NORTH Coast Football Under 16s have their eye on winning the National Premier League Boys after a hard-fought 2-1 win against competition heavyweights Newcastle Olympic.

The precious three points opens a fourteen-point gap for the North Coast, however second-placed Maitland FC has five matches in hand because of wash-out matches.

Head of Coaching and Player Development Alex Nolan is pleased how the team is grinding out results against the big guns.

“Newcastle Olympic have a great history of being one of the strongest clubs in NPL boys and senior men, so it was always going to be a tough task,” he said.

“Our under 16s would have all been well aware of Maitland dropping points over the weekend, which gave them an extra boost that the minor premiership is in sight.

“Our 16s football lately has been a grind, with some injuries and some one-goal victories, we knew it was a must-win game against Olympic.

“They couldn’t have stepped up to the challenge any better and played some very attractive football and what was a 2-1 victory could have easily been a blowout score line.

“There’s no easy three points in this competition and with three tough games remaining in the regular season, they are hoping that they can go all the way this year,” said Nolan.

It was a tough day at the office for the under 13s and 15s who both lost 5-0, however the under 14s bounced back from 2-0 down to win 4-2 and chalk up three crucial points at the business end of the season.

“Our 14s showed their fighting spirit in the lead up to finals after going down 2-0,” said Alex.

“They were able to fight back and score four unanswered goals to win 4-2 as they battled to keep second spot on the ladder.

“Next week they face first-placed Broadmeadow, who will be looking to show that they can beat them before the finals,” he said.

By David WIGLEY