George Tsamouras Football Journey

U20s Newcastle Jets suffered their second defeat in 13 games of the 2023 League 2 Men’s competition at the hands of Fraser Park FC, 2-1. Two misjudged bounces of the ball resulted in two goals scored by Fraser Park in the 15^th and 37^th minute that proved to be enough to secure the 3 points.

The Newcastle Jets lacked speed and intensity in the first half and their play was too predictable, playing out from the back. The first goal was scored when an innocent ball was heading towards the Newcastle keeper when a Newcastle defender didn’t put his body between the ball and an opposition player! The Fraser Park player managed to get a foot to the ball which resulted in it rolling into an empty net after deflecting off the post!

The second goal was almost identical to the first with a different Newcastle defender making the same error! Throughout the first half the Newcastle team was laborious and unproductive. There didn’t appear any clear strategy on how to open-up the opposition in order to score.

In the second half the Jets increased the speed and intensity and were quickly rewarded with a goal that came from a well crossed ball for a simple tap in. In the remainder of the game the Jets continued to probe the Fraser Park goal but to no avail.

The U20s continue to sit in first place at the half-way mark of the competition, 6 points clear from their nearest rival, despite this result.

Round 14 FNSW League Two Men’s:

Fraser Park FC vs Newcastle Jets on Sunday 7^th May at Fraser Park, Sydney.

U20s Jets lost 2-1

Youth Jets drew 1-1

Round 14 FNSW League Two Men’s Results:

FNSW League Two Men’s Table:

Newcastle Jets: Nicholas Kacev 24, Samuel Esquilant 30, Dominic Archbold 33, Max Bailey 34, Amos Okumu 36, Lucas Walshe 41, George Tsamouras 44, Reinhard Lloyd 49, Kynan Watkins 50, Shiwa Dul 53, Seth Anderson 56 Subs: Zaviah Di Carlo 15, Ethan Lewis 20, Angus Martin 25, Jordan Gu 52, Lucas West 58

Round 12 FNSW Youth League One:

Marconi Stallions FC vs Newcastle Jets on Saturday 6^th May at Wanderers Football Park.

U18s Jets lost 6-0

U16s Jets won 5-1

U15s Jets lost 3-1

U14s Jets – didn’t play

U13s Jets won 2-1

source: Tom Tsamouras

U20s Newcastle Jets defeated Prospect FC on Sunday night at the LMRFF to go 9 point clear on top of the FNSW League Two Men’s table! After both teams suffered their first defeat of the season the previous week at the hands of Sydney University and Camden Tigers respectively, this was the clash between 1^st versus 2^nd on the ladder. The match certainly lived up to the billing as a clash between two equally balanced teams that fought tooth and nail throughout the 90 minutes to gain the advantage.

The Newcastle team moved the ball quicker and was technically superior but the Sydney team was physically strong and kept the Jets at bay. The Jets concentrated their play through the flanks and through constant movement of the ball. The first goal game midway through the  1^st half with a well worked attack from the right and a whipped cross which found the Sydney defense stretched for an easy tap in.

Newcastle controlled play well and although neither team was able to create many clear cut goal scoring opportunities, they looked more confident on the ball and controlled possession. In the final minute of the 1^st half a poorly headed ball and a lucky bounce resulted in a Prospect forward finding time and space to fire a shot which the Newcastle keeper was unable to save. Both teams went into the half time break locked at 1-1.

The 2^nd half was as tight as the 1^st half with Newcastle controlling possession and Prospect resisting and trying to catch their opponents on the break. In the final 15 minutes of the game the stalemate was broken when a Newcastle winger was able to beat the Prospect left back and whipped up a well weighted cross which found a Jets forward unmarked on the far post who didn’t have any problem striking the ball for a 2-1 score-line!

The remainder of the match was spent with intelligent possession football by Newcastle and backs -to-the-wall attacking by the Sydney siders. Despite their efforts the Jets team was able to hold on to a hard-fought win and remain 9 points clear at the top of the U20s table.

Round 13 FNSW League Two Men’s:

Newcastle Jets vs Prospect United FC on Sunday 30^th April 2023 at the LMRFF, Speers Point.

Youth Jets lost 1-0

U20s Jets won 2-1

Newcastle Jets: Patrick Innes 1, Jayden Ashbourne 32, James Khoury 33, Max Bailey 34, Amos Okumu 36, Lucas Walshe 41, George Tsamouras 44, Angus Martin 47, Reinhard Lloyd 49, Jordan Gu 52, Shiwa Dul 53, subs: Nicholas Fowler 14, Zaviah Di Carlo 15, Ethan Lewis 20, Nicholas Kacev 24, Kynan Watkins 50, Christian Bracco 57

Round 11 FNSW Youth League One:

Newcastle Jets vs Sydney United 58 FC on Sunday 30^th April at the LMRFF, Speers Point.

