In was a mild evening and perfect conditions at Breakers Stadium and the Youth team had beaten Marconi Youth 3-0, so things were upbeat despite the drop in the crowd numbers. Marconi came up the M3 with a few busloads of fans and having thumped the reigning (ed. a word still in vogue after the Referendum vote today!) champions Sth Melbourne the previous weekend.
Marconi came at Newcastle from the break and within 2 mins a ping pong came in the Breakers box gave the Rowdies at that end a heart attack before Catlin rained it in. It was all Marconi as Babic got himself repeatedly free behind the defence. It was inevitable when in the 40th min Gibson knocked a 40m long ball into space and the unmarked Babic collected it and slotted it home over the advancing Catlin. A small flurry from the Breakers saw Trpcevski hit a great freekick past Turnbull only to see it ricochet off the cross bar. Marconi at the break well on top and 0-1 up!
Breakers coach Lee Sterrey must have put a rocket up them over oranges for Newcastle came out a changed team. Gradually they got on top and pushed Marconi back, and finally at 64min Trpcevski hit a sweet ball out wide on the right where Johnny Buonavoglia had drifted and taking it near the goal line he cut back inside and entering the Marconi area swept the ball past Turnbull and into the far left corner. 1-1.
The fired up Breakers with the crowd lifting entered a purple patch and at 67 min, to the roar, Catlin threw out to Tancheski who switched to Harper in the middle who in turn knocked it to Dodd running through who from just inside the area hit another sweet shot past Turnbull. 2-1
Alas within 2 mins Trajanovski was unmarked in the box to recover a rebound of Catlin of his own shot and hit it in. 2-2. Marconi tried to slow play but Newcastle regrouped and at 82 min Harper was scythed down by an uncomplaining Smith. The penalty awarded quite rightly by referee Breeze was hit weakly to the side of Turnbull who picked the right way. This first miss of a penalty by Prycey in living memory seemed to flatten Newcastle and Marconi sensing this went for a winner despite a chance to Pryce whose strong header rebounded off the defenders. Smith redeemed himself by pushing the ball up field into the path of a weakly marked Invinvible who slipped the defence and wacked it past a grasping Catlin. 2-3 and so it ended.
Best: NB - Harper, Roberts, Wieczorek; MS - Babic, Invincible, Gibson.