Waratah Cup Semi-Finals this Wednesday
The 2013 Waratah Cup Semi-Finals are ready for kick off this Wednesday evening with two exciting matches set to take place at Sutherland and Bonnyrigg.
The first match preview is current IGA National Premier Leagues NSW Mens 1 league leaders Bonnyrigg White Eagles who take on fellow Premier League opponents APIA Leichhardt Tigers.
Brian Brown’s men returned to winning ways over the weekend with a hard fought 4-3 victory over the Central Coast Mariners Academy and no doubt will be taking that result into this match with high spirits hoping to earn a Cup final spot. Good news for the White Eagles was the return of goalscoring form of Robbie Younis while the likes of usual suspects Mitchell Long, Tynan Diaz, Ken Chun and Chris Tadrosse will all be gunning for a big game on Wednesday.
Their opponents the Tigers, who were last season’s Cup runners-up, have not had the best of seasons but have picked up their form in recent weeks especially with the recent acquisition of current Kiwi international Aaron Clapham as well as striker Jason Oswell. Both have been sterling recruits and will be heavily looked at come Wednesday along with Mark Byrnes, Adel El Jamal, Stephen Kayes and Franco Parisi.
The other match sees an intriguing battle between 2012 Cup Champions Sutherland Sharks facing SUPA IGA NSW Mens 2 league leaders St George FC in what has been billed as a local derby.
The Sharks, buoyed by their recent victory over the APIA Leichhardt Tigers, have been the White Eagles’ nemesis for this season currently sitting a point adrift from first position. One player that has certainly caught the headlines week in week out has been that of current competition top goalscorer Panny Nikas who has notched up 14 goals this season. Nikas will certainly be looked at alongside the rise of Nathan Elasi, promising youngster Nick Olsen and Matt Gordon marshalled by skipper Nick Stavroulakis with the club needing to be at their best against the Saints – the club is hoping to reach its second Cup final in successive seasons.
Manny Spanoudakis has really changed things around at St George and will have every chance of causing a major upset against their highly fancied opponents. The Saints boost a number of former Premier League players with David Dascal, Jonathan Castano-Acero, George Lagoudakis, Marino Musumeci, Bruno Pivato, Juan Chavez and Sam Messam all having experience in NSW’s top football level.
The Cup Final with the venue to be confirmed shortly will take place on Sunday 7th July.
Overall, both games are evenly poised with Football NSW keeping you up to date with live scores on its official Facebook page so make sure you hit the LIKE button for latest updates.
Waratah Cup Semi-Finals
Wednesday 19th June
Sutherland Sharks v St George FC – Seymour Shaw Park
Bonnyrigg White Eagles v APIA Leichhardt Tigers – Bonnyrigg Sports Centre
*Kick off for both matches 7:30pm
-By Mark Stavroulakis
