Scorless draw hits Gabbie Stadium as Demons and Sharks share the spoils
Fine goalkeeping by both shot-stoppers proved key for the two sides, as chances did arrive at both ends; the Demons arguably dominated proceedings for large spells, though a goal was not forthcoming as the Sharks return to Seymour Shaw with an important point.
The slippery conditions made ball movement difficult, and it was some slack positioning by the Sharks defence that presented Adam Kwasnik with the opening chance of the match. Kwasnik found a yard of space from an acute angle to the right of goal and unleashed a powerful drive on target; Sharks shot-stopper Nathan Denham got down well to divert the ball behind for a corner.
Sutherland responded with a fine counter-attack of their own on 7? minutes as a precise through-ball out of midfield picked out Jim Bakis on the right. The midfielder?s cut-back across the face of goal though failed to find a teammate, and the Demons cleared their lines.
Joel Chianese provided the small contingent of home supporters with a moment of excitement as he cleverly rounded two defenders before George Souris? last ditch tackle thwarted the Demons forward foray.
Matt Lewis? speed down the left-flank had the Sharks on the back foot moments later as he weaved his way past two defenders before some desperate defending saved the Sharks.
The Demons peppered the Sharks defence with consecutive corners at the 19? minute mark as Ante Deur spurned his side?s best chance heading over.
The visitors responded via Panni Nikas who saw his shot on the turn from the edge of the penalty-area, following some promising build-up play involving Srecko Mitrovski on the left, finish over the crossbar.
Despite the home-side?s dominance of possession, Sutherland Sharks carved out arguably their best opening on 30? minutes as Jim Bakis got in behind the defence on the right-flank. Bakis? effort across the face of goal picked out Nikas, who saw his effort parried at point-blank range by Herbert, though the linesman?s flag was up for offside.
The Demons supporters couldn?t believe their side didn?t take the lead on the stroke of half-time as Chris Bedzo?s goal-bound header was somehow fisted away by Denham, the Sharks defence cleared the scraps away from danger with the referee calling a close to the opening half.
Blacktown City opened the second-half like a ?house on fire? as Paul Karbon played Adam Kwasnik in behind the Sharks defence. The burly striker fired a ferocious effort from a slightly decentralised position, that had the goalkeeper beaten, though finished inches over the crossbar.
Sutherland replied instantly with two efforts from distance; Starvroulakis? left-footed strike ricocheted off a defender, before Brad Boardman?s long-range bomb forced Herbert into a fine save.
On 54? minutes, the experience of Kwasnik showed as he coolly played a tantalising through ball into the path of Matt Lewis down the left-flank. The speedster hit a first-time effort with power, though the effort finished wide of goal.
The visitors best chances arrived via the counterattack via the feet of Stavroulakis out of midfield. The creative dynamo won his side a free-kick on the right-flank in a promising position, though a poor execution by Bakis saw the chance amount to nothing.
Ante Deur nearly hit the home-side ahead when he latched onto a short ball inside the Sharks penalty-area. Deur cleverly controlled the ball before toe-poking an effort on goal, only to be denied by an exceptional reflex-save by Denham down to his right.
Chris Bedzo was next to create havoc for the Sharks rearguard as he received a short pass from Lewis with his back to goal. The Demons? number 8, turned swiftly to create a yard of space before hitting his effort over the crossbar.
Substitute Tyler Simpson almost made an immediate impact with his first involvement on 68? minutes as he weaved his way into the penalty-area before forcing Denham into another save down to his right; the shot-stopper did exceptionally well to hold on to the ball with the wet conditions.
Sutherland midfielder Nikas, snuck in behind the Demons defence following a Michael Katz free-kick and really should have scored past Herbert who did well to divert the effort behind the goal for a corner.
A goalmouth scramble at the other end, involving Bedzo and Kwasnik failed to provide the elusive goal, as Denham stood tall to thwart the danger. The Sharks? goalkeeper had his up-right to thank moments later as substitute Akwasi Agyei saw his first-time effort rebound off the post before finishing wide.
That was the last chance either side would conger up; the point suiting the Sharks who sit in the Top-Four with the Demons two-wins outside a finals series spot.
Demons coach Ken Schembri admitted his side lost a chance to make some ground on the Top-Four sides:
?We certainly did create a lot of goalscoring chances, though we failed to find a goal,? Schembri commented following the final whistle.
?I thought that we dominated for large spells and I am pleased with this. The Sharks are a top side, and we again proved that we can mix it with these top teams.
?Still, I am disappointed that we didn?t take our chances, as we really did create chances to win the match.
Sharks captain George Souris was pleased with the efforts of his teammates, though admitted the Demons were an impressive side:
?Blacktown City did give us a lot of trouble out there tonight ? this is a venue that sides will struggle to take points from.
?I though our side did well in patches, though perhaps started sluggish. In saying that, we did create some chances, and perhaps with a bit of luck could have found the goal we needed,? ended Souris.
In the Grade 20 division, Blacktown City Demons enjoyed a comfortable 3-1 win against Sutherland Sharks. The win keeps the Demons in top-spot, nine-points clear of their nearest challenger in anticipation of Sunday?s matches.
Match Stats
Blacktown City Demons 0
Sutherland Sharks 0
Saturday, 30th May, 2009
Gabbie Stadium, Seven Hills
Referee: Khodr Yaghi
Assistant Referees: Christian Mehl and Adam Coombes
Fourth Official: Matthew Sampson
Crowd: 250 Approx.
Blacktown City Demons: 1.Michael Herbert; 3.Paul Karbon, 5.Daniel Wilkinson, 6.Luke Casserly (C), 8.Chris Bedzo (14.Gavin Forbes 89?), 9.Kain Rastall, 10.Luke Austin (2.Tyler Simpson 64?), 16.Ante Deur, 17.Joel Chianese, 19.Adam Kwasnik, 29.Matt Lewis (18. Akwasi Agyei 80?)
Substitutes Not Used: 40.Brody Crane, 15.Ray Miller
Yellow Cards:
Red Cards:
Sutherland Sharks: 1.Nathan Denhan; 2.George Souris (C), 3.Srecko Mitrovski, 4.Michael Robinson, 6.Chris Price, 7.Jimmy Bakis (10.Matt Hall 75?), 14.Nick Stavroulakis, 11.Ben Spruce, 9.Brad Boardman, 15.Michael Katz, 23.Panni Nikas
Substitutes Not Used: 17.Jordan Nikolovski, 8.Nathan Ralph, 18.Matthew Villazon, 22.Arem Tayebi-Derazkala
Yellow Cards: Srecko Mitrovski 25?, Matt Hall 83?
Red Cards:
-By Joseph Carlucci
