The Bears' finals hopes represented only a dim flicker at this point, but a win here would leave the door ajar for a late season push. For the Buds, points at this stage of the campaign would equate to a consolation only.

The hosts showed they were in no mood to mess about, striking first blood in the 8th minute as Jake Brownlow headed home a perfectly weighted lob from Cooper Sargent with authority, giving Buds keeper Tom Jenkin no chance.

It was no less than the Coalfields warriors deserved, having brought a proactive mentality to the game's early exchanges.

Rather than turning the screws and stamping their mark on the contest, however, the Bears found themselves guilty of a crime that has proven a recurring theme throughout their campaign; the defensive lapse.

After barely a sniff on goal thus far, a Buds corner in the 16th minute saw former Bear Kaleb Cox deliver a low, bobbling cross that Zac Jokinen - in what was otherwise an assured performance - had difficulty clearing.

The marking on the edge of the six yard box left a lot to be desired and Nathan Toby was able to stroke home the rebound past a largely unsighted Jacob Zissis to square the ledger.

The battle between Ewan Von Essen and Sam Kamper was starting to heat up, with the former cautioned by the referee after a clumsy aerial challenge that followed some persistent niggling.

Von Essen would be a trifle fortunate to remain on the park after a subsequent further accrual of minor indiscretions, not least two somewhat cynical trips - once again on Kamper - midway through the half; going down a man would surely have sounded a death knell for the Buds.

The Bears steadily worked their way back towards ascendancy and Brownlow looked hungry to add to his tally; consistently putting himself about well, he was often receiving the ball in dangerous positions but perhaps lacked a touch of composure at times, which prevented him having what might have been a hat trick on another day.

As it was, the Bears would regain the lead in the 28th minute after Moustafa Mohammad did well to hold off the attentions of Cox inside the box, playing a square ball along the deck to Buswell, who slapped a slightly hopeful low drive towards goal from five yards outside the box.

Jenkin made a mess of his dive and could only slow the progress of the strike en route to the back of the net.

There would be a little more huffing and puffing through the remainder of the first half, but nothing more of great consequence, as the sides went to the sheds with Weston holding a 2-1 advantage.

The parochial home fans were suitably lubricated and in a typically chirpy mood, which would no doubt have presented an extra obstacle in the Buds' uphill second half battle.

The Bears began the second half as positively as they had started the first. Brownlow went close to adding a second just over a minute after the restart, but was unable to provide the crucial touch and skied his attempt into the carpark.

The added zip of Tommy Duggan was proving an additional nuisance for the Buds defence to deal with.

Brownlow did well to get on the end of a deft Duggan dink towards the back post in the 61st minute, but his leaping header looped just over the bar.

It would not take much longer for the Bears to increase their lead, however, as Mohammad produced a curling strike from the edge of the box that was right out of the top drawer and eluded the grasp of a full stretch Jenkin.

The sideline supporters were immediately anointing it a goal of the season contender and it would be difficult to argue with their assessment.

Duggan tried for one of his own only two minutes later, but his long range speculator whistled past the left post.

Another reckless attempt from behind by Von Essen on Kamper would go unpunished in the 69th minute, and the Buds man would've done well to head out and purchase a lottery ticket after the final whistle, such was the good fortune on his side.

Wisely, Buds gaffer Dave Rosewarne opted to withdraw Von Essen at the next break in play while he was still on the tightrope, injecting the quality and creativity of James Lowe.

Lowe is consistently one of the Buds' shining lights, and the impact of his recent absence through a hamstring injury has been plain to see in terms of his side's fortunes. While his introduction lent an added sense of verve to the visitors' general play, a miraculous comeback would prove a bridge too far.

A 73rd minute free kick to the Bears looked to be in prime Nathan Morris range, but the Bears skipper failed to impart the necessary dip on the ball and could only direct his effort over the bar and towards the carpark.

Adamstown looked to return fire immediately, racing up the other end with a quick counterattack that saw Toby's attempt to loft a flying half volley over Zissis finish up just wide of the mark.

Weston seemed to be having a love affair with the linesman's flag - registering an eye watering final offside count of 8-0 over their opponents - and found their attacks being regularly curtailed by ill positional discipline during the latter stages of the match.

They would no doubt have felt slightly frustrated at failing to add to their tally, but their defensive stability in the face of a desperate Buds outfit who were pouring men forward in the final few minutes in search of a way back into the contest was encouraging.

The full time whistle sounded after four minutes of stoppage time and the Bears had claimed a crucial and hopefully momentum shifting 3-1 victory over their plucky but largely outmatched opponents.

The Weston camp will have scant opportunity to bask in the glory of their return to winning ways as their focus will need to quickly shift to Wednesday night's trip to take on a Lake Macquarie side coming off the back of six straight defeats including three by five goal margins.

The Bears will see this as an opportunity to build a head of steam going into the business end of the competition but will need to be wary of an opposition hungry to atone for their poor start.