State League Two Round 2 Review
It was last year?s strugglers Hakoah and Bathurst who stood alone in the round two winners circle following a rousing 6-1 win over Luddenham and 2-0 victory over Roosters respectively, as rain stopped play between Springwood United and Prospect United and Gazy Lansvale versus Hurstville City. Already half of this season?s 12 matches have ended in exciting draws. Seven red cards have also been dished out and, with a long year ahead of all teams, on-field discipline and numerical advantages could prove vital to the final standings.
Thrilling draw for Hawkesbury, Belmore
A 10-man Hawkesbury City unit dug deep to come back from a man down and two goals behind at halftime to draw 3-3 with an at-times brilliant Belmore at Bensons Lane Field on Saturday evening. Both sides were out to build on first-round victories and the action started early as a skidding corner kick was knocked into goal for Hawkesbury to take a third-minute lead. The scoresheet listed Andrew Zammitt as the lucky recipient although the City boys were sure it was Kurt Johnson who scored the game?s opening goal. Whoever it was the home side?s applause was cut short when Belmore?s Paul Paras took advantage from an unfortunate slip by City defender Ryan Wilson to run onto a long pass, round the keeper and level the scores at 1-1 inside the first five minutes.
Disaster struck Hawkesbury not long after when midfield stalwart Gavin Hartge pulled up with a hamstring injury and had to be replaced by veteran Tony Judge, who did a fine job marshalling his troops before a goalmouth encounter saw the ball hit his hand and the referee award Belmore a penalty kick five minutes before the interval. Con Paradisis stepped up to convert for a 2-1 lead and the collected midfielder was to have another go from the same spot a few minutes later when City stopper Andrew Stevenson was given his second yellow card and marching orders after he brought down a Hercules player inside the box. Another cool conversion and Belmore were brimming with confidence with a 3-1 lead and extra man advantage heading into halftime.
A stirring speech from coach Gary Lewis had the desired effect as Hawkesbury bounced out of the blocks in the second half and he hadn?t even taken his seat when John McCrea capitalised on some good work at the top of the penalty area to pull a goal back three minutes after the restart. City were building on their momentum and Paul Cooper sent the home fans into raptures when he scored in similar circumstances less than 10 minutes later to level the game at 3-3, and Tony Judge thought he then put Hawkesbury in front when he found the back of the net not long after but the goal was pulled back for an infringement on the Belmore keeper. In the end fulltime was called on an epic game, the third draw in a row between two thoroughly entertaining sides.
Lewis was understandably elated to grab a point. ?I think we did really well with 10 men,? he said. ?Belmore were brilliant in the first half and played to the conditions really well, but we didn?t let them get into the game in the second half. Under the circumstances I?m happy. I thought we could?ve won it but I was very proud of the boys to get something out of the game; they showed a lot of spirit and heart. To tell you the truth I think we were missing a bit of the true fighting spirit of Hawkesbury last year, about not throwing the towel in, and this year you can already tell that everybody is playing for each other.?
Belmore coach John Kyriazopoulos had mixed emotions after the game. ?I?m a little bit disappointed [with letting the lead slip] but that?s football? you have to keep your mind on the job for the full 90 minutes,? he said. ?The first half was very good but the boys didn?t follow the instructions [later in the game] and Hawkesbury came out fired up in that second half. I think the boys thought it was over at halftime and it just shows that you have to play out the whole game. Look, it?s good to see we?re playing good football; we just have to keep focused, create the chances and finally get the results.?
Hawkesbury City 3 (Andrew Zammitt 3m John McCrea 49m Paul Cooper 58m) Belmore Hercules 3 (Paul Paras 4m Con Paradisis 41/44m)
Grade 20: Hawkesbury City 1 Belmore Hercules 1
Nepean level with Chopin Park
It?s steady as she goes for division two newcomers Nepean and Chopin Park after both teams registered their second successive 1-1 draw to start the 2011 season following a stalemate at Cook Park, St Marys, on Saturday afternoon. But while Chopin Park may look back with lament at letting another winning opportunity slip away, Nepean will feel fortunate to have squeezed out another competition point despite playing with 10 men for most of the match.
