth 4 Valentine 2 at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility.

Ladder: Edgeworth 4^th (15pts), Valentine 3^rd (16)

Last 3 Starts (most recent first):

Edgeworth – Won Bears 2-1 (a), Won Blues 2-0 (h), Won Jets 1-0 (a)

Valentine – Drew Olympic 1-1 (h), Won Jets 1-0 (a), Won Magpies 4-0 (a)

 Bottom Line

Two of the form sides of the competition meet this weekend in the ‘Match of the Round’ with both undefeated in their last five matches.

After a sluggish start to the season, Edgeworth has responded over the last three weeks with three wins which have seen them soar inside the top four. They now sit just a point behind the third-placed Phoenix and just two points off the first-placed Lambton Jaffas.

A side that seemed to be cracking under pressure against Hamilton in round seven when veteran Daniel McBreen was sent off and coach Damian Zane almost followed him, they have responded in a way that will surprise no one who has witnessed their performances over the last two seasons.

But, after all the improvement of the last three weeks, they can’t afford a defeat against Valentine. A loss against the Phoenix will make the premiership race more difficult, considering they will have to reel in a star-studded Lambton line-up.

Their opponents Valentine have been the real surprise packet of the PlayStation® 4 NPL NNSW comp this season, and coach Darren Sills has discovered the right formula in 2017 for his side to flourish.

American import Jalon Brown has excelled, however, the weekend against Hamilton he didn’t have his best outing, missing several one-on-one chances which could have wrapped up the contest for the Phoenix. Expect him to return to form this weekend.

Valentine has lost their last six against the Eagles, and haven’t taken three points from a match against Edgeworth since 2011. Those statistics shouldn’t matter as this Phoenix side has the firepower up front and defensive steel to take it to Edgeworth on Sunday.

Bren Hammel (cork) is in doubt for the Premiers while Matt Paul (triathlon) is back for Valentine.

What the Coaches Said:

Damian Zane (Edgeworth)

“I think we’ve got the central defenders to make sure we take care of Jalon Brown and I think we match up fairly well. They have really impressed me defensively. I rate Reece Pettit and I do rate this year Zac Sneddon, he’s been very good. I always thought he was a decent player, but this year he’s impressed. Where he is playing, they’ve got a really good combination. That’s exciting for them.”

“This is where if you’ve got your starting 11 [the Cup match on Wednesday] possibly [creates a depth issue]. But, for me for your Adam Cawleys and Aden Gardners, this might be their chance to stake a claim and I sort of use it as ‘if you do well here you might in this next big game be in the starting team.’ That’s why I think rotating your squad is [beneficial]. You bring in guys and they are  hungry as hell.”

Darren Sills (Valentine)

“We’ve got nothing to lose. They are the Champions, they have won it two years in a row. Final 16 of the FFA Cup. They have got quality players, like [Daniel] McBreen in the bank. I thought we did fairly well against Olympic and trained really well this week. We’ve got no pressure on us, and I don’t think they have either as they are travelling alright so it should be a good game of footy.”

“The boys are happy and there is a little bit of self-belief there now. We had 5-0 against Olympic last year and came out and played really well [on the weekend]. It was 4-0 at this time last year against Edgy [Edgeworth] so if you draw a parallel and draw a line through that I’m very confident we are going to hold ourselves and hold our heads high.”

Key: It’s all in the mind. Valentine has shown their ability to match it with the top guns this season. Can they continue to do so against the Eagles?

Newcastle Jets Youth v Broadmeadow Magic
2.30pm Saturday 13^th May at Magic Park

Last Meeting: Round 17, 2016: Hamilton 2 Valentine 2 at Darling Street Oval.

Ladder: Broadmeadow 8^th (9), Jets Youth 11^th (3)

Past 3 Starts (most recent first):

Jets – Drew Roosters 3-3 (a), Lost Phoenix 0-1 (a), Lost Eagles 0-1 (h)

Broadmeadow – Lost Magpies 0-7 (h), Drew Rosebuds 0-0 (a), Drew Jaffas 1-1 (a)

Bottom Line

Many are still trying to come to terms with what quite happened on Sunday afternoon to Broadmeadow Magic. A match that most expected would be a tough, low-scoring and hard-fought contest quickly turned pear-shaped.