U18s Jets won 3-2

U16s Jets won 5-0

U15s Jets won 5-0

U13s Jets drew 0-0

Source: Tom Tsamouras

Round 13 of the FNSW League Two Men’s competition brings the clash between first vs second at the LMRFF on Sunday night! Both Newcastle and Prospect suffered their first loss of the season last week and will be out to avenge this!

Newcastle Jets lost 3-1 at the hands of Sydney University after starting a very young team while Prospect lost 1-0 to the Camden Tigers. The Newcastle team continue in 1^st spot, 6 points clear and will continue to be in 1^st place regardless of the result on Sunday. It will be a challenging game for both teams.

Jets Youth who are in 2^nd spot on the ladder, only 1 point behind the league leaders should collect the three points against a Prospect team who are in 7^th spot having lost 5 games in 11 matches.

In the Club Championship the Newcastle Jets have opened up a 26 point lead from their nearest rival and should gain promotion if they finish in first position.

Round 13 FNSW League Two Men’s:

Newcastle Jets vs Prospect United FC on Sunday 30^th April 2023 at the LMRFF, Speers Point.

Youth kick off at 5:00pm

U20s kick off at 7:00pm

Round 13 FNSW League Two Men’s Fixtures:

FNSW League Two Men’s Table:

Round 11 FNSW Youth League One:

Newcastle Jets vs Sydney United 58 FC on Sunday 30^th April at the LMRFF, Speers Point.

U18s kick off at 3:00pm

U16s kick off at 1:15pm

U15s kick off at 11:40am

U13s kick off at 8:30am

source: Tom Tsamouras

U20s Newcastle Jets reach 1/3 of the season on maximum points after defeating Inner West Hawks 3-1 on Sunday night at the LMRFF. Having only four 18 year old players in their starting line up and the rest 15 and 16 year old, the Newcastle team controlled the game from the outset but were unable to break down the Hawks defense. Half time found both teams locked at 0-0.

A bad bounce of the ball 4 minutes into the 2^nd half and an inability to clear it by the Jets defenders, enabled the visitors to open the score. This came against the run of play but gave the visiting team encouragement to dig in even harder for a result. The Newcastle team seamed to run out of ideas in the final third of the field until a couple of substitutions around the 60 minute mark.

The Jets then increased their intensity but most importantly had more movement off the ball in the final third of the pitch. This enabled the midfield to feed balls into the mobile front players who in turn were able to find space and time to create goal scoring opportunities. Within 10 minutes the score was 2-1 to the Jets and from that moment they never looked back. A final goal was scored 9 minutes from the end that secured the 3 points for the tenth consecutive game.

Given that the Youth team were able to defeat the Inner West Hawks 5-0 in the earlier game, the Club Championship table in FNSW League Two Men’s places the Newcastle Jets 24 points in front of their nearest rival.

Round 11 FNSW League Two Men’s:

Newcastle Jets vs Inner West Hawks FC on Sunday 16^th April at the LMRFF, Speers Point.

Youth Jets won 5-0

U20s Jets won 3-1

Round 11 FNSW League Two Men’s Results:

FNSW League Two Men’s Table:

FNSW League Two Men’s Club Championship Table:

Round 9 FNSW Youth League One:

Newcastle Jets vs Inner West Hawks FC on Sunday 16^th April at the LMRFF, Speers Point.

U15s postponed

U18s Jets lost 3-2

U16s Jets won 2-1

U14s Jets won 3-0

U13s

Newcastle Jets: Patrick Innes 1, Tommy Butcher 5, Nicholas Fowler 14, Jayden Ashbourne 32, Amos Okumu 36, Lucas Walshe 41, Riley Van Haren 43, George Tsamouras 44, Reinhard Lloyd 49, Kynan Watkins 50, Shiwa Dul 53, Subs: Zaviah Di Carlo 15, Ethan Lewis 20, Will Dobson 31, Blake Robinson 35.

source: Tom Tsamouras

U20s Newcastle Jets take on Inner West Hawks on Sunday night at the LMRFF in Round 11 of the FNSW League Two Men’s competition and have good odds of finishing 1/3 of the season on maximum points! The Newcastle team have 9 wins from 9 matches and are obviously in 1^st place on the points table. They have scored 37 and conceded only 11 goals compared to Inner West Hawks who have only won one match and who are last on the points table.

