Bears snap losing streak to hand Charlestown first loss of season

After a weekend off for Easter, the the Bears returned to action as they made the trip to Lisle Carr Oval to take on ladder-leading Charlestown Azzurri.

They were looking to reverse a three-game skid against an outfit who had yet to drop a point through five rounds. It was a venue that held bitter recent memories for the Bears, who had seen their 2023 campaign come to an end there in week two of finals football, having produced a dominant performance but failed to convert any of their chances in a frustrating 1-0 defeat.

The game's early exchanges saw few opportunities on offer for either side. A deep 8th minute corner found the head of Chris Hatfield, but the Bears striker nodded wide of the target.

At the other end a minute later, Harrison Frendo bundled his way through the lines and earnt a corner for the hosts, but the resulting header was sent rather tamely into the grasp of a diving Gerard Roebuck between the sticks.

An injury shortly afterwards to Tommy Duggan would ultimately curtail his afternoon; though he was initially able to return to the field of play after spending some time on the deck, this would prove a false dawn and he was withdrawn for Blake Archbold inside the opening quarter hour.

The Bears were enjoying the weight of early possession, but a steadfast Azzurri defence helmed by ex-A-League stalwarts Taylor Regan and Nigel Boogaard looked to offer as little as possible in the way of clear cut breakthroughs.

Coupled with the strength of the Bears' passing game through the midfield, it made for a cagey dynamic, with the heat map for much of the first half being concentrated mostly between the halfway line and the edge of the Azzurri 18 yard box.

When Cooper Buswell turned Boogaard inside out in the 33rd minute, the Charlestown veteran chopped down the tall timber 20 yards out, earning himself a caution in the process.

Buswell's free kick, however, lacked the desired venom to trouble Azzurri keeper Ben McNamara, who made a simple save. The experience had paid off on this occasion, preventing a likely goal, however Boogaard would now need to walk a tightrope for the last hour of the match.

Rene Ferguson showed trademark strength and poise in the 36th minute to shake off his marker and deliver a bullet of a 30 yard strike towards the target, but a well-positioned Roebuck saw it comfortably into his gloves.

Regan was fortunate not to go into the book a minute later, tripping Hatfield as the latter looked to round him and break away.

A scything challenge in the 41st minute from Jethro Elkington on Blake Archbold saw the former rightly booked and yet another promising counter attack broken up successfully; if the tactics had not been made abundantly clear before, they certainly were by this point.

After just under a minute of stoppage time, the first half came to a conclusion and in many ways, the story of the match thus far was eerily reminiscent of the sides' previous meeting at this ground.

Bears gaffer Kew Jaliens still had a major weapon in the holster in the form of Aaron Niyonkuru, and the question on the lips of many travelling supporters was when he would be unleashed to potentially break the game open decisively.

he first to threaten in the second stanza was Buswell, latching on to a well-weighted 49th minute pass from Blake Archbold into the six yard box but sliding his effort just wide of the target from an acute angle under heavy pressure from Kieran Hayes.

It would not take much longer, however, for the breakthrough to arrive. A peach of a one-two between Hatfield and Blake Archbold in the 53rd minute caught the Azzurri defence over-committing to one side, and opened up a window of opportunity for Hatfield to jink to his right and drive a low strike back across his body past a helpless McNamara to give his side the lead.

On the balance of play, it was no less than the Bears deserved, having been the more proactive side overall.

Both coaches opted to make double changes in the 61st minute, the hosts introducing Kyle Munns and Tyran Cousins, while for the visitors, Niyonkuru and Jye Bailey entered the fray for Cooper Sargent and Dom Archbold.

Seconds later, Harrison Frendo had a crack from 25 yards that was not short on power, but lacked direction, too straight for Roebuck to break a sweat.

A ponderous Boogaard was dispossessed out wide in the 64th minute by the raw pace of Hatfield, who galloped away into space. He had Blake Archbold free on his inside but did not need to utilise the option, blasting the ball past McNamara and into the net for a lethal finish to double the Bears' advantage.

Suddenly it looked like a mountain to climb for Azzurri, who had been struck by a devastating double blow. They are far too good a side to roll over, however, and if anything the second Bears goal looked to finally spark them into life.

A 35 yard free kick in the 69th minute was floated into the box for Hayes, whose flicked header went over the bar. Another attack a minute later saw Harrison Frendo square the ball up for his brother Jackson, who unleashed a low 20 yard drive vicious enough that even a strong glove from Roebuck was insufficient to keep it out.

Just like that, the deficit had been halved with one of the hosts' first notable attacks of the afternoon. The mood had certainly shifted around the ground, a previously quiet contingent of home supporters now buoyant and harbouring a sense of belief that their side were a genuine chance of coming back and claiming a result.

Before that notion could gather much steam though, the combination of Hatfield and Blake Archbold were back at it again, the former turning provider in the 73rd minute as he played the latter through with a beautiful through ball to advance towards McNamara and convert with icy composure. It had been a rapid and highly effective counter attack, with Azzurri caught on the hop.

Despite some protestations of offside from the Charlestown faithful, the Bears' two goal advantage had been restored.

The final 20 minutes of the contest was a relatively open affair. A brief heart in mouth moment for Roebuck came in the 87th minute, as what looked to be a miscued cross from Luke Callan sailed out of the Bears keeper's reach and kissed the woodwork.

A loudspeaker-wielding Azzurri supporter had been doing his best all afternoon to disrupt the Bears concentration, but his efforts were now tinged with a touch of desperation as the clock wound down, resorting to balking on goal kicks and similar such approaches.

A promising attack in the 92nd minute for the Bears failed to come to fruition, tired legs leading to less-than-perfect decision making, but it would not matter, as the referee blew his full time whistle only seconds later.

It was very much a game of two halves; a cagey opening 45 minutes was followed by a much more open second 45, but few could question that the Bears were deserving winners on the afternoon.

They had not only snapped a three game losing streak, scoring three against a defence who had conceded just two through the prior five games and becoming the first side to take points from Azzurri in 2024, but also gone some way towards banishing the demons of 2023.

The Bears now face another tricky assignment next Saturday evening under lights as they travel to Valentine to face a side who won their opening four games without conceding, and one they have lost each of their past three clashes to.

They will need to once again bring their very best football if they are to claim a result, but will carry significant additional belief into this one as a result of their most recent display.