State League Two Round 13 Review

One game was called off and two scoreless draws made for a slightly dour round 13 in division two action over the weekend. Luddenham stayed on top of the table following their 2-1 win at Bathurst, Hawkesbury kept their road run revving with a 2-1 win at Nepean, Chopin Park did well to beat a nine-man Prospect United 2-1, Hakoah buried Northbridge 3-0, and after a goalscoring frenzy to start the season 0-0 draws between Springwood and Gazy and Belmore versus Wanderers brought the averages down a cog or two (round 13 produced the lowest yield of the season ? 14 goals). But it was certainly hot and spicy over at Punchbowl Oval with the Hurstville City Minotaurs versus Roosters game called off with eight minutes to go and scores locked at 1-1.
The table has been reshaped following Chopin Park’s 1-0 win over Roosters and Prospect’s 3-1 defeat of Northbridge in midweek catch-up games, with Luddenham in front by four points (and a game in hand), Roosters second and the Rams listed above Wanderers on goal difference only. Prospect and Hawkesbury share fifth spot with Hakoah nestled in just behind them.
On the goalscoring front Ry Hardy (Northbridge) and Adem Taslak (Roosters) joined Hakoah’s Neil Jablonski on top of the scorers list with nine successful strikes for the season.
And in the Waratah Cup knockout Northbridge face Super League side Blacktown Spartans at Francis Park on Tuesday night (7.30pm kick-off). It wasn?t a bad fourth round draw for Northbridge, who avoided meeting a Premier League club, with Spartans placed mid-table and certainly not unbeatable. The best of wishes to Northbridge for a good showing from division two?s last Cup representative.
Chopin Park pip Prospect
Chopin Park rose to third place on the ladder but did it tough in a 2-1 win over Prospect United at William Lawson Reserve on Saturday evening, Prospect playing the majority of the second half with just nine men on the park. Fresh from an impressive 1-0 victory over Roosters midweek Chopin Park were in good form early against United and opened the scoring when a Liam Lawler cross found Nima Nikfarjam at the far post and his strike smashed into the back of the net for a 1-0 lead after just 10 minutes.
Prospect ? who became the first team all season to beat Northbridge 3-1 at their home ground during the week ? responded swiftly as Justin McLeay took advantage of a defensive lapse to tie proceedings up at 1-1 just past the half-hour mark. But it got tricky for the home side when Jean Paul Vella was dismissed for a professional foul (last defender) and a penalty call not long afterwards gave the Rams a 2-1 edge at halftime, Marko Kraljevic slotting home the spot kick for his fifth goal of the season.
Prospect never gave up, however they were dealt another blow early in the second half following Stefan Honore?s send off for retaliating to a challenge, and Chopin Park wasted a string of chances to put the game away for good. Indeed, a nine-man Prospect almost found a late equaliser only to see a close range shot sail just wide of the post, the Rams holding on for a 2-1 win that keeps them in line with the frontrunners.
Chopin Park coach Radek Czerwinski is quietly satisfied with his team?s progress back in State League and praised goalkeeper Peter Akers for his role in the team?s success. ?It was a good game, but very frustrating for us in the second half not to get any further goals,? he said. ?We just sat back too much trying to control the game and absorbing the pressure, and we gave the initiative away. We had a lot of chances to create something but couldn?t make the last pass. Fortunately I have the best goalkeeper in the competition; [Peter] is an excellent shot-stopper from close range and is one of main reasons we?ve done so well.?
Prospect coach Tony Caruso was relieved to get a midweek win over Northbridge under his belt before enduring a tough loss to the Rams. ?The boys had to go through a lot of variables and played fantastic football ? it wasn?t just kick and run, we put pressure on them,? he said. ?The boys are a little bit gutted as we created a few chances, even with nine players. But I?m very happy with where we?re standing at the moment; we?re on target to achieving what we set out to do this year.?
Caruso also had a nice take on the unpredictable nature of this year?s championship, claiming that there was still no clear-cut title favourite. ?Back in round three I mentioned last year was tight and this year will be even tighter. Consistency is the key but most teams seem to be consistently inconsistent, which has made this year?s competition open to many sides.?
Prospect United 1 (Justin McLeay 28m) Chopin Park Rams 2 (Nima Nikfarjam 9m Marko Kraljevic 35m)
Reserve grade: Prospect United 1 Chopin Park Rams 1
Hawkesbury down Nepean
Nepean made Hawkesbury City work very hard for their 2-1 win at Cook Park, St Marys, on Saturday night. They may near the bottom of the table but you can?t fault Nepean?s 2011 endeavours and a Nick Haramis rebound from a freekick launched them into the lead after just 20 minutes. However, Hawkesbury are unbeaten on the road this year and got a break when the home side had a player sent off for retaliation.
