SPROULE SPORTS FOCUS
The Northern NSW Football (NNSWF) FFA Cup State Qualifiers, Round 6, saw four National Premier Leagues (NPL) Northern NSW sides progress to the last qualification round as Valentine Phoenix, Maitland FC, Hamilton Olympic and Edgeworth Eagles progressed to Round 7 following wins at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility (LMRFF).
Round 7 will now see Maitland FC host Hamilton Olympic at Cooks Square Park this Tuesday, 11th June, 7:30pm, while Valentine Phoenix will play Edgeworth Eagles at the LMRFF this Wednesday, 12th June at 7:30pm.
Valentine kicked off the day with a huge 8-1 victory over the only NEWFM Northern League One outfit Kahibah FC which included doubles to Matt Paul and Tom Motherway.
Paul got the Phoenix off to a tremendous start scoring his first after five minutes and his second just forty seconds later however a goal to Reece Tippett brought Kahibah back into it.
Valentine went on with it in the second half though scoring multiple goals to seal the victory which included five coming in the last fifteen minutes, booking their spot in Round 7 for the first time in club history.
North Coast Football (NCF) side Boambee Bombers looked to stun NPL NNSW team Maitland FC with an early goal coming to the underdogs in the opening minutes thanks to Brady Parker, however the Magpies quickly turned things back in their favour following a Joel Wood double as well as other goals to Sean Pratt, James Thompson and Ryan Clarke.
This marks just the second time Maitland have featured in Round 7, while Hamilton Olympic will progress for the third time after winning 10-1 against Football Far North Coast (FFNC) team Bangalow Bluedogs.
Both Rhys Cooper and Kent Harrison both scored four goals in Olympic’s onslaught while Rory Devlin scored right on the stroke of half-time to send his home with at least one to their name.
In the final game of the day, 2016 and 2018 NPL NNSW Grand Finalists Broadmeadow Magic and Edgeworth Eagles battled in a colossus match that saw the Eagles come out with a slim victory.
Aden Gardner picked up the first goal of the game with a long-range, deflected shot to fired past Paul Bitz in goals, while Keanu Moore’s second-half goal gave the defending NPL NNSW Premiers a brace.
Two goals to Oliver Smith in the final moments sealed the deal for Edgeworth, successfully moving onto Round 7 and tumbling Magic out in the process.
Matt Paul (Valentine), Joel Wood (Maitland), Rhys Cooper (Hamilton) and Josh Evans (Edgeworth) were all awarded the TAFE NSW ‘Game Changer’ – Player of the Match, proudly sponsored by NNSWF’s Major Partner in Education and Training, TAFE NSW, for their efforts in their respective matches.
NNSWF FFA Cup Round 7 Fixtures:
Maitland FC vs. Hamilton Olympic – Tuesday 11th June, 7:30pm @ Cooks Square Park
Valentine Phoenix vs. Edgeworth – Wednesday 12th June, 7:30pm @ LMRFF