The Rams got off to a flyer in the battle for the west when Ben Lam scored inside the opening 10 minutes, rewarded for being first to a rebound after the Nepean goalkeeper could only fumble a Nima Nikfarjam scorcher. And their advantage increased when the home side had star midfielder Emmanuel Azzopardi sent off for a two-footed challenge midway through the first term, opening up several more goalscoring opportunities. But Chopin Park will rue two golden one-on-one chances that were rocketed straight at the Nepean custodian to keep the halftime score at 1-0.
Rams coach Radek Czerwinski feared the worst and warned his players about a more mobile effort from Nepean in the second half, but his words seemed to fall on deaf ears as Chopin Park became a little too complacent with their lead and gave away a freekick 25m out in front of goal. While the shot on goal was spilled by the Rams keeper, Nepean midfielder Daniel Miralles pounced on the loose ball to tap in a 70th minute equaliser. Chopin Park had a few half-chances to grab victory but fulltime blew with the scores locked at 1-1.
Czerwinski wasn?t happy to see his players blow another game-winning opportunity but he knows he has a competitive unit under his direction. ?This is the second game where we?ve controlled proceedings and not converted our chances to let the win get away from us,? he said. ?We were missing a lot of players so any maneuvering with the squad was limited, but the boys responded well to the tactics we set out for them. My players fell into the trap of being a bit too comfortable in the second half and, respecting Nepean?s effort to get back into the game, we really allowed them to sniff out the one point.?
?It is a bit of regret again to not have the three points but there have been quite a few draws to start the season so the front teams are still not too far away from us. I?m happy in knowing that my team can play even better. I knew with the quality of players that we would be creating opportunities, and the midfield has done very well to control the tempo of both games we have played. We might not make the top-four this year but I?m sure we?ll take points away from the teams that will be.?
Nepean coach Carlos Camacho thought his side did well in a challenging match. ?It was a complicated game, really. We lost a man early on but I thought the game was well-balanced,? he said. ?We decided [at halftime] that we would go for it in the second half and pushed forward to play with three up front. With all the changes we had to make, it could have gone either way in the end, so I?m relatively happy with the point. It was a very attacking game; definitely a good game to watch if you were a neutral.?
Camacho said a sheepish Azzopardi was very apologetic for his ?over enthusiastic? red-card challenge, and he knew the team had gotten away with a very cheeky competition point. ?As a coach I would agree we probably didn?t deserve to win the game, but it?s quite promising to see that the team isn?t playing to its full potential and is still getting results. We have some new players coming into the squad that will add some depth and balance? we are still in the process of reaching our potential.?
Nepean FC 1 (Daniel Miralles 70m) Chopin Park Rams 1 (Ben Lam 10m)
Grade 20: Nepean FC 0 Chopin Park Rams 2
Bathurst beat Roosters
Two goals in five second-half minutes saw Bathurst chalk up their first win of the new year, a 2-0 defeat of Roosters at Alec Lamberton Field on Saturday night. In fact it was Bathurst?s first victory over the Roosters in almost three years and will no doubt go a long way to instilling some confidence in coach Mark Rooke?s men. For 2010 finalists Roosters, back-to-back losses has them placed at the bottom of the ladder after two rounds, but there?s still a long way to go in 2011.
A depleted Roosters side featuring four reserve graders did well to create a few chances as the visitors pressed forward early in the opening half, but Bathurst gradually clawed their way back into the contest and Nick Riggs cannoned his shot off the post near halftime to end a goal-less first half. The ?75 boys continued where they left off in the second stanza and Luke Sullivan finally rewarded their efforts when he toed a goalmouth scramble over the line for a 1-0 Bathurst lead in the 67th minute, and he added to his tally a few minutes later by finishing off a crisp midfield movement to double the advantage. Roosters were unlucky not to get on the scoresheet when Bathurst cleared one off the line but fulltime blew with the home side 2-0 in front.
