Special Grand Final Feature: NSW Premier League Grand-Final Match Facts, Stats and Key-Match Ups

Sydney Olympic and Sydney United will face-off in the 2011 NSW Premier League championship decider at Belmore Sports Ground on Monday in perhaps the most mouthwatering grand-final ties of recent times.
The two teams possess a rich history stemming back to the NSL days, though this meeting will be the first in a championship decider between the two clubs.
Sydney Olympic clinched the Premiership with a fabulous League campaign, meanwhile the Reds only just fell short of the Blues in second-place. Anticipation of the finale is high as both sides have expressed an attacking football philosophy under young coaches Peter Tsekenis and Jean Paul De Marigny.
With both sides not shy in front of goal, an enthralling midfield battle is expected with the likes of Robbie Mileski, Chris Triantis and Philip Makrys to line up against Ivo Bosnar, Ufuk Talay and Steve Hayes. The latter will be responsible for feeding goal scoring dynamite Luka Glavas for the Reds, meanwhile Blues? target man Alex Smith will need to show his fine touch, aerial prowess and goal scoring ability to steer the Blues to a championship win.
Fireworks will certainly be seen at Belmore Sports Ground on Monday, October long weekend.
2011 ENCOUNTERS
NSW Premier League – Round 8
Sydney United ? Sydney Olympic 2-3
Sydney Olympic consolidated top-spot on the League ladder with a very impressive 3-2 defeat of Sydney United away from home. The Blues couldn?t have asked for a better start at Sydney United Sports Centre as Emmanuel Giannaros opened the scoring for in only the 4? minute with a powerful 30-metre drive.
Luka Glavas had the Reds level in the 13? minute after winning his side a penalty. The striker dusted himself off and converted the spot-kick ? the ball finished in the back of the net after hitting the underside of the crossbar. Sydney Olympic restored their lead prior to the break courtesy of a cool Robbie Mileski finish, though the Reds were level again after the interval with another well taken goal by Glavas. In an entertaining, and very tense, closing period, Sydney Olympic were awarded a penalty following Shane Lyons? foul on Mileski. The experienced Phil Makrys stepped up to the spot and coolly converted to hand Sydney Olympic three-points and a one-point lead over Sutherland Sharks on the League ladder.
NSW Premier League – Round 19
Sydney Olympic ? Sydney United 2-4
Sydney United cut Sydney Olympic?s lead to three-points at the top of the ladder with four league matches remaining following an entertaining 4-2 win at Belmore Sports Ground.
Played at a frantic pace ? with the Reds going down to ten men following Mitchell Thompson?s 38? minute red card ? it was Michael Cindric who volleyed from Ufuk Talay?s corner to open the scoring after only 2? minutes. Chris Triantis equalised with ease on 13? minutes following a mix-up in the Sydney United defence to draw level before the Steve Hayes show commenced.
Hayes had the Reds back in front with a fine finish on 25? minutes, before adding his second of the afternoon on the half hour, an absolute screamer of a goal from 30-yards ? arguably a contender for goal of the season.
Sydney United?s Thompson was shown a straight red card on 38? minutes for a late challenge on Robbie Mileski, moments before the Blues pulled a goal back via the penalty-spot courtesy of Phil Makrys.
After the break, the ten-man Reds held their own to hold out the Blues charge. Despite the numerical disadvantage the Edensor Park side found a fourth goal in the 72? minute when Luka Glavas ran onto Talay?s through pass. Glavas showed his composure and class to finish past Paul Henderson and secure his side three-points against the League leaders.
NSW Premier League ? Preliminary Semi-Final
Sydney Olympic ? Sydney United 2-0
Premiers Sydney Olympic booked their spot in the 2011 NSW Premier League Grand-Final following an inspirational team performance against Sydney United in the Preliminary semi-final. The Blues didn?t miss a beat in an entertaining encounter against the Reds as defenders Richard Luksic and Emmanuel Giannaros sealed the deal with well taken goals in-front of a boisterous home crowd.
Luksic headed home Chris Triantis? corner prior to half-time before the captain diverted a David Gullo cross, shortly after the re-start, into the path of Giannaros who converted from close-range to double the Blues? lead.
Sydney Olympic administered proceedings perfectly as the defensive line limited Luka Glavas & Co. to seeing very little of the ball.
Elsid Barkhousir had a chance late on to grab a consolation for the Reds, though the striker failed to hold onto the ball following Ben Vidaic?s forward lob.
Sydney Olympic will now enjoy a weekend off from official duties to prepare the Monday long weekend Grand-Final, as Sydney United will need to bounce back quickly against a confident Blacktown City FC side that has eliminated both the Bonnyrigg White Eagles and Sutherland Sharks over the first fortnight of the finals series.
