Having won four out of their previous five games going into this one against Blacktown City FC, the Tigers were quietly confident of having turned the corner in season 2010.
However, Blacktown City FC is never an opponent that is going to give too much away especially under the guidance of their experienced and canny coach Aytek Genc. And this game was no different.
On the opposite side the wily Tony Raciti, A.P.I.A.-Leichhardt?s experienced football manager, is proving to be an inspirational, leading figure on the bench.
After the game he said: ?It was again another outstanding team performance and as far I am concerned, as football manager, Billy McColl our caretaker coach is doing a fantastic job.
?We had two outstanding, top 11 players in [Marton] Vass and [Anthony] Hartshorn missing, and Paul O?Grady is coming back also through the under-20s, so the club has a lot to look forward to during the winter months.
?I don?t consider it five wins out of six matches,? he said. ?In fairness to the players, the game we lost to Sydney United was spoiled for us because a player was sent off after only 12? minutes so it?s really five out five.
?Overall, it was a good win for us because Blacktown is a very good team and that is why they are running second.?
In the 23? minute Kain Rastall fired a powerful shot from outside the box that was narrowly wide of the target and this was to be the first real chance of the game as neither side was prepared to concede an inch.
In the 33? minute Robert Younis broke free from the shackles of the tight Blacktown City FC defence, but was denied a well-deserved goal by the upright of the goalpost.
Only minutes later a pinpoint accurate cross from the left by Michael West found Younis in the box but his header didn?t overly trouble Matt Ryan in the visitors? goal.
In the 44? minute Tolgay Ozbey charged vehemently towards the A.P.I.A.-Leichhardt goal but, in attempting to lob Matthew Nash, missed the goal with his rushed shot.
It was the last of the action in the first-half which didn?t really offer a lot for the crowd to cheer about. However, the second half was completely different.
In the 50? minute Ozbey tried to do too much himself and, if he had have succeeded, it would have been a great goal but his shot ended up finishing just over the crossbar.
In the 59? minute Younis created some space and fired just over the crossbar before Ante Deur hit the side netting for the visitors from close range.
A.P.I.A.-Leichhardt were starting to pile on the pressure and it was Younis again who forced Ryan into a good reflex save before the Blacktown defence cleared away the danger after the rebound fell back to Younis who had a second attempt.
The opening goal was the highlight of the game: Franco Parisi did it all himself when he charged away from the halfway line down the right flank, entered the penalty-area and let loose a thunderbolt that ended up in the top left hand corner of the net.
Afterwards Tony Raciti described the goal as follows: ?It was truly a world class goal from Franco and let?s say the second one he scored ? which wasn?t bad either – was Australian class.?
Parisi?s second goal, while not as spectacular as the first, was nevertheless just as opportunistic. From broken play the ever alert striker found some more space through the Blacktown defence and, with a neat diagonal shot, beat the bewildered goalkeeper to double the lead for A.P.I.A.-Leichhardt.
It didn?t take too long though for Blacktown City to step right back into the game because Matthew Fsadni brought Ozbey down in the penalty box.
It?s a part of the game that the young A.P.I.A.-Leichhardt player must work on because fouls and yellow cards against him ? both which are starting to add up – will undermine his genuinely good performances.
A.P.I.A.-Leichhardt made it three when Parisi turned provider for Younis who fired in a shot from close range that was cruelly deflected by Tyler Simpson and ended up beating Ryan in goal who was stranded, and wrong footed, thanks to the deflection.
Hirofuni Moriyasu should have made it four for A.P.I.A.-Leichhardt when, late in the game, he founded himself with ample space and time all alone in front of Ryan but somehow the Blacktown goalkeeper managed to stretch out a foot and turn the ball away for a corner.
Right at the death, thanks to some sloppy defending by A.P.I.A.-Leichhardt, Bernie Ibini won the ball and scored for the visitors but it was too late as time was against any meaningful comeback from the visitors.
Afterwards Aytek Genc praised young Ibini: ?It?s good to see him score because he is only a young 17-year-old player, he?s a good talent and a boy with a big future in the game.?
Genc was pleased overall with his side and stated that: ?I thought we were really comfortable for most of the game, particularly in the first-half.
?We never felt threatened by them because we defended well, dominated midfield and we had a lot of possession in our front third, so we were a bit shocked we lost.
?There were a couple of brilliant moments for them such as Parisi?s class goal that changed the complexion of the game,? he said.
?We did comeback and from a game that we were comfortable in most parts, we ended up losing and that probably says a lot about where we are as a team.
?As a footballing contest I thought we were as good, if not better, than them and that sums up the game really,? he concluded.
Meanwhile, in the Grade 20s division Blacktown City FC defeated A.P.I.A.-Leichhardt Tigers 3-0.
Match Stats
A.P.I.A.-Leichhardt Tigers 3 (Parisi 69?, 72?, Younis 81?)

Blacktown City FC  2 (Tolgay Ozbey (penalty) 77?, Bernie Ibini 90?)

Leichhardt Oval, Leichhardt
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Referee: Andrew Best
Assistant Referees: Steven Nguyen and A. Long
A.P.I.A.-Leichhardt Tigers: 1.Matthew Nash; 2.Mark Byrnes, 3.John Kelso, 5.Michael West, 7.Stephen Kayes (20.Liam McConaghy 84?), 19.Danial Cummins, 16.Hirofuni Moriyasu, 17.Matthew Fsadni (13.David D?Apuzzo 78?), 11.Nick Rizzo (18.Bishara Stephan 75?), 9.Robert Younis, 10.Franco Parisi.
Substitutes Not Used: 40.Terry Dal Broi, 15.David Dascal
Yellow Cards: Fsadni 16?, Younis 58?
Red Cards: Nil
Blacktown City FC: 20.Matt Ryan; 2.Tyler Simpson, 4.Mirko Jurilj, 6.Matthew Pressello (13.Lachlan Cahill 79?), 7.Luke Roodenburg (18.Travis Major 88?), 9.Kain Rastall, 10.Jordan Simpson (12.Bernie Ibini 75?), 16.Ante Deur, 17.Joel Chianese, 19.Tolgay Ozbey, 23.Luke Austin
Substitutes Not Used: 40. David Bradasevic
Yellow Cards: Roodenburg 83?
Red Cards: Nil
-By Joe Russo