Former Jets star Jason Hoffman was sent off before Broadmeadow scored twice late to down derby rivals Newcastle Olympic 2-1 and go top of the table on a day of high drama in the NPL men's competition.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Hoffman put Olympic up in the 22nd minute at Darling Street Oval on Sunday with a strike but was given a second yellow card in the 80th for a foul.
Substitute Josh Benson was then the hero for Magic, scoring in the 82nd minute with a header from Bailey Wells' cross then in the fourth minute of stoppage time off a corner.
The winner sparked wild scenes, and tensions overflowed after fulltime as players, coaches and staff had to be separated.
"It was a passionate game and it's always good with two teams trying to win and we were lucky enough to get an outcome," Magic coach Jim Cresnar said.
"It was a great effort from our boys because at times were on top and they made it very difficult with 10 men behind the ball. It's a huge win for us and keeps our title hopes alive."
The win puts Broadmeadow on 48 points, two ahead of Lambton Jaffas, who have a match in hand.
The other catch-up match on Sunday was abandoned after a sickening clash between Charlestown's Luke Callen and the Bears' Cooper Sargent at Weston Park.
The pair collided when going for a header off a long ball out of the Weston defence in the 64th minute.
Staff from both clubs treated the players on the pitch while waiting for ambulances. The game was abandoned five minutes after the collision with the score 1-0 to Charlestown.
Callen was conscious after the contact but had a gash near his eye. Sargent was also conscious while being treated for what appeared a heavy concussion.
Azzurri, who sit fifth on 29 points - one behind Olympic, had led via a strike from Harry Frendo in the 29th minute. The match is likely to be restarted from the 64th minute at a later date. Weston are ninth on 22 points.
** In the State Cup final on Saturday, a long-range equaliser in extra-time from 16-year-old Cruz Tanchevski and a cool finish by Blake Carter in the penalty shootout helped Lambton Jaffas defeat Edgeworth at LMRFF.
After a goalless regulation period, the Eagles led seven minutes into extra-time with a volleyed strike from Baden Merhton at a corner. Substitute Tanchevski, the son of Jaffas coach David Tanchevski, levelled with six minutes left, smashing in a 25-metre strike.
Myles Gaffney (Jaffas) and Seth Clark (Edgeworth) opened the shootout with strikes over the bar. Jaffas had the chance to win it with their fifth shot after Josh Dwyer was denied by the crossbar. Carter slotted his attempt for a 4-2 victory.
Both sides fielded understrength line-ups for the State Cup decider, which was resurrected last year after an eight-year hiatus. Tanchevski was proud of the resilience from his side, who had only three regular starters and a host of top-grade debutants.
The annual State Cup match was shelved after the introduction of the Australia Cup, which features two qualifiers from Northern NSW each year.
Edgeworth are away to Western Australian side Olympic Kingsway and Jaffas play A-League team Melbourne Victory at the Eagles' home ground, Jack McLaughlan Oval, in the round of 32 on August 6.
