State League One Round Two Finals Series Review

Qualifying Final
Inter Lions ? Balmain SC 0-1
Balmain SC continued on their merry way on Saturday at Concord Oval, accounting for Inter Lions by a solitary goal, and in the process, moving to within 90 minutes of a Grand Final appearance.
The picturesque setting of Concord Oval provided a brilliant stage for this elimination Semi Final, a strong breeze sweeping across a flat surface as the fans settled in for a tense afternoon of football.
Inter Lions had top scorer, Domenic Di Mento, back in the starting lineup after a one week suspension, along with first choice keeper, Roberto Maiorana, with Miguel Martinez returning to take his place on the substitute?s bench.
Balmain SC were riding a wave of victories in recent weeks, the strength of their bench reflective of the team?s success, with Robbie Bruno, Daniel Borg, Vincent Leto and Kachi Enyi all starting in reserve, and no doubt eager to get on the park and make a telling contribution at some point of the afternoon.
Balmain had the first real opportunity of the day, Johnny Buonavoglia intercepting a square back pass before slipping Joel Cook into a gap, with Cook?s low angled shot well parried by Roberto Maiorana in the Inter goal.
Inter Lions had the breeze at their back in the first stanza, and took 23 minutes to put it to use, Daniele Chaindotto letting fly from 25 yards, his shot hit too straight as Daniel Conway gobbled it up in the Balmain goal.
Balmain?s best weapon, Johnny Buonavoglia, is most dangerous with the ball at his feet running at defenders, and he was brought down under conspicuous challenges twice before finally striking gold in the 24th minute, fouled as he weaved the Inter defence inside out on a mazy run.
There was ever only going to be one conclusion from that point, and Buonavoglia thumped the spot kick past Roberto Maiorana to give Balmain a 1-0 lead.
The goal definitely opened up proceedings, Inter pushing numbers in attack whilst Balmain looked to the counter to extend their lead.
The Lions responded in the 27th minute with a fantastic passing movement upfield that involved half a dozen players, ending with Domenic Di Mento?s square pass causing confusion as it ricocheted out for a corner.
Tom Sowden was next to test Inter keeper, Maiorana, the Balmain defender collecting the leather just inside Inter?s half before moving upfield and shooting from 20 yards, the Inter custodian saving well down low to his left.
Balmain kept up the ante and on 35 minutes it was Buonavoglia who cheekily back heeled over a static Inter defender, cutting inside another, before skying his shot well over the Lions cross bar.
Joel Cook had scored for Balmain in both encounters during the season, and almost made it three goals in three games when he played a superb ?one-two? with Buonavoglia on 37 minutes, before sliding his low shot inches past the near upright just as he had entered the penalty area.
Inter Lions were keen to draw level before the break, and almost did twice via the livewire Domenic Di Mento.
Some slack passing by the Balmain defence in the 40th minute saw the ball spill loose towards the penalty area, and Di Mento was onto it like a cat on a mouse, sliding in to stab his shot goalwards, only for the ever alert Balmain keeper, Daniel Conway, to divert the danger as he raced off his line to close the angles.
Within a couple of minutes and Di Mento challenged Conway to a high ?up and under?, forcing the spillage, before his angled shot was well blocked by a couple of retreating Balmain defenders who were in a state of panic.
Inter Lions coach, Nick Tarquinio, brought on Miguel Martinez at half time, hoping to inject some much needed impetus in attack, but it was Balmain who came out looking to extend their lead, Joel Cook?s 48th minute tap from right in front rolling agonizingly inches wide of the goal after a great cross by Buonavoglia.
Buonavoglia had a strike himself within sixty seconds after cutting inside from the right flank, Maiorana saving well with his feet, and the Inter keeper needed to parry once again in the 53rd when Will Donato hit a low shot after a corner was cleared to him on the edge of the box.
Some desperation in the challenges around the hour mark resulted in three cautions as both sides looked to lift the intensity, neither willing to give away too much as the clock started to wind down.
Inter pushed men forward as Balmain stood firm in the defensive third, with the Lions starting to make the odd inroad or two.
Dario Espejel skied his shot from the edge of the box on 64 minutes after some swift passing from Inter, whilst Daniel Conway had to be at his best in the Balmain goal in the 71st, using his finger nails to tip a Milan Bosnar lob over the cross bar under pressure from an Inter attacker on the goal line.
