LAKE Macquarie goal-keeper Benn Kelly was red carded against his former club as the Roosters suffered a 4-nil loss to Maitland in the Northern NSW NPL match at Macquarie Field on Sunday.
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It was a disappointing result for the Roosters who hosted many former players at their Old Boys day at Speers Point.
Maitland’s Liam Thornton hit the bar with a header in the fourth minute then went one better in the 30th when his header appeared to deflect off Brad York and loop over keeper Kelly.
Lake Macquarie, whose coach, Anthony Richards, confirmed on Sunday that he would step down at the end of the season, had been outplayed in a 5-0 loss to the Jets youth team on Tuesday night and produced another poor showing in the second half against the Magpies.
Maitland midfielder Chris Fayers strolled through some porous defending one minute after half-time then squared the ball for Ryan Clarke to blast home a shot from eight metres.
Former Maitland keeper Kelly was then at the heart of a bizarre sequence of events which led to Maitland’s third.
Kelly slipped over trying to control a bouncing backpass, regained his feet, tried unsuccessfully to dribble past Maitland teenager Matt Sokulsky in the box then brought him down as the teenager aimed to shoot.
The Lake Macquarie No.1 received a straight red card. His replacement, Kannon Ford, parried Matt Comerford’s spot kick but fumbled the rebound, allowing Fayers to slide in and toe the ball.
Corey Fletcher cleared the ball off the line, but it rebounded in off Fayers.
The pacy Comerford completed a sorry week for the home side when he dribbled from inside his own half, cut back and slid a shot past the advancing Ford.
Maitland coach Phil Dando praised the effort of youngsters Fayers and Sokulsky in midfield in the absence of Matt Thompson.
The loss leaves Lake Macquarie on 22 points and in 7th spot on the 11-team ladder.
The win keeps Maitland (28 points) in sixth place on the ladder, with a game in hand, and in the hunt for semi-finals football.
Lambton and Edgeworth lead the competition ladder on 36 points.