State League Two Round 19 Review
The other big news is that Hurstville has jetted to the hills overlooking the top-five boot camp thanks to a double weekend victory over Nepean (2-0) and Bathurst (2-1). Wanderers and Hawkesbury played out a 2-2 draw to sit either side of the Minotaurs on the points table, while Springwood beat Belmore 3-2 in a good match. Northbridge and Chopin Park Rams play their round 19 fixture at Northbridge Oval on Tuesday night (7.50pm kick-off).
Incredibly for this time of year eight new players managed to write their names onto the scoresheet after scoring debut goals this week, taking the overall 2011 tally to 145 different scorers (an average of 10.3 per team). Hakoah and Nepean lead the way with 13 proven strikers, while Gazy has the least with seven (Belmore and Springwood have found eight scorers).
On the goalscoring front, weekend scores to Luddenham?s Huso Merdanovic, Prospect?s Gustavo Orcajo, Hawkebsury?s Paul Cooper, Bathurst?s Luke Sullivan and Hurstville?s Haissan Morhi brought them all closer to the league?s two top guns. Hakoah ace Neil Jablonski still leads the way with a tidy 15 goals this season, two ahead of Northbridge striker Ry Hardy, with Merdanovic and Orcajo now on 11, and Cooper, Eliott King (Northbridge) and Adem Taslak (Roosters) scoring 10 goals for the year.
Roosters veteran Ercan Topal has nine goals to be division two?s eighth most prolific scorer, while Sullivan and Morhi both moved into the top ten with their eight successes bringing them level with Paul Paras (Belmore), Grant Odei (Luddenham), Bryan Campbell (Springwood) and Peter Henderson (Springwood).
Prospect pump Bathurst
Prospect United strengthened their position at the top of the leaderboard with an explosive 4-0 annihilation of Bathurst ?75 at William Lawson Reserve on Saturday evening. The scores were locked 0-0 until late in the second half when the home side unleashed a barrage of goals that sealed an emphatic four-goal victory.
Jean Paul Vella got the ball rolling for Prospect when he scored from a set piece just past the hour-mark, and then an unmarked Anthony Maxwell added a second five minutes later to make it 2-0 in the blink of an eye. Ahmed Chandab chimed in to score his seventh goal of 2011, and a late Gus Orcajo penalty kick gave him his tenth as United notched up it?s third successive four-goal tally (and sixth for the year). Prospect?s fifth straight win keeps them breathing down the necks of Luddenham in second place.
Prospect coach Tony Caruso wasn?t overly surprised with Gazy?s draw with leaders Luddenham, bringing his side to within two points of the lead ? with a catch-up game against Nepean still to play. ?It makes for a good competition when everyone knocks each other off and any time of year. It shows that there?s never any leaders, doesn?t it,? he said.
?We?re not nervous [about being so close to the competition lead], not even excited really. I?ve got a bunch of men who are focused on one thing and that?s to win games. Anything that happens around us, we just switch off and focus on what we?re trying to achieve.?
Bathurst were also brave in a 2-1 loss to Hurstville in a catch-up game at Punchbowl Oval on Sunday afternoon and coach Mark Rooke said although they would still be trying to win as many games as possible, it was also time to blood a few youth players in first grade. ?We were doing pretty well for the first 70 minutes [against Prospect]. We had a few chances to score and didn?t take any and got punished,? he said.
?It?s certainly disappointing as the second half was our worst second half performance of the year without a doubt. We conceded a goal from a set piece and dropped our heads and they lifted. It?s just too many inconsistent halves of football this year and that?s why we are where we are [third from bottom]. We?ll now try and add a few of the 18s from our youth side, build the squad for next year, and try and win as many games as we can along the way.?
