Fairfield City Lions claim State League One Championship
Fairfield City Lions had come into the match on the back of two semi final victories, the latest a 4-3 victory in extra time against their very same final opponents, but Hills were keen on revenge.
Fairfield?s boisterous group of supporters had come in droves, and let themselves be heard early on with their singing and beating of the drums.
Fairfield came out of the blocks absolutely firing, and almost took the lead on 4 minutes when Hills keeper, Ben Needham, saved brilliantly when facing Ben Cronk in a one-on-one following a fantastic defence splitting pass from Ozcan Cetinay.
A minute later and all hell broke loose when the Lions did in fact take the lead.
Hills had trouble clearing a corner, and Ben Cronk this time slammed the loose ball past Needham from the six yard box to send the Fairfield fans into a frenzy.
A couple of minutes later and it was Cetinay?s turn, with the skilful midfielder turning inside a defender before his angled shot was tipped over by Needham.
The Lions were throwing men forward as they kept up a flurry of punches, with Cronk smashing a shot in the 25th minute after cutting in on goal from an angle, a pass square towards two team mates probably a better option at the time.
The Brumbies didn?t muster their first real opportunity until 27 minutes had lapsed, when a cross shot from Dragan Savic trickled wide after a superb through pass by Paul Down.
Fairfield?s domination in the first half continued, and from one of half a dozen early corners, Theodosiou?s shot in the 33rd minute from the edge of the box was diverted away from goal by a desperate lunge by Harry Oliver.
Ozcan Cetinay then took it upon himself in the 36th minute to effect a mazy run through three defenders, finishing with a stinging shot that Needham did ever so well to parry away from danger.
The Lions then doubled their advantage with a clinical piece of finishing on 37 minutes.
Cetinay played a delightful chipped pass behind the Hills defence, and Friday Jeremiah took a touch before dispatching the ball low into the bottom corner past an onrushing Needham.
The decibels were raised a couple of levels as Jeremiah raced away towards the corner flag with team mates in hot pursuit.
Miki Awad had a half volley stab at goal in first half injury time that deflected inches wide as Hills threatened just as the whistle went for the break.
It was a big day even the referee for this match, with Sandro Perticarini announcing his retirement during the week following this match. Perticarini was having his usual well controlled match, and gave everyone at the venue a well deserved breather by calling half time.
During the 2010 season Fairfield had often experienced the highs and lows of a football match, taking two and three goal leads, only to have their fans suffer heart palpitations by allowing the opposition back into the match.
The Lions were conscious of that, and were looking to wrap up the match early and provide some solace to their fans.
On 49 minutes some great work down the left flank saw Robbie Issa?s cross cleared, and Ozcan Cetinay let fly with a superb 20 yard volley that crashed against the cross bar.
That was a sign of what was to come, and a couple of minutes later the Fairfield fans were up in their seats again.
A long punt up-field was flicked on by Friday Jeremiah, with Ben Cronk returning the favour back into Jeremiah?s path.
The burly striker took the ball in his stride, holding firm against the challenge of a defender as he entered the box to coolly slot a shot past the despairing dive of Ben Needham and give Fairfield a 3-0 lead.
Hills coach, Mark Abi-Arrage, had a wealth of attacking weapons on his bench, and brought on attackers Lord Darkoh and Brendan Mitrovich to spark his side into action, sacrificing a defender in the process.
Paul Down has one of the longest throw-ins in the competition, and on 59 minutes Hills had a lifeline from one of these, when Dragan Savic got his head on the end of one such throw to steer the ball past Fairfield goalkeeper, Adam Biernat, and pull it back to 1-3.
The goal gave Hills the desired lift, and they started to believe in themselves, throwing numbers forward, as the Lions began to wilt under the pressure.
Remarkably the Brumbies reduced the arrears to 2-3 in the 71st minute, when a Terry Pannowitz free kick was headed back across the face of goal, and Savic was again on hand to slam the ball into the roof of the net to make it one goal the difference.
Within sixty seconds Fairfield replied and almost put the game to bed. A breakaway down the right wing resulted in Friday Jeremiah cutting the ball back for Chris Theodosiou, but he shot straight at Hills keeper, Ben Needham, with the goal at his mercy.
Then it was Needham again who thwarted Jeremiah in a one-on-one battle, as the Lions looked to hit Hills on the counter with the Brumbies searching valiantly for the equalizer.
Hills had a wonderful chance to send the match into extra time on 82 minutes. A swift move down the right side of the pitch involving Jovan Miladinovic and Russell Farrell ended with Brendan Mitrovich heading straight into the arms of Fairfield?s custodian, Adam Biernat.
