Ten-man Stallions keep White Eagles winless in 2011
On a wet and slippery surface, the Stallions battled hard despite losing Matthew Mayora prior to half-time, to add further frustration to a Bonnyrigg side still searching for their first win of 2011.
A 2? minutes silence was observed prior to the encounter as a mark of respect firstly for ANZAC day, and the death of the late Mr. Lorenzo Sartoretto – Financial Life Member and Honorary Life Member of Club Marconi – as around 1,000 spectators attended Marconi Stadium for this ?cross town derby?.
The Stallions were without Andrew Mailer for the clash through injury, while Brenton Rhodes passed a late fitness test to be selected in the starting line-up. Bonnyrigg?s biggest loss was that of Brad Boardman who was suspended, though Brian Brown welcomed Tynan Diaz to the starting line-up for this clash.
A scrappy opening 10? minutes saw both sides struggle to retain possession of the ball in midfield, largely due to the wet conditions following the downpour prior to kick-off.
Shane Webb unleashed the first effort on goal from the edge of the penalty-area on 8? minutes, though his effort did lack precision as the ball finished well wide of the mark.
Webb was involved again in the 10? minute as his perfectly floated cross from the right picked out Tynan Diaz in the centre. In his first match for the White Eagles this season, Diaz?s first time effort on the turn deflected off a Stallions? defender before finishing wide.
Matthew Gordon replied for the Stallions with an effort from distance on 11? minutes, though Phil Zabaks made a very comfortable save.
The White Eagles took a hold of possession, and enjoyed some quality time in the Stallions? half, mainly via the feet of playmaker Daniel Severino. The Bonnyrigg number 10?s wicked left-peg had James Chronopoulos & Co. in the Stallions? defensive third constantly on alert, swinging in three corners in the space of 5? minutes and causing much distress for the home side.
The Stallions twice tested the Bonnyrigg rearguard, calling Zabaks off his goal line to clear. Matthew Mayora, on the second occasion, picked up the loose ball on the right-flank before delivering a low-driven cross into the centre of the penalty-area, though the Bonnyrigg defenders were quick to thwart any danger.
The visitors thought they had found the breakthrough on 23? minutes as Jamie McMaster spotted Chronopoulos off his goal line. McMaster?s audacious attempted chip had goal written all over it before Brenton Rhodes tracked back to clear the ball off the goal line.
Another Severino corner on 27? minutes had the Stallions defenders scrambling as Daniel Petkovski cleared the line for the home side with a diving header.
Marconi captain Nahuel Arrarte attempted to get his troops forward and on 34? minutes, nearly found a breakthrough. Arrarte?s long distance drive deflected off Mayora as the Stallions? striker made his way through to goal. Mayora, unaware of where the ball was, was immediately closed down by Zabaks who claimed the ball diving at the striker?s feet.
The Stallions squandered a golden set-piece chance from a very interesting position in the 37? minute. With Arrarte and Mayora standing over the ball, the Stallions? captain took a touch of the ball and was immediately closed down by the White Eagles wall. Whilst the Stallions were awaiting the referee to stop play, Bonnyrigg hit on the counterattack and carved out a great chance, only for Elasi?s centre to be well thwarted by Chronopoulos.
The Stallions? afternoon was complicated when a poorly timed Mayora challenge on the halfway line resulted in a straight red card for the Marconi striker. Having already caught the eye of the referee moments earlier for a collision with a Bonnyrigg defender, the referee did not hesitate in sending Mayora off in what was certainly a talking point in the first-half.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, Marconi immediately carved out a chance as Arrarte received a loose ball inside the White Eagles? penalty-area. The Marconi captain hit his effort first time, though failed to breech the scrambling Bonnyrigg defence.
Marconi finished the half strongly in the opposition?s half, though some well-organised defending led by Wade Oostendorp in the Bonnyrigg defence, saw the visitors keep the Stallions scoreless.
Bonnyrigg White Eagles opened proceedings in the second-half on the front foot as Nikola Zonjic?s cross from the right was headed inches wide of goal by Elasi.
Bonnyrigg kept their foot on the accelerator as Elasi latched onto Chris Tadrosse?s searching ball from deep, though the striker could only play his effort back across goal as Marconi scrambled to clear their lines.
Jamie McMaster cleverly created a yard of space on the edge of the penalty-area to unleash a venomous drive, though Chronopoulos pulled off a remarkable save to deny the White Eagles.
The resulting corner, once again swung in by Severino, carried a real punch though the defending Stallions managed to clear their lines once more.
On 58? minutes, Bonnyrigg carved out their best chance of the match to that point as Elasi used his trickery to beat his marker on the left-flank. With the Stallions scrambling to get numbers behind the ball, Elasi?s cut back effort failed to pick out McMaster at the back post.
