State League Two Round 22 Review
Northbridge walloped Nepean 6-0 (and beat Roosters 3-1 midweek) and Prospect smacked Wanderers 4-0 to snare top-three places at Luddenham?s lament, while Roosters cling to fifth place following a 2-1 win against a free-falling Chopin Park. Hawkesbury defeated Gazy 1-0 and Hurstville edged past Bathurst 2-1 to both stay in the mathematical playoff hunt.
Springwood?s fourth straight win (they also sheared the Rams 3-0 midweek) means they now lead the charge of finals hopefuls a couple of points behind Roosters, and hopefully there?ll be more table clarity this week with the much-anticipated replay between playoff contenders Wanderers and Roosters. The catch-up bonus games will either hurt or help Roosters, who can cement their finals spot with further catch-up games against bottom sides Gazy and Belmore or cripple them with seven games to fit in over the next four weeks.
On the goalscorers front, a four-goal blast from Northbridge spitfire Ry Hardy against a hapless Nepean has catapulted him over Hakoah?s Neil Jablonski, who managed a solitary goal in their win over Belmore ? Hardy with 19 successful strikes for the year and Jablonski 18.
There was other top-10 movement as weekend doubles to Eliott King (Northbridge) and Gus Orcajo (Prospect) drew them alongside Hawkesbury?s Paul Cooper on 13 goals, Hurstville hunter Haissan Morhi bagging a goal to move to 12, one ahead of Luddenham?s Huso Merdanovic, with Springwood sniper Bryan Campbell finding the back of the net against Luddenham to join Roosters duo Adem Taslak and Ercan Topal in equal-seventh spot with 10 goals.
Hawkesbury slide past Gazy
A second half Ethan Simone goal was enough for Hawkesbury City to seal a 1-0 win over Gazy Lansvale at Bensons Lane Field on Saturday evening and keep its face in the finals race. Gazy have definitely improved (for a team who has conceded 61 goals this season to let in just three goals in their past three games) and they stuck it to City on a field where Hawkesbury have only enjoyed limited success this year (three wins from 11 home games, but two of those have been in the past week). In the end it was a healthy fixation on maximum points that guided City to victory.
Gazy had a chance to open the scoring, hitting the post in the first few minutes and then skying one over the bar from metres out just before the half-hour mark. But slowly and surely Hawkesbury found their feet and Paul Cooper smashed one against the woodwork before City finally found their mark, a Hakan Celik freekick bobbing around in the box and Simone might have used bits of every limb to coerce the ball into goal.
The home side were then awarded a penalty when Dane Smith was brought down inside the area, but Celik could do no better than his strike partner Cooper did with his lollipop penalty last week, gifting the Gazy keeper with a relatively easy save. The fulltime whistle blew with Hawkesbury 1-0 winners.
Simone?s match-winner was the defender-come-substitute-striker?s first goal of the year, but incredibly he became the 14th Hawkesbury player to score a goal this season (equal with Roosters, one more than Hakoah, Prospect and Nepean). It must be some relief to coach Gary Lewis that he has so many potential goalscorers in his line-up, and he?s also looking forward to only having to play one team above him on the ladder (Prospect) in the run home to September. To him, anything?s possible.
?The boys are enjoying themselves? there was a good atmosphere after the game and we?re feeling confident again,? he said. [Asked what changes were made to warrant back-to-back wins] ?We?ve had a boy we lost in a trial match against Wanderers who has come back for the past three games and he?s made a difference. Credit also to Gazy; they were pumped up for a win and played their hearts out and we didn?t get into a rhythm until late in the half.?
Hawkesbury City 1 (Ethan Simone 67m) Gazy Lansvale 0
Reserve grade: Hawkesbury City 0 Gazy Lansvale 2
Hurstville hurdle Bathurst
Hurstville City Minotaurs stayed in the playoff picture with a fine 2-1 win against Bathurst ?75 at Alec Lamberton Field on Saturday evening. Last year?s division two Golden Boot winner Michael Di Meglio finally cracked it for his first goal this season with an absolute screaming 20m volley to put Hurstville in front on 10 minutes and this year?s Minotaurs chief goalscorer Haissan Morhi (11 strikes in 2011) doubled the advantage with a neat left-foot 10 minutes into the second half.
