Lake Macquarie striker Sam Walker starred in his PlayStation®4 NPL Northern NSW return to Magic Park, scoring a hat-trick and assisting the other goal as the Roosters caused one of the shocks of the season.
Match of the Round
Maitland Magpies v Hamilton Olympic at Cooks Square Park
Washed out
Broadmeadow Magic 1 (J.Virgili 17’) defeated by Lake Macquarie Roosters 4 (Walker 12’, 76’, 87’, Broadley 49’) at Magic Park
Walker’s heroics helped Lakes soar to the top of the PS4 4 NPL ladder on a wet and windy Sunday afternoon.
For the second time in two matches, Broadmeadow conceded the opening goal, and it was Walker who did the damage. The Roosters striker weaved down the right edge of the box before rolling his shot into the bottom corner to give the visitors the lead in the 12th minute.
As they did last weekend though Broadmeadow responded. After Lakes gave the ball away at the back, James Virgili was on hand to clinically finish from the edge of the box to level the match up.
The home side continued to probe until the break and was unlucky not to take the lead. Kale Bradbury had some near misses, while right on the stroke of half-time Magic skipper Josh Piddington put his header over the bar from close range.
Valentine Phoenix 3 (Edwards 28’, Micallef 67’, McGinley 85’) defeated Lambton Jaffas 2 (Griffiths (p) 44’, (p) 55’) at Arthur Edden Oval.
Lambton coach James Pascoe said his goalkeeper Brad Swancott ‘crossed the line’ on Saturday afternoon after the veteran goalkeeper was sent off in the first half of the Jaffas 3-2 home defeat at the hands of Valentine.
Swancott was sent off for abusing an assistant referee after a wrong call was made regarding an offside. While Pascoe said the decision was a ‘very bad piece of officiating’ there was no excuse for Swancott’s behaviour.
“I’ve got no issues with the red card. You can’t speak to officials that way. We’ve been warned there was going to be a crackdown on it. The players have been warned on it. No excuses, he’s done the wrong thing,” Pascoe said.
After Wilson Edwards got the Phoenix off to a dream start in the 28th minute, the Jaffas trailed 1-0 when Swancott was sent from the field minutes later. But, they didn’t take long to respond. Phoenix keeper Scott Carter knocked Joel Griffiths to the ground in the box in the 41st minute and referee Cameron Burns pointed to the spot.
Griffiths stepped up and buried his penalty into the left corner and the Jaffas headed to the sheds all square.
Charlestown City Blues 4 (Atkinson 16’, Tull 76’, Ferguson 80’, Casciaroli (p) 82’) defeated Newcastle Jets Youth 1 (Joice 65’) at Lisle Carr Oval.
Charlestown responded to coach Shane Pryce’s comments after last weekend’s disappointing draw with Lake Macquarie in fine style on Saturday.
Pryce told the Newcastle Herald last weekend the performances against Lakes ‘was one of the most atrocious efforts I’ve seen from guys in a sky blue shirt’. But, the Blues were poles apart from that performance against the Jets Youth.
Corey Atkinson scored his first goal for the Blues in the 16th minute when he ran onto a pinpoint chipped ball over the top of the Jets defence and slotted home.
Adamstown Rosebud 3 (Ensor 12’, Read 15’, 17’) drew with Weston Bears 3 (Buswell 4’, 62’, Thompson 58’)
Two sides that yet to take three points this season will have to wait at least another week to taste the winning feeling.
Weston produced another spirited fightback in their round four clash with the Rosebud’s, coming back from 3-1 down to take a point away from Adamstown Oval.
In his Weston debut, it took just five minutes for Cooper Buswell to get himself on the scoresheet. Jamie Byrnes fired in a left-foot shot from the edge of the box which Rosebud’s keeper Paul Bitz dived to save but could only parry it out to Cooper Buswell who slotted home for his first goal in black and white.
But, the lead was short-lived for the Bears, as Adamstown embarked on a scoring spree. Ryan Ensor whipped in a free kick 45 degrees on the right which deflected off a couple of players and bounced into the back of the net in the 13th minute.
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