Maitland were imperious on Sunday, and led by the calming Matt Thompson in midfielder they were simply unstoppable. Some days in sport the opposition is just too good and Maitland was just that on Sunday.

What really has been missing for Magic lately is their ability to score from open play and even score in general. In the league, they have gone seven hours without a goal in open play, and more than three hours without a goal at all.

Their opponents the Jets Youth haven’t had the same issues scoring, it has been in defence where they have continued to leak goals. They have conceded 23 in eight games at almost three a game, and statistics will tell you it is very difficult to win matches with that kind of defence.

While they have conceded plenty, the heart, desire and never-say-die attitude is one which should be commended.

Twice is the two weeks they have been down going into the final five minutes and twice they have found an equaliser to share the points. Clayton Zane will be hoping they can go one better this weekend – score late to win – and they have shown they can do it.

What the Coaches Said: 

Clayton Zane (Jets Youth)

“I think we’ll be facing a difficult opponent after that loss. I’ve seen they had a player sent off and that has a massive impact, I’m sure it wasn’t a 7-0 game and when a player gets sent off in the 19^th minute that would impact any team. If they win one or two games they are right back in the mix so we expect them to be wounded and come out like a raging bull.”

“They’ll have a lot to prove this weekend so for us, it’s probably the worst time to play them after they come off the back of a loss like that. They are a good team, they’ve got good players in their team. Everyone knows they are a top four team so that’s what we will be expecting to play against this weekend.” 

Key: Goals. Broadmeadow is in need of some in the league. They have scored just once in seven hours of play.

Weston Workers Bears v Charlestown City Blues
2.30pm Sunday 14^th May at Rockwell Automation Park

Last Meeting: Round 15, 2016: Weston 2 Charlestown 3 at Rockwell Automation Park.

Ladder: Weston 9^th (4), Charlestown 7^th (11)

Past 3 Starts (most recent first):

Weston – Lost Eagles 1-2 (h), Lost Olympic 0-2 (a), Lost Magpies 0-1 (a)

Charlestown – Drew Rosebud 2-2 (h), Lost Eagles 0-2 (a), Lost Jaffas 1-2 (h)

Bottom Line

With Daniel Laiman (knee), Matt Tull (quad), Josh Maguire (groin) and Jarryd Johnson (hamstring) Charlestown have ticked just about every box for injuries to the lower half of the body.

Once again, their young brigade with be called on to step up again against another youthful outfit in Weston.

With regular starters missing on the weekend, Charlestown fought hard against Adamstown in what was described as a scrappy match at Lisle Carr Oval. The young Blues went within minutes of claiming all three points in a positive result for the future.

Charlestown may not have claimed a victory in their last three matches, but they have performed admirably with a tight loss to the table-topping Jaffas, followed by a tight loss to Edgeworth and followed by the draw with Adamstown.

However, if they want to keep touch with the top four, a win is a must for the Blues this weekend.

Weston had a positive start to the season, undefeated in four of their opening five matches, but, the last three weeks has seen three league losses, along with their victory in the Westfield FFA Cup against Cooks Hill.

They don’t seem to be far off a victory, pushing Edgeworth all the way on the weekend, and Hamilton the week before.

Their defending in key moments has hurt them along with their inability to finish off chances and Steve Piggott will be looking for his side to take another step in the right direction this weekend.

What the Coaches Said: 

Steve Piggott (Weston)

“There are no easy games for us, we haven’t got any wins so not too many changes. We have just got to put together 90 minutes of real good stuff and as least amount of mistakes as we can that don’t cost us.

“We probably in the last 15 to 20 minutes we just couldn’t keep the ball against Edgeworth. We were tired and the midweek game caught up with us, there is no doubt about that. We have got another one next week when we play Maitland. The FFA Cup is having a little bit of an impact on the squad and we’ll have to see what we can do this to try and take that impact away. Our main focus at the minute is Charlestown this weekend and try and get three points.”

Shane Pryce (Charlestown)

“I just think they don’t deserve to be where they are on the table. I think that they have been in a lot of matches and it just hasn’t gone their way. Beware the team that hasn’t had a win, they are probably looking forward to play us to try and get one.”

