Rams make it two on the trot

A Kostas Barbarouses goal in the 46? minute was enough to give the side a hard earned three points, and their second consecutive win in the TeleChoice Premier League.
The game was evenly poised early on, with both sides trying to adapt to the slippery conditions.
However, despite the conditions, it was Blacktown who controlled the play early on. Midfielder Agyei Akwasi, Ken Chun and defender Daniel Wilkinson were showing some threatening signs with some quality link-up passing and good quality possession.
But despite the early signs for Blacktown City, it was Macarthur who looked most likely to strike first. Craig Cooley and Stephen Old became linked-up well out of defence, with midfielder Daniel McCann and Matt Toogood also in good touch.
In the 18? minute Macarthur forward James Young made a sensational dash down the right-wing and provided a splendid ball into the centre, however Kostas Barbarouses over-ran the play and missed out on a crucial opportunity.   
Macarthur began to take control and looked to have created the perfect play in the 27? minute when Matt Toogood put in a sensational curling cross, the ball passed every player inside the 18-yard box leaving James Young with an open goal, however his shot sailed to the right side of goal.
Daniel McCann was looking to amend his early failed attempts when he made a great run down the left side before cutting inside his defender – only for his attempted shot to miss to the right of goal.
Daniel Wilkinson?s hard work from the left side of defence nearly proved effective in attack when his run resulted in a sensational strike just outside the 18-yard box, however Roy Bell again proved effective with a great save – the game remained scoreless at the interval. 
The second-half brought the game to a stand with the home side scoring the first goal in the 46? minute, Kostas Barbarouses made a dashing burst towards the right side cutting in and striking the ball just outside the 18-yard box, deflecting off a Blacktown City defender and past goalkeeper Ivan Necevski, giving the home side there first goal at Campbelltown Stadium.
Kostas was taking control with some quality paced runs down the middle, linking up well with Michael Brown and Daniel McCann.
Blacktown City playmaker Jessie Pinto was the one trying to gain some momentum for his side with some great quality touches.
However, despite Blacktown?s efforts the task seemed even more distant when Daniel Wilkinson was given a second yellow card for the game leaving the Demons with only ten-men.
Macarthur could have secured a second when a sensational low cross from the right side was latched on to by Barbarouses, however his attempt sailed over the bar.
Despite the late efforts from Blacktown City substitute Chris Bedzo and Leo Carle, Macarthur sealed the three points to move clear off the bottom and record a second successive win.
Macarthur coach Paul Carter was delighted with the result stating that his team deserved the victory with the courage and effort they showed on the day:
?I feel our side showed a lot of courage, we held possession real well, I thought that we attacked with an ability to create chances, despite Blacktown City’s courageous performance I thought that we showed great character and determination to hold on with that 1-0 lead throughout the game.
?The past couple of months have been a learning curve for the boys, through the tough games that we lost this year, I think we gained some confidence and were able to bounce back in the right way.
?We have won two straight games something we needed to do to improve our position, and this goes down to hard work at training.?
Another promising sign for the Rams was that they unearthed talented young midfielder Glenn Trifiro on loan from the Marconi Stallions, who made an instant impact coming in late in the second half.
MATCH STATS
Macarthur Rams 1 (Kostas Barbarouses 46?)
Blacktown City Demons 0
Venue: Campbelltown Sports Ground
Referee: –
Crowd: 400 approx
Macarthur Rams: 40. Roy Bell; 2. Craig Cooley, 5. Michael Brown, 6. David Gardiner, 7. Matt Toogood (22. Glenn Trifiro 76?), 9. Steven Old, 13. Kostas Barbarouses, 14. Daniel McCann, 17. Adam Wither, 21. Renato Jelen, 27. James Young (4. Jason Lewis 85?). 
Substitutes Not Used: 1. Brody Crane, 23. Josh Ford, 8. David Lagudi

Yellow Cards: Michael Brown 21?
Red Cards: Nil
Blacktown City Demons: 1. Ivan Necevski; 3. Paul Karbon, 4. Daniel Wilkinson, 6. Ken Chun (8. Chris Bedzo 61?), 10. Leo Carle, 13. Ben Ellis, 15. Agyei Akwasi, 17. Gavin Forbes, 18. Jessie Pinto, 25. Jordan Simpson, 29. Matt Lewis  
Substitutes Not Used: 20. Matt Nemes, 32. Nick Fitzgerald, 54. Joel Chianese 
Yellow Cards: Paul Karbon 13?, Leo Carle 62?, Daniel Wilkinson 64?
Red Cards: Daniel Wilkinson 70?
Player Ratings:
3 – Kostas Barbarouses (MR)
2 – Jessie Pinto (BCD)
1 – Daniel McCann (MR)
-By Johnny Casni