Special Feature: Mounties Wanderers crowned 2011 State League One Premiers

Mounties Wanderers resounding 5-0 victory over Hurstville ZFC, and the subsequent three points that came with it, moved the Mounties to 46 points on the competition ladder, a massive 19 points ahead of second placed Fairfield City Lions.
The Lions have six matches still to play, and given they cannot bridge the gap even if they win every one of those matches, it means Mounties Wanderers have clinched the Division One Premiership, becoming the first men?s team in NSW State competition to do so.
The Round 16 midweek clash started tentatively, with Hurstville sitting deep, and putting up a collective barrier trying to repel the Mounties forays in the attacking third.
But once Mark Symington opened the scoring on the half hour mark, Hurstville had a choice to try and pull a goal back by making their own inroads in attack, and in doing so left themselves vulnerable to the Mounties powerhouse (counter) attack.
Eli Squillacioti made it 2-0 minutes after the break, and Daniel Willoughby?s brace on 70?and 86? minutes put the game well and truly to bed.
Substitute, Reece Iredale, got in on the act in injury time to round off the scoring at 5-0, whilst there was even some game time for promising young 17 year old, Jack Ingle, a member of the club?s U/18s, reinforcing the club philosophy on promoting their youth.
No one can deny the Mounties Wanderers their success, having lead from the get go, losing just the one match so far on their way to an exciting and deserving title win.
As we go to press after 17 rounds, the Mounties boast the competition?s best attack, featuring no less than fourteen players who have managed to get on the scoresheet in 2011, a Division benchmark in itself. After 17 matches so far this season, the side has managed 51 goals at a healthy average of three goals per game.
A strength of a good side is the fact they don?t rely on any one player to score the goals, and the Mounties are testament to this because going into the midweek clash they had no less than six players all equal on six goals each.
Following the 5-0 win over Hurstville , Daniel Willougby has moved to 8 goals, whilst Eli Squillacioti and Mark Symington are now on 7 apiece.
Daniel McCann, Greg Baldock, and Friday Jeremiah make up the sextet of players, each on 6 goals.
The foundation of a good side is a solid backline, and the Mounties also boast the competition?s best defence, conceding single figures with just 8 goals against.
The Mounties are where they are because they form an impregnable unit as a team, and a champion team will always prevail over a team of champions.
Within this champion team there have been a number of players who have performed consistently, week in week out, proving a real obstacle for opposition sides.
Goalkeeper, Ali Akbal, is a keeper with plenty of Premier League experience, supremely confident between the sticks, and commands his area like no other in this competition.
The two centre backs, Mark D?Alessandro and Scott Goodwin, are tough and uncompromising, unbeatable in the air, fierce on the ground, and the sort of defenders you could send to war to defend your country.
I asked Mark D?Alessandro a series of questions, starting with what hurdles the Mounties faced this season on their way to the title.
?Even though we started the season so well with so many wins, we hadn?t actually won anything yet, so it became a test for us to keep reproducing the good form each week,? said D?Alessandro.
?So we kept setting new goals, trying to reach a certain points total, and kept backing ourselves to do it.?
The coaches, Aidan Desmond and Glenn Lockhart, have been an integral catalyst of the team?s success?..what influence have they had on the squad?
?The coaches have done a great job in managing to keep everyone happy. They have had certain rules and don?t change them for anyone ? if we win, the team doesn?t change ? if you are dropped or miss a game through injury, you have to work your way back into the side,? said D?Alessandro.
He added, ?but I would also like to mention the whole administration team at Mounties, lead by Greg Ingle and Charles Abdilla, have all been remarkable, allowing us players to simply concentrate on playing and not have to worry about anything else.?
There has been much said about the team as a whole ? are there any individuals that have stood out in your opinion this year? ?The team has been great overall, but I would like to mention my centre back partner, Scott Goodwin, who has been solid all season and has a great future in front of him. Also, Ali Akbal has been a fantastic goalkeeper, a great signing for us, and he has only conceded 8 goals all year, a figure that speaks for itself. One other player who does a lot of work and goes unnoticed is Ian McAndrew, who has a high work rate in the defensive midfield position,? stated D?Alessandro.
Daniel McCann is a skipper in the Roy Keane mould (right down to the hair cut!), a box to box central midfielder, snapping at opposing players? heels, defending like his life depended on it, but also quick to offer support in attack when his team is on the move. McCann has also chimed in with six goals of his own, a few of them contenders for goal of the year.
