Newcastle Olympic travel away to Cooks Hill in Round 12 of the NPL competition in the first of three consecutive away fixtures. After wash out games against New Lambton and Belmont in Rounds 10 and 11 respectively, Olympic will face Cooks Hill on Sunday, weather permitting!
The Reserve Grade fixture is a battle between first placed Olympic and second placed Cooks Hill! Both teams are of equal strength on paper and the fixture should prove an exciting encounter for the supporters of both clubs. Cooks Hill inflicted a 2-0 loss to Olympic in the opening game of the season. Olympic were to lose the ensuing game as well but since then have recorded 7 consecutive wins! Cooks Hill are 3 points behind on the table but with a game in hand. A win for Olympic will serve as pay-back for the loss at the start of the season as well as an opportunity to put some distance between themselves and the teams that follow on the points table.
The match is scheduled at Fearnley Dawes Athletic Field, kick off at 1.00pm on Sunday 18th May. WASHED OUT
First Grade are in equal 4th spot on the table, 2 points ahead of Cooks Hill who occupy 7th place. Both teams have won 4 games but Olympic have lost only 3 to Cooks Hill’s 6! Olympic won the first game at Darling St Oval 4-2 and have a stronger attack and a tighter defence. Olympic are favourites to win the 3 points and if they do, they will be close to the pace setters and within the top 5. Alternatively, a draw or a loss will result in them bowing out of the top 5.
The match is scheduled at Fearnley Dawes Athletic Field, kick off at 3.30pm on Sunday 18th May. WASHED OUT
The wet weather claimed Round 11 of the Northern NSW NPL competition with only a handful of games played and with Newcastle Olympic FC occupying 1st place in Reserve Grade and equal 4th place in First Grade. Both scheduled games against Belmont-Swansea at Darling St Oval were washed out.
Despite not having played again since Round 9 at Edgeworth, Reserve Grade sit comfortably in 1st place on the ladder, 2 points ahead of Adamstown and 3 points ahead of Cooks Hill, with one game in hand from the former and two games in hand from the later! They achieved this with seven consecutive wins after losing their first two games of the season.
The Round 10 wash out against New Lambton has been re-scheduled for Wednesday 21st May 2025 while the Round 11 wash out against Belmont has yet to be decided.
The Newcastle Olympic FC Reserve Grade consists mainly of players aged between 18 and 20 and the fact they sit in 1st place indicates the depth and quality that the club can draw from for their First Grade. The club have amongst the best young players in Northern NSW NPL to draw upon for the future of their First Grade squad. Not only is this great news for these players but it’s also a testimony of the quality of the technical staff at the club who nurture these players through their junior years.
First Grade have had a satisfactory first half to the season with 4 wins, 3 losses and 2 draws but there have been games where they have played well without reward and other times reward without playing well. Consistency should therefore be the objective in the second half of the season.
They sit in equal 4th spot on 14 points, 9 below league leaders Edgeworth Eagles. They are well positioned to end up in the top 5 and be in the play-offs at the end of the season but with more consistency they could even challenge for the Premiership.
Newcastle Olympic FC reach the halfway mark of the 2025 NPL season with a home game against Belmont Swansea United FC. Despite only one match played in Round 9 due to the weather, the halfway mark of the season finds Reserve Grade in 1st place and First Grade in equal 4th place.
The Round 10 fixtures against New Lambton FC were washed out due to the rain experienced in Newcastle over the past week. These fixtures have been re-scheduled for Wednesday 21st May 2025. At the halfway mark, Reserve Grade sit in 1st place on the ladder, 3 points clear from Cooks Hill United and with a game in hand. Regardless of the result in Round 11 they will finish the first half of the season in first place. Given that the majority of players are aged between 18 and 20, it shows the depth and quality available for First Grade when reinforcements are required in the foreseeable future!
Apart from two losses in the opening two games of the season at home, Olympic have won 7 consecutive matches to be at the top of the points table. Belmont Swansea are in second last spot with 3 wins and 6 losses. They are a compact team that doesn’t concede nor score goals easily. Both teams did not play in Round 10 and will be itching for action this Sunday. If Olympic perform with the same intensity and level of aggression as in previous games, the 3 points should be added to their tally.
The match kicks off at 12.00am on Sunday 10th May 2025, at Darling St Oval. WASHED OUT
First Grade have had a satisfactory first half to the season with 4 wins, 3 losses and 2 draws but there have been games where they have played well without reward and other times reward without playing well. Consistency should therefore be the objective in the second half of the season.