“With 30 minutes to go in the FFA Cup against the Jaffas, I had two senior players from my starting 11 on the field only and Jaffas scored two late goals so we found out that some young guys can step up against a full strength Jaffas side. There was a couple of guys who made their debut against Adamstown and they can hold their head up high as well.”

Key: Playing for 90 minutes. Steve Piggott has stressed it to his squad. Can the Bears put it together on Sunday?

Maitland FC v Lambton Jaffas
2.30pm Sunday 14^th May at Cooks Square Park

Last Meeting: Round 15, 2016: Lambton 1 Maitland 4 at Arthur Edden Oval.

Ladder: Maitland 2^nd (16), Lambton 1^st (17)

Last 3 Starts (most recent first):

Maitland – Won Magic 7-0 (a), Won Roosters 1-0 (h), Won Bears 1-0 (h)

Lambton – Won Rosebud 3-1 (a), Won Blues 2-1 (a), Drew Magic 1-1 (h)

Bottom Line

A top of the table clash worthy of ‘Match of the Round’ billing this match could prove crucial in the race to the premiership. It’s a six-point match and if one side can claim all three points it will put them in the box seat come to the halfway point of the season.

There is little more to say about the Magpies than they were brilliant on the weekend. Matt Thompson was the conductor and combined with Josh Dutton-Black on the left edge and Ryan Clarke on the right, Maitland were an unstoppable force.

They were the lowest scoring side coming into the match, so to score seven goals was a surprise in a fixture many thought would be tight. They now boast the second-best attack in the competition, while their defence is the third-best after eight matches.

Lambton will be fresh after the bye and it will be interesting to see whether the week off has given them a chance to get over some bumps and bruises from the opening two months or whether they may come out a little rusty.

The signing of Ryan Griffiths during the week is sure to be a boost, and with leading goal-scorer Pat Brown returning to full fitness, along with veteran Joel Griffiths, there will be plenty of competition for spots in the front third when the youngest of the Griffiths brothers arrives.

Lambton hasn’t lost in four matches and while they were defeated in their last meeting with Maitland, they are undefeated in three of the last four against the Magpies.

Shane Cansdell-Sheriff (calf) and Matt Comerford (ankle) are in doubt for Maitland, while Pat Brown (knee) and Joel Griffiths (hip flexor) are a chance to return on Sunday.

What the Coaches Said: 

Phil Dando (Maitland)

“We just sort of got on with the job and put that [7-0 win on the weekend] to one side. It was the same as the Valentine game where we got beat 4-0, we didn’t say an awful lot and just went ‘right that was one of those days, we move on’ and get on with the job. Last week was the reverse and we did well and we still have got to get on with the job. We haven’t won anything yet and there’s no cups given out or trophies given out for last week’s win.”

“It’s not rocket science and the game hasn’t changed in 150 years that it has been played. You’ve got to be able to pass the ball well and you’ve got to be able to control it and be prepared to move into a position to receive it again. That’s what we are just hammering through to the guys – hard work will beat talent if talent doesn’t work hard and we’ve got a fair bit of talent and they work hard so we are a difficult team to beat.”

James Pascoe (Lambton)

“I went and watched [last weekend] and I think they are a good solid side. Anything you get from them you are going to have to earn it. I think if anything, their away record looks a little bit better than their home record at the minute so that might lend itself a little but to what I saw on the weekend. They look like they try to counter-attack mostly and I think that is easier to do on the smaller tighter grounds. Cooks Square Park for me is quite a big open ground so it will be interesting to see if they do the same thing tactically up there.”

“[The wind] won’t affect us too much. We’ve got the scope to either be expansive if the conditions are really good or if we need to be a little compact we can do that. That is with and without the ball. It’s usually the first thing I write on the whiteboard every week pre-match, that we have got to play the conditions, so we will keep an eye out for it as we get up there and see what it is like and adjust accordingly.”

Key: How will Lambton respond after the week off? Will they be fresher and faster or will they be a bit rusty to start the match?

source: sportstg.com

Hamilton Olympic have drawn Edgeworth Eagles next Wednesday night at 7.30 at Darling St Oval.

