SUPA IGA NSW NPL Mens 2 Round 16 Review
St George moved back to the top of the ladder after defeating Sydney University 2-1, with Parramatta FC also the big winners of the weekend, overcoming Bankstown Berries 2-1 away, to move to within a point of fifth.
The battle for a finals spot intensified with Mounties Wanderers, Northern Tigers and Macarthur, as well as the Berries, all dropping points.
Hills Brumbies v Mounties Wanderers
It hasn’t been the happiest of hunting grounds for Hills Brumbies, but they finally gained their second win at their Doonside home, defeating Mounties Wanderers 3-1 to jump two spots on the table.
The start wasn’t the most promising though with Mounties controlling the first twenty minutes of play, and the visitors probably should have had at least one goal in the opening period.
Daniel Severino had the first chance within five minutes, shooting across the face of goal and then his drive was tipped over by Nenad Vekic.
A great run by Greg Baldock on the break then looked to set up Daine Merrin but his strike was also wide. Brumbies were perhaps living a little dangerously, with their first shot of the day not arriving until midway through the half when Jin Sung Lee tried an attempt.
But after surviving that opening, Hills put some pressure on Mounties, creating a little bit of concern at the back. Kuag Reec had a great chance but shot wildly when a cooler head was needed.
Severino then tested Vekic again, the keeper pulling off a fine one handed save to deny once more.
Surprisingly then maybe, it was the Brumbies who took the lead. Daniel Fogarty was up against Ali Akbal in a race for the ball, and came off second best when Akbal upended the speedster just inside the area. A yellow to Akbal and a chance from the spot for Hills.
Lee took his time to compose and made no mistake to give the Brumbies the lead, five minutes before half time.
Only two minutes in after the break and Hills almost doubled their lead, and probably should have. Great work by Jeffrey Issa down the right saw him cross low and hard right across the goal but Fogarty mistimed his shot and the chance was lost.
But the second goal did come and it came from some very quick Hills thinking. A quick free kick caught out Mounties, and Issa was on his way. After making his way to the edge of the area, Issa set up Fogarty on the right who made sure, shooting past Akbal.
It was a happy Hills bench but the two goal lead lasted just four minutes before Mounties pulled one back. It was a soft goal to give away, Mark Symington being impeded at a corner allowing the referee to again point to the spot. There was little argument all round and Severino drove the subsequent penalty straight down the middle.
At 2-1, Mounties were well in with a chance of taking something from the game and worked hard to try and draw level. But Hills weren’t going to give up their three points easily, and the young Brumbies side did well in repelling each Mounties attack.
And when Lord Darkoh connected from a corner with just four minutes of normal time remaining, to make it 3-1, Hills were home.
Hills Brumbies 3 (Jin Sung Lee 40’ pen, Daniel Fogarty 59’, Lord Darkoh 86’) v Mounties Wanderers 1 (Daniel Severino 63’ pen)
Sunday 14 July 2013
Blacktown Sports Park
Referee: Scott Edeling
Hills Brumbies: 32. Nenad Vekic 2. Anthony Schmidt (12. Michael Noro 90’) 3. Glenn Downey 16. Jared Seager 15. Bradley Robertson 11. Jeffrey Issa 10. Eros Bergamin 13. Jin Sung Lee (14. Lord Darkoh 75’) 8. Kwasi Nsiah 18. Daniel Fogarty 17. Kuag Reec (9. Dragan Savic 78’).
Subs not used: Rgk Thomas Sherwood.
Yellow Cards: Glenn Downey, Kuag Reec.
Coach: Mark Abi-Arrage
Mounties Wanderers: 22. Ali Akbal 6. Peter Day 16. Scott Goodwin 18. Mark D’Alessandro 29. Jake Ingle 31. Daine Merrin (9. Matt Viera 55’) 8. David Gardner (3. Andrew Hirmiz 89’) 17. Daniel McCann 27. Daniel Severino (24. Klime Setkukoski 84’) 4. Greg Baldock 14. Mark Symington.
Subs not used: Rgk Jackson Franich, 19. Matthew Morosin.
Yellow Cards: Ali Akbal, Scott Goodwin, Greg Baldock, Daniel Severino, Matt Viera.
Coaches: Aiden Desmond and Glenn Lockhart
St George v Sydney University
St George moved back to the top of the table with a 2-1 win but they were made to work hard for the points by a Sydney University side who dominated large portions of the game.
