Penrith-Nepean score first win of the season

The 4-1 victory saw the locals score their first goals of the season and the Berries concede more than one goal for the first time this campaign.
It did not start well for Penrith-Nepean though as the visitors dominated the early stages of the game and cemented this passage of play with a goal to Sash Tirovski in the 10? minute.
A shot from Kosta Lagoudakis had cannoned off the cross-bar and Tirovski was the first to pounce on the free ball and slotted the home to give the Berries a deserved lead.
Through the next period of play Penrith fought back with efforts falling to Nick Tsattalios, Eric Anabalon, Carl McNaughton and Nathan Ralph ? each effort though fell agonisingly wide for the local supporters.
Berries then took control of the play again and some very dangerous crosses from Lagoudakis fell into the path of Giosue Sama but the linesman, who ruled Sama offside on at least three occasions, denied all their efforts.
In the 40? minute the Berries looked to be going ahead again as John Tsironis headed a free-kick on from the near post and it looped over to Sama who was ready to slot the ball home when he was controversially called offside once more.
Right on half-time both teams just missed opportunities, the first falling to Luke Boyd who shot the ball back goal wards from a poor corner clearance, only to see the ball hit the cross bar twice and land in the keepers hands, and then in injury time Angelo Petratos made a run through the middle of the park and met the ball with a header that went just over the bar.
Following the break, Sama had a free header which he put wide of the post but from then on the match was all Penrith-Nepean.
The locals pushed forward and with their creative midfield of Ralph, Mancino, McNaughton, and Tsattalios, and fullback William Stuart pushing forward, the Berries had no answers.
Eric Anabalon gave the first warning shot when in the 49^? minute his shot dropped onto the cross-bar and away to safety.
Then Nathan Ralph made some great runs that were just cleared away by the Berries defence.
In the 63? minute these two men combined to give Penrith the lead. Anabalon was played into the path of goal by Ralph and, as the keeper advanced, the Penrith striker slotted the ball past him and into the back of the net.
A minute later Ralph played Kondek through but his shot was well saved by Hamish McLean in the Berries goalmouth.
Fifteen minutes from time Eric Anabalon saw his chip deflected just wide of the post but Penrith?s extra efforts in playing attacking, flowing football was not to be only rewarded with two goals.
Greg Kondek played the ball through to Nathan Ralph, again between the central defenders, and Ralph controlled a bobbling ball to put the ball away for his second of the match, and Penrith?s third.
In the 83? minute Nick Tsattalios demonstrated his class as he ran down the left and then played a ball behind his strikers to an unmarked Greg Kondek on the other side of the pitch and Kondek had plenty of time to set up and score his first senior goal for the club.
With three minutes to go Ryan Jones was sent off for a poor tackle on Greg Kondek, before Kondek found himself one-on-one with the keeper but McLean ended his run with a terrific save.
After the match West Sydney Berries coach Scott Baillie was obviously disappointed:
?We showed intensity at the start, we put the pressure on them, and we should have scored four goals, but when you slacken off the opposition you get hit.
“They demonstrated 100% intensity, enthusiasm and passion, things we lacked today. Our boys were poor for 70 minutes and they got what they deserved, there were not many positives out of the game for us at all.?
Penrith Nepean coach Abbas Saad is looking for his side to build on this result:
?I am delighted with the confidence this result gives us.
“We?ve got a great platform to build on now. William Stuart was outstanding for us today but all the boys deserve credit for such a fine win.?
Match Stats
Penrith Nepean United 4 (Eric Anabalon 61?, Nathan Ralph 22?, 75?, Greg Kondek 83?)
West Sydney Berries 1 (Sash Tirovski 10′)
Penrith Nepean United: 42 Daniel Schwarzer, 28 Ante Juric, 17 Ozguk Kanyilmaz, 2 William Stuart, 5 Luke Boyd, 3 Nick Tsattalios, 7 Javier Mancino (20 Ben Wright 69?), 11 Eric Anabalon (23 Devrim Huseyin 81?), 9 Carl McNaughton (14 Greg Kondek 58?), 13 Nathan Ralph, 16 Michael Cromer
Substitutes not used: 1 Chad Taylor, 10 Tayfun Buyukkopru
Yellow Cards: Carl McNaughton 45?, Devrim Huseyin 84?
West Sydney Berries: 1 Hamish McLean, 5 Michael Cunico, 6 Jack Sobczyk, 8 Johnny Fotiadis (7 Scott Thomas 70?), 10 John Tsironis, 11 Aheleas Kotsopoulos, 15 Ryan Jones, 17 Sash Tirovski, 18 Giosue Sama (12 Neil Phillipou 56?), 16 Kosta Lagoudakis, 20 Angelo Petratos
Substitutes not used: 4 Scott Baillie, 69 John Frangeskou.
Yellow Cards: Jack Sobczyk 20?, Aheleas Kotsopoulos 25?
Red Cards: Ryan Jones 87?
Crowd: 800
Player Ratings:
3 – Nathan Ralph (PNU)
2 – William Stuart (PNU)
1 – Nick Tsattalios (PNU)           
– By Stuart Jones