Sydney United stutter as Sharks secure Grand Final spot
A bright start from the home-side saw Sam Munro thread the eye of a needle with a delightful pass through to Luka Glavas on the left and his cross had Nathan Denham down and saving at the feet of the advancing Sydney United striker in only the 2? minute of the match, and the stall was set out for the remaining 88? minutes with both Ante Milicic and David Zdrilic proving a nuisance early on as United took the game to the visitors.
Sydney United applied all the early pressure reducing Sutherland to counter-attacking football but neither team could find the breakthrough as the battle for control saw neither in the ascendancy for great periods of time, although United were making the better of the going and when Milicic sent over a corner that fell to the edge of the box it took a defection away for another corner to save the Sharks net.
Jimmy Bakis tried to set-up Neil Jablonksi in the 19? minute that had goalkeeper Vedran Janjetovic smartly down to his left to diffuse the danger and considering United hadn?t played a competitive match in almost three-weeks they looked fresh if a little rusty at times but comfortable in maintaining the pressure on the Sharks.
Milicic picked up the first caution of the game when tackling Nick Stavroulakis from behind that looked worse than it was on the dusty pitch in the 24? minute and you knew that it was unlikely to be the last time the cards would be out of referee Kurt Ahms? pocket this day.
Midway through the half and Sutherland started to come to terms with the pitch although their most potent weapon, Bakis and Michael Katz, were stunted down the right as the pitch on the ?Boka? Stand side of the ground was the worst offender but they began to get it together and create some openings down the Sydney left with Brad Boardman making himself busy up-front with Joe Vrkic leading the United defence with his usual steely determination.
In the first minute of stoppage time at the end of the half United were awarded a free-kick on the left-hand side of the box which Milicic stepped up to take but instead of sending over a cross he hit along the ground that received the merest deflection off Michael Katz, and beyond the despairing dive of Nathan Denham who was going the other way, in what proved almost the last kick of the half leaving Sydney United one goal to the good going into the break.
Another free-kick from a central position after the break saw three United players hiding the ball that eventually Milicic slipped to the left of the three with Zdrilic nipping around from the right to fire a shot goal ward that went agonisingly wide in a tricky variation on the dead ball theme that almost caught the Sharks off guard but the score remained at 1-0 and everything to play for.
Jimmy Bakis broke down the right and rifled a shot toward goal that rippled the side netting as Sutherland started to show intent and remind United they were not out of this game by any means as this epic encounter continued to ebb and flow with a very vocal home support really getting behind their side and it appeared to help when Luka Glavas set off down the right and into the box. Michael Robinson almost dispossessed him of the ball but it fell kindly for the forward who slipped it across goal for Andrija Petkovic to calmly side-foot home with almost his first touch of the ball when coming on for Galayini 5? minutes earlier, and extend United?s lead to two goals.
Ricky Perinich was adjudged to have brought down Boardman inside the box in the 68? and up stepped Panni Nikas to reduce the deficit from the spot although Janjetovic could count himself unlucky not to have stopped the ball after managing to get a hand to it but unable to stop it trickling in at his left post.
Bakis had a chance to level in the 74? minute but again rifled a shot wide of the far post as Sutherland began taking the game to United in a last ditch effort to salvage something from the match and, perhaps, to take it into extra time.
As nerves began to fray there was a minor scuffle between the sides that saw both Boardman and Zdrilic enter the book as referee Ams calmly and professionally dealt with the matter and the game continued.
And the scores were level after 85? minutes when Bakis broke through and slipped the ball over and past Janjetovic to set up a grand stand finish that befitted a match of this stature as now both stamina and nerve would resolve the first side into the Grand Final.
The comeback was complete in stoppage time when Chris Price rose to meet a Michael Katz cross from the right and head home in magnificent if somewhat shock turn around leaving Sydney United to meet Marconi Stallions at the Sydney United Sports Centre next Sunday.
It was all smiles for the Shire boys however one player was left visibly upset after Sharks? diminutive midfielder Nick Stavroulakis was unfortunately given a soft caution midway through the second half, which was his second in the TeleChoice Championship Finals Series that led to the 24-year-old missing the Grand Final at CUA Stadium on Sunday the 13th of September.