Adamstown may call on Michael Williams to play against former club Lambton Jaffas – just two weeks after he switched camps – in the FFA Cup on May 17.

Rosebud landed one of the toughest assignments of round five of the Northern NSW southern conference when they drew Jaffas away on Tuesday. Hamilton host Edgeworth in the round’s biggest clash, while Maitland welcome Weston in the other all-NPL game. Second-tier club New Lambton will host under-pressure NPL club Broadmeadow, who lost 7-0 to Maitland on Sunday.

Valentine, who had the bye last round, had another favourable draw and are away to Zone Premier League (third-tier) frontrunners, Newcastle Suns. The remaining NPL club, Lake Macquarie, will welcome interdistrict club Cardiff City.

Adamstown coach Peter McGuinness said Williams, who is not cup-tied, started training with Rosebud on Tuesday night and was therefore unlikely to feature against Jaffas. However, he may come in because Adamstown have a host of injuries.

Rosebud, who enjoy a welcomed bye this weekend, have Ryan Ensor, Mitch Hunter, Alex Read and Jordan Harrison in doubt for the FFA Cup game.

source:theherald.com

In a disappointing game at Cahill Oval Hamilton Olympic were held to a 1-1 draw by Valentine Phoenix.

A poor back pass by the Olympic defense enabled Jolon Brown to sneak in and put the home team 1-0 ahead within the first 10 minutes.

The remainder of the half and most of the match was a midfield battle with neither side creating any clear cut chance in front of goal.

It was only in the last 10 minutes of the match that Olympic stepped up the intensity and began opening up the Valentine defense.

Kane Goodchild won a free kick on the right and the ensuing cross did not find any player’s head but instead fell perfectly in the stride of Grant Brown who had no problem bringing the game to 1-1, four minutes from time.

This was followed by two great chances by Mussa Kamara and Matthew Swan to secure all three points but it wasn’t to be!

U20s Valentine – Hamilton Olympic 1-5

U18s Valentine – Hamilton Olympic 0-3

NPL YOUTH ROUND 8:

U16s Hamilton Olympic – Maitland 7-0

U15s Hamilton Olympic – Maitland 9-1

U14s Hamilton Olympic – Maitland 2-0

U13s Hamilton Olympic – Maitland 7-0

Zone League 2
Olympic vs Maryland Fletcher
1st Grade Olympic won 2-0
2nd Grade Olympic won 2-1

NET results
Under 10s Olympic
Under 11s Olympic defeated by Adamstown 0-4
Under 12s Olympic defeated Kahibah 10-0

Olympic Junior Results
Under 16a Olympic defeated Maitland 4-0
Under 15a Olympic defeated by Magic 1-4
Under 13a Olympic defeated Sth Cardiff 3-1
Under 12b Olympic defeated Adamstown 2-0

Under 9/1 Olympic defeated New Lambton
Under 9/2 Olympic
Under 8/1 Olympic
Under 8/2 Olympic defeated South Wallsend
Under 7/1 Olympic
Under 6/1 Olympic defeated New Lambton
Under 6/2 Olympic defeated New Lambton
Under 6/3 Olympic

source:Tom Tsamouras

Valentine Phoenix v Hamilton Olympic

2.30pm Saturday 6^th May at Cahill Oval

Last Meeting: Round 17, 2016: Hamilton 2 Valentine 2 at Darling Street Oval.

Ladder: Valentine 2^nd (15), Hamilton 3^rd (13)

Past 3 Starts (most recent first):

Valentine – Won Jets 1-0 (a), Won Magpies 4-0 (a), Won Rosebud 2-0 (a)

Hamilton – Won Bears 2-0 (h), Drew Eagles 1-1 (a), Won Magpies 2-0 (a)

Bottom Line

Hamilton coach Michael Bolch returns to his former stomping ground at Cahill Oval and will hold good memories of the ground having not lost there as an Olympic coach since 2011.

His side has returned to form in recent weeks, after a disappointing showing against Charlestown in round six, Olympic are undefeated in three matches and have surged into the top four.

