Waratah Cup Round 1 Review
It all kicked off on Tuesday night as highly fancied Illawarra Premier League side Dandaloo FC took on St George Association?s All Saints Oatley at JJ Kelly Park.
It was to be one-way traffic on the evening as Dandaloo dismantled their opponents running out 7-1 victors. Dandaloo coach Norm Boardman rested the likes of star players Alvin Ceccoli and Ilija Prenzoski and gave a couple of the club?s future prospects such as Josh Bingham and Alex Dicker a start and they proved too hot to handle as the Lions advanced to round two of the Cup with ease.
Chris Smith grabbed four goals while Phil Buffington scored two with David Reid and Ben Price added a goal each in what was a commanding victory.
Dandaloo will certainly be a tough team to beat as apart from Ceccoli and Prenzoski, the club sport the likes of players such as Noel Spencer, Adam Casey, Sam Munro, Chris Jackson, Ben Price and David Reid to name a few.
Moving along to the Wednesday night fixtures and one match that did not play was between Manly Association?s Collaroy Cromer and Sutherland?s Gymea United at Cromer Park. Unfortunately for Gymea, their weekend club clash took a toll on its squad as a number of players received injuries, thwarting them to field a team against Collaroy who advanced to round two of the Cup via forfeit.
Gladesville Hornsby Association?s Eastwood St Andrews continued its run in the Cup after defeating Eastern Suburb?s Waverly Old Boys 3-0 at Christie Park. The game commenced late due to the match prior going into extra-time but it was Eastwood St Andrews who reigned supreme and took a 2-0 lead in the first twenty minutes of the match via two mistakes from the Old Boys. They grabbed a third in the second half to sure up a spot in the next round of the Cup.
In other results, State League Two side Northbridge FC ended Bankstown Association?s Bass Hill?s run in the Cup with a 4-1 victory at Walshaw Park.
State League Two side FC Gazy Lansvale defeated Sutherland?s Bonnet Bay 3-1, Gladesville Hornsby?s Pacific Hills edged out Eastern Suburb?s Dunbar Rovers 2-1 while, Gladesville Hornsby?s Redbacks FC defeated Sutherland Association?s Como West Janali 2-0 after scores were locked at 0-0 for the ninety minutes.
There was a double header played at Bensons Lane as State League Two side Hawkesbury City SC easily outclassed Canterbury Association?s Enfield Rovers (B) 6-0 while State League Two side Chopin Park Rams defeated Granville Association?s Lidcombe Waratahs 2-0.
On Thursday evening at Seymour Shaw Park, Eastern Suburbs Association?s Pagewood Botany defeated Sutherland Shire?s North Carringbah Redbacks 4-1 after the game finished 1-1 in ninety minutes.
It was Botany who took the lead via Trevor Crotty in the 39th minute before Josh Terelinck equalised for the Redbacks in the 59th.
During the match Botany could have stolen the show if it weren?t for Redbacks keeper and Dandaloo shotstopper Kiel Zerner who saved a spot-kick in the second half and kept Botany at bay.
However in extra time it was the visitors who stole the show as Crotty added a second in the 95th minute before Clive Crotty added a third and Andy Hiern wrapped up the match for Pagewood Botany and passage towards the second round of the Cup albeit the lights going out with ten minutes of extra time remaining ? thankfully the lights were switched back on almost immediately.
At Knight Park Fairfield Wanderers defeated Belmore Hercules 2-1 while at Hensley Athletic Field, State League Two side Hakoah proved to be too strong for Bankstown Association?s Chullora Wolves running out 6-2 victors.
Former Sydney FC coach John Kosmina?s son Justin got in on the act scoring a monumental four goals while Rani Rimmer and Jon Pillemer notched the other two. For the Wolves D Andrade notched up a brace for the Chullora.
Finally at Parker st Oval, State League Two side Bathurst 75 made the long trek to Sydney where they faced Glenmore Park and claimed the plaudits after a 3-1 victory.
Waratah Cup Match of the Round
Canberra FC v Wagga United
A stunning 55-metre finish from Adam Spaleta was the highlight as Canberra FC cruised into the second round of the Waratah Cup with a handsome 9-1 defeat of Wagga United on a cool evening in the nation?s capital on Wednesday.
The Canberra FC playmaker spotted Wagga custodian Damian Browne off his line in the 47th minute of play before unleashing a quite brilliant strike from five metres inside his own half, the ball arcing majestically over the stranded United ?keeper to nestle in the corner of the net for a breathtaking goal.
The ?Beckham-esque? effort was Spaleta?s second goal of the evening on a night when the ACT Premier League treble winners barely moved out of second gear in defeating an outclassed Wagga outfit.
Having racked up an amazing 44 goals in their five loop Federation Cup encounters ahead of this tie, Canberra FC were in prime form in front of goal and wasted little time in stamping their authority all over the match. It took the home team only nine minutes to make the breakthrough when Michael Spaleta smashed home from 12-metres after Anthony Bekavac saw his initial shot blocked.
Barely four minutes later Bekavac did get on the score sheet, racing clear after the Wagga offside trap palpably failed, to finish with aplomb past the advancing Browne. Having established an early lead, the only surprise was that it took until three minutes from half-time for Canberra FC to extend their advantage.
It was the Spaleta show shortly before the interval when, firstly, Adam Spaleta side-footed home from the edge of the penalty box before Michael Spaleta crashed in a shot from similar range to take the half-time score to 4-0.
