Coniston hold on for thrilling victory over gutsy Helensburgh

Despite the poor weather conditions, both sides played positive football and showed plenty of grit at JJ Kelly Park. The hosts jumped out to an early lead through Daniel Loe, before the Thistle equalised via Kade Kinsella just six minutes into the second stanza.

However, Toby Norval's long-range strike nearing the one-hour mark proved the difference as "Cono" notched up their ninth win of the season. The result sees them leap-frog Bulli into fifth position on the IPL table.

Coniston midfielder Lukas Stergiou told the Mercury that they were delighted to secure the win on Saturday.

"The conditions made it difficult but it was the same for both teams, so we can't use it as an excuse. But we were able to grind out a win and get the three points," he said.

"But I was pleased with the effort today. It's very tough to come out here and play in those conditions, it's not the prettiest, but it all starts with the defensive effort and hunger.

"We know that it's a tight field for the top five, but we're on a roll with a few good wins. We're coming into some tough games, but we need to get the momentum into there and get top five and then into finals."

Read more: Foord pays surprise visit to her junior Illawarra club

Players were greeted by extremely windy and cool conditions on Saturday.

Neither side really took the ascendancy in the early stages, but it was Coniston who hit the scoreboard first inside 10 minutes through Loe, whose long, low-range striker beat diving goalkeeper Luke Morgan.

Coniston continued to attack from long range during the opening 20 minutes, but were unable to find a second goal. At the other end, Luke van Zyl looked the most dangerous player for the visitors.

Around the half-hour mark, Coniston nearly extended their advantage, but Matthew Floro's low attempt was well covered by Morgan. Minutes later, Kinsella put the pressure on Coniston goalkeeper Kaydin Harrison from short range, who made a solid save.

In the dying seconds of the half, Burgh nearly mustered an equaliser when Harrison bobbled the ball towards goal, but he was able to grab possession as his side led 1-0 at the break.

Read more: Illawarra Hawks snare NBA Global Academy product

The Thistle started the second stanza with more composure and reaped the rewards six minutes in when Kinsella's low attempt hit the post and bounced in to the back of the net.

Just minutes later, Kinsella nearly repeated the dose, however his shot on this occasion hit the woodwork and bounced away.

However, it was Coniston who scored next to take a 2-1 lead in the 59^th minute. Chris Arditti was able to find some space down the wing before putting in a nice pass for Norval, who made no mistake from outside the box.

Both teams continued to play positive football in the second half as they looked to find a weakness in each other's defence. With about 10 minutes left, Floro nearly put the game beyond doubt with a lovely curling kick from outside the box, forcing Morgan to make a diving save.

The visitors had a couple of half-chances late to snatch a point, however, Coniston held on to prevail 2-1.

Our news app has had a makeover, making it faster and giving you access to even more great content. Download The Illawarra Mercury news app in the Apple Store and Google Play.