NPL NNSW: Tom Parkes strikes early to give Valentine winning start in 2023

Parkes, who came to Phoenix from Lake Macquarie, finished from the left side of goal with a well-placed shot across keeper Nick Hartnett. Valentine skipper Harry Lane had found an unmarked Parkes with a chipped ball back into the mix from a cleared free kick.

The early goal proved the difference for Valentine, who finished a win outside the finals last year in seventh but have since lost leading goalscorer Ryan Clarke and former A-League players Nick Cowburn and Matt Thompson.

Player-coach Adam Hughes, who returned to the field after missing most of 2022 with injury, was relieved to get away with the win.

"It was a good finish from Tom, and a good start, and something that we needed early in the season," Hughes said. "We've still got a lot of players coming back from injury and stuff like that. It was a tough win but I think well deserved in the end.

"If we took one or two of the other good chances we had, it would have changed the game. But at 1-0, that made it difficult and the energy of their young boys meant they continued going and we just had to fight."

He said the goal-scoring combination were among his side's best players.

"I thought Tom had a very good performance and Harry did well for his first game back. He missed all pre-season through injury," he said.

Phoenix also unveiled Brazilian signing Rodrigo, who came off the bench.

On Saturday, Charlestown finished with eight players but held on for a 1-0 win over NPL debutants New Lambton at Alder Park.

Matt Johnson (51^st minute) and Harry Frendo (84th) copped straight red cards for striking and a studs-up challenge respectively before Luke Callan was given a second booking in stoppage time. Rene Ferguson (65th) scored in between the straight reds with a header after Taylor Regan hit the crossbar.

Edgeworth downed Newcastle Olympic 2-0 with second-half goals at Darling Street Oval. Sascha Montefiore nodded on a Tom Curran free kick in the 58^th minute before Joe Melmeth marked his return to the Eagles with a finish off a Pat Wheeler pass in the 71^st.

In the other Saturday match, former Jaffas Matt Berrigan and Brock Beveridge scored doubles in Cooks Hill's 5-2 win over Lake Macquarie at Fearnley Dawes Athletics Field.

On Friday night, Broadmeadow beat Weston 2-0 at Magic Park and the Jaffas-Maitland clash at Adamstown Oval was abandoned at 1-1 after 22 minutes because of a serious leg injury to Luke Remington.

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