The remaining minutes fizzled out and were very much played in a stop start manner as Fairfield City Lions hung on to record a famous victory, sending their delirious fans into ecstasy upon hearing the full time whistle.
Hills Brumbies must be congratulated on an absolutely remarkable season, the biggest turnaround surely of any club within Football NSW ranks.
Twelve months ago they were sitting on the bottom rung of the Division One ladder, and to have now won the minor premiership and played in a grand final is testament to the hard work of everyone associated at Hills Brumbies.
Hills Brumbies coach, Mark Abi-Arrage, was proud of his players despite the Grand Final loss.
?Given where we came from twelve months ago, the club has performed remarkably, because we have a high work ethic from the committee, all of our officials, right through to the players,? said Abi-Arrage.
?Today we were slow out of the blocks, and were chasing the game, but got right on top of them in the last 30 minutes, and could easily have taken the Final to extra time.?
He added, ?We collected a group of players at the beginning of the season that no other club wanted, and now have the minor premiership to show for our efforts.?
The Brumbies experienced central midfielder, Paul Down, reflected on the season more so than the Grand Final.
?In twelve months we have achieved our goal, to secure the minor premiership and promotion to the Super League, with a good coach, and a great bunch of boys.?
?Today we probably showed a lack of experience in big games, and were probably a little overawed, but almost snatched an equalizer late on, ?reflected Down.
The Hills Brumbies 21 year old skipper, Terry Pannowitz, looked a forlorn figure post match, but showed maturity even in his comments, let alone on the park.
?Our success this season has been down to hard work, commitment, and dedication, from everyone involved at the club. Today it wasn?t our day, and I would like to congratulate Fairfield on winning the Grand Final.?
Fairfield City have been tagged the ?entertainers? in 2010, and they themselves have had a great season given they finished well out of a semi final spot last year.
Fairfield City Lions? jubilant coach, Aydin Cetinay, took time after the match to share a little of what has worked well for his squad this season.
?We had a big squad, right from the start, and added players like Chris Theodosiou, Ozcan Cetinay, and George Issa, during the season, so when we had injuries and suspensions, our depth covered us and did a great job.?
?The team have a very close friendship, with the younger guys showing respect and looking up to the older players, who in turn have plenty of experience,? added Cetinay.
?Our core players have been fantastic for us, especially our captain, Robbie Issa, a great leader with a great personality, and a real role model for our entire team.?
I asked Cetinay whether the analogy ? ?it doesn?t matter how many goals you score, we?ll score more? ? is one that describes the way his team play, given the Lions record of being involved in high scoring games all season.
?A good team is built around a solid defence,? answered Cetinay, ?but we like to entertain, and that?s the way all teams should play. After all, the best form of defence is attack.?
Fairfield captain, Robbie Issa, was understandably delighted with his team?s triumph.
?Our game plan was to hit them hard early, and we did that with two quick goals. We knew they would lift in the second half, but we scored our third, and hung on for the win,? said Issa.
?It was an emotional day for me, playing and winning alongside my brother, George, who chose mid-season to play for Fairfield rather than play in a higher division.?
?Our coach, Aydin Cetinay, has to take a lot of the credit for the team?s success.. He allows us the freedom to express ourselves with no pressure, and that?s why we play such entertaining football.?
Issa added, ?Additionally, on behalf of the players, I would also like to thank Mateen Olumee, who spends a lot of time training our first grade squad, and Bulent Sevinc, our Under 20s coach, for the support he has shown the 1sts, as well as me personally. Finally, our supporters were unbelievable today, the noise was deafening, and definitely lifted us during the match.?
To view the full Grade 20’s Grand Final report between Gladesville Ryde Magic v Schofields Scorpions click here.
State League One Player Ratings
Hills Brumbies
1. Ben Needham ? 7.5 ? not at fault for any of the Fairfield goals, and kept his side in the match with some crucial saves at critical points of the match.
2. Danny Ramirez ? 6 ? found it difficult against a frenzied Lions attack.
4. Jovan Miladinovic ? 7 ? played well as a link in the midfield, showing some nice touches when in possession of the football.
5. Russell Farrell ? 6 ? the hero from the Preliminary Final did not have any real impact as he was well marked by the Fairfield defence.
6. Terry Pannowitz ? 7 ? the young skipper worked hard under a barrage in the first half, and got his team going with some telling passes in the second.
7. Paul Down ? 7.5 ? again was the pick of the Brumbies, his experience showing as he fought hard in the middle of the park, executing many accurate passes to his strikers.