Rooke was delighted with how his team responded from last week?s three-goal loss to Wanderers. ?We addressed a few things during the week following last week?s disappointing effort and our ball retention, movement off the ball and finishing in front of goals was a lot better. But the main thing we addressed was our attitude and that showed a huge improvement [on Saturday],? he said. ?We?re a really young side and it was important to bounce back straight away from last week. We won the ball in good areas in the second term, and defensively we were solid, so it was a pleasing result.?
Roosters coach Musti Akca congratulated Bathurst on their win but wasn?t going to hit the panic button just yet after successive defeats to start the season. ?It is a bit disappointing but we were not at our best,? he said. ?We had plenty of players missing, but that?s no excuse? Bathurst were better than us at the end of the day and deserved their win. We did have a few chances in the first half but failed to put one in. The reserve grade players didn?t do too badly filling in, but we really missed the senior players. That?s two weeks with no result so now we have to focus on round three and leave that behind us, pull our socks up and start putting in the effort.?
Bathurst ?75 2 (Luke Sullivan 67/71m) Roosters FC 0
Grade 20: Bathurst ?75 0 Roosters FC 0
Fairfield, Northbridge stalemate
Fairfield Wanderers suffered the same fate as Central Coast in the A-League grand final when it let slip a 2-0 lead late in the game to allow a 10-man Northbridge FC to draw 2-2 at Knight Park on Sunday afternoon. A tight first half tussle opened up when the Wanderers turned defence into attack and released Elias Navarrete midway through the term, and his deft chip of the opposition keeper put the home side in front 1-0 by halftime. Fairfield continued to apply the pressure in the second half and some good passing left Ian Peti unmarked up front and his clinical finish pushed the lead out to 2-0 on the hour-mark.
With Wanderers seemingly looking the goods Northbridge fought their way back into the contest and were awarded a penalty for handball, but Fairfield keeper Rodrigo Galiano was more than up to the task denying Herman Sosa with a superb dive to his left. The visitors were dealt a nasty blow however when Chris Hillege committed to the ball but connected with Galiano instead to be shown a red card from the referee.
But the visitors weren?t done with yet and halved the deficit with a magic scissor-kick from Herman Sosa that bounced over Galiano and into goal inside the closing quarter-hour, and five minutes from fulltime they pulled the proverbial rabbit out of the hat with a neat goal on the counter attack to level the scores at 2-2, Ry Harding running onto a through-ball down the channel and smashing it hard into the far corner from just outside the penalty area.
Northbridge coach Joe Haywood was pretty chuffed with the character displayed from his charges. ?It?s nice to get some points on the board as last weekend we were a bit disappointing. But all our international players have now come through and I was pretty happy with the result,? he said. ?We?re a team that?s striving to do something good this season and we just wanted to push as hard as we could and see what happened. Fairfield is a good team and I?m glad we stood up against them ? all the way through the game we were confident ? and fingers crossed that we can go from here and get a few more results.?
Wanderers coach Leo Maturana put the result down to a bit of inexperience. ?We completely dominated the game but lost focus in the second half. I think the midfield just ran out of legs and got caught out of position. Once they got the momentum they managed to find a couple of chances and scored,? he said. ?I?m disappointed we didn?t close the game out but I?ll put it down to inexperience as we should have held onto the tactics. I think [Northbridge?s] strength is they keep coming no matter what, but we blew a few chances to get that third goal.?