Key player match-ups
Alex Smith (Sydney Olympic) ?
A remarkable season for the American, English born, striker. Smith set the League on fire in the opening half of the season with eight goals prior to moving to A-League side Gold Coast United. With the striker?s spell on the Gold Coast short-lived, Smith returned to help the Blues seal the Minor Premiership and secure a spot in the grand-final. With an extraordinary ability to score goals, the Reds defenders will have their work cut out following Smith on Monday.
Brett Studman (Sydney Olympic) ?
One of the toughest defenders in the League, Studman?s experience has been imperative to Sydney Olympic?s success. A hard tackler with a strong physical presence and a deft touch on the ball, Studman has further strengthened his partnership with captain Richard Luksic across the backline.
Robbie Mileski (Sydney Olympic) ?
Playmaker and goal scorer, Mileski successfully brought his mazy runs from Bankstown City to the Blues this season. Confident on the ball with the ability to split a defence with a neat pass or a tricky step-over, Mileski will need to see much of the ball when the Blues push forward to hurt the Reds defence.
Paul Henderson (Sydney Olympic) ?
The Blues defensive line is rock solid, and with an experienced campaigner like Paul Henderson between the sticks behind them, Luka Glavas & Co. will certainly need to be at their very best to breach the final line. ?Hendo? is a terrific shot-stopper with an ability not only to command his penalty-area, though also to transmit positive energy to the rest of the team.
Luka Glavas (Sydney United) ?
Sydney United?s prolific goal scorer is never overawed by the big occasion, demonstrated perfectly in Sydney United?s 2006 NSW Premier League triumph. The lanky striker scored four goals on that day to push aside Blacktown City in a sensational showing at Marconi Stadium. Glavas? speed and finishing is of the highest level, and must really be contained by the Blues defenders if the home side is to triumph.
Steve Hayes (Sydney United) ?
The Reds playmaker has complemented the Reds strikers nicely this season with his hand constantly seen in the Reds forward forays. A tireless player who still finds the energy to play a defence splitting pass even in the closing stages of a match, Hayes will be expected to get forward for the Reds in the final.
Ivo Bosnar (Sydney United) ?
The midfielder?s work rate is second to none, and when Ivo Bosnar is on his game, Sydney United function so much better. Bosnar?s love for the club will have him eagerly awaiting the grand-final showdown, and after tasting victory in 2006, the captain will be hoping to lift the championship trophy after the referee?s full-time whistle.
Mitchell Thompson (Sydney United) –
Another element of the Sydney United midfield, Thompson possesses a real passion when he takes the field. A hard worker in getting back to cover when his side loses possession, Thompson has a knack for popping up with some exceptional goals. The most tantalising of strikes no doubt was the midfielder?s dipping effort that saw off Blacktown City last week to set-up a shot at Sydney Olympic. Very capable with the set-pieces too, a duty he and Ufuk Talay have made their own this season.
Comments from the Coaches
Peter Tsekenis (Sydney Olympic) ?
On home ground advantage: ?Having the home ground advantage is more of an advantage definitely, though I don?t think it means we are under any additional pressure with all expectation on us.?
On Sydney Olympic?s bare trophy cabinet: ?We are in the grand-final, and our goal now is to finish off the job and win the trophy. It has been a long while between trophy wins for this club, and to add a second trophy in the space of a month would be tremendous.?
On his players? season: ?The entire squad has been great all season, I don?t like to single out any player in particular. Of course I look at the senior boys to show their experience and lead the younger boys, though even the younger guys have grown leaps and bounds and I know I can count on them in the final.?
On Sydney United: ?Sydney United are a great side, their ability to attack and find goals is impressive, their midfield players are very solid, and the defensive line possesses a lot of experience.
?I thought they had a little too much for Blacktown City in the match last Monday evening, as the result showed, mainly because of the experience across the park.?
Jean Paul De Marigny (Sydney United) ?
On reaching the grand-final: ?Very very happy with the boys and the results we have achieved this season.
?From the very start of the season we looked to play attacking football, and we have kept to that with some great performances, great goals, and the best goal difference in the competition.?
On achieving the season objectives: ?Our goal was always to get into the top-five and then get into the grand-final ? we have achieved both these, now we look to prepare for the final match and add some silverware.?
On the Preliminary Final victory: ?I thought at times we really dominated the play against Blacktown City, though we were a little vulnerable during the transition phases. This happened in the first-half, though we got it right in the second-half with a good performance ? we addressed it at the break and the boys got what was deserved.?
