Tireless West Sydney defeat listless Bankstown

Despite grabbing a late headed goal through substitute Paul Harries, Bankstown will walk away from the match grateful that they only conceded two goals, as the chronic poor finishing which has plagued the Berries this season prevented them from embarrassing Peter Tsekenis? Lions.
Though there were superb performances from each of the Berries? three-pronged attack force ? Sash Tirovski, John Tsironis and Giosue Sama ? all were guilty of missing wonderful goal-scoring opportunities throughout the match; Tirovski and Tsironis could have each walked away with a hat-trick.
But an initially physical contest was won in midfield by the visiting side, with NSL veteran Scott Thomas particularly influential in the centre of the park.
After just ten minutes of football, some clever interplay between Thomas and the lively Tirovski on the right-hand side of the pitch resulted in a free-kick outside the penalty area. A dangerous ball was curled into the box by Thomas and towering centre-back Jack Sobczyk rose highest, directing his header into the far corner of the net via the goal-post.
West Sydney should have doubled their lead only ten minutes later, as the imperious Johnny Fotiadis ? who last week inspired his side to a crucial 5-2 victory over the Marconi Stallions ? won the ball in his own half before playing a neat one-two with hat-trick hero Giosue Sama.
The right-back took the ball past half-way before looking up and delivering a delicately chipped through-ball for striker John Tsironis, who had beaten a poor offside trap played by a static Bankstown defence. Despite controlling the ball and composing himself inside the penalty-area, Tsironis only managed to hit it into a dirt patch in the box, the crowd gasping in disbelief as his effort rolled into the grateful arms of Bankstown goalkeeper Zlatko Joseski.
A sharp Berries outfit were beginning to play some incisive football and again came agonisingly close to scoring a second goal in the 25? minute.
In what was a simple but effective piece of play, the hard-working Tsironis managed to slip the ball through to Scott Thomas, who snuck in-behind the Bankstown defensive line. The midfielder got to the byline before cutting it back for Tirovski, who slid his shot underneath the on-rushing Joseski but was forced to watch the ball trickle past the far-post.
Enthusiastic Bankstown left-back Shane Webb attempted a harmless long-range strike just minutes later, in what was the home side?s first attempt at goal: it had taken them just over half-an-hour to register it and un-tested Berries goalkeeper Hamish McLean watched it rise over the crossbar.
West Sydney finally increased their advantage after 36? minutes with a text-book case of counter-attacking football. Johnny Fotiadis cleared a Stefanos Liavas cross out of the area, which the mobile Scott Thomas collected in his own half. The ex-Sydney Olympic player held the ball up and allowed for Sama to make a forward run before lifting a perfectly weighted through ball over-the-top of a flat Bankstown back-four. The striker collected the ball and sprinted ? unchallenged – to the byline before cutting the ball back in the area for John Tsironis to side-foot home for the most simple of finishes.
The effervescent Sash Tirovski ? at the heart of many of the Berries? attacking moves throughout the match ? unleashed a wicked half-volley from just outside the box on 41? minutes. Bankstown?s Joseski did extremely well to get down to his right and turn a ball which had bounced immediately in front of him, around the post.
The final chance of a one-sided first-half fell to John Tsironis, who hit a first-time shot after a West Sydney corner was cleared out of the penalty-area. The ball swerved off the striker?s right foot and only just flashed past the top-right hand corner of the net.
West Sydney appeared first onto the pitch for the start of the second-half, followed some time later by a Bankstown side whose body language certainly did not suggest a comeback.
Bankstown City player/manager Peter Tsekenis would have been both relieved and frustrated to see West Sydney squander another two superb goal-scoring opportunities in the first five minutes of the half.
On 48? minutes it would be Tsironis with another weak effort rolling into the arms of Joseski in a one-on-one situation, Fotiadis again the provider of the chance after intercepting a weak pass in his own half, surging past half-way and playing the striker in-behind an uncomfortable Bankstown defence.
Fellow striker Giosue Sama would imitate his team-mate?s wastefulness just two minutes later, following some excellent interplay with Tsironis outside the Lions? penalty-area.
Despite being thoroughly outplayed for over an hour, Bankstown almost clawed their way back into the match on 64? minutes, when Robert Mileski?s brilliant free-kick was curled over the wall, beyond the outstretched Hamish McLean and against the upright, before bouncing across the face of goal and out for a goal-kick.
Sash Tirovski then missed the opportunity to put the result beyond doubt on 82? minutes. A long-throw by Johnny Fotiadis on the left was flicked through for the ?number 17? who sped into the box and looked set to score past a completely stationary Joseski. The attacker attempted to ease the ball past the goalkeeper with the outside of his foot but suffered the agony of seeing his attempt roll past the post.
