NSW State League Division One Round 19 Review
BLACKTOWN SPARTANS ? BALMAIN SC 1-0 @ Francis Park
Blacktown Spartans held off the challenge of Balmain SC to register a narrow 1-0 victory on Saturday evening at Francis Park.
The Spartans got off to a flying start, with Todd opening the scoring within the first minute, his fifth goal of the campaign.
Balmain were backing up after a 0-3 reverse at the same ground just 48 hours earlier, and despite some frantic efforts on goal, simply ran out of legs, and time, suffering their ninth loss of the competition in the process.
Blacktown?s victory has moved them to 37 points, and into second spot on the ladder, setting them up nicely for next week?s big match at Cook Park against fifth placed Mounties Wanderers.
HILLS BRUMBIES ? MOUNTIES WANDERERS 3-1 @ Second Ponds Oval
Hills Brumbies were simply too eager and too enthusiastic as they recorded a comfortable 3-1 victory at Second Ponds Oval against Mounties Wanderers.
Disappointingly, Mounties did not show up for this big match, whilst Hills were up for it right from the start, over-running their opponents in what was a polished display by the league leaders.
Not only has winning fast become a standard outcome for Hills in 2010, similarly, the names on the scorer?s sheets usually have the same ring to them.
Dragan Savic opened the night?s proceedings after just three minutes, the Hills marksman grabbing his tenth goal of the season thus far.
But Anthony Crea?s men responded almost immediately, with Daniel Willoughby equalising on six minutes for the Wanderers, continuing his rich vein of form lately, including three goals in two games within the past week.
Despite their territorial advantage, Hills couldn?t break the deadlock until well into the second stanza, when Brendan Mitrovich grabbed his thirteenth goal of the year in the 68th minute.
The Brumbies finally put the match to bed minutes before full time, captain Terry Pannowitz converting a penalty in the 87th minute.
The win lifts Hills to 44 points, and they hold a seven point lead with just three matches to play, a position from which they can smell the minor premiership trophy, a far cry from where they were twelve months ago, propping up this very same Division.
UNSW ? SCHOFIELDS SCORPIONS 0-1 @ CSI Sport Ground
Schofields Scorpions managed a workmanlike 1-0 victory at CSI Sport Ground to overcome UNSW in a match that was originally scheduled to be played at The Village Green.
The solitary goal arrived just six minutes before the break, with big Troy Harrington giving the Scorpions a lead that they would eventually defend for the rest of the match.
The three points were much needed for Schofields, giving them a little breathing space ahead of fifth and sixth spot as they hope to prepare for a challenge on the top five semi final series commencing in August.
The ?students? had a great victory on Thursday night against Balmain, and the quick turnaround proved too much of a hurdle for them in the end.
INTER LIONS ? CAMDEN TIGERS 0-0 @ Crest Complex
The scoreless draw at Crest Complex between Inter Lions and Camden Tigers did neither team any favours except keep their goals conceded totals at a minimum.
Inter Lions came into the game slight favourites, given their position on the ladder, as well as the fluency in their style of football of late.
But Camden are a tough task for any side, and they would be happy enough with a point on their travels, even though it puts paid to their final aspirations, leaving them eighth position, eight points behind fifth spot.
For the Lions, on the other hand, their re-scheduled Round 11 game on Wednesday against Balmain will be even more crucial, with three points here pushing them into a top five spot above Mounties.
HURSTVILLE ZFC ? GLADESVILLE RYDE MAGIC 1-2 @ Hurstville Oval
Bottom placed Hurstville ZFC showed some fight in their match against Gladesville Ryde Magic on Sunday afternoon, but it was a similar outcome as they came away with no points in a 1-2 loss.
Gladesville came roaring out of the box with two goals in the opening twenty minutes, Robertson giving them the lead in the 3rd , with Martinez doubling their advantage in the 19th minute.
Vlado Zoric did eventually pull a goal back in the 74th minute for the home side, but it was too little, too late, giving the Magic a much needed victory.
STANMORE HAWKS ? FAIRFIELD CITY LIONS
Match Abandoned @ Arlington Oval
The eagerly awaited clash at Arlington Oval between Stanmore Hawks and Fairfield City Lions reached comical proportions, with the much publicized surface at the Dulwich Hill ground finally being judged improper for football.
The match did in fact start, despite it?s current state, with a sandy pitch and tufts of grass not being conducive to any sort of free flowing football.
But once the heavens opened up, the officials decided it was unsafe for the match to continue, with the welfare of the players at the forefront of the analysis, and the match was duly abandoned, with a replay at a date, time and venue to be confirmed by Football NSW.
– Frank Speranza