Jets Youth should have little problem securing the 3 points on Sunday afternoon as they trail UNSW FC 4 points behind in 3^rd spot on the ladder. The Youth have 6 wins from 9 matches compared to 1 win by the Hawks who are in second last place of the ladder.

On the all important Club Championship table, the U20s and Youth have opened up a 16 point gap with second placed UNSW FC and with two games in hand. Two wins on the weekend could extend this lead even further with the ultimate prize, promotion to League One Men’s in 2024.

Round 11 FNSW League Two Men’s:

Newcastle Jets vs Inner West Hawks FC on Sunday 16^th April at the LMRFF, Speers Point.

Youth kick off at 5:00pm

U20s kick off at 7:00pm

Round 11 FNSW League Two Men’s Fixtures:

FNSW League Two Men’s Table:

Round 9 FNSW Youth League One:

Newcastle Jets vs Inner West Hawks FC on Sunday 16^th April at the LMRFF, Speers Point.

U15s kick off at 2:05pm

U18s kick off at 1:15pm

U16s kick off at 11:40am

U14s kick off at 10:05am

U13s kick off at 8:30am

Newcastle Jets: 14 Nicholas Fowler, 15 Zaviah Di Carlo, 20 Ethan Lewis, 32 Jayden Ashbourne, 34 Max Bailey, 36 Amos Okumu, 41 Lucas Walshe, 44 George Tsamouras, 47 Angus Martin, 50 Kynan Watkins, 51 Giles Harrison, subs: 5 Tommy Butcher, 31 Wil Dobson, 40 Oscar Archbold.

Source: Tom Tsamouras

The fairytale run by u20s Newcastle Jets continues after their away victory on Friday night, 4-2 against Nepean FC. The youngsters from Newcastle, predominantly 15 and 16 year old, played simple football in wet and cold conditions and were able to go 3-0 up at the break!

Nepean were able to pull one goal back in the 62’ minute but Newcastle extended their lead with a 4^th goal in the 75^th minute. During last stages of the match the youngsters from Newcastle appeared to show signs of fatigue allowing the home side to score in the second last minute but the result had been secured.

Given that Jets Youth were also victors by 4-1 in the ensuing game, the club championship table looks very healthy indeed! With 1/3 of the season complete, the Newcastle Jets have a commanding lead and look like securing promotion at the end of the season.

Round 10 FNSW Men’s Two:

Nepean FC vs Newcastle Jets on Friday 7^th April at Wanderers Football Park Field 7, Sydney.

U20s  Jets won 4-2

Youth Jets won 4-1

Round 10 U20s FNSW League Two Men’s Results:

U20s FNSW League Two Men’s Points Table:

FNSW Men’s Two Club Championship:

Newcastle Jets: 14 Nicholas Fowler, 15 Zaviah Di Carlo, 20 Ethan Lewis, 32 Jayden Ashbourne, 34 Max Bailey, 36 Amos Okumu, 41 Lucas Walshe, 44 George Tsamouras, 47 Angus Martin, 50 Kynan Watkins, 51 Giles Harrison, subs: 5 Tommy Butcher, 31 Wil Dobson, 40 Oscar Archbold.

Round 8 FNSW Youth League One:

Sydney Olympic vs Newcastle Jets on Saturday 8^th April at Peter Moore Field 1, Sydney.

U18s Jets won 2-1

U16s Jets won 3-0

U15s Jets lost 5-0

U14s Jets lost 3-2

U13s Jets won 2-1

Source: Tom Tsamouras

U20s Newcastle take on Nepean FC on Friday night at Wanderers Football Park in Round 10 of FNSW League Two Men’s. The Newcastle team is 1^st, having won every match played so far and having scored 33 goals in 8 matches and only conceding 9!

Nepean are in 6^th position having won only 4 matches and lost 5 with only 13 goals scored and conceding 16. The youngsters from Newcastle are favourites on paper but much will depend on the availability of players from both teams given it’s Good Friday.

Youth have dropped to 4^th spot on the table after last week’s defeat and face a Nepean outfit who are 2^nd! Given a 6 point gap has opened up between them and the league leaders, Jets Youth will need the 3 points to ensure this gap doesn’t get bigger.

Round 10 FNSW Men’s Two:

Nepean FC vs Newcastle Jets on Friday 7^th April at Wanderers Football Park Field 7, Sydney.

U20s Jets kick off at 6:00pm

Youth Jets kick off at 8:00pm

Round 10 U20s FNSW League Two Men’s Fixtures:

U20s FNSW League Two Men’s Points Table:

Round 8 FNSW Youth League One:

Sydney Olympic vs Newcastle Jets on Saturday 8^th April at Peter Moore Field 1, Sydney.

