Let’s check out the mini-reviews from Round 2 of the National Premier Leagues Northern NSW Men's competition.
Catch up on all the action below!
Match of the Round
Edgeworth FC 2-1 Broadmeadow Magic
Jarred Baker opened the scoring for Broadmeadow Magic but the Eagles didn't miss a trick in the second half to score twice and win 2-1 on Sunday.
Both teams tried to implement their brand of passing football at Jack McLaughlan Oval but an aggressive press and combative midfield denied both teams the opportunity to stamp their authority on the game.
An Edgeworth error on the edge of the penalty area allowed dangerman Baker to steal the ball and instinctively strike for his third goal of the season.
Edgeworth winger Joseph Melmeth was a thorn in the Magic backline, marauding down the right flank to great effect.
A long pass from the left found Melmeth lurking on the right side which initiated the fight back.
Melmeth zig-zagged to create enough space to deliver a mouth-watering cross which Josh Rose volleyed home.
On 71 minutes a telepathic pass from Andrew Pawiak to Tom Curran made it 2-1.
Pawiak received the ball deep in his own half, looked up and hit a perfectly weighted long ball over the top of the Magic defence into the stride of a sprinting Tom Curran.
Curran instinctively hit it first time, lobbing the advancing goalkeeper to make it 2-1 and six points for the Eagles after round two.
Edgeworth coach Peter McGuinness was pleased with the robust performance against the reigning premiers.
"I was very happy with the performance today. The boys put in a lot of effort and our structures were very good," McGuinness said.
New Lambton FC 1-9 Maitland FC
As the mercury soared at Alder Park on Saturday kick-off was delayed as match officials explained the heat policy of 90 second drink breaks in each half.
With Guns N’ Roses blasting from the loudspeakers pre-game the Magpies made themselves welcome to the jungle thrashing New Lambton 9-1.
Ty Cousins scored after 40 seconds and Will McFarlane doubled the lead after two minutes as the Golden Eagles chased shadows.
In all-round immaculate performance, Braedyn Crowley made it 3-0 after 30 minutes.
New Lambton went back to the drawing board, gave up the aggressive press and started defending from the halfway line which temporarily contained the high-flying Magpies.
New Lambton were unlucky to miss a penalty on the stroke of half-time and came out rejuvenated in the second half pulling back a goal.
The score remained 3-1 until the second drinks break when the Magpies ran riot in the last 20 minutes, scoring six goals.
Braedyn Crowley bagged a hat-trick with two goals apiece from James Thompson and Tyrell Paulson.
Maitland boss Michael Bolch was pleased with the goal fest.
"We started well, 2-0 up after three minutes and the game slowed down a bit due to the conditions,” Bolch said.
"The boys have put in a lot of work in pre-season and it showed in the last 30 minutes as we finished strong and scored six goals in the last third of the game.”
For the middle part of the match the reigning Northern League One premiers New Lambton played well but it was a stark reminder that any drop in concentration at this level will get punished.
The result sent a stern message to the league, the reigning premiers mean business and are intent on defending their title.
Lake Macquarie City FC 1-2 Newcastle Olympic
A youthful Newcastle Olympic overhauled Lake Macquarie 2-1 at Macquarie Field on Saturday afternoon.
A majestic first touch from Olympic’s Max Cotton set himself flying up the pitch from a goalkeeper kick.
Cotton looked up, saw the Lake Macquarie goalkeeper advancing off his line and floated the ball 35 yards to open the scoring.
Olympic almost doubled their lead on the hour but fantastic goalkeeper saves denied them twice in four minutes.
On 68 minutes Lake Macquarie launched a free kick high into the sky.
With the sun in his eyes, the Olympic goalkeeper fumbled and fox-in-the-box Tomasz Kowalski picked up the pieces to put Lake Macquarie level.
Olympic threw the kitchen sink at Lake Macquarie and were rewarded with three minutes to go.
A penetrating run from Jye Rodway followed by a square pass to Jack Burston who tapped home wrapped up the match and points for Olympic.
