Sharks’ miniscule finals hopes kept alive
It was a match played in the right spirit, as both sides endeavoured to play good passing football and it made for an entertaining match.
Sean Rooney opened the scoring for the visitors, but goals from Nik Tsattalios and a stunner from Matt Gordon won the match for Robbie Stanton’s side.
Sutherland Sharks looked in the mood early on at Seymour Shaw on a clear, crisp night in Sutherland.
Nick Stavroulakis lined up a shot from 25-yards that skidded across the surface, forcing a good save from Blacktown City goalkeeper Brody Crane who dived low to his left to turn the shot around his post. It was a sign of intent from the home side, but their charge was dented in the 14′ minute when the visiting side took the lead.
It was the in-form Sean Rooney, in his last match of the season before he heads to India, who broke the deadlock.
Yuchi Yamauchi was found in a pocket of space inside the penalty-area and the Blacktown City midfielder had the presence of mind to lift his head and pick out Rooney, whose low finish beat Sutherland goalkeeper Nathan Denham, despite the Sharks number 1 getting a hand on the shot.
Yamauchi was integral in Blacktown City’s attacking play and he reached the byline again in the 19′ minute. In attempting to stand up a cross to the back post, he hit the cross bar with the back peddling Denham unable to get a touch, before the danger was cleared.
After the shock of conceding first, Sutherland settled into their passing rhythm and began to ask questions of Blacktown City, with Nick Stavroulakis and Panni Nikas getting plenty of possession in the centre of the park and dictating the tempo of the match.
On the half-hour mark, Nik Tsattalios had a good opportunity to score, but he sent his header over the bar when perhaps he should have done better.
A minute later, some delightful Blacktown City passing opened up a chance for Matt Lewis to shoot at goal from the edge of the area, but his path was blocked by the light blue shirts of the Sutherland defence.
In the 34′ minute, Sutherland were mere inches from drawing level. Matt Gordon found himself in the centre of the park, 30-yards from goal, and showed deft feet and intricate skill to jink past three Blacktown City players, before unleashing a left footed shot at goal that whistled an inch or two wide of Crane’s post. The Blacktown City goalkeeper will have been hugely relieved to see the strike curl wide, as it seemed to have him beaten.
Blacktown City were playing some good passing football though, and they were causing problems down their right hand side, in particular through youngster Kieren Paull.
Sutherland though, soon found the equaliser that on the balance of play, was probably deserved.
A cross from Jim Bakis on the right found the diagonal run of Tsattalios, who flicked a great first-time finish past Crane two bring his side level at 1-1.
Blacktown City broke down the other end immediately and almost went ahead again. When a cross from Travis Major was deflected off Stavroulakis, Denham showed wonderful reactions to change direction and push the ball around his near post. Perhaps still amped up from the save, Denham raced off his line to try and reach Lewis’ corner, but didn’t get anywhere near it. Luckily, his error of judgement went unpunished.
Just 2? minutes later, Denham again kept Sutherland level, showing more incredible reactions to save a goal bound header from a Major set piece. The Sutherland shot-stopper reacted like lightning to plunge to his right and keep the ball out.
Up the other end, Blacktown City’s goalkeeper Crane showed good reactions and technique to save a deflected long range shot just moments later.
Gordon fouled James Monie in stoppage time at the end of the first-half, giving the visiting side a change with the last kick of the half, but Sutherland’s veteran centre half George Souris rose to head clear Major’s delivery, making for a 1-1 score line at half-time.
The second-half started with a bang as Sutherland’s Gordon broke the deadlock just 4? minutes in. Zac Cairncross headed clear a cross from Bakis, which fell to Monie. The Blacktown City striker’s lay off though was poor, allowing Gordon to nick possession. He drove at goal before cutting back inside Monie onto his favoured left foot, before opening up his body and curling a peach of a strike into the top corner.
The goal rocked Blacktown City and they took their time trying to settle back into some meaningful possession, though Sutherland were nipping at their heels, giving them no time or space.
Blacktown City coach Mark Crittenden replaced Monie with Adam Jenner in the 56′ minute as he tried to change the flow of the game. Sutherland were still causing Blacktown City problems though and when Bakis sent a swirling cross in from the right in the 58′ minute, Blacktown City did well to clear their lines.
