Northern NSW NPL club Charlestown Azzurri were made to work hard for a win over second-division Kahibah in their opening FFA Cup match of the year.
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Azzurri trailed 1-0 at half-time at Kahibah Oval on Wednesday night but fought back to take the game 4-2.
Kahibah, who have no points across four rounds of Northern League One this season, went ahead in the seventh minute with a goal from Riley Ferguson.
Charlestown coach Graham Law made changes at half-time, bringing on first-grade captain Matt Tull and key signing Dom Bizzarri.
Another top-grade regular, Callum Bower, had come on in the 40th minute for Zac Lloyd, who was carried off with a knee injury and will miss the NPL clash with Valentine on Sunday at Lisle Carr Oval. The first-round catch-up match is the only NPL action this weekend.
Bower levelled for Charlestown in the 55th minute and Bizzarri put them ahead in the 70th from the penalty spot.
Dean Pettit made it 3-1 three minutes later but Kahibah were back in the contest with a second to Ferguson in the 76th.
Regan Lundy, in his first match back from a two-game suspension, restored the two-goal buffer just two minutes later as Azzurri progressed to the next stage of Northern NSW qualifiers in the national knockout.
Law was pleased with the response from his mix of first and reserve grade players in the second half.
"They deserved to lead at half-time, so fair play to them, they were pressing us all over the park," Law said.
"We changed our shape and made the subs at half-time. The boys got a serve at half-time but I was pretty happy in the end.
"Down 1-0 at half-time on a Wednesday night at Kahibah and you win the second half 4-1, I'll take that and get out of there."
In the other opening round-four match on Wednesday night, Belmont Swansea thumped fellow Northern League One side Wallsend 8-1 at The Gardens with Kane Woolston scoring a hat-trick.
The remaining games will be held midweek next week, except for the West Wallsend versus Dudley Redhead and Edgeworth versus New Lambton matches, which have been pushed back to May 11 and 12 respectively.