State League One Round 8 Review
Match of the Round
Gladesville Ryde Magic vs Mt Druitt Town Rangers
The State League One competition heavyweights shaped up at Magdala Reserve on Sunday afternoon as the undefeated league leaders, Gladesville Ryde Magic, welcomed the visit of second placed, Mt Druitt Town Rangers.
It was a loyal spectator that braved the absolutely freezing conditions on the shaded hill, to witness a battle royale between two stubborn sides, both struggling to control the leather early on given the howling breeze.
Both sides came into the clash missing a key player through injury ? Alistair McKie (Gladesville) and Shane Ardle (Mt Druitt) ? and there would be more casualties before the 90 minutes was up on an afternoon where squad capacity would be tested.
Gladesville?s experienced skipper and goalkeeper, Kyriakos Tohouroglou, was in the thick of the action early on, sending a scare into the Magic supporters after saving at the feet of a Mt Druitt attacker, staying down for what seemed an eternity before limping to his feet and until the end of the first half.
Mt Druitt had the breeze at their backs in the first stanza, and predictably had the best of the opportunities that unravelled.
Futsalroos Daniel Fogarty jinked in and out of a defender on the right flank on 22 minutes, his firm near post cross headed wide by Todd Macrae.
A couple of minutes later and it was Mt Druitt?s Glenn McPherson who did ever so well to wriggle past three would be challenges, squaring to a surprised Fogarty, who scuffed his shot from right in front, allowing Tohouroglou to parry wide.
A punted clearance by the Mt Druitt defence in the 28th minute bounced just past the halfway line, and Fogarty was onto it like a gazelle, heading over the last man, racing towards goal, before shooting over from an acute angle under the challenge of Lachlan Harte.
Alan Ryan had Gladesville?s first attempt on goal, and it came just after the half hour mark, heading Johnny Martinez?s inswinging corner over the cross bar.
The Magic almost drew first blood in the 35th minute, Peter O?Doherty?s brilliantly struck free kick tipped around the post by the diving Mt Druitt goalkeeper, Tim West.
Johhny Martinez succumbed to injury in the 38th minute, a real blow given his work rate in the centre of the park, and Gladesville went to the bench to bring on crowd favourite, Tommy Nastoulis.
Experienced referee, Mr David Finlay, had stayed out of the limelight during the first half, and gave all some rest from the cutting wind when he blew the half time whistle right on cue.
Mt Druitt Town came out for the second half minus two of their experienced campaigners, with Glenn McPherson and Nathan Ralph pulling up stumps and giving the Rangers a mountain to climb against the breeze.
But they almost broke the deadlock a couple of minutes in, the ball spilling wide to Daniel Fogarty, who slammed a shot from just inside the box that was well parried by Tohouroglou, the Magic keeper.
Gladesville responded by almost taking the lead in the 55th minute, when lanky midfielder, Scott Tonkin, seized on a loose ball in the penalty area. Tonkin skipped over a Mt Druitt defender?s lunge before waltzing past Tim West, the Mt Druitt keeper, his toe-poke at goal desperately cleared by a retreating Ranger.
Just as you were wondering whether the nets were going to be troubled at all, Mt Druitt grabbed the lead just before the hour mark with an expert finish from the league?s top marksman Todd Macrae.
Macrae raced through a group of players on the edge of the Magic penalty area, before collecting a swirling ball on his chest and drilling a low left foot shot past Tohouroglou into the bottom corner of the net, much to the delight of the traveling contingent.
Given the loss of experienced staff and up against a string breeze, once they took the lead the Rangers seemed content to pull together in a defensive standoff, hoping to catch Gladesville on the break with a Fogarty-lead counter attack.
So Gladesville Ryde pushed numbers forward, lifted their intensity, and started to flex a little in their attacking third.
After some sustained pressure, Magic were finally rewarded with an equalizer on 74 minutes.
Scott Tonkin won possession on the right hand side of the park, swiveling before chipping towards the far post. Tim Woodhouse headed back across the face of goal where Peter O?Doherty was lurking, and the nippy striker nodded over Tim West to restore parity for Gladesville.
Despite some frantic attempts by both sides to try and conjure up a late winner, that was all she wrote as the teams came away with a point apiece.
The draw meant Gladesville retained both their undefeated status, as well as their six point lead over the Rangers, and have only conceded 4 goals in their 8 matches thus far to establish themselves as fierce competition favourites.
Tohouroglou was brave between the sticks, Ryan and Tonkin worked for three in the middle once Martinez went off, and O?Doherty?s energy meant he always looked likely to score for the home side.
Mt Druitt would be reasonably happy to be the first team to take points off Gladesville in 2012, especially given the loss of key players prior to and during the match.
With Fogarty off on Futsalroo duty, he joins Ardle, Ralph and McPherson on the sidelines, testing the Rangers depth of playing talent in the coming weeks, starting with a midweek Cup match against Super League side, Spirit FC.
GLADESVILLE RYDE MAGIC 1 (O?Doherty 67?)
