Waratah Cup Quarter-Final: Bankstown Berries shock Bonnyrigg White Eagles with emphatic win
The Berries were always the underdogs heading into this clash, but three second-half goals from the away side, and a red card to Bonnyrigg?s star striker Robbie Younis, helped the NSW Super League side continue its run through the Cup.
Liam McKenna opened the scoring for Bankstown before substitute Kodjo Adjassou added a second and Ante Deur sealed the win from the penalty spot.
With the Berries dropping some valuable points in the Super League recently, coach Tony Pace feels the Waratah Cup win will give his side confidence heading into the second round of competition this weekend.
?I?m using tonight for us to build upon in the league and we will take the Waratah Cup in our stride,? Pace said.
?You give Bonnyrigg the respect they are due but we came with a game plan to press them and beat them at their game.
?The boys held their discipline and we had a positive attitude all game.
?It?s a boost overall because we have had some bad luck in the league and this gives us the boost to head into the match with St George this week positively.?
Bonnyrigg were a contrasting outfit to the one that has cemented first place in the Premier League. Although there were a number of players rested, coach Brian Brown made no excuses for his team?s performance.
?We certainly didn?t have our full side out but that?s no excuse, the 11 that went on the park should have been good enough to win,? Brown said.
?It?s probably the worst performance from Bonnyrigg since I came here.
?Full credit to the Berries, they wanted it more than we did and they turned up to play.
?The message at half time was to lift the intensity because there was no urgency in our play, we were knocking the ball long and that?s not how we play.
?The only positive is that it was only 3-0.?
Bonnyrigg?s chances were dealt a blow after just 4? minutes when defender Ben Spruce collided with his own goalkeeper. Spruce was stretchered off and later taken to hospital for treatments to a head gash.
During the opening exchanges, Bankstown looked keen to flex their muscles against a stronger opponent and pressing defence from both sides ensured the ball remained mostly in the middle of the park.
The Berries? first chance of the match came in the 11? minute when a Paul Peralta cross was met on the head by Ante Deur who could only navigate his header in the path of Bonnyrigg goalkeeper Nikodan Matic.
The ball moved end to end as the match began to open up and things got lively with some physical challenges in the cold conditions.
Neither side was able to maintain possession and the first 20? minutes saw the Berries continuously attacking down the flanks while Bonnyrigg went for a more direct approach.
The home side had their first real chance of the match in the 24? minute when Jordan Simpson cut the ball back into the path of Jesse Galayini whose shot was blocked by some desperate defending from Bankstown.
The Berries were given their own injury woes when striker Jordan Figon was stretchered off in the 33? minute. The ambulance was called back to the ground as Figon went off for further tests.
Two major pauses in play made it hard for either side to settle into a rhythm and Bonnyrigg proved their own worst enemies, losing the ball far too easily in the midfield.
It wasn?t until the 41? minute that Bonnyrigg developed pace in attack and their potential going forward was on show when they broke through the Berries defence on consecutive occasions.
Just a minute later, Kodjo Adjassou should?ve opened the scoring the Berries when he pounced on a loose ball in the Bonnyrigg box only to have his shot parried away by Matic.
The 0-0 half-time score line was indicative of the balanced play but the stalemate only lasted two minutes after the break. Liam McKenna was left unmarked at the back post from a Berries corner and the defender comfortably nodded the ball home to give Bankstown a 1-0 lead.
Bonnyrigg refused to panic and continued their style of football which opened up space on the edge of the box for Nikola Zonjic in the 53′ minute.
The hosts were left to rue their missed chances when Kodjo Adjassou blasted home a volley in the 58? minute to double his side?s lead.
The result was put beyond doubt 4′ minutes later when Ante Deur won a penalty for his side and coolly converted from the spot to make things 3-0.
As Bankstown rested on their three-goal advantage, Bonnyrigg surged forward to salvage something from the match.
With striker Robbie Younis essentially marked out of the game, they failed to trouble Berries number 1 Nestor Tsioustas and when Younis received his second yellow card of the match for simulation in the 75? minute, Bonnyrigg were well and truly buried.
The remaining 15? minutes saw very few chances as Bankstown defended their way into the semi-final.
Match Stats
Bonnyrigg White Eagles 0
Bankstown Berries 3 (McKenna 47?, Adjassou 59?, Deur (pen) 63?)
Wednesday 6th June, 2012
Bonnyrigg Sports Centre, Bonnyrigg
Bonnyrigg White Eagles FC: 33.Nikodan Matic; 17.Jordan Crighton, 11.Ben Spruce (5.Chris Tadrosse 10?), 15.Luka Dukic, 23.Joseph D?elia, 6.Nikola Zonjic, 10.Jordan Simpson, 17.Andre Gomez (8.Alex Canak 45?), 3.Jesse Galayini (13.Nikola Stanojevic 45?), 14.Robbie Younis, 7.Tynan Diaz
Substitutes Not Used: 20.Andrew Bazi, 2.Alex Mansueto
Yellow Cards: Robbie Younis 19? 75?
Red Cards: Robbie Younis 75?
Bankstown Berries: 1.Nestor Tsioustas; 7.Paul Peralta, 3.Steve Wright, 5.Liam McKenna, 2.David Gardiner, 18.David. Stojic (Nick Tantalos 89?), 21.Ben Delicata (Matthew Clowse 84?), 9.Ante Deur, 14.Nick. Paras (Brad Gibson 83?), 23.Jordan Figon (Kodjo Adjassou 33?)
Substitutes Not Used: RK. George Bouropolous
Yellow Cards: Steve Wright 72?
Red Cards: Nil
-By Mitchell Grima
