NPL: Charlestown Azzurri bounce back to build advantage at the top

After a 3-2 loss to Lambton last week cut their lead to two points, Azzurri moved to 24 points - now four clear of Weston and the Jaffas.

Magic striker Jarred Baker scored from the spot in the 34^th minute, after he was fouled by keeper Nathan Archbold. It came after Ferguson's header hit the post moments earlier.

However, Ferguson couldn't be denied in the 39^th minute with a side-foot finish off Harry Frendo's ball in for 1-1. He then broke the arm-wrestle to put Azzurri up in the 67^th minute with a shot keeper Cesar Serpa jumped to stop but could only parry over the goalline.

Kyle Munns then put Charlestown clear in the 85^th minute with a nice finish.

Ferguson, who scored twice two weeks ago in a 2-1 win over Olympic, was a constant threat in the tough conditions. Charlestown coach James Pascoe said heavy rain before kick-off made the "surface like a skating rink".

"He's pretty important," Pascoe said of Ferguson.

"He's obviously at the back end of it all, but his experience and what he brings on the park, he brings tenfold in the dressing shed as well."

At Weston Park on Sunday, the Bears beat New Lambton 5-3 with a hat-trick from Ben Clouten to rise to second.

New Lambton's Riley Taylor scored in the 14^th minute, but Weston were level just two minutes later when Aaron Niyonkuru tapped-in at a failed clearance. Yuta Konagaya had the hosts up in the 21^st when he also bounced on a mistake at the back and Clouten made it 3-1 in the 32^nd off a scramble.

The visitors pulled one back in first-half injury time with a wicked deflection off a Fletcher Davis free kick before drawing level in the 50^th minute through a quality strike from Kai Bradley. But Clouten jumped on a turnover to score in the 65^th minute then nodded in a fumble off a free kick in the 83^rd.

In the late game, Jared Muller scored a first-half hat-trick to set up a 3-2 win for Olympic over Maitland at Darling Street Oval.

Muller scored just 45 seconds in with a well-hit strike. Braedyn Crowley equalised in the 14^th minute but Muller struck in the 26^th with his own one-on-one finish before a cracking volley after chesting the ball in the 33rd.

Crowley gave Maitland a chance with a goal in the 71^st minute but Olympic survived to jump to fifth spot on 16 points. Defending premiers Maitland remain ninth on nine points.

On Saturday, fourth-placed Edgeworth came back from a goal down twice before defeating Adamstown 3-2 with a late own goal, Cooks Hill drew 1-1 with a 10-man Jaffas and Valentine beat Lake Macquarie 3-0.

Teenager Murray Peart scored twice for Adamstown, finishing first off a long breakaway run in the 30^th minute. The Eagles levelled in first-half stoppage time when Sascha Montefiore hit home a cutback from Jarryd Sutherland.

Peart's second was a tap-in in the 49^th minute after Dino Fajkovic's shot was blocked. Edgeworth equalised in the 52^nd with a penalty shot from Sutherland after a foul on the edge of the area.

In a heartbreaking finish for Rosebud, Will Cinello conceded an own goal on 86 minutes when trying to deal with a ball into the box.

At Edden Oval, Cooks Hill were up in the 11^th minute when Matt Berrigan got in behind the defence off a long ball and finished.

Jaffas were denied a goal in the 21^st minute for offside but found the equaliser on 80 minutes with Kale Bradbery's touch off a Josh Piddington header.

Lambton were down to 10 men in the 82^nd minute when Riley McNaughton's foul earned him a second booking. Bradbery capped a frustrating day for Jaffas, smashing a shot into the crossbar in the 86^th.

Backing up from scoring the winner in a 1-0 midweek victory over Weston, Valentine's Nicholas Martinelli had a double at Hunter Sports Centre.

Liam Thornton curled in a corner off the keeper in the 10^th minute before Martinelli headed in a ball from Tom Parkes (28th) then buried a long-range free kick (82nd).