Edgeworth coach Damian Zane praised the determination of his side after they defeated Lambton Jaffas 2-1 to strengthen their hold on top spot in PlayStation® 4 NPL Northern NSW.
Lambton Jaffas FC 1 def. by Edgeworth FC 2
Sat. 25 July 2.30pm
Arthur Edden Oval
Match of the Round
The Eagles extended their ladder lead from two to three points and effectively knocked the in-form Jaffas from second to fourth with a hard-fought win featuring three cracking goals.
Defender-turned-attacker Ayden Brice put Edgeworth ahead with a well-struck volley on the 14-minute mark.
The Jaffas hit back when Alex Palozzi curled a freekick into the top-left corner of goals in the 28th minute.
Edgeworth took back the lead when Dylan Holz made the most of a turnover in Jaffas territory in the 42nd minute, showing his speed to get behind the Lambton defence before producing a well-placed finish.
The Eagles then dominated the second half as the Jaffas struggled to recover from the loss of defenders Kevin Davison (back) and Grant Brown (shin) to injury.
Maitland FC 0 def. by Adamstown Rosebud FC 2
Sat. 25 July 2.30pm
Cooks Square Park
Adamstown coach Graham Law was pleased after his side came through another 2-0 win unscathed but believes their finals chances are all but gone.
After beating Edgeworth 2-0, sixth-placed Rosebud secured the same result against Maitland to move to 22 points – six points behind the top four with three rounds remaining.
Former Newcastle Jet Travis Cooper scored from a Nic Bale pass in the 25th minute and the pair reversed roles in the 31st minute to give the visitors their second.
Weston Workers FC 1 def. Charlestown City Blues FC
Sun. 26 July 2.30pm
Rockwell Automation Park
Weston coach Trevor Morris was relieved to walk away with three points on a ‘‘tough day at the office’’ against Charlestown in windy conditions.
The Bears won via a header from Liam Thornton midway through the first half and a stern defensive effort in the second half. Thornton had a header saved from a set-piece before Robbie Turnbull crossed the rebound back to him for the goal.
The victory moved Weston from fourth to third place on 29 points, one behind Hamilton and one clear of Lambton Jaffas.
South Cardiff FC 3 def. Broadmeadow Magic FC 1
Sun. 26 July 2.30pm
Ulinga Park
Two goals from Korean Jeong Sang-deok and an injury-time sealer from midfielder Matt Darr converted a dominant display from South Cardiff into three valuable points against Magic.
The Gunners moved to nine points, just two points behind second-last Maitland, with their second win of the season.
After a gutsy 3-3 draw with Hamilton, South Cardiff produced their best performance of the year to date.
Jeong was off target early but found the back of the net in the 43rd minute when he took a lobbed pass near halfway before breaking away then chipping advancing Broadmeadow keeper Nathan Archbold.
After a flat first half, Broadmeadow came out with more energy for the second half and equalised in the 54th minute when Kale Bradbery held up the ball in front of goal before hitting a strike on the turn.
Their joy, though, was shortlived as Jeong struck a high volley home in the 64th minute to put the Gunners 2-1 up.
Darr was on the spot in the 91st minute to guarantee the win, powering a shot into the back of the net after sustained pressure from the Gunners.
Hamilton Olympic FC 7 def. Newcastle Jets Youth 0
Sun. 26 July 2.30pm
Darling Street Oval
Hamilton jumpstarted their title hopes with a 7-0 thrashing of the Newcastle Jets Youth to move into second place with the best goal difference in the league.
Hamilton led 4-0 at half-time and were never threatened as Kane Goodchild and Simon Mooney scored two goals each and Jacob Bailey, Jason Korotkich and Ben Koina finished with one apiece.
The victory ended a frustrating run for Olympic, who were unbeaten leaders before having three draws and a loss in the previous four rounds.
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