Pleased but room for improvement was the assessment of Newcastle Olympic coach Joel Griffiths.
"We didn't play our best but got it done," Griffiths said.
"[It’s a] work in progress for [our] young squad. [Our] average age was 21, the experience will go a long way with every game.
"It was an improved, more disciplined Lake Macquarie City to the team who conceded five last week."
Cooks Hill United 1-1 Adamstown Rosebud
Joel Clissold fired a free kick into the bottom corner to put Cooks Hill ahead after 71 minutes at No.2 Sportsground on Saturday.
But it was a heart-breaking finish for the Cooks Hill faithful when Will Cinello equalised for Adamstown Rosebud in the 92nd minute to salvage a 1-1 draw.
The late goal was a bitter pill to swallow for Cooks Hill United boss Chris Zorocich.
"To concede in the last seconds like that makes it feel like a loss," Zorocich said.
"I didn't think we played anywhere near where we needed to be today. Poor execution and decision-making.
"However the positive is, we still picked up a point despite being below par today.”
Adamstown Rosebud gaffer David Rosewarne took comfort from the never say die attitude.
"We were on the back foot for a lot of the first half and Cooks Hill were likely unlucky not to have led at the break," Rosewarne said.
"Second half we were much better but conceding from the free kick was going to be a great test of character.
"At the end of the day you have to play for the full 90 minutes and I think we were rewarded for our effort and desire to get something out of the match.”
Charlestown Azzurri 3-0 Valentine FC
Charlestown overpowered Valentine scoring three answered goal to send Azzurri top of the table after round two.
Stellar centre-back performances from Nigel Boogard and Taylor Regan provided a strong foundation from the back who are unsurprisingly the only team not to concede a goal after two rounds.
Crisp passing from Boogard and Regan built their structures from the back and the dynamic duo dominated everything in the air.
Boogard's aerial prowess was on show after 31 minutes as he nodded Azzurri ahead from a corner.
Dean Pettit doubled the lead on 42 minutes with a right-footed rocket into the top left corner from 30 yards.
Three exquisite one-touches from one end of the pitch to the other made it 3-0 for Azzurri.
Azzurri goalkeeper Nathan Archbold hoofed the ball into the final third of the pitch, a touch in midfield and a first-time strike from Regan Lundy capped off a terrific afternoon for the hosts.
Azzurri go top of the table ahead of Edgeworth on goal difference.
Azzurri coach James Pascoe applauded the measured performance.
"Good result, intelligent performance, the players executed the game plan well," Pascoe said.
Lambton Jaffas 0-3 Weston Workers FC
Weston scored an impressive 3-0 win over reigning champions Lambton Jaffas at Rockwell Automation Park on Saturday night.
With Arthur Edden Oval under construction for new drainage, the Bears had the luxury of hosting the tie in front of their home supporters.
The Bears confidently stroked the ball around the park to the delight of the home crowd and stamped their authority on the match from the opening whistle.
Impressive debuts for new signings Connor Heydon who scored two goals and the penetrating runs from Japanese import Yuta Konagaya bolstered their attack in the final third.
Weston zipped the ball around instilling a brand of passing football that was easy on the eye and their pressure was rewarded after 26 minutes with a penalty.
Jaffas goalkeeper Ben Kennedy blocked the initial attempt but after a goalmouth scramble, Connor Heydon eventually put the ball in the back of the net.
A bullet from Cooper Buswell on 34 minutes put the Bears 2-0 up at half-time.
Heydon added a second to cap off a fine performance for the Bears.
But it was a bittersweet night for Heydon who received a straight red card for a sliding tackle with 10 minutes to go.
The tackle angered the Jaffas which resulted in a melee and two more red cards as Sam Webb and Nathan Verity of the Jaffas received their marching orders.
It was a subdued performance from Lambton who never really got into the match and have been rallying around Luke Remington who underwent ankle surgery last week.
It is too early to tell if the Bears have the credentials to be title contenders but their new signings have added pazazz in the final third and with former Dutch international Kew Jaliens at the helm anything is possible.