Lightning strikes at Cromer Park as game is called off
Phil Moss? men were missing experienced duo Craig Midgley and Spencer Prior but new signing Matt Bingley slotted in with aplomb in-front of Brad Swancott.
The home side should have opened the scoring on 6? minutes after Andrew Mailer found some space down the right.
Mailer released Robbie Cattanach who in turn found Joe Gibbs who squared a great ball to Scott Thomas who should have done better from the edge of the area.
Just a minute later Joey Schirripa picked out Cattanach with an inch perfect ball but he looped his header over Hamish McLean?s crossbar from the penalty spot.
John Tsironis then made a surging run down the left on 20? minutes for the Berries, playing in Johnny Fotiadis who blazed over from 12-yards with Swancott in ?no mans land?.
Fotiadis was cursing his luck just 3? minutes later when Michael Lloyd-Green opened the scoring for Manly.
A quickly taken throw from Brad Groves found Keith Shevlin who deftly chipped the ball onto the head of the right winger who couldn?t miss from three yards.
Groves was again in the thick of the action leading into the break when he fed Lloyd Green who couldn?t beat McLean for a second time.
A few moments later Kris-Griffith Jones called a halt to proceedings with consistent thunder the next half an hour ensuring the game was postponed.
Phil Moss was fairly happy with what his team dished up:
?We had some good passages, but I felt we were a bit flat defensively,? he said.
?But in saying that both teams had one eye on the lightning and the game.
?We were slightly the better team which pleased me.?
His opposite John Calleja was also relieved to see sanity win out:
?I wasn?t happy with how we conceded, it was soft goal, but overall it was a pretty decent performance given the circumstances,? he said.
?The boys wanted to keep going but you have to be sensible when thunder and lightning is around.?
Match Stats
Manly United FC 1 (Michael Lloyd-Green 23?)
West Sydney Berries 0
*Match abandoned after 40? minutes due to weather.
Saturday, 14th March, 2009
Cromer Park, Dee Why
Referee: Kris Griffith-Jones
Assistants: Daniel Dewhurst, Terry Kuan
Crowd: 300 Approx.
Manly United FC: 1.Brad SWANCOTT; 3.Andrew MAILER, 5.Joel GRENELL, 6.Scott THOMAS, 8.Michael LLOYD-GREEN, 9.Robbie CATTANACH, 15.Keith SHEVLIN, 16.Joey SCHIRRIPA, 20.Matt BINGLEY, 24.Brad GROVES, 35.Joe GIBBS
Substitutes Not Used: 12.Jamie GARSIDE, 13.Mitch MACEDO, 17.Scott WRIGHT, 23.Fabio PENA, 40.Rhyss KEANE
Yellow Cards: Nil
Red Cards: Nil
West Sydney Berries: 1.Hamish McLEAN; 3.Omar SAADI, 4.Adam WITHER, 5.Michael CUNICO, 6.Jack SOBCZYK, 7.Peter PERALTA, 8.John FOTIADIS, 10.John TSIRONIS, 14.Liam AUSTIN, 16.Kosta LAGOUDAKIS, 19.Dimitri ZAKILIS
Substitutes Not Used: 22.Trinity ALLEN, 9.Cameron JONES, 17.Chris GAITATZIS, 21.Daniel WAGUS, 2.Marjan NOVOTRI
Yellow Cards: Nil
Red Cards: Nil
-By Andrew Prentice
