First Grade Report
The trip out to Jack McLaughlin oval is a daunting one. Taking on the Edgeworth juggernaut on their home turf is one of the toughest days for many of the NBN league sides. It doesn't make it any easier when your team is missing keys players through injury and new lads are stepping up into the squad for their debut game in First Grade, especially when Edgeworth are at full strength. Magic were coming off a draw against Pheonix and Edgy off a 5-0 thumping of Awaba so the momentum was firmly in Edgys court. Key midfielder John Bennis failed to make fitness for this match due to a badly
corked thigh and young midfielder Ben Kantarovski was away due to representative duties. The inclusion of Cameron Sullini and Simon Mooney saw both these young players making their First Grade debut against the competition leaders.
Magic started brightly and Edgeworth struggled with the pace of the game. Any prematch nerves that the new boys may have had were not obvious as they blended well into the Magic team from the kickoff. Glenn Cooper again proved his status as one of the best in the north with solid work in the
centre of the park. Once again Magic fired off the first volleys at goal but it was former Magic striker Chris Berlin who caught our defence napping as he used his pace to get in behind and put Edgeworth one up. Magic stuck to their guns and close to half time John Majurovski picked up the ball just outside the Edgeworth box. Johnny's jinking run and a firebomb shot from just outside the box gave the young Edgy keeper no chance and gave Magic the goal they really deserved for their first half effort.
Magic again dominated from the outset of the second half but six minutes in and some poor choice defending saw Junky get in behind us and Edgy went up 2-1. The match turned into a real battler from there with Magic having to play a dangerous game of catch up. Both teams created some great goalscoring chances and Scotty Carter rates a mention here for his solid performance and some great goalkeeping to keep the scoreline where it was.
David Baillie and Josh Piddington tackled anything that moved near them as they both produced quality performances. At the other end however our chances were squandered by some poor finishing more than brilliant goalkeeping as Ibi hit the post with a close range header, another great shot by Maj only just parried away by the Edgy keeper. Magic deserved better from this match than they got. Coach Damien Smith praised on his young debutantes on their performances today as did the senior players of the squad. Overall another solid performance by the Magic but breaking the Jack McLaughlin hoodoo will have to wait until next year now.
Thank you to Ian Milne for his 1st grade report
Reserve Grade Report
Magic’s season is on the line each match at the moment and so the game against Edgeworth Eagles took on huge importance with the Eagles one point in front of us on the table and having won their last four games the Eagles were very confident. It was great to have Jack OToole and Ben Sweetman back in the midfield and early on Magic were on top with Mark Jones bouncing one off the side bar after beating the keeper with a long range free kick and Jack O'Toole also hitting the woodwork with a crisp drive which the keeper deflected. It seemed Magic were certain to score as they pinned the Eagles in their own half however a goalkeeping misunderstanding saw Edgeworth lead 1-0 at halftime and clearly gaining in confidence.
For Magic our under 19 players Phil Bures and Blayne Northcott continued to win their teammates respect with a wholehearted effort. Edgeworth appeared to have the best of the first 20 minutes of the second half without really troubling Medikian in goals. After some very tight marking on him early Roger Dowdell showed his class with a ghosting run into the box down the left hand side and as four defenders closed on him Dowdell laid the ball into the path of Ben Martin who finished clinically to give Magic a sniff at 1-1 with 15 minutes to play.
The Eagles began playing the man more than the ball and Damien Smith found Ben Martin with a neat ball into the box only to see the Eagles keeper with a fine save from the Martin header. Ellenbacher began running the ball at the Eagles defence thanks to some nice feeds from Kekov, Bures and Jones and with 6 minutes to go a corner by Sweetman saw Magic finish a goalmouth scramble to go to a 2-1 lead. Just like last week, the last few minutes were tense but again just like last week the lads did the hard work to take the points and set up another do or die match for next week.
Thank you to Chris Turner for his Reserve Grade report