Bathurst weren?t done with yet and mounted a late charge that saw Brent Osborne peg one goal back for the home side, but they failed to find an equaliser in the final 30 minutes of play to go down 2-1. The victory made it a pleasant journey back over the mountains for The General?s men as they look ahead to tough games against four of the top-six sides.
?We?re still there in the mix,? coach Peter Sarikakis said. ??It?s not easy to win at Bathurst and we got a good result. We still have to win all our remaining games to have any chance of making the finals.?
Bathurst ?75 1 (Brent Osborne 61m) Hurstville City Minotaurs 2 (Michael Di Meglio 10m Haissan Morhi 55m)
Reserve grade: Bathurst ?75 4 Hurstville City Minotaurs 0
Prospect flatten Fairfield
Prospect United raided Knight Park with a 4-0 rout of Fairfield Wanderers on Sunday afternoon, Gus Orcajo tucking away a nifty one-two inside the box to open the account in the 15th minute to make it 1-0 to the visitors at halftime. Prospect didn?t take long to extend their lead following the restart, Adrian Jennings rewarded for sprinting his guts out to get upfield and meet an excellent through-ball from Orcajo to guide in United?s second goal.
Prospect were awarded a penalty for an awkward challenge inside the area on the hour-mark which Orcajo converted for a 3-0 buffer, and Pasquale Landrelli rounded out the win following another Orcajo breakaway down the left flank in the closing minutes. Prospect didn?t gain much from Luddenham?s loss as Northbridge snuck in front of them on goal difference but the performance put a smile on the face of United coach Tony Carusso. ?It?s a very pleasing win? our execution in every scenario was top notch,? he said.
Wanderers coach Leo Maturana apologised to Fairfield fans for the lacklustre effort at home and hoped he could hold the side together as they negotiated late-season injuries. ?We got done like a dinner,? he said. ?When we play very physical teams like Prospect and Luddenham who run all day, we seem to fade away? and physically we?re not 100 per cent with so many players missing at training.?
With the upcoming replay against Roosters sure to have a big say on the finals hopes of Fairfield, Springwood, Hawkesbury, Hurstville and Chopin Park, there is plenty at stake in the last month of football. ?The competition is open but there?s little I can do to change the situation with player replacements. I will try to keep it as positive as possible, but we play Roosters on Thursday night and then have to play at Springwood on Saturday night.?
Fairfield Wanderers 0 Prospect United 4 (Gustavo Orcajo 16/50m Adrian Jennings 58m Pasquale Landrelli 88m)
Reserve grade: Fairfield Wanderers 4 Prospect United 1
Springwood lasso Luddenham
Like free-spirited mountain highwaymen Springwood United bailed up Luddenham Oval on Sunday afternoon and galloped away with a 3-1 booty from stunned Luddenham United. It was Springwood?s fourth straight win and moves them to within earshot of a reluctant playoff call, while Luddenham plunged from first to fourth in a week.
The visitors broke the early deadlock when Peter Henderson volleyed in a glanced throw-in from the penalty spot seven minutes before the interval and Springwood were away. Bryan Campbell riled the Oval faithful on the hour-mark when he used Jedi mind tricks to guide the ball into the net to lift Springwood further ahead, and as Luddenham pushed forward Henderson broke down the wings and crossed it to Campbell at the far post, who?s delicate knock down for a trailing Scott Lane made it a remarkable 3-0 just minutes from the end.
Luddenham?s fans did have something to cheer about when Ivan Bazina headed in an injury-time freekick but the damage had been done and Springwood added another notch to their travelling belt. Only Prospect have a better road record than Springwood, who have collected 20 points from 11 outings, a statistic that paves well for future campaigns.
