Rosebud skipper hit with six-game suspension for ref abuse

Fajkovic was sent off in the 7-2 NPL loss to Maitland on Saturday for alleged comments about the referee made to the Magpies bench.

The ban comes as second-last Rosebud have eight games left in the relegation battle. Coach Chris Moylan said on Sunday the club would fight the send-off, but Northern NSW Football had not received any correspondence from Rosebud late on Tuesday.

** Edgeworth and Lambton Jaffas will face round of 32 Australia Cup tests - just three days after taking on each other in the NPL.

The Jaffas and Eagles were on Tuesday confirmed for match day four of the cup's main draw, on Tuesday, August 6. Lambton play A-League side Melbourne Victory at Edgeworth's home ground, Jack McLaughlan Oval. The Eagles are away to Western Australia NPL leaders Olympic Kingsway.

Edgeworth, fourth in the NPL on 23 points, and leaders Jaffas (40) have a packed schedule heading into the games. The Eagles have midweek catch-ups against Broadmeadow (July 3) and Charlestown, as well as a rescheduled match with Jaffas on August 3 and State Cup final against them on July 20. Lambton's other catch-up is against Olympic.

Eagles coach Peter McGuinness said Blake Robinson was set to miss the WA trip because he leaves for US college just two days earlier.

** Lake Macquarie coach Peter Preston is committed to the battling club, wherever they play next season.

Lakes are last, five points off 11th-placed Adamstown, and facing relegation to Northern League One.

Preston took the reins this year after the club finished with the wooden spoon in 2023.

The former Central Coast United coach said he signed a two-year deal and the plan was to see it out, even if they Lakes were relegated.

"Before a ball was kicked, they wanted to get some stability back into the club and around their coaching team as a starting point," Preston said.

"I was chatting to the president the other day and he's keen for me to stay on. He likes the staff we've put together.

"If we go down, we'd like to have a crack and coming straight back up.

"We think we've got a good young team we can build off. It would have been nice to have the experience in to help them, but we haven't been able to bring that in this year."

** A hamstring injury to Matt Berrigan was a negative for Cooks Hill from a 1-1 draw with Valentine on Saturday.

Berrigan came off with hamstring tightness in the 68^th minute, 16 minutes after Cody Nancarrow equalised for ninth-placed Cooks Hill against the fifth-placed Phoenix.

"It was a pretty scrappy game, mainly due to the conditions," Cooks Hill coach Chris Zoricich said.

"I think the players found it hard to keep their feet and it was difficult to push the ball around nicely, but happy to get a point away from home. They are a decent side. Overall, it was probably a fair result."

** New Lambton coach Shane Pryce was in awe of Lakes keeper Cobe Preston on Saturday after his side edged the cellar-dwellers 1-0 on a muddy Macquarie Field.

Chase Lattimore got the winner for 10th-placed New Lambton (11 points) in the 74^th minute. The Golden Eagles also hit the post twice and were denied on other occasions by Preston - the son of coach Peter Preston.

"Their keeper, I've never seen someone pull off that many world-class saves in my life. I was in awe," Pryce said.

Lattimore has returned in recent weeks from a battle with "turf toe" and Pryce was relieved to have the livewire back firing.

"He's a handful," Pryce said.

"We were relying on him to be an A-plus goal producer but he hasn't been playing and that's hurt us a bit.

"In general we are getting back to having a fit 16-17 players, which we haven't had for a while, and that makes a big difference - that competition for spots.

"I thought young Max Brideson was great as well. He's only 17 and he put himself about and nearly got through the whole game.

"He was a link-up player and I thought he was pretty big for us."