Wither double keeps Sydney Olympic alive

The Blues, who already collected the Johnny Warren Cup title earlier in the season, remain alive for a shot at the grand-final courtesy of a ?double whammy? via the right-boot of Paul Wither.
The burly attacking midfielder combined twice with Chris Triantis ? in almost identical fashion ? to set-up a Preliminary Final showdown with Sutherland Sharks.
Milan Blagojevic was without regular starters Roger Galayini and Anthony Hartshorn for this clash, as Siraj Al-Tall was confirmed following his goal in the loss against Wollongong FC last weekend. The Blues also welcomed back Michael Herbert following an absence through injury. The shot-stopper proved to be immense for his side, despite suffering the effects of the flu leading into the match.
Manly United was boosted by the return of Robbie Cattanach from the first minute – the winner of the Gold Medal last season partnered Craig Midgley in attack. Beau Busch led the defensive line, as Bradley Groves marshalled the centre of midfield for Phil Moss? side.
Sydney Olympic posed the first threat of the match after 3? minutes. A great interchange of passes between Matthew Mayora, Marino Musumeci and Chris Triantis saw the latter play Musumeci behind the defence though the Manly rear-guard quickly diverted the ball for a corner.
The Blues kept the foot on the accelerator as the resulting corner was only half-cleared. The second effort into the penalty-area met the head of an unmarked Emmanuel Zunino ? the Blues defender headed over the crossbar.
Manly United replied with a swift counter-attack down the right-flank. A looping cross was headed on by Craig Midgley into the path of Cattanach at the back post. The Manly striker hit the volley first time, though the effort flashed past Herbert?s right-hand post.
Siraj Al-Tall?s presence up-front caused moments of discomfort for the Manly United defence, and on 12? minutes, it was Brad Swancott to feel the heat as a routine save became slightly more complicated.
The poor surface quality saw Al-Tall?s long-range effort change direction in-front of the Manly shot-stopper ? Swancott parried the shot at the second attempt.
Sydney Olympic captain Mirko Jurilj took control on 21? minutes as he ventured on a mazy run from the half-way line. Jurilj beat two defenders before winning a corner for his side.
Manly United had a great chance moments later as a Brad Groves free-kick met an unmarked Roberto Hamad at the back post; the Manly defender, surprised by the space left by the Blues defence, volleyed the ball over the crossbar.
That chance would haunt Manly as Sydney Olympic hit the front on 32? minutes. A Chris Triantis free-kick from the right-flank picked out a Paul Wither half-volley off his right-foot, the ball floated into the top right-hand corner of the goal.
After losing Roberto Hamad to injury, Robbie Cattanach almost drew Manly United level in the final moments of the half. The Manly United striker perfectly chested a cross from the left and unleashed a venomous drive goal-wards; denied only by the scrambling Blues? defence.
The second-half brought about a reformed Manly United side, in the attacking third, as Sydney Olympic was immediately under the ?pump? from the start.
Michael Herbert produced an exceptional point-blank save from Brad Groves in the opening minute of the half, before Michael Lloyd-Green tapped-in from close-range moments later following another great save by the Blues custodian.
With the momentum on their side, Craig Midgley should have put his side ahead on 56? minutes when he beat the offside trap. Despite pressure from Nathan Sherlock, Midgley?s effort failed to draw a save from Herbert.
Sydney Olympic hit back and regained the lead on 61? minutes in an almost carbon-copy effort of their opening goal. Another free-kick from the right, majestically taken by Chris Triantis, was once again met by Wither; the Blues? number 8 hit a volley on the turn and slotted past an outstretched Swancott.
Marino Musumeci produced a wonderful run from the halfway line, dribbling his way past two defenders, before lining-up an effort from outside the penalty-area. The midfielder?s effort was wasted due to the poor surface as the ball ?bounced-up? at the point of contact.
Craig Midgley?s ?fight? was clear for all to see as he single-handedly presented Brad Groves with a great chance on the edge of the area following a good show of strength on the ball. Groves shot was full of power, though failed to hit the target.
Michael Herbert produced another remarkable save to keep Sydney Olympic ahead 7? minutes from the end. A lunging Midgley header drew a point-blank save by the shot-stopper, preserving his side?s lead and setting up a Preliminary Final show-down with Sutherland Sharks.
Following the match, Sydney Olympic captain Mirko Jurilj was full of praise for his side?s efforts:
?It is a great result against a difficult team to play against.
?We are still in the running for the win, and we?ll be doing all we can to go all the way.
?We scored two good goals, and I feel the team held strong throughout the match so it does look very promising,? added Jurilj.
Asked about the playing surface, the Blues? skipper was not too pleased:
?It was tough for all the players out there, the surface did not help at all. One bonus will be that near perfect surfaces await us from this point on.?
Manly United FC boss Phil Moss was disappointed with the final result, though pleased with the efforts of his players this season:
?I am extremely proud of every single member of this squad. These guys have played their hearts out all season and have been a pleasure to work with.
?The match today didn?t go in our favour. I was disappointed to concede two ?silly? goals from set-pieces which was something that we wanted to avoid.
?On the whole it has been a positive season, though definitely the expectation was a bit higher following our run last season ? I?m proud of the players never-the-less,? concluded Moss.
Match Stats
Sydney Olympic 2 (Paul Wither 32?, 61?)
Manly United FC 1 (Michael Lloyd-Green 47?)
Venue: Belmore Sports Ground.
Referee: Atila Stibinger
Assistant Referees: Daniel Dewhurst and Lance Greenshields
Fourth Official: Kevin Peddie
Sydney Olympic: 1.Michael Herbert; 16. Nathan Sherlock, 4. Mirko Jurilj, 5. Michael Cindric, 3. Emmanuel Zunino (25. Emmanuel Giannaros 46?), 7. Milorad Simonovic, 18. Chris Triantis, 19. Marino Musumeci, 15. Matthew Mayora (12. James Kovas 69?), 37. Siraj Al-Tall, 8. Paul Wither
Substitutes Not Used: 20. Sam Emmanouil, 10. Anthony Doumanis, 11. Carlo Musumeci
Coach: Milan Blagojevic
Manly United FC: 1. Brad Swancott; 4. Roberto Hamad (19. Richie Williams 36?), 15. Pascal Julliard (13. Jamie Garside 76?), 6. Brad Groves, 7. Ashley Ryan (14. Caetano Lima 76?), 9. Robbie Cattanach, 11. Craig Midgley, 12. Michael Lloyd-Green, 16. Joey Schirripa, 17. Sean Bowden, 18. Beau Busch
Substitutes Not Used: 21. Luke FEMIA, 33. Michael Williams
Coach: Phil Moss
Yellow Cards: Ashley Ryan 45? +1? (MU)
Red Cards: Nil
Player Ratings:
3? Paul Wither (SO)
2? Craig Midgley (MU)
1? Michael Herbert (SO)
-By Joseph Carlucci