State League One Round 12 Review
Hurstville ZFC v Fairfield City Lions
Hurstville ZFC put in a spirited and determined performance on Thursday evening to thump Fairfield City Lions 4-1 in a rescheduled Round 11 match at William Lawson Reserve.
Going into the clash, Hurstville ZFC were a team struggling to return to their early season form, which saw them unbeaten in the opening weeks and sitting near the top of the ladder.
Fairfield City Lions came into the match sitting just a couple of points away from second spot, with games in hand, but despite a promising opening half hour, fell away against an opposition that simply wanted it more on the night.
The unusually late kick off of 8-15pm meant the temperatures dropped towards single digits, and it was a brave fan that ventured out to see the match unravel.
Despite a fairly even possession count, Fairfield City Lions had the better of the early opportunities, with the experienced Yavuz Ekinci predictably pulling the strings in the attacking third.
On twelve minutes it was Ekinci?s elusive pass that saw Ben Cronk through on goal, but Hurstville?s custodian, Nric, was quickly off his line to save at the feet of the lightning quick striker.
Four minutes later and a Fairfield counter attack finished with a low crack at goal by Ekinci from the edge of the box that was well held by Nric, falling to his right to make the save.
A couple of feisty challenges around the twenty minute mark threatened to get out of hand, but evergreen referee, Mr James Barnes, was on the spot to distinguish any potential blow up.
Fairfield kept up the pressure and almost broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute.
Ekinci picked up a ball in the left corner of the park, before swinging over a teasing cross that Cronk did well to get his head to under pressure from the Hurstville defence. Alas, the ball bounced agonizingly wide of the upright.
On the half hour mark, a Fairfield corner was half cleared to a few metres outside the centre of the penalty area, and Ongel unleashed a powerful drive that flew about a metre wide of Nric?s upright, much to the despair of the Fairfield fans.
Having weathered the Fairfield onslaught early on, Hurstville then scored against the run of the play in the 32nd minute, and they simply never looked back from that point on.
Mr Barnes awarded Hurstville a free kick right on the edge of the box for a hand ball.
Daniel Jurleta fired in a bullet of a shot that bounced into the roof of the net off the bottom of the cross bar, beating Fairfield keeper Orkun Durmaz all ends up, to put Hurstville one up.
Jurleta should have doubled the score just two minutes later, heading wide whilst unmarked following an inswinging corner from Stephan Perak.
The tide had turned, Fairfield were on the ropes, Hurstville had their tails up, and they did in fact make it 2-0 in the 41st minute with a great strike.
Central striker, Paul Gagro, collected a ?one-two? with Jurleta and unleashed a left footed drive from fully 20 yards that flew past Durmaz to nestle in the bottom left hand corner of the net.
Mr Barnes? half time whistle brought some well earned rest for both sets of players, with the Lions no doubt wondering how they found themselves 0-2 down given their early domination of the match.
Fairfield coach, Aydin Cetinay, wielded the axe at the break and brought on two fresh substitutes, and the Lions should?ve pulled a goal back just 5 minutes into the second stanza.
Kumrulu, one of those substitutes, raced down the right flank before sending over a great far post cross.
Ekinci was unmarked as he lined up the shot, but cracked his volley inches wide of Nric?s right hand post.
Fairfield kept up the intensity, and on 57 minutes Ben Cronk latched onto a long ball downfield, before volleying the ball over the bar and into the night.
Hurstville were intent on protecting their lead, and put bodies behind the ball to defend their territory. The Hurstville defence put pressure on Ekinci in the 65th minute as his shot from inside the box found its way over the bar after Ongel had nodded on another good cross from Kumrulu.
Hurstville put the game to bed on 75 minutes with a swift and effective counter attack producing a third goal.
Jurleta received a ball out of defence on the edge of the centre circle, back heeling the leather into the path of Perak.
The young left sided flanker raced unchallenged towards the edge of the box, before drawing the keeper and squaring to Michael Posavac who had the simplest of tasks of tapping into an unguarded net.
The Hurstville fans had barely finished celebrating when they were up out of their chairs once again on 78 minutes, Gagro cracking a low shot into the far corner of the Fairfield net after receiving a great pass from substitute, Justin Horvat.
Fairfield pulled a goal back right on 90 minutes when substitute, Sozer, tapped in following Ongel?s headed cut back, but it was too little, too late, as Hurstville ran out 4-1 winners, much to the delight of their supporting contingent.
