Wolves crush Spartans in polished performance
In a tough task for the home side, the visitors went up a goal inside 5? minutes, with worse to follow as the half wore on.
The Spartans started brightly but against the early run of play found themselves behind when Peter Simonoski fired South Coast Wolves into the lead on 4? minutes from a teasing cross from the left, crashing in a shot off the underside of the crossbar when home custodian, and captain, Carlos Saliadarre was left exposed.
The battle for midfield left nothing to be desired with Blacktown again showing plenty of skill producing sweeping passes and crunching tackles that the Wolves answered in kind, yet the home side were two down inside 12? minutes when a clever corner from the left was played outside the box to Ricky Zucco who powered a shot through a sea of legs and into the net.
On the balance of play the Spartans didn?t deserve to be two down, but the cleverly worked corner routine ensured they were facing a tough task that had suddenly become even tougher, with almost 80? minutes left to play. It was time to roll up the sleeves and dig in.
Luke Boyd tried his luck from distance ? the shot was blocked and the follow up was put away for a corner that amounted to little as Blacktown slowly started to assert some pressure on the visiting defence.
Samuel Jacob was set free for Wolves and should have done better at the other end, as he placed his left-footed effort wide of the again exposed Saliadarre.
Saliadarre was again called into action in the 23? minute when tipping a swirling shot around the post, but a different corner routine this time saw the Spartans break up field. Once more however, the Wolves thwarted the attempt with some the stout defence of Michael Robinson, Jack Keating, Nick Littler, Chris Nathaniel and Daniel Collison in goal.
The visitors were proving tricky opponents from set pieces, corners in particular, with their height and variation leaving Blacktown struggling to clear their lines at times before John Martinoski stole the ball just outside the box and played it square to the unmarked Simonoski in the 29? minute to notch his second and Wolves? third of the night.
Boyd again had another rasping strike from outside the area for Spartans but this time it sailed harmlessly over the bar as the home side continued to take it to South Coast.
Steven Veleski created an opening shortly after, however his powerful effort hit the head of teammate Chris Bedzo, as the ball was cleared away to safety.
For all the home possession it was the Wolves who were playing the more controlled football, playing out from the back, sitting a little deeper and soaking up the pressure before unleashing a fast-paced attack on the break. For everything thrown at them by the Spartans, they seemed able to blunt the attack with some comfort as Trevor Morgan?s side is now producing much of the promise that has been shown in recent seasons.
Sasho Petrovski saw Saliadarre off his line on one such break and attempted a chip over the top from fully 35-yards out that flashed narrowly wide of the upright.
The half ended with no further addition to the score and a well earned break for both.
Steven Veleski was ploughing a lonely furrow down the left for Blacktown and often found himself crowded out by three visiting defenders as the support was slow in arriving, if at all. Chris Gomez flashed one wide on the spin but the Spartan attacks were becoming more sporadic and when Gomez again had a chance inside the box he fired straight at Collison.
Peter Hubbard pulled back Martinoski, as Simonoski took the free-kick and the Spartan defender redeemed himself immediately with a timely clearance.
Jacob tried to lob Saliadarre, however the Blacktown ?keeper was able to get back and tip it over the bar in the 62nd minute in audacious fashion.
A free-kick in the 65? minute by Spartans? Greg Kondek was curled around the wall and had Collison diving at full stretch to push around the post in what would have been little consolation for the home side but deserved for their endeavours.
However, the night worsened when Zucco added a fourth for Wolves with 69? minutes on the clock as a ball over the top unlocked the defence once more to leave the keeper stranded. It was Zucco’s seventh goal in five matches since signing on with the Wolves midway through the season.
Bedzo missed another opportunity for the home side – albeit a difficult diving header that was perfect except for going the wrong side of the post – and when substitute Jacob Ott spun in the box and fired one against the bar it left Blacktown in no doubt this was not to be their night.
It wasn?t so much a case of Blacktown being well beaten but more one of being beaten well in a very positive and controlled display by the visitors. The home side did however get a consolation through substitute Andre Carle in the 88? minute.
Blacktown created chances on the night but the final ball option was indifferent, support was slow in arriving plus they came up against a Wolves team that was bigger, stronger, hungrier and more desperate for points in the run down to finals football.
Ben de Haan of the Spartans commented afterwards:
?The finishing of South Coast was clinical tonight from outside the box, great finishing.
?We tried a risky formation tonight and we could have scored goals ourselves, it could have finished 4-5 even but we have been conceding at the back and it?s something we are working on obviously.
?We had enough chances in the game but couldn?t finish and pinned them back well, we probably had 70% of the ball in their third but didn?t do enough with it and they managed to hit us on the break, but tonight we just were not good enough, taking nothing away from South Coast.
?They deserved their win tonight, played out from the back and the finishing was excellent.?
Trevor Morgan, coach of the Wolves, almost broke into a smile when commenting on the result:
?They could have scored quite a few goals against us tonight which is something we have got to work on and we are trying to pay attention to things we can do and not worry about those beyond our control.
?We have a lot of young local lads in the side and the Spartans approach was very refreshing and interesting tonight and it caught us out, particularly in the first-half.
?They opened themselves up to the counterattack and we made the most of it with some great finishing although Daniel (Collison, the goalkeeper) saw the ball more often than we would have liked.?
?It was a tactical gamble and almost paid off and all credit to Ben for doing that as it created us problems and I don?t think we dealt with that well during the first 45? minutes.
?I?m pleased with the performance and work rate and particularly with the points as it keeps us in second place on the table and takes us a step closer to where we haven?t been for a while ? in the finals.
?We always try to play football from the back and all the lads have a good touch so we?ll see what happens in the next few games and see where that takes us.?
Match Stats
Blacktown Spartans FC 1 (Carle 89?)
South Coast Wolves 4 (Simonoski 4?, 29?, Zucco 12?, 69?)
Saturday 21st July, 2012
Blacktown Football Park, Blacktown
Referee: Adam Weir
Assistant Referees: James Tesoriero and Christian Mehl
Fourth Official: Ben Abraham
Blacktown Spartans: 1.Carlos Saliadarre (C); 5.Luke Boyd, 6.Greg Kondek, 8.Djordge Degenek, 9.Chris Bedzo, 10.Chris Gomez (15.Louis Bozanic 80?), 11.Steven Veleski, 14. Jonathan Castano-Acero, 17.Peter Hubbard, 20.Sean Mitchell (27.Jacob Ott 73?), 23.Chris Bush (Andre Carle 46?)
Substitutes Not Used: 4.Daniel Wells, 40.Jesse Shewan
Yellow Cards: Hubbard 59?
Red Cards: Nil
South Coast Wolves: 1.Daniel Collison; 2.Jack Keating, 4.Michael Robinson, 5.Sam Jacob, 6.Nick Littler, 8.Chris Nathaniel, 10.Sasho Petrovski (C) (9.Mark Picciolini 55?), 11.John Martinoski, 13.Peter Simonoski (7.Cameron Littler 75?), 15.Jack Madgwick, 17.Ricky Zucco (12.Matthew Floro 80?)
Substitutes Not Used: 14.Fabian Iacovelli, 20.Hayden Durose
Yellow Cards: Jacob 24?
Red Cards: Nil
-By Micky Brock
