Super Youth League – Final Series Report
The brilliant sunshine, warm conditions and cloudless sky provided a perfect backdrop for a day of fascinating football which was played in the best spirit of this highly competitive league.
It really was a privilege to witness the five extraordinary matches played on the day and that is a tribute to every player, team, coach and manager.
Grade 13 Central Coast Lightning v PCYC Parramatta Eagles
Central Coast Lightning were the Premiers for 2008, finishing two points ahead of Granville Rage on the final competition table for the season. They scored a total of fourty-three goals in the season and conceded only fourteen. They were unbeaten for four games immediately before the final series and were victorious in their major semi final match against PCYC Parramatta 2?1 giving them a clear and well deserved path to the Grand Final were they are looking to secure the double.
PCYC Parramatta had an indifferent path to the finals. They finished third at the end of the season after losing two out of their three final matches and went into the final series looking to recover good form. They defeated Granville Rage on penalties in the preliminary semi final before being defeated by premiers Central Coast 2?1 in the major semi finals. To their credit they bounced back in the preliminary finals with a superb performance to defeat Sydney Wanderers 3?1 and book their place in the Grand Final.
In head to head action during the competition their first meeting finished 3?0 to Central Coast and the second game saw an improved performance by PCYC Parramatta but they were still beaten in a close game 1?0.
Parramatta made much of the early running but they were unable to capitalise on the many chances they created and that opened the door for Central Coast to work their way back into the match as they too created several opportunities to open the scoring but the scoreboard remained at 0-0 at the interval.
Eleven minutes into the second half Parramatta striker Bill Benton got his head to a cross from the left and he was able to steer the ball into the back of the net to give his team the vital breakthrough.
They retained that lead for only five minutes though as Lightning?s Harry Draper was on hand to make the most of a fumble from the Eagles? goalkeeper as the calmly slotted the ball into the empty net to take the scoreline to 1-1.
Despite some very enterprising play from both teams that was the end of the scoring for the second half and so extra time was needed to reach a solution in this very tight contest.
It was here that the decider was found and it was certainly worth the wait as it was truly a goal of rare quality. It came at the end of a superb passing move from Parramatta when the ball arrived at the feet of Lewis Bumie and he unleashed a measured shot from the edge of the penalty area that found the top corner of the goal, giving the Lightning goalkeeper absolutely no chance.
That was enough to allow Parramatta to claim the Champions plaque while Central Coast, while disappointed with their loss, would have been cheered by the fact that they went home with the Premiers plaque.
Grade 14 Western NSW Panthers v Bonnyrigg White Eagles
Western Panthers were placed third on the last competition table for the season and they had not lost any of the last five games leading up to the finals.
They then would go on to defeat Dulwich Hill 1 ? 0 in the preliminary semi final before going on to defeat Bonnyrigg White Eagles 4 ? 2 on penalties in the major semi final, a result that gave Western Panthers the first place in the grand final.
Bonnyrigg White Eagles were crowned premiers for 2008 after they won the competition by an amazing 11 points. They came into the final series on the back of three consecutive wins in which they scored 8 goals and conceded only two. They entered the final series full of confidence but fell to Western Panthers on penalties after a very tight and close affair. They regained their composure and recovered from that to defeat Dulwich Hill in the preliminary final 3 ? 2 last week.
In head to head games Bonnyrigg and Wollongong shared the first game 1 ? 1 but in the second game Bonnyrigg triumphed 3 ? 0.
This match provided plenty of edge of the seat thrills as the teams went at each other with all the determination and passion that is demanded at this level of the game and there was absolutely nothing between them.
Bonnyrigg took the lead in the 20th minute when Hassan Daramy took a touch on the edge of the penalty area before he cracked a shot that gave the diving Panthers goalkeeper no chance.
The White Eagles carried that lead through to the break after they survived a determined revival from the Panthers who had shrugged off what many would have considered to be a setback.
The second half provided end-to-end action and loads of goalmouth action that kept the spectators cheering for more but there were no more goals to be seen despite the fact that there were numerous very near things and loads of saves from the goalkeepers at both ends of the ground.
Bonnyrigg White Eagles have now claimed the double, the Premiership and the Championship while the Panthers, while they must have been disappointed with the finals scoreline, should have been extremely proud of their efforts throughout the season and on this special day.
Grade 15 Southern NSW v Bonnyrigg White Eagles
Southern NSW were placed third on the ladder and they came into the finals with three wins and two draws to show for their last five competition games. They scored six goals and conceded two during that spell and came into the final series with optimism. They won the preliminary semi final with a 2 ? 0 result over Bonnyrigg before going on to defeat Western Panthers on penalties to earn their place in the grand final.
Bonnyrigg were the competition runners-up and were unbeaten in the three games immediately before the finals. They had only lost six games all season and were looking strong for the final series. Unfortunately they did not start the series well with a 2 ? 0 defeat to Southern NSW in the preliminary semi final. They lifted their game and bounced back with a 5 ? 2 win over Northern Tigers in the minor semi final before defeating Western Panthers 4 ? 1 in the preliminary final.
The honours were shared in the head to head matches this season with Bonnyrigg taking the first round game 3 ? 2, while Southern NSW responded with a rousing 5 ? 3 result in the second.
