Manly return to the winner’s list with victory over Wollongong Community FC
The 2-0 victory over Wollongong Community FC put an end to United?s recent run of poor results and gives them a strong platform from which to base their very busy schedule of matches over the next three weeks.
For Wollongong it was another disappointing home result as they confirmed their ?riches to rags? tail; last season?s champions now no chance of avoiding the wooden spoon in the TeleChoice Premier League first grade competition.
It was Wollongong who had started the stronger side, with Jamie McMaster making a strong run down the left-flank and getting inside the defence before cutting a ball into Ilija Prenzoski who shot the ball over the crossbar.
A minute later Kieran Deane headed the ball over from a corner as he jumped over the defence. He was then involved in setting Prenzoski on another run but this time his pass was just a little too strong and Brad Swancott cleaned up astutely in the Manly goal.
In the 8? minute Giosue Sama started pushing Manly in the right direction as he pounced on a poor clearance from Balla Conda. Sama?s shot however lacked precision as it finished over the bar.
On 15? minutes Ashley Ryan was in on goal after a clearance from Alfredo Esteves had deflected off the back of a fellow team-mate and into Ryan?s path. Esteves recovered enough to foul Ryan just outside the area and deny him the chance to go one-on-one with Alex Augusto in the Wollongong goal. Joey Schrippa curled the resulting free-kick just the wrong side of the near post.
In the 24? minute McMaster and Prenzoski interchanged the ball once more but once again Prenzoski could not convert.
Following a small period of Manly domination, when both Sama and Schrippa could have made more with their attacking opportunities, Wollongong?s returning maestro, Steven Hayes, set his side up with a great chance. He laid a great ball at the feet of Corey Gamiero through midfield, though instead of laying it again into the path of a team-mate, Gamiero chose to shoot the ball and it went well wide of the target.
A minute later Brian Vanega received a great ball from the left but the defensive knowledge of Spencer Prior stood out as he diffused the dangerous situation.
However good Wollongong was at creating chances through this period they were constantly reminded of how dangerous Manly could be. In the 38? minute a ball in from the right saw Keith Shevlin free in the area but somehow Esteves ghosted in to block the shot.
4? minutes later and it seemed that Wollongong would score as Jamie Lawrence curled in a great ball into Gamiero who stepped inside his opponent and curled a great shot goalwards only to see it curl away just at the last moment.
Before the half-time break, Sama had one more chance but he side footed his effort straight at Augusto.
If Wollongong had started the stronger in the first-half then Manly returned the favour in the second. A minute in and both Shevlin and Sama had goal scoring chances denied by Augusto, the first with a parry and the second by blocking the shot and collecting the ball at the second attempt.
The locals nearly scored thanks to a piece of unusual confusion in the Manly backline in the 48? minute when Swancott was caught off his line, having tried to clean up a loose ball, by Hayes who curled a shot over the top of the opposition but just wide of the target. At that moment it looked like another end-to-end contest as was the first-half but really it was to be one of Wollongong?s final chances.
In the 54? minute a Scott Thomas free-kick to Matthew Bingley on the left saw Bingley play the ball back into the goal mouth for Ashley Ryan who jumped highest to easily head home the first goal of the game.
Moments later and it was only Augusto who stood between Manly and a second goal as Sama saw his shot stopped by a finger tip save along the ground by the Wollongong custodian.
David Able had claims of a penalty denied in the 63? minute as he headed the ball over the crossbar but ended up on the ground after the effort. Referee Alex Glasgow had a very strong game, letting the game flow as much as he could, without resorting to a litany of cards to enforce his decision making, although in this situation Able felt very much aggrieved at the decision.
On 75? minutes Bingley made a run the full length of the field as the ball broke for him but Augusto was there to clean up just before the Manly veteran could get to the ball.
After one more big push from Wollongong came to nothing in time added on, the ball went up-field and goal scorer Ryan laid the ball back into the path of Andrew Mailer who, with virtually the last kick of the game, placed the ball perfectly over Augusto and into the back of the net to finish the game off both figuratively and literally.
Wollongong Community FC manager Bob Stallard was disappointed with another loss:
?We should have won it in the first-half when we had our chances but we could not get it into the back of the net. Our bad luck is still with us.
?In the second-half we were disappointing; we need to learn to play two halves, not just one.?
Manly United coach Phil Moss was delighted that some of the pressure had been lifted off his players:
?We were under a fair bit of pressure coming into today having not won any of our last five matches, and being severely affected by a lack of training due to the poor weather. We demonstrated that win at all costs desire and stayed disciplined today. If your spine stays disciplined then it sets the platform for the rest of the body and today we had that from Spencer Prior, Matthew Bingley and Scott Thomas.
?Our second half decision making was very good under pressure. We had to work hard for things to go our way today and we did that. The result has released the pressure valve that has built up recently. Perhaps we tried too hard for a result in our last few matches but we have now set a great platform for Wednesday night?s match against Bonnyrigg.?
Match Stats
Wollongong Community FC 0
Manly United 2 (Ashley Ryan 54?, Andrew Mailer 90?+3?)
Sunday, 12th July 2009 3pm kick off
Hooker Park Reserve
Referee: Alex Glasgow
Assistant Referees: S. Nguyen and M. Colouhan
Fourth Official: L Figman
Crowd: 300 Approx.
Wollongong Community FC: 1.Alex AUGUSTO; 2.Kieran DEANE, 4.Alfredo ESTEVES, 5.Dave ABLE, 6.Ilija PRENZOSKI, 9.Steve HAYES (14.Daniel CORTEZ 88?), 10.Balla CONDA, 15.Jimmy LAWRENCE, 16.Jamie MCMASTER, 18.Brian VANEGA (13.Nick LITTLER 70?), 19.Corey Gamiero (7.Peter SIMONOVSKI 85?),
Substitutes Not Used: 8.Jack KEATING, 20.Mat BRANDALISE
Yellow Cards: Nil
Red Cards: Nil
Manly United FC: 1.Brad SWANCOTT; 2.Sean BOWDEN, 3.Andrew MAILER, 4.Spencer PRIOR, 6.Scott THOMAS, 7.Ashley RYAN, 10.Giosue SAMA (22.Justin HAYWARD 81?), 12.Jamie GARSIDE (8.Michael LLOYD-GREEN 68?), 15.Keith SHEVLIN, 16.Joey SCHRIPPA, 20.Matthew BINGLEY
Substitutes Not Used: 11.Dylan MITCHELL, 23.Luke READING, 37.Chris GALLO
Yellow Cards: Nil
Red Cards: Nil
-By Stuart Jones
