Maitland Magpies coach Graham Law had little to fear about his side suffering a let-down as they eased past Cessnock 3-0 at Cooks Square Park on Sunday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Maitland went into the game off a four-day break, having recorded a come-from-behind 2-1 win over fellow promotion contenders Valentine on Wednesday night.
But if there were any hints of fatigue the Magpies didn’t let it show, and only a string of saves from Cessnock goalkeeper Michael Hugo kept the scores level early on.
On 27 minutes the opener came from Maitland hitman Ben Martin – but this time, it was Martin who turned provider, clipping a cross that Justin Broadley finished off.
In what was a typically willing local derby, both sides pushed to create chances but it was the home side that looked in control for large parts of the contest.
Their two-goal buffer came in the 67th minute when Hugo couldn’t keep out a curling Josh Castillo free kick.
Nine minutes from time the three points were assured when substitute Luke Lawless pounced on some sloppy passing out from the back, rounded Hugo and on the second attempt shot into an empty net to make it 3-0.
Law said he was pleased to see his side back up from Wednesday night’s performance with another win.
“When you come off the Valentine game, such an important game, the real key is to
back it up and I thought we did that today,” he said.
“Cessnock did have little spells, and I honestly thought a lot of credit must go to Cessnock who made it difficult for us.
“I just thought it was a really professional performance from our boys today.”
Martin had been prolific in the first four matches with 10 goals, including five last weekend against West Wallsend, but Law was happy to see other players hit the net.
“It is good to see, I’ve always had confidence that we can share the goals around,” he said.
“You see Luke Lawless come off the bench last week and score, and do the same this week - the depth is definitely there.”
With five wins from five matches and a goal difference of plus-18, Maitland sit atop the Northern NSW First Division but Law said he side would face a fresh challenge when they host second-placed Belmont Swansea next Sunday.
“My target was to get through the first round and have full points, and then we’d sit down and do something as a squad and we’d address the next lot of games,” he said.
“But this is another big test for us coming up - if we can get over Belmont Swansea I’ll be pretty pleased with the start we’ve made.”