Belmont Swansea United FC is a side that has recorded only 1 win all season but at the same time has only lost on 3 occasions. They are the draw specialists, having drawn 5 of their games, more than any other team in the competition. With a win in front of their supporters at Darling St Oval on Sunday, Olympic can climb to 3rd spot on the ladder.
The match kicks off at 2.00am on Sunday 10th May 2025, at Darling St Oval. WASHED OUT
Newcastle Olympic return to Darling St Oval for Round 10 of the NPL competition and are favourites to collect maximum points against struggling New Lambton FC.
After seven consecutive wins Olympic Reserve Grade will be attempting to add another 3 points to their tally and end the half-way mark of the season entrenched in first spot of the points ladder. After another routine win at Edgeworth the boys in blue take on a New Lambton side which concedes on average 3 goals a game! This is the essential difference between the two teams as both have little problem scoring.
Will New Lambton embarrass the home side and put an end to their 7- match consecutive winning streak or will Olympic put on another vintage performance to ensure they finish the first half of the season on top of the table?
The match kicks off at 12.00pm at Darling St Oval on Saturday 3 May, 2025. (WASHED OUT)!
Olympic First Grade appear to have an even easier task against a New Lambton team with the worst defense in the competition who are still to win a single match! Indeed, after 9 games the Eagles have only been able to secure two draws and consequently occupy last place on the table! After dropping to 5th spot on the ladder a win against New Lambton will return Olympic to 3rd spot just before the half-way mark of the season.
Will Olympic bounce back and add their 5th win of the season or will New Lambton collect their first 3 points?
The match kicks off at 2.00pm at Darling St Oval on Saturday 3 May, 2025. (WASHED OUT)!
Newcastle Olympic came away from Edgeworth Eagles with an expected win in Reserve Grade and a loss in First Grade. The scenario prior to both matches was played out exactly as predicted by the end of Round 9 at Jack McLaughlan Oval on Saturday afternoon.
On a slippery and heavy surface at Jack Mclaughlin, league leaders Newcastle Olympic took on 9th placed Edgeworth Eagles and dominated throughout the match. They had the lion’s share of goalscoring opportunities but poor finishing caused the match to end only by 3-1!
Olympic played with a midfield trio of Steinerts, Petersen and Tsamouras that was creative when in possession and compact and competitive for every ball, when not in possession! Edgeworth could only attempt to play forward through the flanks where an equally compact and solid Olympic defense awaited them. The 10-2 ratio of shots on goal by Olympic at the end of the first half told the story.
Olympic opened the score in the 18th minute with a great solo run by Jesse Fitzgerald who dribbled past everyone to score in an empty net. Charlie Halls came close to adding to the score with one shot that came off the cross bar and another one-on-one effort with the keeper to beat that was fired into his arms!
Callan Priestley made it 2-0 in the 51st minute during a skirmish inside the Eagles goalmouth, after a corner, and another routine win was on its way. Despite dominating possession and goal scoring opportunities, Olympic received an awakening that the match wasn’t over in the 62’ minute when Edgeworth scored through a long ball on the right flank that found the Olympic defense momentarily flatfooted.
Olympic continued to pepper the Edgeworth goal. Steven Theacos saw a header from a well taken free kick by George Tsamouras cannon off the woodwork. The goal scoring opportunities continued, as did the poor finishing. In the 78th minute Toby Gallagher put the game beyond the reach of the local team with a header from a well taken corner.
Despite Olympics’ domination of possession, Edgeworth proved a worthy opponent and the game was an entertaining affair.
First Grade Newcastle Olympic entered this match against the only undefeated team of the competition with the best attack and best defense in the league! The difference between the two teams was that Edgeworth played as such compared to an Olympic side that had the desire to win but perhaps not the belief!
Both teams began well, playing entertaining football until an underweighted pass in defense allowed Edgeworth to intercept and score a goal that Olympic provided in a gift box with wrapping paper!
The reaction to this from Olympic was a nervous defense which made one mistake after another. This wasn’t helped by an Edgeworth team that pressed all over the park and committed very few mistakes in their play.
Despite this, Olympic came close to equalizing in the 27th minute when a good combination between Roy O’Donovan and Jared Muller resulted in a shot by the later which came off the Edgeworth woodwork! From the ensuing goal kick and what appeared like a harmless move from the right, the Olympic defense was caught ball watching and Aaron Oppedisano was allowed to dribble across the face of the Olympic box without a challenge and a defense splitting pass to Ryan Feutz made the score 2-0 for the home side.
With a mountain to climb Olympic went forward in search of a goal but despite enjoying the best part of possession until the end of the half, Edgeworth defended in numbers, played possession football and didn’t allow their opponent even a sniff of an opportunity for goal!