For Fairfield, it was a case of missed opportunities early on, and then needing to chase the game when they fell behind.
Yavuz Ekinci was the architect of many of the chances the Lions had, creating opportunities at will, and always dangerous with the ball at his feet.
Ahmet Sama had a strong game defensively, strong in the tackle, and willing to support the attack with some speedy runs into the opposition half.
Once Hurstville got their noses in front, they were determined to grab the points, and did ever so well to weather the storm, before rounding off the victory with a couple more goals.
Paul Gagro looked lively up front, was quick with the ball at his feet, and scored two great goals with clinical finishing ; Aleksandar Trenoski was efficient at right back, strong in the tackle, and quick to offer support down the flank ; young goalkeeper, Nric, was commanding in his box, confident coming out to claim crosses and a good shot stopper.
Match Stats
HURSTVILLE ZFC (2) 4 (Jurleta 32? Gagro 41? / 78?, Posavac 75?)
FAIRFIELD CITY LIONS (0) 1 (Sozer 90?)
Thursday, June 9, at William Lawson Reserve, Prospect
Referee ? Mr James Barnes
Assistant Referees ? Mr Richard Clarke & Mr Michael Kimber
HURSTVILLE ZFC: 1.D.Nric, 11.A.Trenoski, 17.M.Susic, 16.D.Golac, 5.S.Jezercic, 8.S.Perak, 7.M.Posavac (4.A.Majetic 79?), 10..S.Zoric (capt) (12.K.Moric 82?), 3..T.Kasunic, 9.P.Gagro, 21.D.Jurleta (14.J.Horvat 76?).
Subs not used- 11.M.Jonjic, RGK.J.Panayi.
Yellow Cards ? 8.S.Perak 20?.
Red Cards ? NIL.
FAIRFIELD CITY LIONS: 23.O.Durmaz, 4.E.Ongel, 5.C.Sultan, 6.S.Dawd (22.A.Kumrulu 46?), 7.A.Sama, 8.H.Hidalgo, 9.B.Cronk, 10.Y.Ekinci (capt), 11.A.Adhiri, 18.M.Bozzetto (14.S.Sozer 72?), 13.D.Pinar (15.Y.Hagashi 46?).
Subs not used ? RGK.A.Biernat.
Yellow Cards ? 18.M.Bozzetto 19?,5.C.Sultan 63?.
Red Cards ? NIL.
UNSW v Mounties Wanderers
The Mounties Wanderers 2011 championship assault hit a speed hump on Sunday afternoon at Cook Park when UNSW became the first team this season to avoid defeat against the league leaders.
The original match was scheduled for Wentworth Park, but rain deemed the pitch unplayable, so a decision was reached to switch the UNSW ?home? game to Mounties? ground, Cook Park, which enabled the match to go ahead.
The weather was miserable ? the skies overcast and a dull grey, and a gale was blowing downfield, affecting any fluency in the football, but favouring UNSW nevertheless in the first period.
UNSW were without inspirational skipper, Andrew Harb, who is making his way back from injury, playing, and scoring, in the preceding U/20s match, whilst the Mounties were fielding a full strength side for this top of the table clash.
The Wanderers were backing up from a midweek Waratah Cup match, a game that went the full 120 minutes, including extra time, and a game that saw a 3-1 victory over Super League side, West Sydney Berries.
The ?students? had the first opportunity of the match on 3 minutes, a header from Bradley Wiblen off a Rocky Luca corner going wide of the uprights.
An overhit long pass after six minutes presented the Wanderers with their first opportunity, as Friday Jeremiah stabbed wide when the UNSW defence stood static and allowed the ball to bounce dangerously.
The Mounties started to control possession amidst the swirling conditions, and a swift team passing movement on 13 minutes finished disappointingly with Ian McAndrew blasting skyward from 25 yards.
UNSW responded similarly with a great move involving a number of their players, and similarly they blasted high, Mark Bryan the culprit this time.
Paul Crisp could?ve done better on 25 minutes for the Mounties, reaching an inswinging Daniel Willoughby corner, only to see his flick go across the face of the goal.
Both sets of players worked hard at trying to get the ball under control, with chipped passes causing mayhem as ball bounced and swayed all over the place.
Some frustration crept into the play during this passage before the break, with Premier League referee, Mr Khodr Yaghi, stepping in to brandish three cautions in his attempt to keep tempers under control.
