NSW Super League Round 2 Review

Spirit FC jumped to the head of the table after scoring seven goals against the Brumbies on Saturday night. Central Coast remained level pegging on the top though, on points, after a 2-2 draw against the West Sydney Berries.  
Feature Match of the Week
Spirit FC v Hills Brumbies
It ended up being a tough night for Hills Brumbies at Christie Park when they were hammered 7-2 by a Spirit FC side which showed no mercy in routing the visitors during a ruthless second half.
Hills had gone into the break at 2-2 and looked good value for their efforts, matching Spirit during the opening stanza. It was the Brumbies, in fact, who had taken a well deserved lead when Dragan Savic, continuing on from his double last weekend, put his side in front.
Savic found himself clear on the right side of the area and shot low across the face of goal to give the Brumbies the lead on twenty three minutes. There had been a few chances up to that point, Juan Chavez and Adam Peatey for Spirit and Terry Pannowitz for the Brumbies, although these chances were spurned.
But after Savic had given the visitors the lead, it took Spirit just four minutes to draw level. A great run by Kwabena Appiah-Kubi down the right, saw him beat Lord Darkoh, and cross low allowing Tim Simpson to sneak in between defender and keeper and net from within the six yard box. Simpson, playing in a deeper than normal position behind the frontrunning Chavez and Appiah-Kubi, showed the goal scoring instinct for which he is renowned.
Hills retaliated with Jovan Miladinovic hitting a wonderful drive from 30 metres which Murray Nelson touched around for a corner while Paul Down looked sure to put the Brumbies back in front with a beautifully weighted shot but it just evaded the top corner. 
But it was a second Spirit goal which came, again down the right. The hard running Tom Lovell hit in a low hard cross, which Chavez hit first time on the far side of the box. There was no chance for Brumbies keeper, Chris Rizzo.
Before Spirit had time to settle though, the Brumbies again had the ball in the back of the net. Nelson could only parry a Brumbies shot, the ball falling nicely to Eros Bergamin, who returned the ball immediately, bringing the score to 2-2. It was a fair result to this point, Hills showing plenty of effort and fight and causing some worries to Spirit.
It was a change of tactics though by Spirit coach John McLafferty, as explained after the game, which was to turn the match. Off went the Peatey brothers and on came Paul Nicolaou and Ricki Woodward. A switch from 4-4-2 to 4-3-3, with Simpson pushing back up front, allowed greater space in the middle of the park, stretching the young Brumbies side.
Two goals in a minute, within ten minutes of the restart, won the game for Spirit. Appiah-Kubi, this time from the left, crossed low and substitute Woodward was able to scamble the ball into the net amongst a sea of legs. Just sixty seconds later, and Chavez dummied, jinked and beat Rizzo, knocking in his second, off the post. It was classic Chavez, a sign of the form he showed when winning the Golden Boot two years ago.
The two quick goals stunned the Brumbies, and when a fifth goal went in eight minutes later, things started to look ominous. Lovell took off down the right, skirted three tackles and shot across Rizzo into the bottom corner. 5-2 and the Brumbies were starting to crumble.
Appiah-Kubi should have scored when he collected an underhit backpass, but he shot well wide before Nick Trimble, again in a goal mouth scramble, scored to make it six. Appiah-Kubi then made amends for his earlier miss, skipping through a tired defence to make it 7-2.
Despite the heavy defeat of the Brumbies, Spirit coach John McLafferty had kind words.
?A lot of credit should go to the opposition?, he said.
?They are a young enthusiastic team and I thought the 2-2 at half time was an accurate result. But when we changed formation, that changed the game. We stretched the young blokes and made a lot of space in midfield?.
?We started the win the battles too, with Paul Nicolaou moving into defensive midfield?.
?But take nothing away from that team. They caused us a lot of trouble going forward?.
Mark Abi-Arrage felt the difference was in the experience levels.
?They were too good and too strong,? he said.
?We showed a lot of inexperience, although I thought in the first half we matched them. But we left everything in the sheds for the second half. Their legs were better and we just didn?t compete. It will be a long season if we continue to play like that?, continued a very disappointed Abi-Arrage
?But all credit to Spirit. They came out in the second half and took us apart?.
Match Stats
Spirit FC 7 (Tim Simpson 27?, Juan Chavez 38?, 59?, Ricky Woodward 58?, Tom Lovell 67?, Nick Trimble 82?, Kwabena Appiah-Kubi 88?)
Hills Brumbies 2 (Dragan Savic 23?, Eros Bergamin 40?)
19 March 2011
Christie Park
Referee: Adam Susz
Assts: Adam Coombes and Samuel Grasso
Spirit FC: 1. Murray Nelson (c) 13. Tom Lovell 14. Nick Trimble 20. Greg Uhlmann 3. Josh de Kelly 6. Matt Peatey (18. Ricky Wooward 46?) 11. Adam Peatey (4. Paul Nicolau 46?) 8. Mathew Clowes 9. Tim Simpson 7. Juan Chavez (15. Daniel Findlay 60?) 16. Kwabena Appiah-Kubi. 
Subs not used: 41. Chad Taylor
Yellow Cards: Matt Peatey, Adam Peatey, Nick Trimble
Coach: John McLafferty
Hills Brumbies: 20. Chris Rizzo 2. Daniel Ramirez (Greg Giovenali 79?) 16. Chad Cowley 18. Justin Ciampa 11. Lord Darkoh 4. Jovan Miladinovic 6. Terry Pannowitz (c) 7. Paul Down (5. Russell Farrell 63?) 19. Eros Bergamin 9. Dragan Savic 10. Brendan Mitrovich (8. Keunike Maralit 70?).
Subs not used: 14. Josh Karpes G/K Harrick Sinpraseuth
Yellow cards: Nil
Coach: Mark Abi-Arrage
Central Coast v West Sydney Berries
Grant Maundrell could well turn out to be the signing of the season, if he keeps scoring at his current rate. After notching a hat trick last weekend, he again got on the scoresheet with two goals this round.
Peter Preston is no doubt delighted with his new forward, as his Central Coast side led twice against the travelling Berries before having to be satisfied with a point.
Maundrell got his first after twenty six minutes when his header, from a Jamie Lobb cross, evaded Nestor Tsioutas in the Berries goal. The Coast held the lead till half time but three goals in six minutes early in the second half saw the game twist and turn. The former Dandaloo Lions player Ryan Emerton equalised for the visitors, with a nice strike, but then Maundrell regained the lead for the Coast three minutes later. A fine run by Alex Butt saw his subsequent cross met neatly by Maundrell.
Kodgo Etonum, after saving West Sydney Berries last week, did the same again when he brought them level just two minutes after that, with a simple tap in, keeping the scoreboard attendant very busy.
2-2 it finished, a result which keeps the Coast level on top of the table. The Berries, following their second draw, know that this season will be a hard fought one.
Central Coast 2 (Grant Maundrell 26?, 60?) v West Sydney Berries 2 (Ryan Emerton 57?, Kodgo Etonum 62?)
St George v Fraser Park, Blacktown Spartans v Dulwich Hill, Granville Rage v Sydney University and Northern Tigers v Macarthur Rams all washed out.
Replay of these matches will be announced on the Football NSW website shortly.
LEADING GOALSCORERS
5 –        Grant Maundrell             (Central Coast)
3 –        Dragan Savic                (Hills Brumbies)
2 –        Juan Chavez                 (Spirit FC)
            Kodgo Etonum             (West Sydney Berries)
-By Peter Rowney