If Wagga were hoping that Canberra FC were satiated by their first-half showing they didn?t need to wait long to discover that they weren?t with Adam Spaleta treating the crowd to an early contender for goal of the season with his blast from half-way.
Half-time substitute John Glass got in on the act in the 54th minute, thumping in a trademark long-range finish after he was allowed to advance, unchecked, through the heart of the Wagga defence to add goal number six before fellow replacement Paul Ivanic swept home a Ryan Keir lay-off with almost his first touch as the goal tally continued to mount.
To their credit the visitors were undaunted and made sure that they would at least have the consolation of a goal to remember their trip to the ACT when Lincoln Weir angled a precise header beyond Ben Klug after a terrific cross-field pass from Travis Weir fifteen minutes from time.
But Canberra FC weren?t finished yet and added an eighth goal in the 84th minute when Victor Yanes, who had scored four goals in the 10-2 blitzing of Cooma Tigers on Sunday, was left unmarked to tap in from close range after Josip Jadric had skinned the Wagga full-back to square the ball on a plate for his team mate.
And it was 9-1 two minutes later after Yanes turned provider, cutting inside and slipping a pass through to Ivanic, who blasted a low cross-shot past the despairing Browne and into the far corner of the net to complete a satisfactory night?s work for Rob Graham and his squad ahead of their loop Federation Cup Final match with Belconnen United at McKellar Park on Sunday.
Match Stats
Wednesday 13th April 2011
Waratah Cup ? Round One
(Deakin Stadium, Deakin, Canberra)
Canberra FC 9 (Michael Spaleta 9?, 45?, Anthony Bekavac 13?, Adam Spaleta 42?, 47?, John Glass 54?, Paul Ivanic 58?, 86?, Victor Yanes 84?) Wagga United 1 (Lincoln Weir 75?)
Canberra FC: 18. Ben Klug (gk), 6. Ryan Keir, 8. Anthony Bekavac, 9. Michael Spaleta (7. Paul Ivanic 56?), 11. Ivan Pavlak, 12. Ian Graham (5. John Glass 46?), 14. Josip Jadric, 16. Matt Grbesa, 19. Adam Spaleta (c) (99. Victor Yanes 56?), 23. Marcin Zygmunt (3. Izach Clements 46?), 76. Aidan Brunskill (13. Nathan Evans 56?)
Wagga United: 1. Damian Browne (gk), 2. Lincoln Weir, 3. Zeph Daniel, 4. Moses Donato, 6. Ben Glover, 8. Travis Weir, 9. Eric Morris (16. Matt Baker 77?), 10. Carl Pideski (c), 12. Adam Holmes, 13. Adam Schipp, 14. Nick Forsyth
Substitutes not used: 15. Henrison Ellicott
Discipline: YELLOW CARDS: 6. Ben Glover (Wagga United) 64?
Match Officials: Gary Vandeburgt (referee), Brett Woodford, Allyson Flynn
-Canberra FC Press Release
The 2011 Waratah Cup Round 1 Results:
Bass Hill 1 v Northbridge FC 4
Collaroy Cromer v Gymea United (Collaroy Cromer win due to Gymea United forfeit)
FC Gazy Lansvale 3 v Bonnet Bay 1
Eastwood St. Andrews 3 v Waverly Old Boys 0
Pacific Hills 2 v Dunbar Rovers 1
Redbacks Football Club 2 v Como West Janali 0 (after extra time)
Canberra FC 9 v Wagga United 1
Hawkesbury City SC 6 v Enfield Rovers (B) 0
Chopin Park Rams 2 v Lidcombe Waratahs 0
Dandaloo FC 7 v All Saints Oatley 1
Carringbah Redbacks 1 v Pagewood Botany 4 (after extra time)
Hakoah 6 v Chullora Wolves 2
Glenmore Park 1 v Bathurst 75 3
Fairfield Wanderers 2 v Belmore Hercules 1
The 2011 Waratah Cup Round 1 Remaining Fixtures:
There are two remaining matches left to complete round 1 of the Waratah Cup with a double header headlining Wetherill Park in Primbee on Tuesday 19th of April.
The first match up sees Illawarra Premier League outfit Port Kembla taking on Canterbury Association?s Enfield Rovers (A) side while following this match, fellow Illawarra Premier League side Picton Rangers take on Sutherland Association?s Menai Hawks in the later match. Port Kembla will have a huge player up their sleeve as 2010 Illawarra ?Player of the Year? Matt O?Shea will be on hand to hopefully guide the club into the next stages of the Cup along with former Wolves striker Daniel Aliffi, Nuno Pires and Peter Gaffney. Coach Stuart Beedie will hope to seek early advantage as Wetherill Park is Port Kembla?s spiritual home ground.
For Picton Rangers, the club has gone throuhg a rebuilding process as they lost coach Norm Boardman to rivals Dandaloo and have picked up long time club servant Richard Harrison as the new man in charge. Lethal goalscorer Andrew Borg will again be one to watch for in their clash against the Menai Hawks.
It will be a double header worth watching as two Association side?s tackle some of the best clubs in the Illawarra Premier League.
Port Kembla v Enfield Rovers (A) Wetherill Park Primbee Tuesday, 19 April 2011 8:15pm
Picton Rangers v Menai Hawks Wetherill Park Primbee Tuesday, 19 April 2011 6:30pm
-Compiled by Mark Stavroulakis