They did it the hard way against Weston, with a gritty first-half display before coming home strong in the second half. As it was in 2016, defence has been the bedrock of their return to form. Hamilton has conceded just once in three matches and that was from the penalty spot.

Olympic has held the wood over the Phoenix of late, winning four of their last five. Valentine’s last victory over Hamilton doubled as Bolch’s last loss at Cahill Oval back in 2011.

However, the Phoenix are a different proposition this season, scoring an average of two goals a game and conceding just over one a game. It has been the last three matches where Valentine has been impregnable at the back, keeping three clean sheets in a row.

Leading goal-scorer Jalon Brown has been a revelation – scoring three so far – and proving to be a constant menace for opposing defences.

These two sides have shown they can score goals and keep them out, so it should be a fascinating contest.

Valentine will be without Matt Paul (triathlon) this weekend, but, Wilson Edwards (away) and Chris Brown (away) will return to the side this weekend. Rhys Cooper (knee) remains on the sidelines for Olympic as does Captain Kyle Hodges (toe).

What the Coaches Said:

Darren Sills (Valentine)

“It’s going to be a difficult one. We were fairly sore and sorry after the weekend so we didn’t train very hard at all on Tuesday night, we had a light session. There are a few sore and sorry bodies from the weekend. It’s going to be difficult but we’d rather play them after winning a few in a row than not, so hopefully fingers crossed we perform to the best of our ability and that’s all we can ask of the players.”

“It’s very important [to start well]. They’ve had the midweek game as well. Although they may have rested a few players it’s important that we get away to a good start. This team were undefeated last year coming into the semi-finals, so these are the sort of teams you want to play against. They’re the benchmark. I watched them play the week before on the Wednesday night up against Maitland and I thought they were really good.”

Michael Bolch (Hamilton)

“They look pretty solid all the way across the park, they kept their third clean sheet in a row so they are doing really well defensively. They work really hard as a unit, Sillsy has got them working really hard for each other. Coming to terms with that pitch will probably be the biggest factor on the day, to be honest with you.”

“It’s not so much what we’ve got to exploit from them. We just need to be more clinical in the front third. We are creating so many chances in games, we probably created 10-12 chances [last weekend]. We’ve just got to be more clinical in the front third.”

Key: Belief. Valentine lost their last two matches at Cahill Oval against Olympic 5-0 and 3-0. After a strong start to the season, do they have the belief to overcome a poor recent record?

U20s Valentine – Hamilton Olympic Cahill Oval Saturday 6^th May kick off 12.30

U18s Valentine – Hamilton Olympic Cahill Oval Saturday 6^th May kick off 10.45

NPL YOUTH ROUND 8:

U16s Hamilton Olympic – Maitland Sunday kick off 2.30 pm at Darling St Oval

U15s Hamilton Olympic – Maitland Sunday kick off 1.00 pm at Darling St Oval

U14s Hamilton Olympic – Maitland Sunday kick off 11.30 am at Darling St Oval

U13s Hamilton Olympic – Maitland Sunday kick off 10.00 am at Darling St Oval

IN OTHER GAMES:

Broadmeadow Magic v Maitland Magpies

2.30pm Sunday 7^th May at Magic Park

Last Meeting: Round 18, 2016: Maitland 0 Broadmeadow 2 at Cooks Square Park.

Ladder: Broadmeadow 8^th (9pts), Maitland 4^th (13)

Last 3 Starts (most recent first):

Broadmeadow – Drew Rosebuds 0-0 (a), Drew Jaffas 1-1 (a), Lost Blues 0-1 (a)

Maitland – Won Roosters 1-0 (h), Won Bears 1-0 (h), Lost Phoenix 0-4 (h)

Bottom Line

Ruben Zadkovich will be hoping his side’s performance writes the headlines this weekend and not his comments after the Broadmeadow boss’ controversial thoughts marred the post-script of a tense ANZAC Day tussle.

Broadmeadow will be aiming to bounce back after a dour draw against the Rosebud’s where they struggled to create chances in the second 45. In the first half against Adamstown and the week before against Lambton, Ruben Zadkovich’s side created chances but were unable to finish.

While they have created chances, finishing has been an issue, with Magic scoring just once in their last three matches – a penalty against Lambton. Of their eight goals this season, just five have come from open play.

