Weston Bears claim crucial 2-0 home victory over Valentine

Valentine had registered convincing wins from their opening two matches, while the Bears were looking to stop the rot as a strong first outing against Cooks Hill was undone by narrow defeats to Maitland and Lambton.

Valentine's lineup this season has a distinctly 'Maitland 2019' flavour, with the brothers Thornton, Matthew Thompson, Ryan Clarke and Nick Cowburn all starting in orange, and no doubt the travelling faithful would have harboured genuine hopes of bearing witness to a similarly dominant performance to the ones that side delivered with regularity.

A promising move in the third minute saw Moustafa Mohammad penetrate the line and release Tommy Duggan, whose back post cross found Aaron Niyonkuru. The latter's attempt lacked connection, however, and was easily dealt with by the Valentine defence.

The visitors' defence stood firm for the remainder of the half though; despite having the bulk of possession, the Bears were finding it difficult to make incursions into the final third and indeed the early chance was one of only two of note throughout the opening stanza in what proved to be a battle largely contested in midfield.

The other close shave of the half came in the 35th minute, as Chris Hurley's corner was met at the front post with a flick towards a lurking, unmarked Mohammad at the back post; his header, however, could not find the target.

A melee broke out in the 40th minute after Hurley came into a challenge on Thompson; the referee was quick to issue a caution but the visitors and their supporters alike were baying for more. Some push and shove, another two yellow tickets and two minutes of remonstrations later, the free kick finally took place, but the cross was ultimately innocuous.

The incident proved something of a flashpoint to the contest, with the challenges for the final five minutes of the half being a little more willing; the men in tangerine perhaps with a touch of revenge on their minds.

The first opportunity of the second half came in the 51st minute as Carl Thornton connected solidly with a corner, but his header was straight at Stuart Plant's breadbasket and failed to generate a threat. The Bears galloped up the other end a minute later only for Mohammad to direct his attempt wide of the right post.

Nathan Morris' whipped cross from a 54th minute free kick found Niyonkuru, whose attempt at controlling the ball appeared to be scuppered by a Valentine hand, but the referee rightly deemed it a case of 'ball to hand' and allowed play to continue despite the hosts' brief appeals to the contrary.

The game's first substitution came in the 56th minute as Valentine replaced one ex-A-League player with another; the injured Adam Hughes making way for former Socceroo Dean Heffernan.

Midway through the half, the Bears were finally able to land a crucial blow. Niyonkuru's perfectly placed cross to the back post in the 65th minute found the head of the enigmatic Zachary Sneddon, who made no mistake, outmuscling his marker to bury the ball emphatically in the back of the net. He celebrated in inimitable style, feigning injury as he made his way around the corner flag with a mock limp and called for a substitution in jest.

A hectic passage of play in the 67th saw both Sneddon and Cooper Buswell felled inside their own box as they desperately defended a Valentine barrage, not long after Plant too had been taken out in a heavy collision as he came to collect a loose ball. Sneddon's goal celebration would prove all too prophetic, as he would ultimately make way a few minutes later with a shoulder injury.

A genuinely eye-catching passing sequence in the 70th minute saw the Bears score what will surely be one of the more aesthetically pleasing goals of 2022. Plant's throw out to Sam Kamper was played to Paul Sichalwe, then to Buswell, then Mohammad on the edge of the 'D', who laid off for new signing Matt Buettner to play a sumptuous through-ball for another new recruit and former World Cup player in Michael McGlinchey, recently introduced from the bench. McGlinchey's cutback found an unmarked Niyonkuru, who slotted the ball home unopposed from close range. The ball had moved from the goalkeeper to the net at the other end without a Valentine touch, with eight players involved in the play.

A 78th-minute Nick Cowburn free kick from out wide was drilled in low towards goal and for a moment looked dangerous, but Plant was alert to it and pouched a confident low grab. Connor Heydon was introduced for his first top flight action of the season, a welcome additional option for manager Leo Bertos, who will no doubt cherish the dynamism he brings.

A frantic run of play in the 83rd minute saw Valentine pour forward and strafe the Weston goal with several attempt in just a few seconds, but the Bears' defence were equal to the task. Plant was then called into a great stop with his feet to snuff out a potentially threatening one on one with Carl Thornton the following minute.

The final opportunity of the afternoon came in the 91st minute. A through-ball fell kindly for an unmarked Sichalwe at the edge of the box, however long range shooting does not appear to be at the forefront of the diminutive midfielder's arsenal. Instead, he elected to settle on the ball and play Mohammad in, but before the latter could squeeze away from his marker, he was brought down inside the box. The Weston faithful felt their side should have had a penalty, but the referee deemed the contact inconsequential and play duly continued. It had little impact on the outcome, however, with the game drawing to a close after just over 93 minutes of football and the score unchanged at 2-0.

In claiming victory on the afternoon, the Bears became the first side to take points off Valentine this season; they have been something of a 'bogey' side in recent Weston campaigns, so the result, coupled with the clean sheet, will undoubtedly be an extra heartening one for Bertos and his men.

The result has shifted the momentum of the Bears' season back in their favour and they will now look ahead to a tricky Friday night visit to Magic Park, as they take on a Broadmeadow side who sit atop the ladder with four wins on the bounce.