?I have to keep reminding the players that making the semi-finals is not an option because I just want them to keep enjoying themselves and not put any pressure on. We like to think that we get to determine who wins this competition, that the leading teams have to prove themselves to us? and right now, with the attitude we?ve got, I wish I could bottle it! We are a happy camp and if we keep playing to our strengths, an attacking style, then other teams will know they?re in for a tough game.?
Luddenham coach Andrew Montgomery didn?t want to offer any excuse that would detract from Springwood?s quality performance. ?They were the better side. We had chances but didn?t take any of them and they deserved to win the game,? he said. ?We need to take a hard look at ourselves but, really, they were too good for us on the day. We need to do better to start challenging teams like Hakoah, Northbridge and Prospect.?
Luddenham United 1 (Ivan Bazina 89m) Springwood United 3 (Peter Henderson 38m Bryan Campbell 55m Scott Lane 88m)
Reserve grade: Luddenham United 0 Springwood United 3
Roosters beat Chopin Park
Roosters held onto a slender 2-1 halftime lead over Chopin Park Rams at Hills Sports High on Sunday afternoon to gain a further foothold on the jagged top-five mountain. In an at times dour affair converted penalties to Roosters captain Ercan Topal and Rams forward Liam Lawler meant the deciding goal came from Baturay Akin, who capitalised on a series of defensive mistakes to hand Chopin Park their fifth straight loss.
Roosters are within reach of five clubs chasing the last finals berth and have the advantage of three catch-up games to play (against Wanderers on Thursday, Gazy and Belmore). It?s a lot of football but Roosters media manager Mehmet Yagci believes his club is well poised to make a big impact on the title race. Besides, popular coach Musti Acka returns from an overseas sojourn to lead the Roosters charge.
?If we make the finals we will do really well as we?ve been playing finals-type football over the past few weeks and just haven?t had the results to go along with it [losses to Hakoah and Northbridge],? Yagci said. ?We believe we?ve dealt with what we?ve had to and the players are confident of now going ahead and doing the job on the park.?
Chopin Park coach Radek Czerwinski knows the 2011 season is getting away from the Rams but was extremely with what the future holds. ?The first round of season we played on emotion and everyone was fired up, and then the reality caught up with us; the inexperience we have in this squad. Consistency is the major factor in overall placing at the end of the season and that?s where we?ve struggled in the second half of the season,? he said.
?The eternal sporting question has always been how do you get out of a losing streak as both winning and losing is a habit, obviously one is more pleasant than the other. Nevertheless there is still a few games left and while there is a grain of disappointment we might not make the semis, we still think it?s been an good season for us. The boys can keep their heads high. This is part of a three year plan and this is a good platform to go from.
Roosters 2 (Ercan Topal 31m Baturay Akin 35m) Chopin Park Rams 1 (Liam Lawler 43m)
Reserve grade: Roosters 1 Chopin Park Rams 1
Hakoah cruise past Belmore
It was a tight 2-1 scoreline but Hakoah were comfortable winners over Belmore Hercules at Blick Oval on Sunday afternoon to stretch out their legs at the top of the table. Following a scoreless first half a terrific cross from Daan Ranzhuiisen set up Adam Joseph for the opener just seconds after the restart, goal ace Neil Jablonski making it 2-0 before the hour headed home a corner kick.
With Hakoah on top and a layer of paint denying another Jablonski effort, Belmore made the last half-hour interesting when Leon Sansone headed home a Hercules freekick and they blew a late chance to equalise, but the home side held on for a solid 2-1 win. The result moved them two points ahead of Northbridge and Prospect after Luddenham fell to Springwood.
To have the premiership in sight after being forced to accept last year?s wooden spoon must be creating excitement throughout the eastern suburbs community as Hakoah look to return to their glory days. Coach Mark Robertson is just happy to be at a club that has such a great feel about it.
?[Against Belmore] I thought we were okay and had a lot of possession. It was a bit like shooting practice for a couple of the boys and they just wouldn?t go in,? he said. ?It?s just good to see the boys enjoying it and giving themselves the opportunity to achieve something special.?
