State League Two Round 17 Review
Northbridge beat Hawkesbury 1-0 but Chopin Park leapfrogged them both with a big 4-1 win at Belmore, while Nepean picked up its fourth straight win following a 1-0 defeat of Springwood. Bathurst beat Gazy 2-1 to also move ahead of the mountain men.
The points situation is Luddenham (33), Hakoah (29), Prospect (29), Roosters (28) and Wanderers (27) to round out the top-five, closely followed by Chopin Park (25), Northbridge (25), Hawkesbury (24), Hurstville (20), Nepean (19), Bathurst (17) and Springwood (16), with Belmore (9) and Gazy Lansvale (5) bringing up the rear. But with nine catch-up games still to factor into the equation it?s quite literally anyone?s ball game.
Some of the postponed fixtures include Northbridge versus Nepean (on Wednesday night) and Northbridge against Roosters, Hawkesbury versus Hurstville, Prospect against Nepean, and Springwood versus Chopin Park, which will make or break some of these teams seasons.
On the goalscoring front a Neil Jablonski brace against Fairfield took him to 15 goals for the year, four ahead of Northbridge ace Ry Hardy, with Huso Merdanovic (Luddenham) and Adem Taslak (Roosters) a goal further back. Roosters skipper Ercan Topal also popped his head up, scoring his ninth of the year with a goal against Luddenham, while Prospect?s Gus Orcajo bagged three goals in a double United victory this week to grow his tally to eight for the season.
Prospect overpower Hurstville
Prospect United enjoyed its first win over Hurstville City in over two years but had to do it tough against a Minotaurs outfit reduced to nine men at William Lawson Reserve on Saturday evening. The visitors got the start they were looking for when Haissan Morhi delivered a scrumptious cross from the right for Alex Obeid to head home, and Obeid was at it again moments later when he pounced on a defensive mistake to make it 2-0 to Hurstville inside the opening quarter-hour of play.
Morhi was also involved in the third goal, but not for the right reasons, when he handled the ball inside the penalty area to gift Prospect a lifeline from the penalty spot and Gus Orcajo converted to reduce the deficit to one goal. Hurstville looked rattled and gave away an on-field advantage after Ralph Sappio was sent from the field for saying something to an official just as the match went to halftime.
Prospect came out rolling in the second half and Michael Viera blasted one in from long range to tie up proceedings before new Minotaurs recruit Achileas Markopoulos was also sent off to give United a two man numerical bonus for the rest of the match. The home side took full advantage with Orcajo scoring again (his eighth of the year) to give United the lead, and Adrian Castro nailed one home late in the game to make it 4-2 at fulltime.
Prospect coach Tony Caruso was proud of the way his players went about their business in a week that included a 1-0 catch-up win over Fairfield to catapult United into third place on the ladder. ?As I?ve said before, I?ve a bunch of boys who believe in their ability and they showed that against the Wanderers,? he said. ?They?re a quality side and play a good style of football that suits us. We did our homework on them and came away with the win.?
?[Against Hurstville] It?s all about preparation, at training and so on. They really hit us with everything in the first 15-20 minutes but the boys stayed focused and backed themselves and slowly turned the screws, and it just worked out for us. [In regards to staying in the top-five] We?ll take each game as it comes. It?s such a tight competition? and that?s good ?cause everyone keeps everyone else on their toes.?
Hurstville coach Peter Sarikakis was frustrated with losing more ground in the top-five race. ?We started well and were travelling very well at two up in the first half, and then the other team started creating a lot of pressure? and got a penalty, and my players started losing it a bit,? he said. ?After we had the second player sent off they just ran over the top of us. It was a game we looked like we were going to win nice and easy, and at the end of the day we lose 4-2. It?s a bit disappointing as it leaves a bad taste in your mouth.?
