Spartans overpower Eagles for first NSW Premier League win
The visitors dominated the game for the first 32? minutes before Spartans striker Christopher Gomez netted his first of two goals.
It was another game of missed chances according to Parramatta coach Lee Sterrey, who felt the 3-0 score line didn?t reflect the game:
?No chance. For the first ten minutes we played good football, created two chances from six-yards out but couldn?t score,?? he said.
?Last week with Sydney United we had the same thing. We?re not converting our chances.??
Sterrey was scathing of his side?s defence, with former Newcastle Jets keeper Matthew Nash enduring a disappointing debut for his new club, fumbling what should have been an easy save into the back of the net for the Spartan?s third goal.
?You look at their three goals; a mis-kicked corner goes right across the face of goal, flicked to the far post; second goal, I mean to try and head the ball backwards when you?re playing with the wind is just ridiculous; the third one is 100 per cent goalkeeper blunder.??
Young Parramatta striker and Mariners youth player Kwabeni Appiah-Kubi troubled the Spartans defence early on and proved he?ll be one to watch in the 2012 season.
Spartans defender Luke Boyd saw his long-range effort go wide in the second minute and the Blacktown side were forced to dig in for much of the opening 30? minutes.
Parramatta?s best chances fell to Appiah-Kubi and Bruno Pivato – the latter?s shot sent wide in the 17? minute following a back heel pass from Japanese import Akiyoshi Saito.
A counter-attacking move from the Spartans spelled danger for Parramatta when Gomez appeared to have broken through the Parramatta backline – only for sweeper Dominic Trimboli to send the ball out for a corner.
The reprieve was short-lived. An unmarked Gomez was on the receiving end of the corner on the far side of the box, sending the ball hurtling towards the crossbar before it crossed the line for the Spartans? first goal in the 32? minute.
Parramatta responded by applying pressure to the Spartans, with an Appiah-Kubi shot parried by Spartans captain, and goalkeeper, Carlos Saliadarre into the path of midfielder Graziano Trimboli. But Trimboli?s effort was cleared off the line by the resolute Spartans defence.
Parramatta came out firing in the second-half but the Spartans continued to apply more pressure as the match went on.
Spartans? Louis Bozanic saw his 53? minute shot sail over the crossbar, while Parramatta?s Nicholas McInerney tested the Spartans defence with a 56? minute free-kick.
The Spartans looked certain to score off a 65? minute corner had it not been for Parramatta defender Daniel Gullo clearing the ball off the line.
But only a minute later, Gomez got his second. Nicholas McInerney?s attempt to head the ball away from danger ended in disaster when he gifted Gomez with the ball just inside the box. He sent the ball over Nash to make it 2-0.
Gomez was denied the chance to score a hat-trick when he was replaced in the 80? minute by Jacob Ott.
A few seconds later, Bozanic?s lofty ball from 22-yards was spilled into the net by Nash, sparking jubilation among Spartans players. Nash was clearly disappointed with himself.
The match finished 3-0 with Jacob Ott unlucky not to make it 4-0 in the 85? minute.
After guiding the team to the Premier League from division one in two seasons, Spartans coach Ben de Haan was pleased the side notched their first victory during their first match on home soil:
?Very happy, especially after last week. We were a bit more focussed this week. ?We?ve now got that first win out of the way and we took our chances when they came,?? de Haan said.
?There weren?t many chances in the game at all and I don?t think they had a clear cut chance. I?m very happy and can?t complain.
?Chris Gomez was a stand-out. He bagged two and probably could have set up another couple.
?We improved defensively this week and I think that?s the big difference from last week.??
Match Stats
Blacktown Spartans 3 (Christopher Gomez 32?, 66?, Louis Bozanic 81?)
Parramatta FC 0
Saturday April 7th, 2012
Blacktown Football Park
Blacktown Spartans: 1.Carlos Saliadarre; 3.Nathan Millgate; 4.Daniel Wells; 5.Luke Boyd, 6.Greg Kondek (19.Simon Zahra 77?), 9.Christopher Bedzo, 10.Christopher Gomez (27.Jacob Ott), 11.Steven Veleski (36.Tomislav Herceg 84?), 15.Louis Bozanic. 17.Peter Hubbard, 20.Sean Mitchell
Substitutes Not Used: 2.Michael Khoury, 41.Jesse Shewan
Parramatta FC: 1.Matthew Nash; 5.Mark O?Reilly, 4.Dominic Trimboli, 2.Nicholas McInerney (9.Aaron Pederson 82?), 3.Andy Matloub, 16.Daniel Gullo, Akiyoshi Saito, 6.Graziano Trimboli (8.Brian Soane 77?), 11.Bruno Pivato, 18.Nicholas Napoli (17.Hassan Daramy 45?), 14.Kwabena Appiah-Kubi;
Substitutes Not Used: 7.Patrick Dixon, 23.Tomislav Romic
Yellow Cards: Veleski 45?, Hubbard 50?, Bedzo 52?
Red Cards: Nil
Players Ratings:
3 – Christopher Gomez (BS)
2 – Steven Veleski (BS)
1 – Daniel Gullo (PFC)
-By Alex Zerafa