The second half continued in the same tempo with Olympic trying to create an opening and Edgeworth keeping the door shut and looking for the quick counter which would put the game beyond reach.
In the 72nd minute a routine corner from Edgeworth and a clearing header by Olympic landed the ball at the feet of an Edgeworth player who could not believe his luck and who had little difficulty firing the ball into the net to record 3-0 for the home side.
With a mountain to climb Olympic continued trying until the final whistle but it was too little too late.
Newcastle Olympic travel to Edgeworth Eagles after the Easter long weekend break. Sitting in first and third place on the Reserve Grade and First Grade points table, respectively, they will have their work cut out against the Eagles.
Following a six week winning streak, Reserve Grade have climbed to the top of their points table and are looking down nine places to find Edgeworth Eagles! The home team have won three games, drawn one and lost four but the most important statistic is they have the worst defence in the league! They have conceded 24 goals in eight games, an average of 3 per game, compared to a total of 9 goals conceded by Olympic! Given that 4 of those 9 were conceded in their last two matches, the difference in strength between the two teams is obvious.
In attack, Edgeworth have scored 22 goals to Olympics’ 19 but what should be alarming for the hosts is that 10 of those goals were scored in the last 2 matches against league leaders Adamstown Rosebud and Broadmeadow Magic!
Will Olympic consolidate their spot at the top of the table by recording their 7th consecutive victory or will the Eagles be able to contain them and cause an upset? The match at Jack McLaughlan kicks off at 12:00pm on Saturday in rainy conditions and a predicted 22 degree day.
First Grade will have their job cut out against the only undefeated team in the league! Olympic sit in equal 3rd spot on 14 points while the Eagles occupy 2nd spot on 20 points. The hosts boast the best attack and best defence in the league! In 8 games they have conceded a mere 4 goals and are the only team to have beaten league leaders, Broadmeadow Magic!
Edgeworth are obviously favourites to take the 3 points and especially in front of their own supporters at Jack McLaughlan oval. Will Olympic spoil the party and edge closer to 2nd spot on the ladder or will the Eagles extend their unbeaten run?
The match kicks off on Saturday at Jack McLaughlan Oval at 2:00pm
Newcastle Olympic climbed to the top of the Reserve Grade ladder after defeating Broadmeadow Magic 4-2 in the Round 6 wash out fixture at Magic Park on Tuesday night. The hosts lead 2-0 before Olympic went into overdrive and in 31’ minutes scored 4 goals and hit the woodwork a further three times!
In wet and slippery conditions both teams began the game with Broadmeadow in control of possession and Olympic soaking up pressure and looking to strike on the counter. Partly the slippery conditions and partly the approach of both teams, the match was poor for the neutral observer. The first 45’ minutes produced few scoring opportunities for both teams and 0-0 summed up the game at the interval. The only talking point for spectators at the half time break was the poor refereeing on display for such a crucial match!
At the start of the second half the hosts stunned the visitors with a long-range effort in the 48th minute! With the 1-0 lead and the share of possession enjoyed by Broadmeadow, the 3 points looked like remaining at Magic Park! Matters got even worse for Olympic when ten minutes later their hosts scored a second goal from another long-range effort to make it 2-0! At this point the game looked to be lost and even the most die-hard Olympic supporters would not have guessed what they were about to witness.
Within two minutes Olympic were able to score and bring back the game to 2-1 and some hope that in the remaining half hour, they could perhaps achieve at least a draw! In the 67th minute Olympic struck again, brought the game level 2-2 and suddenly the belief that the game wasn’t over began to sink in!
The possession enjoyed by Broadmeadow now swapped sides with Olympic in total control, creating one goal scoring opportunity after another! The woodwork saved the locals three times but in the 78th minute a third goal by Max Cotton brought the match 3-2 in Olympics’ favour!
Olympic supporters were stunned with joy while the Magic faithful couldn’t believe what they had just witnessed! In the 85th minute a fourth goal by Charlie Halls increased the lead to 4-2 and the 3 points and first spot on the Reserve Grade ladder was now reality for the team in blue!
Another great derby between these two clubs was over with tears of joy and tears of despair drawn on the faces of the supporters who braved the conditions to watch such an exciting game.
The players of both teams should be commended for keeping their heads in such an important match despite the inconsistent refereeing!
This victory is the 6th consecutive win by the Olympic Reserve Grade team and a surprise given that they lost their opening two games of the season at Darling St Oval.
Newcastle Olympic and Broadmeadow Magic Reserve Grade take to the field at 6pm at Magic Park this evening to play the wash out fixture from Round 6 of the Northern NSW NPL competition.