8. Dragan Savic ? 7 ? was largely ineffective during the first half, but showed predatory instincts to grab two close range goals in the second stanza.
12. Luke Ryan ? 6 ? tried hard but was on the receiving end of a wave of Fairfield attacks during a frenetic first half.
14. Miki Awad ? 6 ? switched flanks in a bid to receive some service in a first half where he was starved of the ball.
16. Jose Pineda ? 6 ? composed on the ball, but found it difficult to contain the speed of the Fairfield forwards.
17. Harry Oliver ? 6.5 ? showed tenacity in the tackle, but worked hard to repel any forays down his right side of defence.
Substitutes ?
11. Lord Darkoh ? 6 ? used his speed well a number of times down the left flank once he came on in the last half hour or so.
10. Brendan Mitrovich ? 6.5 ? tried hard to inject himself and added support as the Brumbies came home strong.
8. Wand Jajaw ? NR ? came on with five minutes remaining.
Fairfield City Lions
1. Adam Biernat ? 6.5 ? was sound between the sticks without really being tested.
3. Alfred Sesay ? 7 ? firm and strong at left back, but was restricted in the second half once he received a caution in the 55th minute.
4. Engin Ongel ? 7 ? fierce in the tackle, and won all balls in the air in the centre of defence.
5. Jeffery Forrest ? 7 ? excellent game at centre back, and also had a great game dealing with the high balls.
6. Robbie Issa ? 7 ? held position in the centre of the park, showing all his experience to keep his team focused as they hung on for victory.
7. George Issa ? 7 ? calm and composed game in the midfield, suffering a hamstring injury just after the hour mark.
9. Ben Cronk ? 7.5 ? showed raw youth and speed as he played the part of a menace for the Hills defence until his substitution late on due to injury, scoring a goal and assisting in another.
10. Ozcan Cetinay ? 7 ? tore Hills apart with his technique in an influential first half, but less effective in the second period.
18. Friday Jeremiah ? 8.5 ? was unstoppable with his speed, ball control, and ability to hold defenders off. Finished clinically to score two great goals on the way to a man-of-the-match performance where he was credited at the end of the match.
14. Farhad Madadghar ? 6.5 ? held position well at right back until injury forced his substitution late in the match.
19. Chris Theodosiou ? 7 ? effective down the left wing, beating players at will with either his passing or dribbling.
Substitutes ?
8. Peter Bouzanis ? 6.5 ? held position in the centre of the park with some timely tackles.
11. Mojtaba Mohebbee ? 7 ? created a number of late opportunities with some brilliant dribbling.
13. M Bozzetto ? NR ? played the final ten minutes.
Match Stats
FAIRFIELD CITY LIONS (2) 3 (Cronk 5?, Jeremiah 37?/ 51?)
HILLS BRUMBIES (0) 2 (Savic 59?/71?)
Saturday, September11, at Sydney United Sports Centre
Referee ? Mr.Sandro Perticarini
Assistant Referees ? Mr.Jerry Bitas & Mr.Thomas Diakos
Fourth Official ? Mr.Adam Susz
FAIRFIELD CITY LIONS: 1.Adam BIERNAT, 3.Alfred SESAY, 4.Engin ONGEL, 5.Jeffrey FORREST, 6.Robert ISSA (capt), 7.George ISSA (8.Peter BOUZANIS 68?), 9.Ben CRONK (11.Mojtaba MOHEBBEE 75?), 10.Ozcan CETINAY, 14.Farhad MADADGHAR (13.M.BOZZETTO 80?), 18.Friday JEREMIAH, 19.Chris THEODOSIOU.
Subs not used ? 15.B.Treharne, 21.G.Bogdan.
Yellow Cards ? 10.O.Cetinay 28?, 13.A.Sesay 55?.
Red Cards ? NIL
HILLS BRUMBIES: 1.Ben NEEDHAM, 2.Danny RAMIREZ, 4.Jovan MILADINOVIC, 5.Russell FARRELL, 6.Terry PANNOWITZ (capt), 7.Paul DOWN (8.Wand JAJAW 85?), 9.Dragan SAVIC, 12.Luke RYAN (10.Brendan MITROVICH 58?), 14.Miki AWAD (11.Lord DARKOH 54?), 16.Jose PINEDA, 17.Harry OLIVER.
Subs not used- 15.N.Cholerton, 40.M.Hamma.
Yellow Cards-7.P.Down 73?.
Red Cards-NIL.
Man of the Match: Friday Jeremiah (FCL)
-By Frank Speranza