A terribly dejected Ante Milicic said afterwards:
?For 65-minutes we?ve dominated the game and then give away a very soft penalty to let them back into it.
?One or two decisions were wrong today and the players feel this was one of them and when it?s a decision that changes the momentum of the match it certainly doesn?t help.
?They really pressed us after the penalty and a few heads dropped so it was certainly a defining point if not the only one.
?My guys gave everything today and should be looking toward the Grand Final but instead we are playing Marconi Stallions next week.
?This defeat hurts and when you have players like David Zdrilic, a former Socceroo, who have come back to this league to put something back and things like this happen it makes you wonder whether the time would be better spent spending it with the family instead of wanting and trying to put something back.?
Robbie Stanton, an emotionally drained Sharks coach stated:
?It was a good fight back but we were way below par in the first 45? minutes and I was looking at a nil-all scoreline at the break so we could sort a few things out and change a few things up but we conceded in stoppage time and that changed things for us.
?That?s the thing with this side, we have a never say die attitude and fought our way back into the game and found our feet and the penalty can be seen as the catalyst that sparked it for us even though we were getting back into it.
?I have to say I am happy with the win but we need to do better and start turning up for games at the first whistle and not leave it as late as we did.
?That said, Sydney United gave us a real fight and made it very tough for us and Ante (Milicic) is to be applauded for what the side has achieved and it wouldn?t surprise me if we met them again in the Grand Final but they need to get past Marconi next weekend and that looks to be a tough match in the making and one not to miss.?
Prior to the match, Sydney United was presented the TeleChoice Premier League Premiers Trophy prior to their Major Semi Final match – and there isn?t a side more deserving in NSW in collecting the silverware after a season of richly appreciated attacking football – however, the Sharks stole the show with an exceptional performance securing their spot in the 2009 TeleChoice Premier League Grand Final.
In the earlier Grade-20 match, Sydney Olympic U/20 defeated Blacktown City Demons by the only goal to advance through to their respective Grand Final.
It was Steven Biason who broke the Demons hearts with a well taken goal in the second half which saw the Blues advance to the 2009 Grade 20 Grand Final on Saturday the 12th of September at Belmore Sports Ground with kick off set for 3pm. While for the Demons, they tackle Sydney United on Sunday at the Sydney United Sports Centre (12.30pm kick-off) with the winner progressing to the Grand Final.
Match Stats
Sydney United 2 (Ante Milicic 45?, Andrija Petkovic 58?)
Sutherland Sharks 3 (Panni Nikas 68? (pen), Jim Bakis 85?, Chris Price 93?)
Sydney United Sports Centre
Sunday 20th August, 2009
Referee: Kurt Ams
Assistant Referees: Scott Edeling and Paul Faithful
Fourth Official: Gerard Parsons
Crowd: Approx 1,500
Sydney United: 1.Vedran Janjetovic; 2.Ricky Perinich, 3.Rodger Galayini (24.Andrija Petkovic 53?), 6.Joe Vrkic, 7.Todd Brodie, 9.David Zdrilic, 10.Ante Milicic (12.Davor Bajsic 66?), 11.Luka Glavas, 14.Petar Markovic, 19.Mitchell Thompson, 45.Sam Munro
Substitutes Not Used: 15.Lisandro Berbis, 16.Elsid Barkhousir, 20.Michael Frost
Yellow Cards: Milicic 24?, Perinich 68?, Zdrilic 77?
Red Cards: Nil
Sutherland Sharks: 1.Nathan Denham; 2.George Souris, 3.Michael Robinson, 6.Chris Price, 7.Jim Bakis, 9.Brad Boardman, 11.Ben Spruce, 12.Neil Jablonski, 14.Nick Stavroulakis (5.Blake Powell 65?), 15.Michael Katz, 23.Panni Nikas
Substitutes Not Used: 8.Nathan Ralph, 13.Andrew Smith, 17.Jordan Nikolovski, 18.Yanni Fragogiannis
Yellow Cards: Stavroulakis 63?, Boardman 77?
Red Cards: Nil
Player Ratings:
3 ? Jimmy Bakis (SS)
2 ? Luka Glavas (SU)
1 ? Chris Price (SS)
-By Micky Brock