Prospect United 4 (Jean Paul Vella 63m Anthony Maxwell 68m Ahmed Chandab 79m Gustavo Orcajo 88m penalty) Bathurst ?75 0
Reserve grade: Prospect United 0 Bathurst ?75 2
Hawkesbury, Fairfield thrilling draw
Fairfield and Hawkesbury played out an enthralling 2-2 draw at Bensons Lane Field on Saturday evening, Wanderers coming from behind twice after Paul Cooper had put City in front with goals in both halves. It was an unbelievable start to the game when from the kick-off Fairfield tried to play the offside trap but inexplicably set Cooper free and the Hawkesbury ace buried his chance to lift the home side in front seconds after the opening whistle.
City were playing like men possessed and missed a couple of guilt-edged chances before Wanderers finally found their feet and started to impress. On the half-hour mark they struck, Mauricio Sanchez smashing a 25m screamer fast, hard and low into the bottom corner to level the scores 1-1 at halftime.
The action went from end to end until a long ball belted upfield by the City keeper bounced dangerously towards the edge of the box and deliciously into the path of a charging John McCrae midway through the second term. The Fairfield keeper bravely got in first and headed the ball away but only as far away as a prowling Cooper, and his stunning volley straight into the back of the net (his 10th of the season) set the night alight and restored Hawkesbury?s lead.
McCrae could have pushed City further ahead but horribly blasted two straight shots at the Fairfield keeper after finding himself in delicious one-on-one stand-offs. The dramatic game did have one last twist but not in the home side?s favour, Wanderers combining beautifully for the last goal, Jonathon Hurtado netting emphatically with 10 minutes to go and the scoreline locked at 2-2. The draw did neither side any favours, Fairfield remaining in seventh, one place ahead of Hawkesbury.
City coach Gary Lewis knew Fairfield would be tough to beat but lamented on a lost opportunity, City now four points adrift of the top-five. ?It?s just one of those things in football [all the missed one-on-one chances]? I?m pleased to finally get a point [following three close losses] but I still feel like it?s two points lost,? he said.
?We had some beautiful passages of play? but then at crucial times in front of goal players aren?t backing themselves, and that comes from a loss in confidence. The boys played better football today than they had in the last couple of weeks, but Wanderers are a good side, you can never write them off. But the boys are proud of the way they played today, creating plenty of chances against a quality side.?
Hawkesbury City 2 (Paul Cooper 1/68m) Fairfield Wanderers 2 (Mauricio Sanchez 29m Jonathon Hurtado 80m)
Reserve grade: Hawkesbury City 1 Fairfield Wanderers 0
Hurstville outgun Nepean and Bathurst
Hurstville City defeated a disappointing Nepean 2-0 at Cook Park, St Marys, on Saturday night, and doubled-up with a 2-1 win over Bathurst in a catch-up game at Punchbowl Oval on Sunday afternoon to now find themselves just a couple of points outside the top-five. Unbelievable almost, considering the Minotaurs went the first seven weeks of the year with just one win (over last-placed Gazy).
Haissan Morhi was the hero for Hurstville on Saturday, first finishing off a great Mudar Sultan through ball towards the end of the first half and then getting on the end of some Michael de Meglio magic midway through the second to make it 2-0 to the Minotaurs. The visitors were probably unlucky not to score a few more against a Nepean side that has now lost two straight.
Bathurst led Hurstville early in Sunday?s game, Luke Sullivan edging in from a 15th-minute throw-in (his eighth goal of the year), but the Minotaurs kept their celebrations short with an 18th-minute equaliser to stalwart sweeper Terry Sidiratos (his fourth from the back).
The home side were well on top but had to wait until the last 10 minutes to find a match-winner, midfielder Ralph Sappio returning from suspension to make a good run upfield and his blistering striker wasn?t held by the ?75 keeper, Hurstville Kyriacos Phylactou bobbing up from midfield to blast in a third attempt on goal and lift the Minotaurs to a 2-1 victory. They are now just three points away from a top-five spot.
Hurstville coach Peter Sarikakis was pleased with the weekend?s takings. ?The boys did okay [against Nepean]. I took a couple of players from reserve grade and we?ve got a couple of new boys, and they played well? we should have won at least 6-0, but a win?s a win,? he said.
