Bonnyrigg White Eagles denied first win by gutsy Penrith-Nepean
In the end, Blagoja Kuleski?s men secured their first point of the campaign as Almir Dizdaric?s ?go-ahead? goal was matched by Penrith-Nepean?s Mitchell Long.
An even start to the encounter, whereby neither midfield allowed their opponent the chance to penetrate, was brought to life by the visitors on 7? minutes. A promising forward foray was brought to an end by some tough White Eagles defending, the referee awarding Penrith-Nepean a free-kick. Tayfun Buyukkopru?s free-kick, from a very promising position, lacked precision though, and the ball finished over the crossbar.
The visitors carved out the next chance of note on 14? minutes as striker-partners Mitchell Long and Evangelos Petratos combined to set-up Buyukkopru. The latter?s driven effort from the edge of the penalty-area deflected off a defender?s leg and finished wide of the mark.
The White Eagles? dominance of possession through the middle of the park did not translate into chances early as it was again the visitors to threaten Ali Akbal?s goal. Petratos, with his back to goal, played a ball into the path of Andrew Lazarou who hit his snap-shot effort over the crossbar.
The White Eagles midfield pairing of Nathan Rivera and Nikola Zonjic combined well to release Steven Bozinovski down the right-flank; Bozinovski?s cross into the penalty-area failed to pick out a teammate.
Ante Juric nearly put the visitors ahead on 24? minutes when he sent his glancing header toward the top corner. Akbal in the Bonnyrigg goal reacted exceptionally well to divert the ball over the crossbar.
Bonnyrigg responded through Ilkay Gurbuz who crossed perfectly for Almir Dizdaric; his header glanced wide of Daniel Schwarzer?s upright.
Antonio Faria had a golden opportunity to hit the home-side ahead just prior to the break following a failed clearance by the Penrith-Nepean defence. Faria got a good look at goal, though some desperate defending by the Penrith-Nepean rear-guard saw the effort thwarted.
Dizdaric scuffed Bonnyrigg?s last chance of the opening half in injury-time when he received a perfectly floated Zonjic cross from the right. Dizdaric?s header, from close-range, was sent over Schwarzer?s crossbar.
Following the break Bonnyrigg found their goal via a dead-ball situation. A Nathan Rivera corner from the right picked out Dizdaric, who rose highest, to head into the back of the net.
The goal spurred the home-side into action with Rivera and then Gurbuz involved in promising forays up-field, though a second goal was not coming.
Penrith-Nepean?s Sean Mitchell picked up a loose ball on the edge of the penalty-area on 29? minutes before unleashing a venomous drive on goal; the effort stinging the palms of Akbal who tipped over the crossbar.
The resulting corner caused the White Eagles rear-guard with discomfort as they failed to clear the ball. Mitchell Long?s effort on goal was punched clear by Akbal ? off the line ? though the linesman quickly raised his flag to signal a goal.
With their lead gone, the White Eagles showed a lack of confidence in the final 15? minutes, as the visiting Penrith-Nepean finished the encounter strongest.
Daniel Willoughby almost sent Bonnyrigg back in-front with a curling free-kick; the effort beat the wall, and goalkeeper, though finished agonizingly wide for the home crowd.
Bonnyrigg defender Milan Zoric denied Sean Mitchell a definite one-on-one situation as the defender cleverly anticipated the striker with a clean challenge inside the penalty-area.
The final chance of the match fell to Penrith-Nepean?s Buyukkopru who had time on the ball at the edge of the penalty-area; the attacking midfielder picked his spot though poorly executed the finish as the ball cleared the crossbar.
In the end, an important point for Bonnyrigg White Eagles, despite the side holding the lead with 15? minutes remaining. Coach Blagoja Kuleski remained upbeat following the match:
?The team played well throughout the match, though we lost confidence after their goal,? Kuleski commented.
?We are lacking some confidence at the moment. I think we need to get a win to help everyone in the team. We are playing well, and tonight we created a lot of chances.
?We got a point which is important, but we hope to improve now with another important match on Wednesday against Sydney Olympic, concluded Kuleski.
Penrith-Nepean United boss Ian Gillan was also very positive following the match, the former Fraser Park manager happy with his side?s progress to-date:
?Our boys finished the match very strong tonight and I am very happy with their effort; especially the older boys,? stated Gillan.
?We moved the ball well and fought hard, even after going a goal behind, and I think we could have even taken something more from this match in the end.
?The team is playing well, and we got a point at a venue where many teams will struggle this season. All in all, I am happy and we will now turn our attentions to Sydney Olympic next weekend,? ended Gillan.
Bonnyrigg White Eagles will host Sydney Olympic on Wednesday evening in the Round 3 ?catch-up? match following the wet weather last weekend with admission free.
Match Stats
Bonnyrigg White Eagles 1 (Almir Dizdaric 48?)
Penrith-Nepean United 1 (Mitchell Long 75?)
Saturday, 21st March, 2009
Bonnyrigg Sports Club, Bonnyrigg
Referee: Kris Griffiths-Jones
Assistant Referees: Nick Backo and Terence Kuan
Fourth Official: Michael Scaban
Crowd: 875 Approx.
Bonnyrigg White Eagles: 23.Ali Akbal; 2.Paul Cotte, 6.Ilkay Gurbuz, 7.Nikola Zonjic, 15.Steven Bozinovski (8.Daniel Willoughby 70?), 18.Tayfun Devrimol, 11.Almir Dizdaric, 13.Nathan Rivera, 17.Milorad Simonovic (9.Eric Nyamekye 88?), 19.Antonio Faria, 20.Milan Zoric
Substitutes Not Used: 1.Nened Vekic (gk), 3. Drazen Janjic, 4.David Petrovic,
Yellow Cards: Milan Zoric 35?, Nikola Zonjic 55?
Red Cards: Nil
Penrith-Nepean United: 1.Daniel Schwarzer, 2.Mark Bariamis, 3.David Comito (12.Nicolas McInerney 48?), 4.Evangelos Petratos (8.Paul Crisp 45?+3?), 5.David Gardiner, 6.Steven Baveas, 9.Mitchell Long, 15.Sean Mitchell, 17.Ante Juric, 20.Andrew Lazarou (11.Dimitrios Petratos 50?), 26.Tayfun Buyukkopru.
Substitutes Not Used: 21.Nikolas Jelic (gk), 14.Gregory Kondek
Yellow Cards: Evangelos Petratos 77?, Mark Bariamis 80?
Red Cards: Nil
Player Ratings:
3 ? Mitchell Long (PNU)
2 ? Ilkay Gurbuz (BWE)
1 ? Almir Dizdaric (BWE)
-By Joseph Carlucci