U18s kick off at 2:30pm

U16s kick off at 12:45pm

U15s kick off at 11:10am

U14s kick off at 9:35am

U13s kick off at 8:00am

Source: Tom Tsamouras

Newcastle U20s defeated South Coast Flame 2-0 on Sunday night at the LMRFF and retained their maximum points record by securing their 8^th win in as many matches. The game was a physical encounter in rainy condition which caused six yellow cards amongst the players and even one red produced for a member of the Flame bench.

The first half was a tight affair between two teams that tried to play possession football. Newcastle certainly had some classic opportunities to score with simple tap-ins or shots from point blank positions, but the ball refused to go in. The only goal came from a penalty just before half time when a Newcastle player was tripped inside the box. The ensuing penalty was converted into a goal and the teams went into the break with a 1-0 score-line for the Novocastrians.

The second half continued to be a tight affair with a lot of physical play and yellow cards in very heavy conditions due to the rain. During a corner kick for the Flame, a Wollongong player was judged to have been impeded inside the penalty box despite the ball being floated far above the heads of the players. The ensuing penalty was saved by the Newcastle goalkeeper to the delight of Newcastle spectators.

The Flame pressed the Newcastle players all over the field and it was a cat and mouse game as to who was going to score next. The Flame were either going to equalize or get caught on a counterattack and pay the ultimate price. As it turned out, a well taken corner in the 83′ minute was cleared by the Wollongong goalkeeper after the ball crossed the Flame goal line. The referee awarded the goal and with a 2-0 lead, the Newcastle team had no problem chewing up the few remaining minutes to record their 8^th win in as many games!

source: Tom Tsamouras

Round 8 of the Football NSW Men’s Two competition brings U20s Newcastle Jets against South Coast Flame from Wollongong on Sunday night at the LMRFF, Speers Point. The Newcastle team are sitting in first place on the points table on maximum points while the Flame are in 8^th spot with 3 wins, 1 draw and 3 losses. The biggest difference between the two sides is in attack. Newcastle have scored 31 goals while the Wollongong team only 8.

Newcastle Jets Youth sit in 3^rd place on the points table and will have their hands full against a Flame team which is in 5^th spot only 2 points behind. Statistically both sides are similar but Newcastle is on a must win situation if they want to keep within reach of the league leaders. Given that last week they were able to salvage 3 points in a 1-0 win in the 92’ minute of the game against Western Rage, the team coming last on the table, there is little room for complacency!

Round 8 FNSW Men’s Two:

Newcastle Jets vs South Coast Flame on Sunday 2^nd April at the LMRFF, Speers Point.

Youth Jets kick off at 5:00pm

U20s Jets kick off at 7:00pm

Round 8 U20s FNSW League Two Men’s Fixtures:

U20s FNSW League Two Men’s Points Table:

Round 7 FNSW Youth League One:

Newcastle Jets vs SD Raiders FC on Sunday 2^nd April at the LMRFF, Speers Point.

U18s kick off at 3:00pm

U16s kick off at 1:15pm

U15s kick off at 11:40am

U14s kick off at 10:05am

U13s kick off at 8:30am

Source: Tom Tsamouras

U20s Newcastle Jets delivered a professional performance at Rydalmere Park on Saturday night collecting their 7^th successive victory in as many matches after last weekend’s bye. The Newcastle team dominated play in the first half but lacked movement in the final third against a well structured defence by Western Rage.

In the only opportunity created by the Sydney team throughout the first half, they scored due to a lapse in concentration by the Newcastle defence. Despite the domination, superior technical and physical condition of the Jets, the score remained 1-0 at the break.

In the second half the Jets equalised in the 50^th minute with a screamer of a shot from outside the box! Fifteen minutes later a second goal made the score 2-1 and forced the Rage to stop defending and show a more adventurous approach to the match. Spectators were then treated to an exciting game with the Rage trying to score and bring the game level and the Jets wanting a third goal that would secure the 3 points. In the end a simple tap-in in the 90^th minute ensured the U20s Jets remain on maximum points after seven games played.

Round 7 FNSW League Two Men’s:

Western Rage vs Newcastle Jets on Saturday 25^th March at Rydalmere Park

U20s Jets won 3-1

Jets Youth won 1-0

Round 7 U20s FNSW League Two Men’s Results:

U20s FNSW League Two Men’s Points Table:

Round 6 FNSW Youth League One

Mt Druitt Town Rangers vs Newcastle Jets on Saturday 25^th March at Popondetta Park

U18s Jets drew 2-2

U16s Jets won 4-1

U15s Jets won 1-0

U14s Jets drew 0-0

U13s Jets lost 2-1

Source: Tom Tsamouras