Grade 20: Fairfield Wanderers 3 Northbridge FC 2
Hakoah thrash Luddenham
Shirt buttons ripped and green muscles bulged as Hakoah turned into the Incredible Hulk on Sunday night, transforming from last year?s cellar-dwellers into 2011 giant-killers following their 6-1 annihilation of heavyweights Luddenham United at Hensley Athletic Field. Hakoah were simply unstoppable as they piled on three goals before halftime and finished the job in the second half with an amazing display of fast-edged football. It?s now been three years since Hakoah have lost to Luddenham.
The clock had barely ticked into the third minute when Nathan Kosmina picked the ball up and blasted one into the top corner from 35m out to take the lead before teammate Former Sutherland Sharks midfielder Neil Jablonski nipped by a defender and put another one away to double the advantage. Jablonski?s second goal made it 3-0 at halftime with the game all but locked away. Luddenham managed to peg one goal back early in the second term when Ivan Bazina headed a free kick to the far post for possibly Pasquale Corso to nod into goal, but further scores to Jablonski, Justin Kosmina and Jon Pillemer (off the bench) sealed an impressive five-goal victory for Hakoah.
You couldn?t hide the smile on coach Mark Robertson?s face after the game. ?They?re big and physical and we just knocked the ball about and made it hard for them to get around the pitch. I think we were more mobile and that destroyed them. Our defence was also quite solid, but it?s massive praise for everyone in the team? a credit to all the boys,? he said. ?After the last few years we are glad to be at the top of the table rather than looking up from the bottom of the table; it?s a pleasing way for the club to start the season.?
Robertson, however, remained philosophical and refused to get carried away with the decisive result. ?I told the boys [following fulltime] that I?d rather win six games 1-0 than one game 6-0, so I told them to keep their feet on the ground, as we stopped playing after 60 minutes and could?ve got a few more goals.?
His Luddenham adversary Andrew Montgomery agreed and used the same analogy. ?We?re better off being beaten 6-1 than having six 1-0 losses, so we need to learn from our mistakes and get ready for Wanderers next week,? he said. ?Winners are grinners but to be perfectly honest all six goals were our fault. They played well and were the better side, it was all about them tonight, we just didn?t pressure them enough and they highlighted our mistakes. We had some chances but didn?t capitalise? changes obviously need to be made.?
Rain stops two games
Rain cancelled play in two division two fixtures, Springwood United versus Prospect United at Summerhayes Park on Saturday night, and the Sunday afternoon match between Gazy Lansvale versus Hurstville City at Cherrybrook Park.
Round 2 scores
Nepean FC 1 (Daniel Miralles 70m) Chopin Park Rams 1 (Ben Lam 10m)
Hawkesbury City 3 (Andrew Zammitt 3m John McCrea 49m Paul Cooper 58m) Belmore Hercules 3 (Paul Paras 4m Con Paradisis 41/44m)
Bathurst ?75 2 (Luke Sullivan 67/71m) Roosters FC 0
Hakoah 6 Luddenham 0
Fairfield Wanderers 2 Northbridge FC 2
Springwood United Prospect United washed out
Gazy Lansvale Hurstville City Minotaurs washed out
Grade 20
Nepean FC 0 Chopin Park Rams 2
Hawkesbury City 1 Belmore Hercules 1
Bathurst ?75 0 Roosters FC 0
Fairfield Wanderers 3 Northbridge FC 2
Springwood United Prospect United washed out
Gazy Lansvale Hurstville City Minotaurs washed out
Next week?s games
Round three of NSW division two kicks off with Prospect United taking on Nepean at William Lawson Reserve on Saturday evening (5pm), followed by Hawkesbury City versus Bathurst ?75 at Alec Lamberton Field (7pm) and Springwood against Hakoah at Summerhayes Park (7pm).
On Sunday afternoon, the Rams host Hurstville City at Chopin Park, Gazy Lansvale face Belmore Hercules at Cherrybrook Park, Roosters FC tackle Northbridge at Hills Sports High, while Fairfield Wanderers meet Luddenham United in a Knight Park blockbuster (all first grade games from 3pm).