University took the lead after just ten minutes when Jamie Watt pounched inside the six yard box but the lead didn’t last long, just two minutes in fact, before Bruno Pivato put through Sam Messam, who drew the Saints level.
Two minutes further on, and St George took the lead themselves, when a strong run by Messam down the right resulted in the striker returning the favour to Pivato, who slotted home to make it 2-1.
Three goals inside a quarter of an hour suggested that there would be more to follow, but good goalkeeping by both Dion Shaw and Julian Harders, and some strong defending, kept the scoreline at 2-1. Uni exerted some heavy pressure during the second half, dominating territory and possession, but St George held firm.
“Tonight was all about the result”, explained the Saints’ Manny Spanoudakis. “It was a bit ugly, and it was probably our worst footballing game of the season. But it has been disruptive [with the weather] and we haven’t really been able to train properly, so I didn’t have great expectations going into tonight. And the truth is there is just no substitute for match fitness”.
“But with us winning all three grades [for the club championship], it is been a great night for the club. And we had some players return too, so we now have a squad of seventeen outfield players who can all do a job. George Codrea returned successfully from injury in the Under 20s, George Degenek played for the first time since the opening day, Simon Verrender is back with us and Bill Tsanidis is back from overseas, he hasn’t played since the Berries game”.
So things look bright for St George, and while the win might not have been pretty, the three points see the Saints back on top.
But the effort by Sydney University didn’t go unnoticed.
“We definitely deserved a point”, stated Uni’s Mark McCormick. “We were far the better team in the second half and kept pushing for a goal right to the end. It is a testament to the players that we were able to come to the biggest attacking team in the league and dominate for large periods”.
“It was disappointing to give up such goals though. They both were very light and really, we didn’t make them work hard enough to get them. But also, I think some of the decisions went St George’s way, and that had a big impact on the result”.
Uni’s football continues to impress even if the results aren’t going their way.
“We are not interested in trying to lump it long,” McCormick continued. “We are trying to play football and have been since day one. We are a really young team and it is all about having the confidence to play the right way”.
A match against Sydney FC on Tuesday night will help in that respect.
“That will be a great experience for everyone at the club. It is a chance to test ourselves against the highest level and will be a fantastic opportunity for us. We won’t be trying to kick Sydney FC off the park but will continue to try and play the way we have been, and we won’t be afraid to do that”, he finished.
St George 2 (Sam Messam 13’, Bruno Pivato 15’) v Sydney University 1 (Jamie Watt 10’)
Bankstown Berries v Parramatta FC
Bankstown Berries suffered only their second loss of the season, putting a dent in their premiership hopes, going down 2-1 to the visiting Parramatta FC on Saturday night.
They couldn’t have started off any better, taking the lead via an own goal after just two minutes. A mixup between Parramatta keeper Justin Biega and defender Hiroaki Kawasaki resulted in a backpass slipping into the net, giving the Berries a glorious start.
Parramatta responded with some dominating play but they were unable to draw level until well into the second half. Even a penalty opportunity was spurned after Daniel Rezo failed in his attempt, the penalty award also resulting in the Berries being reduced to ten, after Yianni Tsattalios was red carded.
But a second chance from the spot fifteen minutes later wasn’t wasted, and with just a quarter of an hour left to go, Danny Choi made no mistake, to make it 1-1.
It looked likely to end that way too, but substitute Niram Kanoun, on for the final five minutes, produced the winner right on the whistle.
“The Berries are a quality side and I have a lot of respect for John Calleja and his teams. He knows his football and he always produces a tough side, so I am very happy with this result”, stated Parramatta’s Lee Sterrey.
“In some ways, it makes up for the first round, as I feel we let that one slip away when it finished 0-0, as we didn’t convert our chances that day. But here, we were all over them, even moreso when they went down to ten”.
“They could have been two up inside ten minutes too, from nowhere. It was a “fantastic”’ way for us to start an away game, it would have been bad enough at home, but the next forty three minutes was all us. Our width and structure in attack was good, and Danny Choi ripped them up down the right. Frank Martey on the opposite side played his part too, and we could have had more, with a chance cleared off the line”.
The result was one of the Eagles’ best, giving them plenty of confidence with Macarthur Rams and Mounties Wanderers next up, over the next ten days.
The Berries’ John Calleja admitted his side was second best on the night.