1? minute later, Elasi was again in the thick of the action as he headed goalwards ? the effort finished inches wide of the post with Severino failing to stick a foot out at the back post.
Marconi responded shortly after the hour via a set-piece. Matthew Gordon?s delivery from the right picked out Adel El Jamal who headed goalwards, denied only by a fine Zabaks save down to his right.
Nahuel Arrarte nearly delivered the killer blow in the 68? minute with an exceptional free-kick from the left-flank. The Marconi captain?s in-swinger with his right peg beat everyone inside the penalty-area, though finished inches wide of the post despite the lunging effort of a teammate at the back post.
At the other end, Elasi stung the palms of Chronopoulos with a fierce long-range effort. Chronopoulos failed to hold onto the first attempt, though was quick to throw his body onto the ball to pick up the scraps.
Bonnyrigg?s best efforts to push forward continued to go unrewarded as McMaster created the space on the edge of the penalty-area to get a shot away. The attacking midfielder?s left-foot effort had Chronopoulos scrambling, though finished wide of goal.
Marconi captain Nahuel Arrarte had the home supporters on their feet in the 82? minute as his slalom run saw the midfielder beat three defenders before going one-on-one with Zabaks. On his less favoured left foot, and from a slightly decentralised position, Arrarte failed to force Zabaks into a save, driving his effort wide of goal.
From the re-start, Bonnyrigg got forward and Alex Canak had Chronopoulos diving as his curled attempt from the edge of the penalty-area finished wide of Chronopoulos’ left-hand post.
The chance proved to be the last for either side, as the referee called time following 3? minutes of injury-time.
Marconi Stallions Luke Casserly was extremely happy with the effort of his players:
?We knew how difficult it would be to face Bonnyrigg, so we prepared for a real battle.
?Playing Bonnyrigg with eleven players is difficult, let alone with ten players for 50? minutes.
?I thought we remained well organised especially after going a man down. The boys kept the intensity high, and I thought that we limited Bonnyrigg in clear scoring chances,? ended Casserly.
Bonnyrigg White Eagles boss Brian Brown was less impressed with the final result:
?Disappointed definitely, as I thought that we should have won the match today.
?We created enough chances on a difficult surface, and really, we should have put at least one chance away to take home all the points.
?There is a little disappointment in the group considering we have drawn each of the four matches we have played, though I am not too concerned at the moment.
?Today we kept a clean sheet, in our last match we kept a clean sheet, and we weren?t really tested today in defence ? we didn?t concede any clear cut chances.
?Up front, we just need to convert our chances, and I think this will come for us soon,? Brown concluded.
In the Grade-20 division, Marconi Stallions handed Bonnyrigg White Eagles a hiding, comfortably accounting for the bottom-placed side on the League ladder 11-3.
Match Stats
Marconi Stallions 0
Bonnyrigg White Eagles 0
Monday 25thApril, 2011
Marconi Stadium, Bossley Park
Referee: Khodr Yaghi
Assistant Referees: Christian Mehl and Alex Long
Fourth Official: Nathan Roberts
Crowd: 1,000 Approx.
Marconi Stallions: 22.James Chronopoulos; 4.Umut Tokdogan, 5.Adel El Jamal, 6.Brenton Rhodes, 9.Keith Shevlin, 11.Matthew Gordon (14.Graziano Trimboli 78?), 15.Matthew Mayora, 20.Giosue Sama (19.Matthew Hall 69?), 23.Chris Nunes (17.Mitchell Mallia 59?), 24.Daniel Petkovski, 26.Nahuel Arrarte (C)
Substitutes Not Used: 21.Nikodin Matic, 16.Domenic Trimboli
Yellow Cards: Matthew Hall 85?
Red Cards: Matthew Mayora 40?
Bonnyrigg White Eagles: 99.Phil Zabaks; 3.Nicola Zonjic, 4.Wade Oostendorp (12.Takuya Murayama 59?), 5.Chris Tadrosse (C), 6.Ben Spruce, 7.Nathan Elasi, 10.Daniel Severino, 11.Shane Webb, 17.Michael Robinson, 19.Jamie McMaster, 23.Tynan Diaz (8.Alex Canak 59?)
Substitutes Not Used: 1.Andrew Bazi, 16.David Vrankovic, 22.Joseph Delia
Yellow Cards: Michael Robinson 36?, Nathan Elasi 62?, Ben Spruce 79?
Red Cards: Nil
Player Ratings:
3 ? Adel El Jamal (MS)
2 ? Nathan Elasi (BWE)
1 ? Nahuel Arrarte (MS)
-By Joseph Carlucci