Martinez was trying everything to conjure up an equalizer, weaving inside a couple of hapless Balmain defenders in the 78th minute, his superb cross from the byline headed over by Domenic Di Mento, the Balmain goal seemingly reducing in size for the Inter faithful with the minutes ticking away.
If Balmain could?ve been a little more accurate with their passes on the counter, they had every opportunity in the final ten minutes to put the match to bed, but too much hammer often resulted in the ball sailing aimlessly past the Inter goal line as the breeze started to dominate the final moments.
Try as they may, Inter just couldn?t find a way through, and Balmain held on for a slim victory and a shot at Gladesville Ryde Magic next weekend, with the prize at stake being a grand final berth for the eventual victor.
For Balmain, Kevin Baker was once again solid in the backline, Carl Modena tackled his heart out in the guts of the midfield, and Johnny Buonavoglia was everything in attack, in the end his class on the ball the difference between the two teams.
Inter Lions bow out with their heads held high, having had a remarkable season given where they came from in 2011, and can look forward to consolidating and improving further still next season.
The experience of Bosnar and Vizzari in defence, the skills of Ruoco and Martinez in the attacking third, and Domenic Di Mento?s goals, gives Inter a backbone to work from. The Lions still have their successful Under 20s in with a shout for the title, and with plenty of youngsters coming through, things look bright for the inner west based club.
Match Stats
Inter Lions 0
Balmain SC 1 (Buonavoglia pen 24?)
Saturday September 1, 2012
Concord Oval, Concord
Referee: Mr Paul Faithfull
Assistant Referees : Mr Terry Goodhew and Mr James Barnes
INTER LIONS: 1.R.Maiorana, 2.S.Roda (14.M.Martinez 46?), 3.M.McMullen, 4.M.Bosnar (capt) , 5.A.Vizzari, 6.K.Hagh, 7.D.Chiandotto (13.A.Peniris 76?), 8.D.Espejel, 9.J.Gutierrez, 10.N.Ruoco (12.M.Mazzarolo 88?), 11.D.Di Mento.
Substitutes Not Used: 16.A.Chiandotto, 21.L.Soto.
Yellow Cards: 4.M.Bosnar 57?, K.Hagh 62?.
Red Cards: Nil
Bench: J. Woods, Z. Elrich, W. Angel, V. Rigoli, I. JohnsoBALMAIN SC: 1.D.Conway (capt), 2.T.Hyde, 3.G.Hill, 4.K.Baker, 13.T.Sowden, 7.C.Modena, 20.J.Cook, 5.A.Leris (8.R.Bruno 88?), 17.L.Cole (16.D.Borg 90?+3), 15.W.Donato (14.K.Enyi 67?), 10.G.Buonavoglia.
Substitutes Not Used: 40.L.Vitale, 18.V.Leto.
Yellow Cards: 7.C.Modena 59?.
Red Cards: Nil
Semi Final 2
Gladesville Ryde Magic ? Mt Druitt Town Rangers 0-3
Sunday, September 2, @ Magdala Reserve
A bright sunny spring afternoon at Magdala Reserve was the scene for a semi-final encounter between the competitions two most successful teams.
What, in the end, turned out to be a comfortable 3-0 victory to Mt Druitt did not always present as a foregone conclusion. With goals in the 73rd, 77th and 79th minutes Mt Druitt launched a late goal-scoring blitz and achieved what proved to be an unassailable lead for the match.
However, the success of the afternoon for the Rangers was more accurately focussed on their strong defensive commitment during the first half that kept Gladesville from scoring and enabled Rangers to get to half-time at 0-0 despite a number of close calls, including multiple goal line clearances by their resolute full-backs.
As early as the 16th minute Gladesville?s Johnny Martinez released Andrew McKie into space down the right hand side. McKie drew a number of defenders before squaring the ball to fellow striker Stephen Lloyd, but a last ditch interception by the Mt Druitt defence saved the day. From the resultant corner McKie directed a firm header back toward goal only to see the ball cleared off the line by a covering defender with the Rangers keeper, Jarrod Marsh, well beaten.
Mt Druitt did well to absorb the pressure and looked to hit back on the counter. Both of the two frontmen for the Rangers, Shane Ardle and Todd Macrae, were creating plenty of havoc for the opposition defence whenever they were given clean ball from their midfield. In the 24th minute a rapid interchange of passing down the middle of the park saw Macrae set up Glenn McPherson for a shot on goal, but his hurried 20 metre left foot shot swung wide of the target.