“It was disappointing after our win midweek. Credit to Parramatta, they could have dropped their bundle after conceding so early, and maybe we didn’t do as well as we should have done”.
“But Parramatta are a good footballing side, and Danny Choi gave us a torrid time. But we will look to bounce back next week”.
Bankstown Berries 1 (Hiroaki Kawasaki o.g. 2’) v Parramatta FC 2 (Danny Choi pen 75’, Niram Kanoun 90’).
Macarthur Rams v Fraser Park
League leaders Macarthur Rams were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Fraser Park, the result seeing the Rams fall to second on the table. Despite Shannon Hankin giving Macarthur a first half lead, they were unable to hold on, and it was Pat Cappuccio, back after suspension, who ensured a share of the points for Fraser.
It was Cappuccio’s third goal in recent times, and the result keeps Fraser Park in touch with their fellow finals contenders, while the Rams are now second, but just one point off the pace.
Macarthur Rams 1 (Shannon Hankin) v Fraser Park 1 (Pat Cappuccio)
Bankstown Cityv Spirit FC
Spirit FC did the season’s double over Bankstown City, claiming a 2-0 win at Jensen Park, giving the Gladesville Hornsby side a sniff of some finals football if they can just get a run of similar results together.
Like Bankstown, they have shown relative inconsistency all season but the three points here will add extra intensity to their upcoming fixtures.
Two second half goals did the damage to the Lions, Grant Cornwell and Matthew Clowes getting on the scoresheet.
Bankstown City 0 v Spirit FC 2 (Grant Cornwell, Matthew Clowes).
Northern Tigers v Mount Druitt Town Rangers
No goals at Mills Park, a result more satisfactory to the visiting Rangers than Northern Tigers without any shadow of doubt.
A chance to go third was lost for the Tigers as the Rangers continued with some recent good results. But despite just gaining a point, Northern Tigers stay fourth, while the Rangers will look now to Tuesday’s game against the Brumbies to gain some ground on those above.
Northern Tigers 0 v Mount Druitt Town Rangers 0
Leading Goalscorers
11 – Juan Chavez (St George)
10 – Sam Messam (St George)
9 – Danny Choi (Parramatta FC), Jamie Watt (Sydney University)
8 – Daniel Severino (Mounties Wanderers)
Tom Spencer (Northern Tigers)
Under 20s
After leading unchallenged at the top of the table for large parts of the season, Bankstown Berries now find themselves ahead courtesy only of “goals scored” after suffering a shock loss to second last placed Parramatta at The Crest. Parramatta put four past the Berries who replied with three of their own, but the result means that Hills Brumbies, still yet to lose a game, now tie with the Berries on thirty five points. Hills had a comfortable 3-0 win over Mounties Wanderers.
Macarthur Rams closed the gap to the leaders to six points after they defeated Fraser Park
3-1. Nicholas Mugridge, Ashir Kadric and Blake Szumski scored for the Rams with Mohamed Douda replying for Fraser Park.
Sydney University took the lead twice against St George but were ultimately rolled with a late winner by George Codrea sending the Saints home 3-2 victors. Michael Dababneh put Uni in front on twenty minutes before Juan Chavez equalised almost immediately. Jack Golbach then collected a rebound to give Uni a 2-1 buffer, the visitors holding the lead until half time.
But the introduction at the break of regular first teamer Codrea, returning after six weeks out with injury, effectively changed the game in St George’s favour. Codrea equalised just before the hour and then slammed home the winner with three minutes remaining. A send off to St George keeper Daniel Nash occurred in injury time but was too late to have any effect on the result.
One notable feature of this game was the return to St George of Simon Verrender, after a six month sojourn at Jensen Park.
The highest winning margin of the weekend went to Mount Druitt Town Rangers who won 5-1 at Northern Tigers. A double to Jamie Dib, and one each to Mitchell King, Kurt Elborough and Ozcan Cetinay sent the Rangers on their way with Braden Cheng responding for Tigers.
Credit must also go to Bankstown City who claimed just their second victory of the season, a Thomas Kovacs goal gaining the points against Spirit FC.
Results: St George 3 Sydney University 2, Macarthur Rams 3 Fraser Park 1, Bankstown Berries 3 Parramatta FC 4, Bankstown City 1 Spirit FC 0, Northern Tigers 1 Mount Druitt Town Rangers 5, Hills Brumbies 3 Mounties Wanderers 0.
-By Peter Rowney