Prospect United 4 (Gustavo Orcajo 39/66m Michael Viera 46m Adrian Castro 88m) Hurstville City Minotaurs 2 (Alex Obeid 8/11m)
Reserve grade: Prospect United 1 Hurstville City Minotaurs 4
Northbridge nick Hawkesbury
Northbridge are tantalisingly close to their first top-five taste following a tight 1-0 win over Hawkesbury at Bensons Lane Field on Saturday evening. The home side did just about all it could, except score a goal (two weeks in a row now), to win the game but in the end fell to a great long ball through to Northbridge?s Luke Marshall early in the second half, Marshall finishing with distinction to give the visitors a one-nil lead.
The Northbridge keeper was also in fine form and pulled off a fine double save to deny Hawkesbury any share of the spoils, the scoreline remaining 1-0 at fulltime and the result lifting Northbridge above City on the points table. But they remain agonisingly a handful of points outside of claiming a top-five spot.
Northbridge coach Joe Haywood was pleased to chalk up another win, especially with a catch-up match against Nepean (who have won four in a row) on Wednesday night. ?To be honest I think we had the first half and they had second half, and we just managed to get away with the win,? he said. ?We?re just slowly building our way through the competition. I thought we were unlucky against Roosters last week, as we could have broken into the top-five, but we?ve got game against Nepean so we?ll see how we go there.?
Hawkesbury coach Gary Lewis was clearly disappointed. His side has now claimed just one win in eight games at home this season. ?It?s the same story every week, isn?t it? We dominate and come away with nothing?? he offered. ?Northbridge are a good side, well disciplined? and the pleasing part from a game perspective is that they didn?t stop playing after they scored their goal, which made it entertaining.?
Hawkesbury City 0 Northbridge 1 (Luke Marshall 48m)
Reserve grade: Hawkesbury City 2 Northbridge 2
Nepean stomp Springwood
Nepean notched up win number four on the trot with a 1-0 defeat of Springwood United at Summerhayes Park on Saturday night, and along the way also claimed the club?s first piece of silverware. A good crowd turned up to watch the inaugural Richie Volis Cup (named after a former Springwood player left paraplegic after a swimming accident) and Nepean stunned everyone when Jason Browne collected the ball at the top of the box and rifled one into the back of the net to open the scoring in just minutes.
Springwood sprung into action and peppered the visitors with several raids before Nepean started getting back on top towards the end of the first half, forcing the United keeper into a number of outstanding saves, but the score stayed at 1-0 as the teams entered the dressing sheds.
The home side came out firing in the second period to have Nepean reeling and the visitors suffered a further setback when fullback Ajak Deng was sent off following a second booking, Nepean spending the rest of the game absorbing plenty of Springwood pressure and trying to hit on the counter attack. And they did hold on for a gritty 1-0 win to leapfrog Springwood on the table, United suffering its fourth straight loss.
Nepean coach Carlos Camacho was delighted. ?I?m very happy obviously because the boys are happy and their confidence is up,? he said. ?Our keeper was outstanding in the second half as it was one of those games that we could have easily lost. Springwood in attack are so quick once they win the ball back. They have very fast wide players? and are possibly the most dangerous team in this comp when you lose the ball, they?re just so direct.?
?It was a good game, played tough but fair, and the refereeing was superb as he allowed the match to flow. It was also a good crowd because of the function Springwood were having, and I think the local derby will become a great annual event. What pleases me most is that we?re playing good football, that?s the most important thing, and we?re getting the results due to the football we?re playing.?
Springwood United 0 Nepean 1 (Jason Browne 9m)
Reserve grade: Springwood United 3 Nepean 2
Roosters peck Luddenham
Roosters stuck a hand out from the top-five squabble to drag leaders Luddenham United back into the melee, winning a 3-2 thriller at Hills Sports High on Sunday afternoon. The high calibre fixture got off to an electric start when Baturay Akin opened the scoring for Roosters on the quarter-hour mark, only for United midfielder Dejan Urosevski to equalise 10 minutes later when he spotted the Roosters keeper off his line and cheekily curled in his corner kick.
The home side reclaimed the lead through club favourite Ercan Topal minutes before halftime only for Luddenham to bounce back a second time just before the break, Huso Merdanovic skipping past one defender and blasting into the back of the net to make it 2-2 at oranges.