Just 3? minutes later and Tirovski again found himself isolated with only the goalkeeper to beat. On this occasion, the striker appeared to slip in an awkward patch of dirt in the penalty-area as he was about to shoot. The ball still managed to roll to the supporting substitute Neil Phillipou, whose low effort was hacked off the line by a covering Bankstown defender.
Bankstown substitute Paul Harries produced a superb header to pull a goal back for the home side after the tireless Stefanos Liavas delivered a lofted ball into the box, but it wasn?t enough to spark a late comeback from an uninspired Lions outfit, as the Berries held onto a crucial ? and deserved ? away win.
Bankstown head-coach Peter Tsekenis said there were no excuses for the lack of passion and desire shown by his side, particularly with a Tiger Turf Semi-Final appearance approaching:
?We set ourselves the task of playing well today and getting ourselves on a roll into the Tiger Turf Cup, so we do have something to play for and apart from that, you?ve also got to show a bit of pride.
?Any game I play, regardless of whether it is a friendly match or a training game, I go out there to win and I have a bit of pride and today, the boys let themselves down in that department.
?The loss of Andre Gumprecht didn?t have an effect on our side. That is just something that people might want to pick as an excuse.
?Gumprecht is a loss but we didn?t have him in the last three years and we won championships and now with Gumprecht we haven?t, so you can look at it that way.
?But as a coach, it is just disappointing that the side didn?t show any passion out there tonight.
?The players are disappointed that they haven?t got into the Semi-Finals for the first time in a while, so sometimes you might switch off and feel as though the season is over and it is hard to pick yourself back up.?
Berries head-coach Spiro Hantzis was relieved that missed opportunities didn?t cost his side but was pleased at the defensive performance by the West Sydney outfit:
?We got the two goals that we needed and then we couldn?t get the killer goal to put it to bed. Bankstown came at us towards the end there and put the pressure on us but we got away with it.
?This week we needed to step up defensively to get the result and the boys did that, which was encouraging.
?Everybody stuck together from the beginning, when Ramsin and myself took over and that?s something we have tried to do; get everybody to work together as a unit and it seems to be working.
?We?re sticking to the same formula for the last two games of the season. We?re going to try to take our chances and work hard on the pitch.?
Fellow head-coach Ramsin Shamon echoed his colleague?s sentiments about team unity but lamented their absence from an upcoming finals series after having proven their ability to perform against some of the best sides in the competition:
?The team unity has been there all year but unfortunately the results haven?t been there. But in the last two weeks, we?ve scored 7 goals when previously we hadn?t scored 7 goals in a month.
?We?ve beaten some quality teams, some teams with history. We?ve had the right squad all year but lady luck hasn?t been on our side.
?But two wins in a row, I?ll take it. Hopefully in a fortnight?s time it will be three wins in a row and we?ll give Sutherland a run for their money.?
MATCH STATS
Bankstown City Lions 1 (Paul Harries 86?)
West Sydney Berries 2 (Jack Sobczyk 10?, John Tsironis 36?)
Venue: Jensen Park
Referee: Kurt Ams
Assistant Referees: Lance Greenshields and Daniel Dewhurst
Fourth Official: Kevin Peddie
Bankstown City Lions: 1. Zlatko JOSESKI; 3. Shane WEBB, 4. Brett STUDDMAN, 5. Richard LUKSIC, 6. Peter TSEKENIS, 7. Stefanos LIAVAS, 9. James MONIE (2. Ibrahim HAYDAR 45?), 10. Robert MILESKI (19. Paul HARRIES 83?), 11. Phillip MAKRYS (21. Hussein AKIL 67?), 16. Tayfun DEVRIMOL, 99. Chris GODOY-BASCUR
Substitutes Not Used: 20. Andrew BAZI, 12. Stefce Soleski
Yellow Cards: Ibrahim HAYDAR 59?, Robert MILESKI 66?,
Red Cards: Nil
West Sydney Berries: 1. Hamish MCLEAN; 20. Angelo PETRATOS, 6. Jack SOBCZYK, 3. Omar SAADI, 7. Scott THOMAS, 5. Michael CUNICO (21. Joshua FERGUSON 73?), 8. Johnny FOTIADIS, 15. Ryan JONES (19. Dimitri ZAKILAS 84?), 18. Giosue SAMA, 17. Sash TIROVSKI, 10. John TSIRONIS (12. Neil PHILLIPOU 67?)
Substitutes Not Used: 69. Johnny FRANGESKOU, 14. Craig JACOBS,
Yellow Cards: Michael CUNICO 9?, Angelo PETRATOS 63?,
Red Cards: Nil
Player Ratings:
3 ? Johnny Fotiadis (WSB)
2 ? Scott Thomas (WSB)
1 ? Omar Saadi (WSB)
-By Chris Paraskevas