Late Tigers show stings Wollongong Community FC
Both sides started slowly and looked tense in the opening exchanges.
The crowd had barely taken their seats when the Tigers won a corner on the Wollongong left. Inexplicably, Wollongong failed to be alert to a quickly taken short corner and Wollongong old boy Michael West whipped in a vicious left footed cross-turn-shot which Alex Augusto misjudged and could only palm the ball onto the underside of his bar allowing Robbie Younis to stab the ball home from point-blank range and stun the home crowd.
On 9? minutes Samet Kaynak picked the ball up and beat three Tigers players before shooting narrowly wide from just outside the box.
A minute later Bishara Stephan let fly from long range but the ball sailed over the Wollongong bar.
Franco Parisi connected well with a cross from the right but saw his effort fly high and wide.
Kaynak again troubled the Tigers on 22? minutes when he again saw his shot go agonisingly wide although Phillip Zabaks had it well covered.
Stephan limped off in the 23? minute to be replaced by another Wollongong old boy, Michael Hawrysiuk.
A minute later Ballamadou Conde had arguably the best effort for Wollongong in the first-half when he superbly controlled a cross field pass and volleyed it sweetly first time only to see it miss the Tigers goal by inches.
An audacious attempt to chip the Wollongong keeper by Stephen Kayes rounded out a scrappy and tense first half.
Wollongong acting coach Glenn Fontana used the interval to make a tactical switch which saw Kieran Deane replace 17-year old Aden Wade on the left side of the Wollongong midfield.
While the first-half had lacked intensity and craft the second-half proved very different with Wollongong pressing harder and harder for an equaliser and the Tigers threatening to hit them on the break.
Wollongong had long spells of sustained possession and put pressure on the Tigers whose back three of Danial Cummins, Mark Byrnes and John Kelso were outstanding.
On 52? minutes Ilija Prenzoski looked on in disbelief as Zabaks miraculously managed to parry his goal bound effort away for a corner.
At the other end Wollongong were mesmerised as West shimmied his way to the by-line and clipped back a cross that eluded everyone, it fell to the feet of Parisi who blasted wide from point-blank range.
Brendan Kearns had a good shot saved by Zabaks on 55? minutes who released the ball quickly to his midfield who in turn fed Younis whose run and shot should have served as a warning to Wollongong.
On 74? minutes Kearns arrived late at the back post but could only find the side netting.
Four minutes later it was Kearns again who was in the thick of the action. He won the ball well and somehow managed to thread an inch perfect pass through to Steve Hayes who beat the keeper and defenders to the ball and poked it into the Tigers goal to level the scores.
With Wollongong pressing it looked like they had sensed that they were a real chance to win the game.
On 84? minutes disaster struck, a sweet Wollongong passing move broke down in the Tigers half. The ball was played forward to Jason Trifiro who managed to hold the ball up on the edge of the Wollongong box and somehow poke the ball into the far corner of the Wollongong net beyond the unsighted keeper.
The crowd were incensed as was the Wollongong bench who believed that Trifiro had been a good two-yards offside when he first received the ball.
Despite a desperate last effort Wollongong could not find an equaliser and the Tigers finished up with all the points.
After the game Tigers Coach Luke McGuire said:
?It was a scrappy game but huge credit must go to Wollongong for their strong comeback in the second-half.
?We have now won two games in a row for the first time this season and I?m pleased with that. I thought my back three were outstanding as was Jason Trifiro in the midfield. This will fill the boys with confidence. I was very impressed with Steve Hayes for Wollongong who look like they do have the makings of a good team in the future.?
Wollongong Community FC interim coach Glenn Fontana said:
?To say that I?m disappointed by that decision late on is an understatement. Really this is three points dropped as we gave them a goal through a mistake, got a rough decision near the end and had the better of this game.
?These are difficult times and we have some tough decisions to make, but we are still committed to making our pathway work and provide a sustainable platform for the region?s most talented players. I am very pleased with the commitment of the boys and the fighting qualities they have shown today.?
Match Stats
Wollongong Community FC 1 (74? Steve Hayes)
Sydney Tigers 2 (6? Robbie Younis, 84? Jason Trifiro)
Sunday 17th May, 2009
Hooka Creek Park, Berkeley
Referee: Kurt Ams
Assistant Referees: Murray Wilson and B. Allan
Fourth Official: M. Samson
Crowd: 450
Wollongong Community FC: 1.Alex Augusto; 15.Jimmy Lawrence, 4.Alfredo Esteves, 6.Ilija Prenzoski, 8.Samet Kaynak, 9.Steve Hayes, 10.Balla Conde (19.Corey Gameiro 67?), 13.Dave Able, 17. Chris Nathaniel (13. Ben Bronnenberg 62?), 12. Brendan Kearns, 16. Aden Wade (2.Kieran Deane 46?)
Substitutes Not Used: 20.Matteo Brandalise (gk), 18.Steve Dimitrievski
Yellow Cards: Able 86?
Red Cards: Nil
Sydney Tigers: 99.Phillip Zabaks; 2.Mark Byrnes, 3.John Kelso, 12.Michael West, 15.Danial Cummins, 18.Bishara Stephan (16.Michael Hawrysiuk 23?), 19.Jamie McMaster (8. Marino Musumeci 75?), 7.Stephen Kayes (5. Michael Galluzzo 76?), 24.Jason Trifiro, 10.Franco Parisi, 9.Robert Younis.
Substitutes Not Used: 1.Giancarlo Papaianni , 11.Carlo Musumeci
Yellow Cards: McMaster 51?, West 67?, Galluzzo 87?
Player Ratings:
3 ? Steve Hayes (WCFC)
2 ? Jason Trifiro (ST)
1 ? Brendan Kearns (WCFC)
-By David Wallace
