Blacktown and Penrith share spoils in tight encounter
After a rather even first 45 minutes of play, Blacktown City Demons were determined to even the scores and, once that was achieved, it seemed inevitable that they would score a second goal.
However, thanks to some excellent resilience from Penrith-Nepean United and goal-line saves from substitute Mark Bariamis, both sides had to share the spoils.
A point though is rather useless for both teams. Blacktown City Demons will now concentrate on the TigerTurf Cup and Penrith-Nepean?s faint mathematical hope of making the top five has all but evaporated.
Nevertheless, after the game, Penrith?s player/coach, the veteran Ante Juric, was still very positive and stated that his side had never really expected to make the Top Five playoffs in the TeleChoice Premier League.
?The draw doesn?t help but, to be honest, we never worried about that,? he said.
?That wasn?t our target; if the finals happen then that?s great but we have other targets even though three points would have helped here tonight.?
The opening chance of the game was in the 8? minute when Ray Miller tried his luck from outside the box, but his shot ended up going wide.
Only 5? minutes later Blacktown City Demons were back at it when a beautiful cross from Miller from the left reached Daniel Wilkinson on the right, but unfortunately he was too close to the by-line and skyed his volley over the crossbar.
Penrith-Nepean replied immediately when Greg Kondek broke free and avoided the offside trap only to be thwarted by Brody Crane who – deputising in goals for Michael Herbet who is trialling with a club in his native France – charged out and saved well with his legs.
In the 20? minute Penrith-Nepean United opened the scoring when a lovely free-kick from Tayfun Buyukkopru was swung in from the right and met by a nice glancing header from Kondek and, thanks to a deflection from a Blacktown City defender?s leg, the ball ended up in the back of the net giving Crane absolutely no chance of getting a glove to it.
Blacktown?s best chance in the first stanza of play arrived in the 26? minute when Ray Miller charged free from midfield, beat three defenders and set up Gavin Forbes, but unfortunately for the home-side the latter took a fraction too long with the ball at his feet and goalkeeper Matthew Nash was able to close the angle and make a comfortable save.
In the 34? minute Buyukkopru was gifted a ball from a poor defensive clearance by Ben Ellis though he was unable to get any real power behind the shot and Crane was ready to punch the ball away without too much difficulty.
After the game a disappointed Blacktown City coach Ken Schembri did manage a word of praise for his young goalkeeper.
?Brody was alright; I mean he?s okay and he did well tonight,? he said.
After a long period of stoppage time at the end of the first-half, players finally made their way into the sheds for a well-earned break on a bitterly cold evening.
In the 56? minute Sean Mitchell, against his former club, blasted away from outside the box only to be denied by a very good reflex save from Crane who, once again, was up to the challenge.
Blacktown should have equalised in the 70? minute when a powerful low driving cross from the right by Nick Sama was blocked on the goal line by Mark Bariamis who then held the ball up just enough for Nash to make a low save and at the same time save Penrith?s bacon.
In the 84? minute Blacktown should definitely have had the equaliser, but once again some excellent positional play from Bariamis ensured that the ball was headed off the line after a header by Sama from a Forbes cross with Nash absolutely beaten.
It was almost unbelievable that the same player had pulled off a defensive miracle twice.
Bariamis, a late first half replacement, certainly added steel to the Penrith Nepean defence.
However, a minute later Blacktown scored and it was no more than they deserved.
After some great lead up work from Miller and then Sama, the ball fell to Forbes who, from short-range, couldn?t miss the target with his diagonal shot in amongst a plethora of players in the penalty-area.
In the 89? minute a speedy ball into the area was just too quick for Forbes who had a swing and a miss from very close-range.
It was to be the last real chance of the game. And in many ways it was fitting that an air swing from Blacktown would end the game.
?In the end I was happy ? I think we dominated the first half and they dominated the second-half,? Penrith-Nepean player/coach Juric said.
The tall Juric, who has played at the highest level for many seasons now, was upbeat about his future in coaching when questioned, but couldn?t give a firm guarantee about pulling on the boots for another season.
?Coaching is a new step in my career and I am enjoying it because we have had some good results and that makes it easier,? he said
?I am not sure about next year; if I can keep playing, I will; but if I don?t play to that standard then I will retire and coaching is definitely something that I want to do.?
Ken Schembri on the other hand, full of the flu like many of players, couldn?t find much to be positive about.
?It was a poor performance, but the club is riddled with illness and we lost four players today with the flu before the game,? he said.
?But that?s not an excuse and for me it was possibly our worst performance of the year.
?I thought it was a fairly poor game to be honest and I think that type of game won?t bring the spectators back.
?It?s the last of our Saturday night football matches and I?ll be glad to see the end of it because players are sliding everywhere and everyone is sick.
?We?ll need to play a lot better than tonight to beat Manly in the TigerTurf Cup semi-final and that?s the bottom line.?
Meanwhile, in the Grade-20s encounter between the two sides, Blacktown City Demons and Penrith-Nepean United played out a 0-0 draw.
Match Stats
Blacktown City Demons 1 (Gavin Forbes 85?)
Penrith-Nepean United 1 (Greg Kondek 20?)
Saturday, 11th of July, 2009
Gabbie Stadium, Seven Hills
Referee: Khodr Yaghi
Blacktown City Demons: 40.Brody Crane; 2.Tyler Simpson, 3.Paul Karbon, 4.Luka Dukic (10.Luke Austin 75?), 5.Daniel Wilkinson, 9.Kain Rastall (11.Nick Sama 54?), 13.Ben Ellis (18.Agyei Akwasi 75?), 15.Ray Miller, 16.Ante Deur (63?), 17.Joel Chianese, 14.Gavin Forbes
Substitute Not Used: 20.Matt Ryan
Yellow Cards: Luke Austin 82?
Red Cards: Nil
Penrith-Nepean United: 1.Matthew Nash; 3.David Comito, 4.Evangelos Petratos (2.Mark Bariamis 44?), 8.Paul Crisp, 15.Sean Mitchell, 12.Nicolas McInerney, 14.Greg Kondek (11.Dimitrios Petratos 53?), 17.Ante Juric, 19.Michael Dowling, 23.Devrim Huseyin, 26.Tayfun Buyukkopru (10.Ben Gough 85?).
Substitutes Not Used: 21.Nikolas Jelic
Yellow Cards: Nil
Red Cards: Nil
-By Joe Russo