With an onfield numerical advantage City lifted a gear in the second term and finally equalised with 20 minutes to go following an Ed George header, and they made it two goals in five minutes when Tony Judge finished off from close-range from a corner kick to give Hawkesbury its fifth win in seven road games (plus two draws), while consigning Nepean to its fourth straight loss.
City coach Gary Lewis called it an ugly win. ?They did a very good job with 10 men of slowing the game down and frustrating us. In the second half we had plenty of the ball but the game just wasn?t flowing,? he said. ?They did exactly what I would?ve done and kept players behind the ball while they had the lead and were level with us, but when they went behind they opened up a little bit? they just keep going. It was an ugly game to watch but I?m happy to take the points anyway they come.?
Nepean coach Carlos Camacho was disappointed his players lost their cool at certain times of the game but couldn?t fault their effort in trying to get something from a tight match. ?We continued to play well after we lost a man but unfortunately it wasn?t our day again. I would?ve been happy with a draw,? he said. ?I was a little disappointed in the second half that we didn?t play football and sat too deep.?
?Hawkesbury are a very solid team, physical and technically quite good, and I thought we played for part of the match but let our structure go way too much in the second half. I?m also disappointed our players got involved in stuff like that [the send-off and a post-game scuffle]. I can understand their frustration but they still need to keep their discipline.?
?We?ve been close many times this season but for one reason or another we let the points slip away ? it?s very, very frustrating. Now we?re at the halfway point we will rethink what we want to do for the second round. We do like making it tough for the opposition and we want teams to not look forward to playing us, regardless of where we are on the table. We just have to work hard and focus on getting more results in the second round.?
Nepean 1 (Nick Haramis 21m) Hawkesbury City 2 (Ed George 71m Tony Judge 75m)
Reserve grade: Nepean 0 Hawkesbury City 1
Luddenham roll Bathurst
Luddenham United enjoyed its fourth successive one-goal victory over Bathurst ?75 following a 2-1 win at Alec Lamberton Field on Saturday night. Bathurst started brightly and took the lead at the half-hour mark following a Nick Riggs freekick but their joy was shortlived as Luddenham responded almost immediately, Angelo Martino picking out Ivan Bazina at the far post and he cleverly headed home the equaliser.
It wasn?t much long before the league leaders hit the front when Grant Odei beat two defenders and audaciously chipped the ?75 keeper from 30m out just minutes from halftime, and the visitors held on in a dour second half to claim their fifth away scalp in seven road trips.
The win kept United at the top of the ladder and coach Andrew Montgomery was delighted. ?It was a very tough game, and there was certainly a lot of frustration as we were dominating and could have scored again, but we?ll take a 2-1 result at Bathurst anytime,? he said.
?We had a good chat midweek and I pulled out the history books to show the players that this is the point in the season where the top teams have traditionally fallen away and we set a goal to not do that this year. The Hurstville loss was a massive wake-up call for sure, and there?s another one around the corner unless we stay focused in every game.?
Bathurst ?75 1 (Nick Riggs 31m) Luddenham United 2 (Ivan Bazina 32m Grant Odei 37m)
Reserve grade: Bathurst ?75 0 Luddenham United 2
Gazy hold Springwood
Springwood United were denied a late winner against Gazy Lansvale with their round 13 encounter at Summerhayes Park ending in a 0-0 draw on Saturday night. After a scrappy first half Springwood finally found their footing and looked the more likely to score, but several offside calls ? including a goal from midfielder Craig Small that was pulled back late in the game ? frustrated the home side and the match finished scoreless.
There were positives for Gazy, which ended a 10-game losing stretch, claimed its first clean sheet of the season and their first competition point since a round three win over Belmore, and it was the first time Lansvale had held its opposition to under three goals in a game since that third round victory. Springwood coach Errol Warwick-Day said he will also draw some positives from the match, but he was a little miffed with some of the offside calls that went against his team.
?I will definitely say the standard of refereeing has improved this season, and I suspect that this is because they?re getting assessed. But I?m not sure if the assistant referees get assessed as there were some [very interesting] offside calls made,? he said. ?Gazy tried hard but are struggling in a lot of areas, so I told my players at halftime to make the game simpler and we created lots of chances after that? but we had to settle for a 0-0 draw in the end.?
?The players always put in hard and it was a test of their discipline to control themselves with all the offside calls and other frustrations. I?m happy with how the guys are going. We?re not playing the best football but easing out results… and I should get a trickling of players back from injury, which is good with all the games coming up.?
Springwood United 0 Gazy Lansvale 0
Reserve grade: Springwood United 1 Gazy Lansvale 0
Belmore, Fairfield stalemate
Belmore Hercules and Fairfield Wanderers played out a 0-0 draw at Blick Oval on Sunday afternoon but the game was anything but boring with chances going begging for both sides. Wanderers were keen for the win and impressed early before Hercules started to claw their way back into the contest and they were probably the better of the two sides either side of halftime. But the closing stages of the game belonged to Fairfield and they would consider themselves a little unlucky not to find a winner.
