Rene Ferguson proved a key man for Charlestown Azzurri again, scoring twice as the NPL men's NNSW leaders extended their advantage with a 3-1 win over Broadmeadow on Sunday at Magic Park in round 10.
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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 34th 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 39th 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 67th 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 85th 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 14th 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 21st when he also bounced on a mistake at the back and Clouten made it 3-1 in the 32nd 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 50th minute through a quality strike from Kai Bradley. But Clouten jumped on a turnover to score in the 65th minute then nodded in a fumble off a free kick in the 83rd.
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 14th minute but Muller struck in the 26th 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 71st 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 30th 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 49th minute after Dino Fajkovic's shot was blocked. Edgeworth equalised in the 52nd 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 11th minute when Matt Berrigan got in behind the defence off a long ball and finished.
Jaffas were denied a goal in the 21st 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 82nd 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 86th.
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 10th minute before Martinelli headed in a ball from Tom Parkes (28th) then buried a long-range free kick (82nd).