The win leaves Weston in fifth place on goal difference, equal on 10 points with Maitland and Lambton.

Maitland are third after a 0-all draw with second placed Broadmeadow Magic and the Jaffas are fourth after a 6-3 win against Adamstown.

After some mixed results to start the campaign, Sunday's fixture at Rockwell Automation Park was crucial in the context of the Bears' finals hopes.

In the seventh minute, fullback Robbie Turnbull delivered a peach of a cross from the right, which found the head of Aaron Niyonkuru. The in-form attacker made no mistake from close range to give the Bears an early lead.

The scoreboard advantage, however, was short lived. On the quarter hour mark, Lakes won a corner on the left - Tim Davies swung the cross in to Michael Bru, who emphatically headed home to equalise.

The Roosters very nearly took the lead just five minutes later.

An air swing by Zac Sneddon at a bouncing lob allowed Kaman Bol to latch on to the ball and play a slide rule pass to Bru, whose shot was blocked miraculously on the line by Marcus Duncan..

Moments before the interval, a clever quick interchange between Niyonkuru and Chris Hurley very nearly yielded a goal as Plant was at full stretch to keep Hurley's effort out.

Lakes had enjoyed the better of the first half and a shift would be required for the Bears to recapture the ascendancy going into the business end of the contest.

Whatever Leo Bertos' half time talk consisted of seemed to be just the tonic for the men from Weston, as it took less than four minutes of play after the break for Cooper Buswell to play an excellent through ball for Connor Heydon, who raced away and buried a decisive finish off the underside of the crossbar to give them the lead.

It didn't take much longer for Heydon to double his tally. Niyonkuru's 57th minute corner was swung in towards the back post and the former Adamstown marksman nodded home to double the lead and notch up his brace.

The latter stretches of the match were essentially one way traffic as the Bears looked a well oiled machine despite the intense blustery conditions. In the final minute of regulation time, Niyonkuru played Buswell through to beat the offside trap, but his effort only kissed the outside of the right post with the goal at his mercy.

The importance of the final 3-1 result can scarcely be overstated for Bertos' troops. It represents three crucial points that keep them within touching distance of the four.

Next week will not get any easier for the Bears as they host Broadmeadow Magic.