After a pair of disappointing results, Maitland has returned to form in the last week with two tight 1-0 wins against Weston and Lake Macquarie which has seen them squeeze their way into the top four.

After a busy start to the season – where they played seven matches in 26 days – Maitland will probably give themselves a pass mark.

A congested schedule, injuries, and players missing matches due to work commitments has made life difficult for the Magpies, 13 points and sitting just four points from the top spot with a game in hand will keen coach Phil Dando happy.

In a positive for the spectacle, both sides head into the match at full strength. Expect a tight contest, with only a goal in it. Broadmeadow will be desperate as a loss will see them slip further from the top four.

What the Coaches Said:

Ruben Zadkovich (Broadmeadow)

“It’s been the same problem all season, we just need to take our chances. We are certainly creating plenty and we are very hard to beat at the moment. We haven’t really conceded many goals from open play. It’s just about the boys taking their chances, but we are playing some really good stuff and obviously, Maitland are as well, so it should be a cracker of a game.”

“When we stick to the way we want to play we look deadly, we look really, really dangerous. It’s just the longer it goes without taking those chances the more frustrated people get so I think that really kicked in on ANZAC Day. It’s just the frustration from the boys that they are playing against 11 men camped in their own half and the fact that we hadn’t scored it just got harder and harder.”

Phil Dando (Maitland)

“They’ve had an indifferent start to the season. They haven’t quite hit their straps yet. By the sounds of it, Ruben was a bit disappointed with the way they played the other week. He’ll probably have done a fair bit of work on the training pitch, and they’ll come at us all guns blazing I would imagine. They will want to put things right so we’ll have to be at our best.”

“We had a training session on ANZAC Day in the morning and we did our only session on defending in that session and since then we have kept two clean sheets. It’s just little things that needed rectifying and people just needed to concentrate a bit better. I think that’s what let us down a little bit, the tiredness when we played Valentine, everything went out the window then. [The last two matches] have been very pleasing].”

Key: The front third. With the two lowest scoring sides this season meeting, which side can get their front third firing?

Weston Workers Bears v Edgeworth Eagles

2.30pm Sunday 7^th May at Rockwell Automation Park

Last Meeting: Round 11, 2016: Weston 0 Edgeworth 3 at Rockwell Automation Park.

Ladder: Edgeworth 5^th (12), Weston 9^th (4)

Past 3 Starts (most recent first):

Weston – Lost Olympic 0-2 (a), Lost Magpies 0-1 (a), Drew Jets 2-2 (a)

Edgeworth – Won Blues 2-0 (h), Won Jets 1-0 (a), Drew Olympic 1-1 (h)

Bottom Line

After a promising start to the season where they lost just one of their opening five matches, Weston have lost their last two and sit just two points from the bottom of the ladder.

A tight loss to an understrength Maitland side, followed by a strong performance against Hamilton only to be let down by two individual errors has left the Bears in a difficult spot as they get ready to host an Edgeworth side who has returned to form over the last two weeks.

Weston haven’t scored in two matches now, and facing the best defence in the competition won’t make it any easier for the Bears attack.

Kieran Sanders and Brody Taylor struck two stunning strikes on the weekend to get them home against the Blues, and couple that result with the win over the Jets and it seems the Eagles are returning to their 2016 form.

They have won their last three matches against Weston, and haven’t lost against the Bears since 2015 where a gritty and determined Weston side rolled up their sleeves and ground out a 1-0 victory at Rockwell Automation Park.

If the young Bears are able to channel that determination on Sunday, Edgeworth could be in for a real test. But, to beat Edgeworth, they will need to score because under Zane the Eagles have been kept scoreless just once in their last 29 Playstation®4 NPL matches.

Daniel McBreen’s suspension is over, but he will miss them match due to Fox Sports commitments with the Hyundai A-League Grand Final. Adam Cawley (illness) will return to the side.

What the Coaches Said:

Steve Piggott (Weston)

“Each week they are shattered when they don’t get a result, don’t get me wrong, they are shattered because they have worked hard. No one has thumped them. I thought we may have got a thumping or two, but they have stood up and they have worked hard and they have been in every match and they probably could have got more out of the weekend’s match if they worked out a way to score a goal.”

