NPL Men's NNSW Round 20 Review: Magic take title fate into their own hands as Jaffas slip up

Game of the round
Broadmeadow Magic 0-0 Charlestown Azzurri

Broadmeadow took their destiny into their own hands as champions, while Magic remained at the top of the table despite sharing the points with Charlestown Azzurri.

There was a goalless draw at Magic Park on Sunday afternoon, but the point was enough to keep Magic top of the table, three points ahead of Lambton Jaffas, who slipped up against Valentine.

Broadmeadow coach Jim Cresnar knows his side will stay top of the table despite missing this weekend as they play a catch-up match thanks to a much better goal difference. They're back in action in two weeks when they host Valentine FC. If Magic beat Valentine and New Lambton in their final two games, they'll be crowned champions.

Azzurri have moved up to fourth in the table and will be hoping to further cement their position in the finals when they travel to Macquarie Field on Saturday to face bottom-placed Lake Macquarie City FC in their rescheduled Round 14 match.

Cooks Hill United – Maitland FC 5-0

Cooks Hill United maintained their six-game unbeaten streak following a convincing 5-0 win over Maitland FC at Fearnley Dawes Athletics Field on Saturday.

Zaik Luck gave the home side the lead in the 12th minute after he ran onto a ball in the penalty area and sent goalkeeper Matthew Trott the wrong way.

Cooks Hill doubled their lead a minute later when Carter Smith fired the ball hard and flat into the net on the turn.

Smith extended the lead in the 31st minute when he fired the ball home before a Callum Bower own goal gave Cooks Hill a 4-0 lead at half-time.

Cooks Hill continued to dominate the second half across all areas of the pitch and decided the game in the 57th minute when Smith scored a hat-trick.

The win keeps Cooks Hill in the fight for a top-five place, two points behind Newcastle Olympic and Charlestown Azzurri.

They will hope to keep their momentum going when they face Edgeworth FC in two weeks, with Chris Zoricich's team not in action in this weekend's post-season.

Maitland will be desperate to recover from their second consecutive defeat which has seen them drop to ninth in the table, and Mick Bolch will be hoping his side can turn things around when they return home on Saturday to face New Lambton FC in their postponed last 16 match.

Edgeworth FC 4-0 Lake Macquarie City FC

Edgeworth FC continued its winning streak with a 4-0 win over Lake Macquarie City FC at Jack McLaughlan Oval on Saturday.

The Eagles took the lead in the 26th minute after being awarded a penalty for bringing down Aaron Oppedisano in the box.

Ryan Feutz stepped up and calmly converted the penalty to give his team the lead.

Oppedisano and Feutz teamed up again to score Edgeworth's second goal in the final seconds of the first half. Feutz slotted the ball into the net after Oppedisano had shot it across the goal.

The Eagles didn't let anything go wrong in the second half and Keanu Moore increased the lead to 3-0 with a flat, hard ball from the edge of the penalty area into the bottom corner of the net.

Feutz secured his hat-trick for the afternoon and his place at the top of the Golden Boot race with a powerful shot from outside the box that flew past goalkeeper Cobe Preston.

The win also secured Edgeworth third place in the league table, which the team will hope to maintain when they face Lambton Jaffas in the rescheduled Round 14 match at Arthur Edden Oval on Saturday.

Lakes remain bottom of the table, having failed to pick up the points to save their season, and will look to end their campaign on a high note when they return home to Macquarie Field to host Charlestown Azzurri on Saturday.

New Lambton FC vs Newcastle Olympic

Game postponed due to wet weather conditions.

Valentine FC – Lambton Jaffas 3-1

Valentine FC pulled off a crucial upset to secure their season with a 3-1 win over Lambton Jaffas at the Croudace Bay Complex on Saturday.

Jaffas were keen to get back to the top of the table but were unable to do so as the Phoenix were too strong for them.

The away team opened the scoring in the 17th minute through Bailey Newton. The Jaffas stormed up the pitch before Matthew Cahill fired a shot at goal. The shot was saved by goalkeeper Brodie Volkiene but the ball bounced into the path of Newton who fired the ball into the net.

But just before half-time, Valentine struck back from a Toby Jensen header. His first shot was saved by captain and goalkeeper Ben Kennedy before the ball bounced into the air, giving Jensen a second chance to head the ball into an empty net.

The Phoenix had a chance to take the lead in the minutes after the break with a powerful shot from Isaac Preston-Poole, but his attempt hit the crossbar and went over the goal.

In the 71st minute, Valentine finally took the lead through Nicholas Martinelli before Jensen scored his second goal of the day to secure all three points for his side.

Valentine will be hoping to maintain their momentum when they welcome Adamstown Rosebud in their rescheduled Round 14 match on Saturday.

Jaffas will be desperate to recover and stay in the championship race when they return home to Authur Edden Oval to host Edgeworth FC on Saturday.

Weston Workers FC 6-0 Adamstown Rosebud

Weston Workers FC celebrated their third consecutive win after defeating Adamstown Rosebud 6-0 at Rockwell Automation Park on Sunday.

The home side took the lead in the seventh minute when Cooper Buswell ducked, rounded the Adamstown defence and slotted the ball into the net.

Two minutes later, Jye Bailey doubled the Bears' lead when he headed the ball past goalkeeper Liam Michels.

Weston increased the score again in the 18th minute through Christopher Hatfield before Bailey scored his second goal of the afternoon in the 40th minute to make it 4-0 at half-time.

The Bears didn't let up in the second half and Yuta Konagaya found the back of the net in the 61st minute before Bailey completed his hat trick ten minutes later.

With the win, the Bears climbed to eighth place and are five points behind the top five.

They will hope to continue their winning streak when they travel to Darling Street Oval on Saturday to face Newcastle Olympic in their rescheduled Round 14 clash.

Adamstown remain in 11th place and their hopes of getting out of the relegation play-off zone are fading.

Chris Moylan hopes they can turn things around when they face Valentine FC on Saturday.