?Bathurst tried very hard and gave 100 per cent after playing yesterday as well, but we had many chances. The players are in a good mood, and our goal was to take six points from the weekend to move up a few places on the ladder. At the end of the day we got the six points, but really had to work very hard for it. There are always a lot of injuries and sickness and players on holidays at this time of year, so it?s hard to get a full strength team out there? but we are now playing for something.?
Nepean 0 Hurstville City 2 (Haissan Morhi 35/67m)
Reserve grade: Nepean 2 Hurstville City 2
Gazy hold leaders Luddenham
Bottom-placed Gazy Lansvale took it?s only chance of the match to snare an unlikely draw with league leaders Luddenham United at Cherrybrook Park on Sunday afternoon. Luddenham were creating havoc on the opposition defence but were caught out when a long ball upfield gave Lansvale?s Mohamad Al Rekabi space to score the opener and take a surprise 1-0 lead into halftime.
Luddenham coach Andrew Montgomery told his players not to panic and to remain patient but a string of missed opportunities ? hitting the crossbar, two claims turned down for balls that looked close to crossing the goal-line, and a few super saves from the Gazy keeper ? meant that United left it late to salvage anything from the match.
With the game heading toward injury time a long Luddenham throw into the box landed in the lap of Ivan Bazina and he was brought down as he turned to shoot. The referee pointed to the penalty spot and Huso Merdanovic stepped up to slot home the spot kick (his 11th goal of the campaign) and also grab a share of the points with Lansvale.
The draw (Luddenham?s first of the year) has allowed Prospect and Hakoah to creep within two points of their lead at the top of the table but Montgomery isn?t worried about the performance against last-placed Lansvale. ?They scored with the only chance they had all game? and we played the rest of the game in their half ? it could have been 7-1,? he said. ?It?s not the greatest result but we?ve got a plan that we?re working to. I do have to give it to [Gazy player] Elvis Ibric. He is a fantastic player and any coach would want him in his side.?
Gazy Lansvale 1 (Mohamad Al Rekabi 38m) Luddenham United 1 (Huso Merdanovic 91m penalty)
Reserve grade: Gazy Lansvale 1 Luddenham United 0
Hakoah nip Roosters
Hakoah downed Roosters 2-1 at Hills Sports High on Sunday afternoon to move just two points behind meet leaders Luddenham. The opening score was a calamity for the home side when a Roosters defender cleared the ball straight into the back of the head of a team-mate, the wicked ricochet slamming into the back of the net for a gut-wrenching own goal on 12-minutes.
Roosters bounced back well to nab an equaliser shortly before the interval, pouncing on a fumble from the Hakoah keeper to make it 1-1 at the break. But it was all about Hakoah in the second half and they restored their lead through young gun Moshe Wakil in the 80th minute, the 16-year-old breaking away and sliding the ball past an advancing Roosters keeper only to see his shot cannon back off the post. Fortunately team-mate Neil Jablonski was first to the ball and cut it back for Wakil to finish off his second try on goal and the eventual match-winner.
Hakoah coach Mark Robertson was pleased his premiership plans were well on track, and boosted by Luddenham?s demise at Lansvale. ?Roosters played some good football but I knew if we continued to play football that our chances would come. We had 7-8 chances, Jabba should?ve had a hat-trick in all honesty,? he said. ?But I?m very happy to walk away from there with a result. We?re now looking at who has to play who in the run home and we?re pretty happy about where we are right now.?
For Roosters it was their third loss in recent weeks and they have slipped from second to the top-five brink? but with three matches in hand (including a pending result against Wanderers in which they led 2-1 with 20 minutes to go, plus postponed fixtures with Belmore and Northbridge), they could potentially claim the competition lead on goal difference should they claim the catch-up trifecta.