The feeling was if UNSW had to get something out of this game, they had to find the net during the first 45 minutes with the strong wind at their backs, but they didn?t trouble Ali Akbal too much in the Mounties goal, and Mr Yaghi duly blew the half time whistle to give the players a well earned break.
The second half did not produce any real quality in the football, with the Mounties a little jaded from Wednesday?s hit out, and UNSW seemingly content to take anything from the match.
Having said that, the ?students? sensed there was more at stake, and had a real go at it in parts during the second period.
Second half substitute, Michael Karagiannis, made a great run down the middle of the park on 63 minutes, beating two Mounties challenges before sending Henry Kamleitner into space on the left. As Akbal raced feverishly out to narrow his angles, Kamleitner shot hastily wide and high and spurned the opportunity.
Mounties had the best chance of the match in the 68th minute, and it was a great threaded pass by Mark Symington that saw Friday Jeremiah through on goal.
Jeremiah looked calm and composed as he came in closer on goal, and with Duggan staying on his line, the striker slipped a shot across goal and inches wide of the far post.
Daniel Willoughby was all alone on his left, and a square pass from Jeremiah may have been a more effective decision if he?d only looked up.
Peter Day swung over a great cross for the Wanderers on 70 minutes that hit Jeremiah?s chest,
the striker swiveling before hitting a snapshot that raced wide of the mark.
The Mounties kept their foot on the pedal and almost broke the deadlock a minute later, this time through Squillacioti?s stabbed effort that was saved by Duggan after a one-two with Jeremiah inside the box.
Both coaches made numerous substitutions, and one of these, the evergreen Greg Baldock, almost conjured up a winner on 88 minutes.
Baldock pick pocketed a UNSW defender down the left flank, sending over a great cross that was met by the tall figure of Squillacioti, his flick header missing the far post by a matter of centimetres.
And with that, shortly after came the fulltime whistle, signaling the first points dropped in 2011 by Mounties Wanderers.
The Wanderers created enough opportunities to score, but failed to hit the target ? for once ? picking up a point in a stalemate.
Best for the Mounties were ; Eli Squillacioti proved a menace on the left flank, his height and speed causing UNSW problems, and he seemed most likely to score on a number of occasions ; Ian McAndrew did a great job in the centre of the park, holding position at the base of the midfield, and linking well with the defence and attack alike ; Scott Goodwin was his usual rock at the centre of defence, winning his duals in the air and on the ground, and often adding some support going forward.
UNSW would feel proud to be the first side to take a point from the Mounties, having turned a 0-6 loss in Round One to a 0-0 draw in Round Twelve.
The ?students? were good value for money, going toe to toe in plenty of duels around the paddock, and will take confidence from the result alone.
Best for UNSW were ; central defender, Bradley Wiblen, read the play well, anticipating many of the Mounties forays into the attacking third by intercepting balls, and his distribution out of defence was effective ; Michael Janov was his usual solid self on the left hand side of defence, reliable in the tackle, focused when not in possession, and part of a defence that repelled the best attack in the competition ; Henry Kamleitner worked tirelessly up front for little reward, chasing any loose ball that landed in the attacking third, never giving any defender a moment?s rest.
Match Stats
UNSW (0) 0
MOUNTIES WANDERERS (0) 0
Sunday, June 12, at Cook Park, Mt Pritchard
Referee ? Mr Khodr Yaghi
Assistant Referees ? Mr Dale Fuda & Mr Terry Goodhew
UNSW: 1.J.Duggan, 3.J.Kirkland-Morris, 38.P.Lloyd, 5.B.Wiblen, 16.M.Janov, 20.M.Bryan, 7.J.Bracewell (18.A.Woodbridge 74?), 23.H.O?Kelly (14.L.Davelaar 83?), 9.H.Kamleitner, 21.R.Luca, 12.S.Bendall (13.M.Karagiannis 50?).
Subs not used ? 19.D.Hardwick,1.G.Diakos.
Yellow Cards ? 7.J.Bracewell 29?.
Red Cards ? NIL.
MOUNTIES WANDERERS: 1.A.Akbal, 11.P.Day, 16.S.Goodwin, 18.M.D?Alessandro, 7.P.Crisp, 19.I.McAndrew, 10.D.Willoughby (9.M.Viera 81?), 17.D.McCann (capt), 14..M.Symington, 2.E.Squillacioti, 8.F.Jeremiah (4.G.Baldock 74?).
Subs not used- 6.T.McColl,RGK.G.Jamieson,5.R.Iredale.
