Broadmeadow Magic are back-to-back Men’s State Cup champions, winning 2-0 against Edgeworth on Saturday night to hoist the cup above their heads again nine years later.
In the first Men’s State Cup final since 2014, John Bennis’ men were too good from start to finish and were worthy winners of the prestigious title.
The two sides went into the break locked at 0-0, but Magic had the better of the first half chances, including a 36th-minute penalty that forced a brilliant save out of the Eagles’ goalkeeper Ben Conway to deny a Riley Smith strike that was bound for the bottom left corner.
Edgeworth’s best chance had come five minutes earlier when Josh Rose curled a perfect cross into the box and Jordan Lennon’s header flew inches wide of the left post.
Magic scrambled well in defence during the opening 45 minutes to limit Edgeworth’s chances, while creating several of their own chances at the other end.
Conway was the standout player from both sides in the first half and he stood up again just 90 seconds into the second half to deny Sam Donnellan from point-blank range after the Magic man charged into the box and onto the end of a squared Smith pass following a swift counterattack.
Smith was giving Edgeworth all sorts of problems down the left edge, and he got in behind again in the 53rd minute before cutting inside and unleashing a powerful strike of his own, but again, Conway was up to the task.
When it looked as though the Eagles goalkeeper was not going to be beaten on the night, Magic finally made a breakthrough in the 56th minute as the mounting pressure took its toll on the Edgeworth defence.
To no surprise, it was Smith who created the chance with another quality run down the left as he beat a defender and cut the ball back from the goal line to an unmarked Jayden Stewardson on the penalty spot who guided the ball into the bottom right corner.
Magic thought they had a second goal two minutes later when Bailey Wells scored into an empty net after he and Smith had produced a brilliant one-two that left Conway stranded on the grass but the flag was for offside.
But the duo combined again less than a minute later and this time it counted, as Magic took a 2-0 lead just before the hour-mark.
Wells picked up the ball in the middle of the park and found Smith on the left edge, and the attacking gun made another quality run before cutting inside and firing a shot from outside the 18-yard box into the bottom left corner.
Bennis was thrilled with his team’s performance and thought the grand final victory would fill his young side with confidence heading into the NPLM finals series later this month.
“It was a special moment to win a trophy,” Bennis said.
“I think it’s 2018 since the last time we won a trophy, so it was a special moment.
“The boys really did well and full credit to them, it was a great performance. I thought we were consistent and we ground it away, although we did create chances all game.
“Edgeworth were a tough team, very resilient. We were playing for a trophy as well as them, and they made it very tough for us. But we started on the front foot and we carried that on through the whole game. I was very pleased with how we performed.
“Defensively, we were outstanding. We are talking about a really young team, and to defend how they did against quality opposition, it was really good. We’ve got young players who are doing a really experienced job, and I can’t speak highly enough of the players we have.
“There was a lot of energy and intent in both teams during that match. In previous finals games we’ve performed well without getting the result, and this win will only help our guys going forward in terms of finals experience.”
Bennis commended the work rate of strikers Stewardson and Smith and said they both deserved to get on the scoresheet.
“They were super,” Bennis said.
“They are two of the hardest workers in the team and they do a lot of the defensive load as well. They are two number nines, and a lot of strikers think you don’t have to defend much, but these guys offer so much in that position.
“Full credit to them, they work so hard for the team and they deserved their goals.”
Magic now turn their attention to this Friday’s Australia Cup Round of 32 clash against Sydney United 58 FC, who are coming off a 2-1 victory against Wollongong Wolves in the NPL NSW competition yesterday.
Magic will then play against Charlestown Azzurri in a blockbuster league fixture on Tuesday, August 8, during which a win would propel them into the top three and could even see them go top of the table.
For Edgeworth, they are now focused on their next league match against Adamstown Rosebud at Jack McLaughlan Oval this Sunday, which they will need to win to keep their finals hopes alive.
The Eagles will then return to Jack McLaughlan Oval three days later on Wednesday, August 9, for an Australia Cup Round of 32 match against A-League outfit Western United.