In the 28th minute Gladesville?s Peter Doherty was released down the right wing by midfield workhorse Lachlan Harte. Doherty raced to the byline before chipping to the far post where a desperate defensive header out for a corner denied Johnny Martinez a clear shot on an otherwise open goal.
Mt Druitt responded when a searching Shane Ardle freekick from the left hand side of the field in the 34th minute put the Gladesville defence under pressure, but the Rangers strike force were not able to capitalize on the half-chance that emerged.
The Rangers midfielders, Nathan Ralph and James Howard, were instrumental in creating a number of half chances during the opening stanza. In the 44th minute young Howard launched a withering run down the left hand touchline and squared an intelligent cross just outside the 6-yard box, but a charging Macrae failed to make contact despite a diving lunge, the opportunity gone begging.
In a mirror image of this earlier chance, Gladesville?s Alistair McKie made space for himself down the right and drove a solid, low cross into the box. Doherty met the ball at the far post, beating keeper Marsh with a stinging shot, only to see the ball cleared off the line by the covering defence.
On the strength of opportunities created it was clear that the first half honours were dominated by Gladesville with the Mt Druitt defence, well-marshalled by captain Ryan O?Shea, maintaining a sound buffer each time they came under pressure. Yet it would be Gladesville who would live to rue their lack of conversions as the second-half wore on.
The opening ten minutes of the second stanza saw some end-to-end football with each side continuing to test the other. Gladesville?s Stephen Lloyd glanced a long throw-in toward goal in the 56th minute, but his fellow strikers could not snaffle the half-chance before keeper Marsh defused the opportunity for the Rangers.
Again for Gladesville in the 59th minute, Martinez delivered a low drive bound for the bottom right corner of the goal before Marsh dived full stretch to tip the ball around the post. Another flick-on from a corner, this time by Gladesville?s Alex Morris, found an unmarked Andrew McKie on the far post. His volleyed shot slammed just past the upright when he looked certain to score.
Ardle and Macrae continued to put the Gladesville defence under pressure. Macrae, in particular, with his solid ability to shield the ball looked the more dangerous of the two and in the 70th minute he released midfielder McPherson into the box. McPherson?s initial shot rebounded off the Magic?s keeper, Kyriakos Tohouroglou, and his hurried second effort flew well wide of the target.
But then came a period of approximately 5 minutes that determined the outcome of this football match. Indeed it was Todd Macrae who set up the game breaker in the 73rd minute when he followed a bouncing ball into the box, all the while shielding the ball from the cover defence. A high, clumsy challenge saw Macrae hit the turf and the referee awarded a spot kick. Shane Ardle converted from the spot to break the deadlock and set the scene for a Rangers victory.
In the proceeding few minutes Gladesville Ryde struggled to counter or contain a more confident Mt Druitt outfit who seemed released from their shackles after having taken the lead. The luxury of a week?s rest at this time of year can be a two-edged sword. Today, Mt Druitt looked the stronger of the two squads over the closing 15 minutes, and perhaps, the minor Premiers were short of a run after missing last weekend?s action with the rest.
In the 76th minute James Howard repeated his move from the first half, dribbling wide on the left, and cutting the ball hard and low across the 6-yard box, this time finding an unmarked Glenn McPherson lurking at the far post to score.
2-0 and the Rangers? tails were up, and they closed off proceedings in the 79th minute, when following some casual defence from the Magic, a long clearance from Marsh was allowed to bounce, with Ardle racing onto the ball before squaring for Macrae to finish clinically.
The victory sees Mt Druitt Town Rangers qualify for the 2012 Grand Final, and they will have the courtesy of a week?s rest as they wait to find out their opponent. Gladesville Ryde Magic will have a week to lick their wounds before they tackle a Balmain SC side full of momentum for that second and remaining Grand Final spot.
UNDER 20s
Schofelds Scorpions overcame UNSW in their elimination semi final on Saturday at Concord Oval, ending the ?students? season in the process, whilst booking their spot in yet another elimination match up next week.
That preliminary final will be against Stanmore Hawks, who were beaten by Inter Lions in a close encounter at Magdala Reserve, going down by the odd goal in five.
Inter Lions, Premiership winners a fortnight ago, have booked themselves a spot in the 2012 Grand Final in two weeks? time, earning themselves a week?s rest as they wait for their opponent to be identified.
-By Frank Speranza