“I think overall the group has improved tactically, they are more tactically aware than, ten weeks ago. They have worked hard at the things I have asked them to do and they have executed the game plans to about 80% of their capacity. It’s finding that little bit more and the one percent things that I challenge them to do each week and improve on. Once they click this team will be a fair team.”

Damian Zane (Edgeworth)

“We played them in a trial game and then the heritage cup and there was massive improvements from one game to the next which was what I expected with Piggo [Steve Piggott] as coach. Everyone was sort of saying Weston would be down the bottom and the whipping boys and they might be down the bottom but they have been competitive in every game. I expect them to come out and try and stop us from doing what we do.”

“They’ve got some good players in there too to be honest. I think [Max] Foster and [Jake] Millsteed are pretty handy in midfield and Jamie Byrnes is as dangerous as anyone on his day in my opinion. The young [Cooper] Buswell, we’ve got a few Central Coast people in our club and they rate him pretty highly, and the young boy [James] Thompson. If we don’t turn up, it’s like every game, we won’t win.”

Key: Will a confidence boosting from the Westfield FFA Cup win on Wednesday spur the Bears to victory on Sunday?

Charlestown City Blues v Adamstown Rosebud

2.30pm Sunday 7^th May at Lisle Carr Oval

Last Meeting: Round 13, 2016: Adamstown 1 Charlestown 3 at Adamstown Oval.

Ladder: Charlestown 7^th (10), Adamstown 10^th (3)

Past 3 Starts (most recent first):

Charlestown – Lost Eagles 0-2 (a), Lost Jaffas 1-2 (h), Won Olympic 2-1 (a)

Adamstown – Lost Jaffas 1-3 (h), Drew Magic 0-0 (h), Lost Roosters 1-2 (h)

Bottom Line

It’s been a long time between away matches for Adamstown, and this weekend they will hit the road for the first time in a month to travel to Charlestown to take on the Blues.

After hitting rock bottom, with the defeat to Lake Macquarie in round six Adamstown have responded well with improved performances against Broadmeadow and then at the weekend against Lambton.

Up against the ladder leading Jaffas many expected Lambton to get the job done easily on Sunday afternoon, but, it wasn’t to be with Chris Berlin bridging the deficit to just a goal in the second half and the Rosebuds as they clawed their way back.

Unfortunately for the Rosebud’s they couldn’t find the equaliser and Joel Griffiths put them out of reach late on in stoppage time.

Charlestown were flying high a little over two weeks ago with wins against Broadmeadow and Hamilton coming in quick succession.

Losses to Lambton and Edgeworth in recent times have brought them back down to earth but it shouldn’t be a worry for Shane Pryce’s men, having given a solid account of themselves against two of the strongest sides in the competition.

This match though is one Pryce will want to win and will provide a good indication as to whether victories over Olympic and Magic were a flash in the pan. A win here for the Blues and they will keep pace with the top four.

What the Coaches Said:

Pete McGuinness (Adamstown)

“The Lakes game I thought we had enough ball to win two games and just didn’t win the game which was pretty poor on our behalf. The Magic game was a bit of a shift in tactics and how we played and I was happy with how we defended which was good. On the weekend, we opened up a bit and tried to win the ball higher up the pitch. It’s been an improvement, they are working hard and that’s a big positive.”

“They’ve been doing quite well so I’m expecting a pretty difficult game. To be honest I think they have got a couple of good midfielders in Josh Maguire and Matt Tull, very experienced. Then there’s Daniel Laiman, he’s always a force coming from deep areas. [Rene Ferguson] has been getting some goals, he scored goals last year and he’s got a few this year.”

Key: With seven of 21 players from the start of the season gone, can Charlestown’s youngsters make the step up?

Lake Macquarie City Roosters v Newcastle Jets Youth

2.30pm Sunday 30^th April at Macquarie Field

Last Meeting: Round 15, 2014: Lake Macquarie 2 Jets Youth 1 at Macquarie Field.