The second half was tense as both sides probed for more goals and it was Roosters who broke the deadlock midway through the second half, Topal scoring his second for the match to seal a 3-2 result (a repeat scoreline from their round four encounter earlier in the year) and keep Roosters fourth on the ladder. Topal has enjoyed going back to his old stomping ground snaring nine goals since his return 13 rounds ago to be fifth highest scorer in the league.
Luddenham coach Andrew Montgomery said the game was played in great spirits and featured plenty of entertainment for fans. ?There were lots of chances at both ends,? he said, ?and today was a great opportunity that we missed to not get caught up in the fight below us on the table. We only have ourselves to blame as they scored three times from our defensive lapses.?
Roosters 3 (Baturay Akin 14m Ercan Topal 42/63m) Luddenham United 2 (Dejan Urosevski 28m Huso Merdanovic 44m)
Reserve grade: Roosters 7 Luddenham United 2
Chopin Park belt Belmore
It was a tight game between Chopin Park Rams and Belmore Hercules at Blick Oval on Sunday afternoon? up until halftime, with the Rams blasting three second half goals to win 4-1 and stay in touch with the top-five party. Chopin Park scored first through Liam Lawler before an injury to their central defender destabilised the normally solid defensive unit and Belmore capitalised to equalise via Leon Karananos five minutes before the break.
The second half belonged to Chopin Park as Ben Lam scored five minutes after the restart and Lawler completed his hat-trick with goals in the 77th and 82nd minutes to steer Chopin Park to a solid 4-1 win. The three-goal victory was enough for the Rams to leapfrog both Northbridge and Hawkesbury on the ladder and sit just one point outside the top-five, but they will have to work hard for their position with seven of their last games scheduled away from home.
Chopin Park coach Radek Czerwinski said the scoreline didn?t really reflect how tough the match was. ?There are no comfortable games in this division? any team is capable of winning and Belmore is a good side,? he said. ?We turned things around when we were able to adjust at halftime, and after that we continued playing our football. [The win] definitely came at the right time.?
Belmore Hercules 1 (Leon Karananos 37m) Chopin Park Rams 4 (Liam Lawler 23/77/82 Ben Lam 53m)
Reserve grade: Belmore Hercules 1 Chopin Park Rams 2
Bathurst beat Gazy
Bathurst ?75 made it two wins in a row for the first time this year by outplaying a stubborn Gazy Lansvale 2-1 at Cherrybrook Park on Sunday afternoon. The affair had a definite French flavour with Bathurst showing off its flashy new imports for the first time together this year, the duo adding plenty of foreign flair to the game.
Bathurst began in a blaze of glory as Jarrod Portegies blasted one in early and then doubled the lead inside the half-hour, finishing off a crisp Alex Dean pass with a spicy shot from an acute angle. ?75 lifted their foot off the pedal to allow Gazy an equaliser just before halftime, but they held on in the second half for their first away win of the year, a great 2-1 result that jumped them over nearest neighbours Springwood on the points table.
Bathurst coach Mark Rooke said it didn?t have to be so close. ?We missed so many chances it wasn?t funny,? he said. ?The two French imports were fantastic, and it was only that we got a bit slack at the end of the half that they scored. Then we hit the bar and post in the second half and had to hang on for the win. That?s the first time we?ve won two in a row this year and we were saying that you can feed off a winning culture as much as a losing one.? Yes, but the winning one tastes a lot better.
Gazy Lansvale 1 (M Fayad 38m) Bathurst ?75 2 (Jarrod Portegies 15/18m)
Reserve grade: Gazy Lansvale 3 Bathurst ?75 1
Hakoah hammer Wanderers
A three-goal blitz in the closing 20 minutes underlined a memorable 4-1 victory for Hakoah over Fairfield Wanderers at Hensley Athletic Field on Sunday night. A Neil Jablonski second-half double paved the way for Hakoah?s first win over Wanderers in over two years and teleported Sydney?s easterners up three rungs on the ladder into second place. And with a commanding for-and-against record courtesy of a league high 45 goals (that?s 2.5 per match, folks), Mark Robertson?s men are gunning for leaders Luddenham.