Yellow Cards ? 19.I.McAndrew, 14.M.Symington 35?.
Red Cards ? NIL.
Division One Review ? Round Twelve
Camden Tigers ? Stanmore Hawks 2-0
7-00pm, Saturday, June 11 @ Ron Dine Reserve
Camden Tigers grabbed a most valuable three points on Saturday evening with a 2-0 home triumph over Stanmore Hawks.
Following a scoreless first period, Adam Smutek broke the deadlock for the Tigers a minute after the break, and doubled his and his team?s advantage on 72 minutes to wrap up the proceedings.
Smutek has been in great form of late, with this brace taking him to nine goals for the season, a solitary goal behind the competition?s top marksmen, Nick Paradisis of Stanmore Hawks, his opponent on the day, and Hosyar Cakal of Mt Druitt Town.
The loss continues a horror run for Stanmore, who have fallen from the heights of the Division to be languishing near the foot of the ladder following some disappointing results in recent weeks.
The three points for Camden keeps them in and around the top rungs of the competition, with six wins and a draw moving them to 19 points, and they currently sit in second place.
Hurstville ZFC ? Schofields Scorpions 1-0
3-00pm, Sunday, June 12 @ Hurstville Oval
Hurstville ZFC made it two wins and six points in four days with a closely fought 1-0 victory over Schofields Scorpions on Sunday afternoon.
After accounting for Fairfield City Lions 4-1 on Thursday night, Hurstville ZFC grabbed a goal right on half time from Chris Terkes to give them another three points.
Sunday?s victory sees Hurstville go to 14 points in 8th spot, just three points outside the top five, so it?s been a very fruitful few days indeed for the club.
The Scorpions are really struggling, with two narrow losses in the space of five days seeing them drop to the bottom rung of the competition ladder.
Gladesville Ryde Magic ? Fairfield Bulls WASHED OUT
3-00pm, Sunday, June 12 @ Magdala Reserve
The downpour of rain over the preceding two days was enough to deem Magdala Reserve unplayable on Sunday, so the match between Gladesville Ryde Magic and Fairfield Bulls was postponed.
Stay tuned to the Football NSW website for details of the rescheduled match on a day and date yet to be advised.
Fairfield City Lions ? Balmain SC 0-3
3-00pm, Sunday, June 12 @ Norford No.2
Fairfield City Lions missed a great opportunity to jump clear into second spot in Division One by losing twice in four days.
Thursday?s 1-4 loss to Hurstville ZFC was followed by a 0-3 reverse on Sunday at the hands of Balmain, and it means they are now in sixth spot on 16 points.
Uri Kaye got the visitors on their way with a 7th minute goal, and Balmain stunned the local support with goal number two on 29 minutes from Barrett.
The win was clinched just five minutes from time when Balmain was awarded a penalty, and there?s no one better than Johnny Buonavoglia at spot kicks ? and the little striker obliged to make it a comfortable 3-0 scoreline.
Currently involved in a quagmire at the bottom, the win sees Balmain move clear of last place, jumping two spots to 10th on 9 points.
Mt Druitt Town Rangers ? Inter Lions 3-3
3-00pm, Sunday, June 12 @ Popondetta Park
The most entertaining match of the day was at Popondetta Park, where Mt Druitt Town Rangers and Inter Lions shared the spoils in a six goal thriller.
Inter came into this match on the back of a 2-1 away triumph on Thursday against Schofields, Anthony Ucchino stinging his old team with the winning goal for Inter.
The Lions duly took the lead after just five minutes, Nick Ruoco doing the damage to set the visitors on their way.
But Hosyar Cakal equalized for the home side after 25 minutes, and that?s the way it stayed until the final frenzied ten minutes.
Daniel Penfold gave Mt Druitt the lead for the first time in the match on 82 minutes, but the Rangers scored an own goal just four minutes later to restore parity on the scoreboard.
Inter then dramatically took the lead in the 88th minute through Daniel Chiandotto, but the home side weren?t finished just yet, with Cakal bagging his second goal of the match sixty seconds later to finishing off the day?s proceedings at 3-3.
For Inter Lions it has been a fruitful few days, scoring 5 goals and grabbing four points over two games, and climbing off the bottom of the competition.
For Mt Druitt, on the other hand, it was a case of so near, yet so far, the point keeping them around the middle of the ladder, a couple of points out of the top five.
-By Frank Speranza