A long kick from Crane caused troubles for Souris and Paul Cotte at the back for Sutherland and a free-kick was awarded when the pair sandwiched Jenner. The resulting set piece was laid off to Rooney, who curled his shot narrowly wide of the goal with Denham sprawling.
Jenner showed quick feet in the 77′ minute to create some space on the right and win a corner, but Denham claimed at the second attempt. Blacktown City were noticeably trying to up the tempo in a bid to take something from the game, but the Sutherland defence was being ably led by Souris who was in the midst of another assured performance.
Sutherland coach Robbie Stanton turned to his bench with 9? minutes left, sending on Yianni Fragogianis for Bakis in a bid to shore up his midfield. As Fragogianis was preparing to come on, Blacktown City skipper Luke Roodenburg strode forward from the back to try his luck from range, but his shot was straight at Denham, who enjoyed a quiet second-half after the pyrotechnics of the first.
Kieren Paull finally did force Denham into action in the 88? minute, the goalkeeper this time flying to his right to turn away the youngster?s fierce drive.
In the 89′ minute, a free-kick into the area caused problems for Denham, and when he failed to cleanly take the high ball, it drifted towards the goal line where Cotte and Souris clattered each other in clearing off the line. Blacktown City thought the ball was over the line, but the referee and linesman disagreed.
4? minutes of added time was indicated as Cotte and Souris lay in the goal after their heroics, play resuming with Sutherland in possession. The home side sat deep to absorb the Blacktown City pressure and when Roodenburg gave away possession, Sutherland themselves settled with the ball.
Nikas became the only booking of the match for a cynical challenge as the clock wound down, but Crane’s long free-kick came to nothing, allowing Denham to claim and run out the clock.
Sutherland’s match winner Matt Gordon was ecstatic with the result and needless to say, with his goal.
“Well deserved,” he said.
“We dominated in the first-half and then the last 20? minutes we went into our shell as we often do,” he continued.
“Nathan (Denham) made a few great saves, but it was a good game between two teams playing football,” he said.
Of his match winning goal, he said:
“Very happy with that! I’m playing left back for the first time this season and I’m really enjoying my football here. We’ve given ourselves a chance with this, so you never know!”
Blacktown City coach Mark Crittenden was effusive in his praise of Sutherland:
“They were outstanding in the first-half. They’re one of the better sides in the competition, if they sneak in to the top five they’ll be hard to beat”, he commented.
“I thought in the second-half we were better, but full credit to them. We showed them too much respect in the first-half and made it too easy for them to get into the final third,” he said.
Blacktown City club legend and captain Luke Roodenburg was disappointed with the result:
“It’s just one of those things,” he said.
“They’re a good side and their goalkeeper was man of the match, he made five or six great saves, it’s disappointing but we have to back up for next week and try and get a result,” Roodenburg added.
Match Stats
Sutherland Sharks 2 (Nik Tsattalios 36′, Matt Gordon 49′)
Blacktown City FC 1 (Sean Rooney 14′)
Saturday 25th August, 2012
Seymour Shaw Park, Miranda
Referee: Ryan Shepherd
Assistant Referees: Nathan Wotton and Lance Richards
Fourth Official: Michael Weiner
Sutherland Sharks: 1.Nathan Denham; 2.George Souris (C), 5.Paul Cotte, 6.Matt Gordon, 7.Jim Bakis (4.Yianni Fragogianis 85′), 8.Chris Price, 10.Matt Bailey, 13. Nik Tsattalios, 14.Nick Stavroulakis, 18.Michael Stuart, 23.Panni Nikas
Substitutes Not Used: 12.Hayden Morton, 17.Patrick Savor, 28.Nick Olsen, 22.Simon Jaeger (GK)
Yellow Cards: Panni Nikas 90+3′
Red Cards: Nil
Blacktown City FC: 1. Brody Crane; 4.Travis Major, 19.Zac Cairncross, 7.Luke Roodenburg (C), 6.Matt Lewis, 18.Kieren Paull, 8.Daniel Bragg, 9.Ruji Miyazawa, 11. Yuchi Yamauchi, 10.James Monie (14.Adam Jenner 56′), 17.Sean Rooney
Substitutes Not Used: 12.David Cain, 3.Ryo Watanabe, 40.Julian Harders (GK)
Yellow Cards: Nil
Red Cards: Nil
-By Matthew Connellan