Thrills and spills combined with high quality play to make this a game to remember on a day chock-a-block full of first class matches.
From the first whistle the action came thick and fast as the action flowed from one end of the ground to the other, keeping the goalkeepers very busy indeed as they both showed that they were at the top of their games.
While there were no goals produced close in the first half, the numerous gasps, cheers and sighs from the spectator areas were a very good indication of how close both teams had come to making a breakthrough.
Southern drew first blood when the White Eagles goalkeeper dropped a high cross from the right and Mathew Mills swooped to poke the ball into the net.
However, Southern suffered a setback when their goalkeeper was sent from the field after he brought down an opponent outside the penalty area.
Bonnyrigg drew level when the match referee decided that a ball-to-hand incident was sufficient to warrant the awarding of a penalty kick which was calmly converted by Nelson Medina.
While the chances kept coming for both teams, neither was able to make the most of them and so it was necessary to go into extra time.
It was here that we were to find a solution to the deadlock and it came just five minutes into the first period when Bonnyrigg put on a slick passing move that outfoxed Southern?s defensive efforts and provided a chance for Carmelo Ussia which he did not waste.
Southern gave everything they had to find an equaliser but it did not come for them and so the White Eagles were able to claim the Champions crown for the season.
Grade 16 Northern Tigers v PCYC Parramatta Eagles
Northern Tigers finished up the season as competition runners up. They won eight out of their last ten games scoring a total of twenty goals putting themselves in a good position for the final series. Their good form continued with a 2 ? 1 win over Granville Rage in the preliminary semi final followed by an impressive win over PCYC Parramatta 1 ? 0 in the major semi final.
PCYC Parramatta were the Premiers after they won the competition by a margin of nine points. They arrived at the finals on the back of a four game undefeated streak and were looking to continue that trend in the final series. That streak was ended by the Northern Tigers who defeated them 1 ? 0 in the major semi finals in a very closely fought game. With the pressure mounting PCYC showed why they were premiers and triumphed against Spirit FC in the preliminary final getting through in a nail biting penalty shootout.
The teams had split the head to head points with PCYC Parramatta getting the better of the first clash 2 ? 0, while in the second game Northern Tigers evened the score with a 1 ? 0 win.
Northern Tigers started strongly and they appeared to have the better of the early play but they were unable to turn their superior ball possession into the goals that would give them a true advantage.
Slowly but surely Parramatta got their act together and they began to show what they were made of with some fine attacking play but, like the Tigers, they were unable to find the back of the net before the interval.
The Tigers made the breakthrough in the 57th minute when Joel Carter was released with a sublime pass and he cut into the box, beating a defender en route, before producing a deft chip that eluded the jumping goalkeeper and found the net at the far post.
However, that lead lasted just four minutes after Parramatta?s Nicholas Latsinos steered in a corner kick from the left for an equaliser.
That really stirred things up as both teams increased their intensity to provide top notch entertainment value for the large crowd on hand but the goals had dried up and so extra time was needed to find a winner.
Although the quality of the game remained at a very high level, there were no further goals produced and that meant that the penalty spot was called upon for a solution.
It was here that Parramatta came to the fore, winning the shootout 3-2 and claiming the Champions plaque in the process and giving them the double as they were also crowned Premiers.
Grade 18 Northern Tigers v Central Coast Lightning
Central Coast were crowned premiers when they were first past the post by a healthy seven points. They had an incredible season losing only one game during the twenty-two rounds and winning sixteen of them. They came into the final series in decent form recording two wins and two draws in their last four games. They extended their good form when they were 2 ? 0 winners over the Northern Tigers in the major semi final and that gave them direct passage into the Grand Final.
Northern Tigers completed the competition in second place and they produced six wins and two draws from their last eight games leading into the finals. They defeated Western Panthers 1 ? 0 in the elimination semi final before they were hit with a slight setback with a loss to Central Coast Lightning 2 ? 0 in the major semi final. They held strong and delivered a strong performance against PCYC Parramatta in the preliminary final downing them 4 ? 1 and sealing a date with the premiers.
Central Coast had taken all the head to head points with a 1 ? 0 win at home followed by the same result when they played away.
The last game for the day maintained the very high standards that had been set by the earlier matches and the result was a very fine spectacle that kept the crowd enthralled.
The early play was so even that there was nothing to separate the teams in terms of skill or commitment so it was clear that we were in for quite a tussle.
The Tigers drew first blood with a goal from Sean Doran in the 23rd minute but that was cancelled out twelve minutes later when Lightning?s Daniel Bird found the net.
The match settled into a do-or-die struggle that typifies Grand Finals as the players put their abilities and their bodies on the line in their efforts to claim glory for their teams and that provided wonderful entertainment for the folk in the spectator areas.
Rhys Williams added a second goal for the Tigers in the 71st minute and that served to inspire both teams to lift their standards to yet another level, adding much to the entertainment of the occasion.
Central Coast showed that they were a constant threat when in the vicinity of Northern?s goal but they were unable to find the essential equaliser that would have taken the game into extra time.
Northern Tigers celebrated wildly when they claimed the Champions plaque while Lightning were disappointed with the match outcome but satisfied that they had picked up the Premiers plaque.