Belmore Hercules 1 (Leon Sansone 65m) Hakoah 2 (Adam Joseph 47m Neil Jablonski 58m)
Reserve grade: Belmore Hercules 0 Hakoah 1
Northbridge demolish Nepean
Northbridge let fly in a 6-0 hammering of Nepean at Northbridge Oval on Sunday afternoon, the aftershock throwing Northbridge into second spot on the ladder in their first year of state league. Ry Hardy bagged four to become the competition?s highest scorer (with 19 strikes) and team-mate Elliot King grabbed two in the one-sided avalanche that had Nepean trailing five-zip within 25 minutes.
The stunning debut season just keeps on rolling for Northbridge coach Joe Haywood. ?We just flattened them from the start and they couldn?t handle the pressure we put on them, and it was one of those days where every chance we got we turned into a goal,? he said. ?It was a little bit of a statement to the competition but it has always been about trying to take our season to the next level. We?ve been getting into set patterns of play and it?s given us consistency on the park.?
Nepean coach Carlos Camacho was disappointed some of his troupe was missing for the game. ?We could have finished the season strong and now we?re going to struggle to field two teams with all the injuries we?ve had [they?ve also lost players to Premier and Super League],? he said. ?The one thing the boys that were there showed was a lot of heart to come back from 5-0 down inside 25 minutes to stay in the game after that and show a bit of fight and some pride.?
Northbridge 6 (Ry Hardy 3/11/19/25m Elliot King 22/70m) Nepean 0
Reserve grade: Northbridge 7 Nepean 0
Round 22 scores
Hawkesbury City 1 (Ethan Simone 67m) Gazy Lansvale 0
Bathurst ?75 1 (Brent Osborne 61m) Hurstville City Minotaurs 2 (Michael Di Meglio 10m Haissan Morhi 55m)
Belmore Hercules 1 (Leon Sansone 65m) Hakoah 2 (Adam Joseph 47m Neil Jablonski 58m)
Roosters 2 (Ercan Topal 31m Baturay Akin 35m) Chopin Park Rams 1 (Liam Lawler 43m)
Luddenham United 1 (Ivan Bazina 89m) Springwood United 3 (Peter Henderson 38m Bryan Campbell 55m Scott Lane 88m)
Fairfield Wanderers 0 Prospect United 4 (Gustavo Orcajo 16/50m Adrian Jennings 58m Pasquale Landrelli 88m)
Northbridge 6 (Ry Hardy 3/11/19/25m Elliot King 22/70m) Nepean 0
Rescheduled round 14: Springwood United 3 (Tim O??onnell 65m C Harvey 73m Bryan Campbell 85m) Chopin Park Rams 0
Rescheduled round 16: Northbridge 3 (Max Zanders 14/31m Daniel Hillege 40m) Roosters 1 (Gurkan Topal)
Reserve grade:
Hawkesbury City 0 Gazy Lansvale 2
Bathurst ?75 4 Hurstville City Minotaurs 0
Belmore Hercules 0 Hakoah 1
Roosters 1 Chopin Park Rams 1
Luddenham United 0 Springwood United 3
Fairfield Wanderers 4 Prospect United 1
Northbridge 7 Nepean 0
Rescheduled round 14: Hawkesbury City 3 Hurstville City 0
Rescheduled round 16: Northbridge 5 Roosters 2
Next week?s games
Round 23 of NSW State League division two sees Roosters play Prospect at William Lawson Reserve on Saturday evening (5pm kick-off), followed by Saturday night affairs between Wanderers and Springwood at Summerhayes Park, and Luddenham versus Nepean at Cook Park, St Marys (7pm). On Sunday afternoon, Northbridge tackle Hurstville at Punchbowl Oval, Hawkesbury face the Rams at Chopin Park, Bathurst clash with Belmore at Blick Oval, while Gazy Lansvale meet Hakoah at Hensley Athletic Field (first grade starts at 3pm).
-By Dan De Nardi