Ladder: Lake Macquarie 6^th (11), Jets Youth 11^th (2)

Last 3 Starts (most recent first):

Lakes – Lost Magpies 0-1 (a), Won Rosebud 2-1 (a), Lost Jaffas 0-4 (h)

Jets – Lost Phoenix 0-1 (a), Lost Eagles 0-1 (h), Drew Bears 2-2 (a)

Bottom Line

Both Lake Macquarie and the Jets Youth are coming off losses last weekend and are in need of a win, but for two very different reasons.

After an unbeaten start to the season, where the Roosters sat on top of the ladder they have now dropped two of their last three and have only managed to find the back of the net twice during the time.

Over the same time period, Lakes have dropped from first to sixth and a loss against the Jets Youth on Sunday afternoon could potentially see them drop to as low at eighth, with the top four getting out of their reach.

The Jets Youth, on the other hand, haven’t won in seven matches and sit bottom of the table – not a position the Youth side will want to sit in considering how the Newcastle Jets finished off the Hyundai A-League season.

It has been a tough two months for the club, with criticism fired from all parts and a win here to pull them off the bottom of the ladder could just prove the perfect tonic for some positivity.

At the same stage last season, the Jets only had two more points than they do currently, with only a win and a draw from their seven matches. They recovered to win seven of their final ten matches to finish fifth.

After a start to the season where they regularly conceded four goals a game, they have improved at the back, only conceding twice in the last two matches.

Cody Carroll and Finn Parris both have hamstring issues and are in doubt for the Jets. For Lakes, Justin Broadley (toe) is back training, but will still remain on the sideline this weekend. Dean Holt (overseas) missed the match as well.

What the Coaches Said:

Anthony Richards (Lakes)

“This is a really tough one for us because these guys play really good football, and play it at a good speed so on our ground this is going to be a super test. This will be our hardest game I think of the year. I think they are very close to their first win. Let’s hope it’s a fortnight away not a week away.”

“We just want to improve in trying to keep the ball, as if we’ve got the ball we can’t score. We are really concentrating on keeping the ball. Even in the FFA Cup, we didn’t really care too much about the scoreline we were just more concerned about keeping the ball, and we did well [in the FFA Cup] keeping the ball I thought.”

Clayton Zane (Jets Youth)

“We’ve had our games that we should have picked up three points in. That game on the weekend was a bit of a let down for everyone because we dominated the game and we threw three points away. I never felt the game was in any threat on the weekend. It was a good week defensively for us because we had all the rain and didn’t have a chance to work on the defensive side, so we have done a few weeks on it now.”

“I put them under pressure internally that we have to win games, but, with anything that has got to do with the media or anything that is out there on forums or people want to make comment I take full responsibility and they know that. We went through this last year and the margins are very small when it is boys playing against men, this can happen. I’m not concerned, we have shown improvements defensively, and we’ve score goals this year.”

Key: The Jets Youth have created chances over the past few weeks, and have had nothing to show for it. Can they take them on Sunday?

source: sportstg.com

Hamilton Olympic defeated second-tier Cessnock City 5-0 at Turner Park with a double from Tom Carias-Cox and goals to Kane Goodchild, Tom Stewart and Luke Vallone.

Kale Bradbery provided a highlight among the NPL clubs, scoring a hat-trick for Broadmeadow as they defeated second-tier Wallsend 8-0 at Magic Park. James Virgili, Lawrence Foteff, Josh Piddington, Scott Pettit and Luke Virgili also scored for Broadmeadow.

NPL club Maitland had no trouble against Warners Bay, who play in the third tier of NNSW football, at John Street Oval, cruising to an 8-1 win. Ben Martin, Zac Hill, Jye McKellar, Ryan Broadley, Shane Cansdell-Sherriff and Matt Sokulsky were other scorers for the Magpies.

At Jack McLaughlan Oval, Daniel McBreen scored a treble for Edgeworth in his return from suspension as the Eagles beat second-tier Belmont Swansea 9-0. Keigo Moriyasu and Will Bower scored twice each and Aden Gardner also got on the scoresheet for Edgeworth, who made it to the round of 16 last year in a best-ever showing from a NNSW club in the nationwide knockout. 

New Lambton edged out fellow Northern League One club Kahibah 2-1 at Alder Park on Tuesday night.

source:theherald.com.au