MT DRUITT TOWN RANGERS 1 (Macrae 57?)
at Magdala Reserve, North Ryde on Sunday, May 13, 2012
Referee ? Mr David Finlay
Referee?s Assistants ? Mr Terry Goodhew and Mr Robert Klein
GLADESVILLE RYDE MAGIC: 1.K.Tohouroglou (capt), 2.A.Morris, 4.T.Huet (4.C.Robertson 74?), 3.L.Harte, 5.T.Woodhouse, 6.A.Ryan, , 9.S.Tonkin, 8.J.Martinez (7.T.Nastoulis 38?), 12.B.Kerr, 15.Andrew McKie, 14.P.O?Doherty.
Substitutes not used ? 1.P.Ferrara, 16.M.Sultan.
Yellow Cards ? 15.Andrew McKie 45?.
Red Cards ? Nil
MT DRUITT TOWN RANGERS: 1.T.West, 5.R.O?Shea (capt), 14.C.Prothero, 17.M.Todd, 2.M.Aragone, 4.D.Fogarty, 18.T.Macrae, 9.C.McNaughton, 10.J.Kirby, 11.G.McPherson (16.N.Walker 46? / 13.A.Murrell 77?), 8.N.Ralph (6.D.Penfold 46?).
Substitutes not used ? 99.J.Marsh, 15.C.Medana.
Yellow Cards ? Nil
Red Cards ? Nil
Round Eight Review
UNSW ? Balmain SC 1-2
After a rich vein of form in recent weeks, including a superb 1-0 triumph over Premier League Blacktown Spartans in the Waratah Cup midweek, UNSW came unstuck at the hands of Balmain SC on Saturday night at David Phillips Field.
Tall striker, Jamal Boutkabout, put Balmain into the lead on 26 minutes, before tough tackling midfielder, Robbie Bruno, doubled the visitors? advantage in the 51st.
Central defender Patty Lloyd pulled one back for UNSW in the 71st minute, but that is how the scoring finished, with a welcome return to the winner?s list for Balmain as they climbed into the top five, now sitting fourth on 11 points.
Camden Tigers ? Schofields Scorpions 2-0
In what was a real six pointer at the base of the ladder, Camden Tigers joined Schofields Scorpions on 7 points by winning their encounter 2-0 on Saturday night at Ron Dine Reserve.
Finding themselves in last position at the beginning of the round, the Tigers made sure that wouldn?t last, with goals by Dean Mugridge (48th) and Vince Finocchiaro (84th) sending the home fans into raptures.
Northbridge FC ? Southern Bulls vs Mt Druitt Town Rangers 5-0
There must?ve been something in the half time fluids at Ninevah Soccer Field on Sunday afternoon, because Northbridge FC scored five times without reply in the second half to record a thumping win over the hapless Southern Bulls.
Ricky Woodward opened proceedings for Northbridge on 54 minutes, before a 4 goal avalanche in a late seven-minute spell turned the result into a massacre for the Bulls.
Ry Hardy made it 2-0 on 77 minutes, Woodward grabbed his brace a minute later, Paul Orgad got in on the act in the 80th, before Hardy scored his second of the match to round off the scoring at 5-0.
The win and subsequent three points puts Northbridge into 5th spot on the ladder, with a game in hand on sides that sit around them on the ladder, whilst the Bulls have now conceded 11 goals in their past two weeks and have some work to do to stop their descent down the ladder.
Fairfield City Lions ? Hurstville ZFC 4-2
In a goal fest at Norford Park on Sunday, Fairfield City Lions returned to the winner?s circle when they defeated Hurstville ZFC 4-2.
But they didn?t have it all their own way early on, Stiven Kostanic grabbing the opener for Hurstville after just 2 minutes.
Sargun Dawd equalized for the home side in the 22nd minute, before Simic edged the visitors back in front in the 35th.
The Lions responded with two quick goals to take a 3-2 lead into the half time break, Ozcan Cetinay (39th) and Ahmed Jabbie (43rd) doing the honours.
Friday Jeremiah closed off the scoreboard in the 64th minute with goal number four for the Lions, climbing them above their opponents and into 8th spot on 8 points, whilst Hurstville now boast the worst defensive record (25 goals) as they slide to second last on 7 points.
Inter Lions ? Stanmore Hawks 3-2
Inter Lions showed the demons of 2011 are well and truly buried as they staged a remarkable comeback to overcome a luckless Stanmore Hawks at the Crest Complex on Sunday afternoon.
The Hawks must?ve thought their luck had changed as they took a first half lead through pint sized Kosta Gioulis in the 34th minute, before Inter old boy, Steve Biviano, extended the visitors? lead just after the hour mark.
But Inter Lions roared home in the latter stages of the match, with Nicky Ruoco pulling one back in the 80th minute, before Daniele Chiandotto equalized three minutes later.
Miguel Martinez brought the house down with an 88th minute winner for Inter, propelling the Lions into outright third on the ladder on 12 points.
-By Frank Speranza