I sought some feedback from the popular skipper, commencing with what he thinks are the ingredients that have contributed to his side?s success in 2011.
?The club?s plan has been to get promoted to the Super League, so they sat down at the beginning of the year and formulated a plan, including which players we needed to recruit and in what positions,? reflected McCann.
?We hired a fitness trainer and worked very hard in pre season, and also played some friendly games against teams from higher leagues, to help us prepare. Once the season started we were ready, winning the first few games, and it just went from there,? said McCann.
How have your coaches influenced the 2011 outcomes?
?Our coaches have been together for a while now at the club, and are quick to address anything that gets of hand, nipping it in the bud. Training is intense but also fun based, and we have been committed to the job at hand each and every week, knowing that each team we play wants to be the team that lifts to beat Mounties. We lift our performances each week to make sure that doesn?t happen,? stated McCann.
McCann added, ?Each successful team is built around a strong defence, and our defensive line has been phenomenal this year. Ali (Akbal), Della (Mark D?Alessandro) and Scotty (Scott Goodwin) have been fantastic as a threesome in the middle of defence, whilst Paul Crisp and Peter Day have been solid out wide, Peter having adapted well after coming up from the 20s last year.?
I asked Daniel McCann one more question, and that was how is the team going to stay motivated for the rest of the season, given they have won the Premiership with quite a few rounds of football remaining.
?Our main goal was to win promotion by winning the competition, and we have achieved that. We do not want to be remembered as the team who lost their way after coming first and didn?t win, or even worse, make, the grand final.?
?We tasted defeat in the Waratah Cup Final, and it didn?t taste good, a feeling we don?t want to go through again in the Division One competition.?
?Also, we have a responsibility to our club, our fans, and the other teams vying for points in the competition, to do our very best every time we go out on the park, so we will go out each week just like we have all season ? to win,? promised McCann.
Mark Symington and Eli Squillacioti give the Mounties some width and variety on the flank, both responsible for creating many opportunities for their team mates.
Symington has played the part of the terrier down the right flank, with his quick feet and a quick mind reflective of his futsal background.
Squillacioti often occupies the left flank, a tall player with speed to burn, getting in behind his marker to swing in dangerous crosses. Both flankers have chimed in 7 goals apiece so far, a wonderful return on investment for two old style wingers.
Daniel Willoughby has been the beneficiary of many of his side?s attacks, always there or thereabouts to pick up the pieces, or to clinically finish off some attacking moves.
A tall strong attacker with a lethal shot, Willoughby has also scored some rippers this year and is currently on 8 goals.
The team?s depth is definitely a strength behind their success, with players like Ian McAndrew, Matty Viera, and Troy McColl all effective supplements to McCann in the midfield ; the veteran Greg Baldock, who in his early thirties still leaves plenty of younger players in their wake with his speed ; Reece Iredale, who overcame a long injury layoff to make his own recent contribution on the scoresheet ; Friday Jeremiah, always a powerhouse when he has played up front.
As if their League performance wasn?t enough to thrill their fans, the Mounties backed this up with a fantastic run in the state wide Waratah Cup, losing out to Premier League side, Manly United, in the Final, no less, after knocking over higher league opposition on the way through.
After breezing through the early rounds, the Mounties came up against the leaders of the Premier League, Sydney Olympic, in the quarter final, and defied the odds by winning 3-2 in extra time after leading 2-0 at one stage with less than ten minutes remaining.
A victory over old foes, and Super League side, Blacktown Spartans, put them into the final, where a late flurry by Manly United put paid to their hopes of a league and Cup double.
A big congratulations must go to coaches, Aidan Desmond and Glenn Lockhart, who have managed to juggle a healthy squad brimming with talent, and come up with a team that has simply produced some scintillating football, sweeping all before them.
The good news is that the season isn’t over just yet, with a few rounds yet to play before Finals football begins, so get down to see the Premiers play some great football, and let?s see if the Mounties Wanderers can finish off the year by doing the double and win the Grand Final series.
In the meantime, credit where credit is due, and let?s congratulate the coaches, players, officials, and supporters of the Mounties Wanderers ? the 2011 State League Division One Premiers.
-By Frank Speranza