Roosters 1 (Kerim Emik 35m) Hakoah 2 (own goal 12m Moshe Wakil 79m)
Reserve grade: Roosters 1 Hakoah 3
Springwood beat Belmore
Springwood United won a 3-2 thriller over Belmore Hercules at Blick Oval on Sunday afternoon. After a scoreless first half it took just five minutes for the game to open up in the second period, Belmore?s Kenny Michalopoulos scoring five minutes after the restart to take the lead for Belmore.
Enter Rob Haberman, who hasn?t scored for Springwood all year but made two well-timed runs into the box to bag two great goals and put his side in front 2-1 on the hour-mark. But Belmore weren?t done with yet and they had a great dig with 20 minutes to go that resulted in a 65th-minute Darrel Fernandez sizzler scorching a path into the top corner to even up the scores yet again.
Five minutes later and Springwood were at it again, some solid movement down the left seeing a neat cross sail into the path of Craig Small and he made no mistake to make it 3-2. The game fizzled out with United?s noses just in front.
It was Belmore?s 16th game in a row without a win (Gazy are on a 15 match win-less run) but it?s happy days again for Errol Warwick-Day?s mountain men. ?We found it hard in the first half and we just sort of cancelled each other out. I told them [at halftime] to pick up our passing game and we played some really good football in the second half,? he said.
?We?re pretty realistic about the rest of the season, so we?re just going out there each week to have fun and play our football game, which is direct and quick attacking, and if we put that together and enjoy it a bit more the results are coming.?
Belmore Hercules 2 (Kenny Michalopoulos 52m Darrel Fernandez 65m) Springwood United 3 (Rob Haberman 55/61m Craig Small 77m)
Reserve grade: Belmore Hercules 2 Springwood United 1
Round 19 scores
Prospect United 4 (Jean Paul Vella 63m Anthony Maxwell 68m Ahmed Chandab 79m Gustavo Orcajo 88m penalty) Bathurst ?75 0
Hawkesbury City 2 (Paul Cooper 1/68m) Fairfield Wanderers 2 (Mauricio Sanchez 29m Jonathon Hurtado 80m)
Nepean 0 Hurstville City 2 (Haissan Morhi 35/67m)
Belmore Hercules 2 (Kenny Michalopoulos 52m Darrel Fernandez 65m) Springwood United 3 (Rob Haberman 55/61m Craig Small 77m)
Gazy Lansvale 1 (Mohamad Al Rekabi 38m) Luddenham United 1 (Huso Merdanovic 91m penalty)
Roosters 1 (Kerim Emik 35m) Hakoah 2 (own goal 12m Moshe Wakil 79m)
Rescheduled round 9: Hurstville City 2 (Terry Sidiratos 18m Kyriacos Phylactou 82m) Bathurst ?75 1 (Luke Sullivan 15m)
Reserve grade:
Prospect United 0 Bathurst ?75 2
Hawkesbury City 1 Fairfield Wanderers 0
Nepean 2 Hurstville City 2
Belmore Hercules 2 Springwood United 1
Gazy Lansvale 1 Luddenham United 0
Roosters 1 Hakoah 3
Rescheduled round 9: Hurstville City 3 Bathurst ?75 1
Rescheduled round 14: Springwood United 3 Chopin Park Rams 2
Next week?s games
Round 20 of NSW State League division two begins with a Saturday afternoon canter between thoroughbreds Luddenham United and gallopers Chopin Park at Luddenham Oval (3pm kick-off), followed by a mouthwatering feast of top-five hopefuls Northbridge and Prospect United at Northbridge Oval (5pm), and then a pair of Saturday night games (7pm kick-offs) in Nepean versus Belmore Hercules at Cook Park, St Marys, and Springwood United against Bathurst ?75 at Alec Lamberton Field. The rounds concludes with Sunday afternoon affairs (3pm kick-off), Gazy Lansvale facing mighty Wanderers at Knight Park, football giants Hakoah and Hurstville clash at Punchbowl Oval, while Hawkesbury meet Roosters at Hills Sports High.
-By Dan De Nardi