On his experienced players: ?We?ve got boys that have played overseas, played in the A-League and have won grand-finals. I?m confident in the ability of the players in the squad and that they will not be overawed on Monday.?
Comments from the Players
Phil Makrys (Sydney Olympic) ?
On the season to-date: ?The belief amongst the boys has been one that we could go this far, from the very start of the season. We knew what our abilities were, and we also knew that not many people rated our chances of doing well, so we have enjoyed being the quiet achievers.?
On the Blues ?x factor?: ?I think our x factor has been Alex Smith. Not too many people knew much about him, and that has been great as he has taken the competition by storm with some fantastic performances, and many goals.?
On delivering the club the title: ?A win for the club will be massive as Sydney Olympic has not won too much in recent seasons. Winning the Premiership trophy was brilliant, though adding the grand-final on Monday will be just sensational, something the club and the supporters certainly deserve.
On the Blues defensive line: ?Defensively I feel that we have been the most complete side in the competition. Brett Studman I feel is the best defender in the competition, and playing alongside him Richard Luksic carries a lot of experience. The goals we have conceded during the season seemed to arrive over 3-4 matches where we did concede a lot of goals in those specific matches ? in all though, we have been very strong.
On the Blues slip-up late in the season: ?We did have a bit of a reality check towards the end of the season as we did concede goals and dropped a lot of points ? it worked in our favour as it was a reality check and bounced back by turning up to play with the winning mentality we showed from the start of the season.?
Robbie Mileski (Sydney Olympic) ?
On his first season as a Blues player: ?It has been a really good year from the club, even though it is a completely different team to the Sydney Olympic of last season. Without a doubt having a large group of players move together from Bankstown City at the end of last season made things easier for us to settle down.?
On the Blues defining moment of the season: ?The defining moment for us this season I believe was in the first part of the season where we beat A.P.I.A.-Leichhardt Tigers at Lambert Park, 4-1 (Round 6). We played a near perfect 90? minutes of football, and it really did kick-start our season, and gave us the understanding that we could really go far this season.?
On playing the grand-final at home: ?Playing the grand final at home will be a huge advantage for us without a doubt. We have one of the best playing surfaces in the competition and we?ll look to play our passing game to perfection on Monday.?
On Sydney United: ?Sydney United have a number of talented players though two that stand out for me are Luka Glavas and Ivo Bosnar. We will need to keep Glavas quiet, meanwhile Ivo is just such a hard worker in the middle of the park and the team draws a lot of energy from him.?
Comments from the Players
Ufuk Talay (Sydney United) ?
On the Reds 2011 run: ?It?s been a very good season for us and we are obviously very happy to be in Monday?s grand-final. We?ve worked very hard throughout the season and it has paid off.
On the Reds playing style: ?We are a team that likes to play football. Obviously we got to show off exactly how well we can play with the ball on the floor against Blacktown City at Sutherland on the perfect surface which was great, though even more impressive is that we overcame a dangerous side that has proven already this season just how good they are, especially in the matches we have played against them.
On Sydney Olympic: ?Against Sydney Olympic it is going to be tough. They are a good side, they have been very consistent and will be a big match for us. It is a final, so being a one off match anything can happen ? we?ll need to make sure that we are switched on and ready to play.
On the Reds game plan: ?They (Sydney Olympic) possess some talented players. Rather than focus on individual players in their team we need to get our game right. If we play like we did against Blacktown and we get the ball moving in the front-third, we are going to be a difficult side for them ? if we get this right, then I am confident we can be the side holding up the trophy at the end of the match.?
Ivo Bosnar (Sydney United) ?
On the hard fought Preliminary Final: ?We have worked really hard all year, and even though we have had a few slip ups along the way, the boys have really dug deep and I believe we really deserve to be in the grand-final on Monday.
“Against Blacktown City we were at our best, especially in the front-third and in that second-half. The goals we scored were top class, we will need to be at the same level next week against Sydney Olympic.
On the Reds defence and attack: ?We did concede two goals, and they arrived twice after we scored. These things happen in football? In football you will concede goals, the important thing is how you go about fixing it. We fixed it tonight with a much tighter showing in defence in the second-half, and the boys up-front did their job perfectly, so we are really happy with how the finals series has gone for us so far.?
On Sydney Olympic?s players to watch: ?Sydney Olympic is a very difficult side, they have been great this season. I would single out Alex Smith and Robbie Mileski as the danger men up-front, though they do have a lot of talent out of midfield and a very strong defensive unit. Our goal though is to take to the field and play our game. If we get that right, we are a real shot for the title.?
-By Joseph Carlucci