Azzurri beat Weston 1-0 at Lisle Carr Oval in round 12 with a header from Ferguson in the 82^nd minute off a Regan Lundy corner. That came two minutes after skipper Matt Tull was shown a second yellow card after a confrontation with Bears captain Nathan Morris.

In-demand keeper Archbold, who re-signed this week for 2021, had kept Charlestown in the game with three diving saves between the 63^rd and 67^th minutes.

Charlestown rose to sixth on 17 points and all but ended the play-off hopes of the Bears, who have 15 points and one game - against Lake Macquarie - to play. Azzurri have matches against Broadmeadow and Lakes to go and can finish as high as third. That would be a remarkable effort given they had just one point from their opening four games of the 13-match season.

Azzurri finished with nine men when they defeated Weston 2-1 in round five.

"It's just the character of the squad, when things go against us, we lift a level," Azzurri coach Graham Law said. "It's a rewarding win because with the ball we've played better and got nothing. But not losing becomes as much a habit as losing."

In a boost for Azzurri, three-time league top-scorer Kane Goodchild returned from injury off the bench for the first time this year.