Hakoah hit the front five minutes into the match after Marc Kacen latched onto a great cross into the box and the score remained unchanged until midway through the second half when Fairfield?s Erick Anabalon counter attacked and rocketed one in from long range to make it 1-1.
Hakoah hit the afterburners and Justin Kosmina played a nice diagonal ball to Neil Jablonski whose bullet header cannoned off the post and into goal to help reclaim the lead for the home side. Minutes later Hakoah sealed the win when Rani Rimmer received the ball out wide and cut it back to Jablonski, and his one-touch half-volley into the back of net from 25m out took the wind right out of Fairfield?s sails. Deklan Gilmartin then put the matter beyond all doubt when he placed a nice shot into goal following some great lead-up play from Jon Pillemer on the wing to make it 4-1 at the final whistle.
The win launched Hakoah into second place on the ladder, a position Hakoah hasn?t been in for years, but coach Mark Robertson wasn?t getting ahead of himself. ?I know the boys have it in them to score goals and we just kept it tight at the back and kept working and working and the game eventually opened up for us,? he said.
?I?m happy in that I believe if you work hard you will get out of it what you put in? but I don?t want to get carried away with anything. I?ve had enough years as a footballer to know that the season goes all the way to the end.?
Wanderers coach Leo Maturana was more concerned with his side?s injury toll than he was about dropping from second to a precarious fifth in the blink of a weekend. ?Even in this game we got a few injuries and it just went downhill from there,? he said. ?We?re having trouble at training with a lot of players out and it shows on the park. The good thing is that the results around the league are keeping everything tight, it?s just a shame that we?re right in the middle of it.?
Hakoah 4 (Marc Kacen, Deklan Gilmartin, Neil Jablonski x 2) Fairfield Wanderers 1(Erick Anabalon)
Round 17 scores
Hawkesbury City 0 Northbridge 1 (Luke Marshall 48m)
Prospect United 4 (Gustavo Orcajo 39/66m Michael Viera 46m Adrian Castro 88m) Hurstville City Minotaurs 2 (Alex Obeid 8/11m)
Springwood United 0 Nepean 1 (Jason Browne 9m)
Belmore Hercules 1 (Leon Karananos 37m) Chopin Park Rams 4 (Liam Lawler 23/77/82 Ben Lam 53m)
Gazy Lansvale 1 (M Fayad 38m) Bathurst ?75 2 (Jarrod Portegies 15/18m)
Roosters 3 (Baturay Akin 14m Ercan Topal 42/63m) Luddenham United 2 (Dejan Urosevski 28m Huso Merdanovic 44m)
Hakoah 4 (Marc Kacen, Deklan Gilmartin, Neil Jablonski x 2) Fairfield Wanderers 1 (Erick Anabalon)
Rescheduled round 9: Prospect United 1 (Gustavo Orcajo) Fairfield Wanderers 0
Reserve grade:
Hawkesbury City 2 Northbridge 2
Prospect United 1 Hurstville City Minotaurs 4
Springwood United 3 Nepean 2
Belmore Hercules 1 Chopin Park Rams 2
Gazy Lansvale 3 Bathurst ?75 1
Roosters 7 Luddenham United 2
Rescheduled round 9: Prospect United 1 Fairfield Wanderers 2
Springwood United vs Luddenham United washed out
Next week?s games
Round 18 of NSW State League division two is an all-Sunday affair with 3pm kick-offs for Wanderers versus Roosters at Knight Park, Hawkesbury against Luddenham at Luddenham Oval, Springwood versus Hurstville at Punchbowl Oval, Prospect against Belmore at Blick Oval, Gazy Lansvale versus Northbridge at Northbridge Oval, while Bathurst host Chopin Park at Alec Lamberton Field (4pm kick-off) and Hakoah plays Nepean to Hensley Athletic Field on Sunday night (7pm).
-By Dan De Nardi