With only 1 point separating the pair, Olympic go into battle to secure their 6th straight win and 1st spot on the points table against a Magic side that has led from the start of the season! Olympic continue to boast the best defence in the league, having conceded only 7 goals to Magic’s 10, while in attack, the later have scored three goals more, 18-15! After losing the first two games of the season Olympic have won the last five consecutive matches and have been playing some very good football. Magic have led from the start but in the past four matches have dropped points to lowly placed Charlestown Azzurri and lost against Adamstown Rosebud.
Despite statistics and form, clashes between Olympic and Magic are derbies with any result a possible outcome. Another factor with reserve grade fixtures is the possible number of First Grade players who are sometimes included to ensure game time minutes. Lastly, rain has been falling all through the night in Newcastle and the forecast for Tuesday is 90% precipitation!
The match is due to kick off at 6.00pm at Magic Park.
Newcastle Olympic proved much too strong for Adamstown Rosebud, winning 6-2 in Reserve Grade and 4-0 in First Grade in Round 8 of the Northern NSW NPL competition!
In excellent weather conditions Newcastle Olympic commenced proceedings at Darling St Oval on Friday night, after a four-week absence, and were 3-0 up within 23 minutes against second placed Adamstown Rosebud. This is not because the opposition was weak but simply because Olympic were playing their best game of the season. Solid in defence, compact in midfield and lethal in attack, this was the most balanced performance by the team so far and a far cry from the opening two games of the season.
Within the first six minutes of the second half the score increased to 5-0 and the game appeared over as an effective spectacle. Olympic momentarily took their foot off the accelerator while the spectators were probably wondering how First Grade would perform, only to find themselves pegged back to 5-2 by only the 56’ minute!
Olympic took control of the game again, scored another goal in the 73rd minute to make it 6-2 and played out a professional remaining second half during which their entire bench was used to clock up minutes.
The win propels Olympic to 2nd place on the ladder, two points behind league leaders Broadmeadow Magic, who also won on the night, and a showdown between 1st and 2nd set for next Tuesday night at Magic Park.
First Grade decided to emulate their Reserve Grade counterparts by opening proceedings in the 22nd minute and reassuring the Darling St Oval faithful with a 2nd goal in the 39th minute through a well struck penalty. This was also a tough game in which Olympic were in control but against an opponent who was capable of easily turning the match around at any moment.
In the 61st minute Olympic increased the score to 3-0 but unlike Reserve Grade remained focused and kept spectators on the edge of their seats until the end. A fourth goal was added in the 86th minute and another three points were added to their tally.
This win elevates Olympic to equal 3rd place on the ladder and a showdown against 2nd placed Edgeworth Eagles in a fortnights time awaits!
After four away fixtures to Valentine, Maitland, Broadmeadow and Lambton, Newcastle Olympic finally return to Darling St Oval to take on Adamstown Rosebud.
Reserve Grade achieved maximum points in their three away fixtures conceding just the one goal and scoring six! Wins at Valentine 2-1, Maitland 1-0 and Lambton Jaffas 3-0 coupled with a 2-0 home win against Charlestown has brought the side to within 1 point from the top of the league table!
Adamstown Rosebud are equal league leaders with Broadmeadow Magic after defeating the later 2-1. Olympic take on Adamstown at 6.00pm on Friday evening in a game which will decide who will be on top of the league table, given that Olympic also play Broadmeadow Magic the following Tuesday!
Olympics’ strength in this game is their defence, having conceded just 5 goals which is the least amount conceded by any team in the competition, and coming from four consecutive wins. Adamstown on the other hand have conceded 12 but will be confident as they inflicted the first loss on the league leaders in their last outing!
Will Olympic make it five in a row ahead of their clash with Broadmeadow Magic which will determine which team will go into the Easter break at the top of the league or will the Rosebuds be the cause of their third home defeat of the season?
First Grade recorded two wins, a draw and a loss in their four away games. They sit in 5th place on the table 7 points behind the league leaders and 2 points ahead of sixth placed Adamstown Rosebud! A win on Friday night will draw the team closer to 3rd spot and create a buffer of 5 points with Adamstown.
Both teams are guilty of leaky defences with Olympic conceding 11 goals in seven games while the Rosebuds have allowed 18! In attack Olympic have scored 15 to Adamstown’s 13 but when they dominate games, such as the one against Broadmeadow Magic, they don’t win!
Olympic need to combine domination of play with not conceding silly goals against the run of play! The game at Darling St Oval kicks off at 8.00pm.
George Tsamouras Football Journey 