Wanderers coach Leo Maturana felt the result could’ve swung either way. ?It was a very even match where both teams dominated at different stages of the game,? he said. ?I think both teams will feel they could?ve got more out of it, particularly when the game opened up in the last 40 minutes… it was a good game of football.?
Fairfield has dipped a little of late, with just one win from their past four matches, but Maturana remained focussed on the job at hand. ?It’s always a worry when you start dropping points but you have to keep working hard at it and hopefully we will come up with a win against Bathurst next week.?
Belmore Hercules 0 Fairfield Wanderers 0
Reserve grade: Belmore Hercules 0 Fairfield Wanderers 1
Hakoah stun Northbridge
Hakoah returned to the winners circle in emphatic fashion with a 3-0 touch-up of Northbridge at Hensley Athletic Field on Sunday night. Hakoah had faltered a little with coach Mark Robertson on a two-week UEFA-B coaching course at Chelsea FC but he returned to see a punishing performance from his players, Rani Rimmer firing in the opener to set up a 1-0 halftime lead.
Northbridge were resting a few players ahead of their Waratah Cup clash against Blacktown Spartans on Tuesday night and struggled to match Hakoah’s intensity, allowing Jon Pillemer (himself returning from a business trip to the States) to take advantage of some scrappy defence early in the second period, banging in a cross to make it 2-0.
Pillemer was in everything and grabbed his second not long after and surprisingly with a header, the popular but  height-challenged warrior rising high to meet a Nathan Kosmina cross and finalise a 3-0 victory for Hakoah. It was a lacklustre week from Northbridge who slumped to their first home defeat of the season in a midweek catch-up loss to Prospect, but Hakoah is soaring (a league high 35 goals) and Robertson ? who attended the Chelsea coaching clinic with fellow former Socceroos John Aloisi and Hayden Fox ? is anticipating a good run home.
?Northbridge looked like they had a pretty young squad out there, and we played with three up front and hit them really well on the attack,? Robertson said. ?[In regards to the side’s recent loss to Belmore and Chopin Park draw] It’s to be expected when the manager goes away that the players lose their structure a bit so it’s very good to be back on board and I’m looking forward to the second half of season. We picked a footballing squad and playing on astro-synthetic turf [at Hensley, where they will play four of their next five matches] will really suit our players.?
Hakoah 3 (Rani Rimmer, Jon Pillemer x 2) Northbridge 0
Round 13 scores
Prospect United 1 (Justin McLeay 28m) Chopin Park Rams 2 (Nima Nikfarjam 9m Marko Kraljevic 35m)
Nepean 1 (Nick Haramis 21m) Hawkesbury City 2 (Ed George 71m Tony Judge 75m)
Springwood United 0 Gazy Lansvale 0
Bathurst ?75 1 (Nick Riggs 31m) Luddenham United 2 (Ivan Bazina 32m Grant Odei 37m)
Belmore Hercules 0 Fairfield Wanderers 0
Hurstville City Minotaurs 1 (Sasha Stevoski 47m) Roosters 1 (Adem Taslak 34m)
Hakoah 3 (Rani Rimmer, Jon Pillemer x 2) Northbridge 0
Rescheduled round 7: Northbridge 1 (Ry Hardy 18m) Prospect United 3 (Joseph Beslic 29m Gustavo Orcajo 56m Luis Freitas 71m)
Rescheduled round 9: Chopin Park Rams 1 (Liam Lawler 76m) Roosters 0
Reserve grade:
Prospect United 1 Chopin Park Rams 1
Nepean 0 Hawkesbury City 1
Springwood United 1 Gazy Lansvale 0
Bathurst ?75 0 Luddenham United 2
Belmore Hercules 0 Fairfield Wanderers 1
Hurstville City Minotaurs 6 Roosters 1
Rescheduled round 9: Chopin Park Rams 3 Roosters 0
Next week?s games
Round 14 of the 2011 NSW Division Two state league season kicks off when Gazy Lansvale match-up against Nepean at Cook Park, St Marys on Saturday afternoon (3pm kick-off), Hurstville City and Hawkesbury City meet at Bensons Lane Field on Saturday evening (5pm start), Luddenham United take on Northbridge in what should be a cracker of match at Valentine Sports Park on Saturday night (7pm), while Springwood United host Chopin Park Rams under lights at Summerhayes Park on Saturday night (7pm kick-off).
Roosters FC and Belmore Hercules face-off at Blick Oval on Sunday afternoon (3pm kick-off), Fairfield Wanderers clash with Bathurst ?75 at Alec Lamberton Field on Sunday afternoon (3pm), followed by Hakoah play Prospect United under lights at Hensley Athletic Field on Sunday night (7pm kick-off).
-By Dan De Nardi