SUPA IGA NSW NPL Mens 2 Round 20 Review

St George and Macarthur Rams are the two clubs left fighting for the Premiership with the odds heavily in favour of St George, with just three games to go.
Remarkably Spirit FC have emerged as likely finals participants after claiming eighteen points from their past eighteen, with Mounties Wanderers and Bankstown Berries filling out the five.
Mount Druitt Town Rangers have all but scored the wooden spoon after suffering a 5-2 reversal to the Berries.
Juan Chavez increased his goals tally to sixteen, taking a three goal lead against club mate Sam Messam in the race for Golden Boot honours.
St George v Hills Brumbies
St George took a step closure to claiming the Premiership with a hard fought 1-0 win over a determined Hills Brumbies, a goal by Juan Chavez fourteen minutes from time earning the Saints the points.
The gap of six points remains ahead of the only challengers left standing, Macarthur Rams, but with both sides still having three games to play, the title is unlikely to be decided for a couple of games just yet.
St George had to work very hard for this win against a well organised Hills side who limited the scoring chances, and came very close to taking away a point. The Saints may have had the majority of the possession but they were finding it difficult to create clear cut opportunities. Most shots on goal tended to be from distance and without a lot of power, rarely troubling Nenad Vekic.
The Brumbies were happy to rely on breaks, with Daniel Fogarty their main threat, his pace causing considerable trouble to St George. For as long as the game remained scoreless, Hills were always in with a chance of an upset, despite allowing the league leaders to dominate on the ball. Considering that the Saints had four goals before half time the last time these two sides met, this was a markedly improved Hills performance.
St George had rested Aleks Jovovic to the bench for this game, the left sided midfielder having picked up a couple of niggles in recent weeks, but with the score still 0-0 at the hour, Jovovic was introduced in an attempt to help unlock the Hills backline. The double substitution, with Matt Sadler also coming on for the right side, did the trick.
The pace and directness of Jovovic down the left became the most likely source of a goal, and with fourteen minutes left on the clock, it duly arrived.
A low hard cross from the left, and who else but Juan Chavez was there to meet the ball first time, knocking past Vekic.
The Brumbies reacted by bringing on Lord Darkoh and Michael Noro, and the visitors didn’t go down without a fight. But having got their noses in front, St George weren’t going to give up that hard earned lead from here.
St George 1 (Juan Chavez 76’) v Hills Brumbies 0
Saturday 10 August 2013
at St George Stadium
Referee: David Christie
Assts: Joon Park and Kearney Robertson
St George: 23 Dion Shaw 6. Sean Thomas 2. Michael Smith 5. Bill Tsanidis (7. George Lagoudakis 71’) 35. Costa Andricopoulos 10. Bruno Pivato 16. Jonathan Castano-Acero 18. George Codrea (22. Matt Sadler 60’) 19. Nick Napoli 9. Sam Messam (12. Aleks Jovovic 60’) 11. Juan Chavez (c).
Subs not used: 60. Daniel Nash
Yellow cards: Nick Napoli 
Coach: Manny Spanoudakis
Hills Brumbies: 32. Nenad Vekic (c) 7. Andrew Schmidt 3. Glen Downey 17. Will Thom 15. Brad Robertson 11. Jeffrey Issa (14. Lord Darkoh 86’) 8. Keunike Maralit 16. Wade Giovenali 7. Kwasi Nsiah (4. Jovan Miladinovic 77’) 19. Daniel Fogarty 9. Dragan Savic. Subs not used: 5. Russell Farrell Rgk T Sherwood
Yellow Cards: Nil
Coach: Mark Abi-Arrage
Macarthur Rams v Mounties Wanderers
Macarthur Rams kept up the pressure on leaders St George with a 1-0 win over Mounties Wanderers, making sure that the title still remains up for grabs.
The Rams certainly had to do it the hard way though, going a man down in the first half when Joel Craig was red carded early in the piece. But despite the lack of numbers, it was Macarthur who got the all important goal, Shannon Hankin scoring with thirteen minutes left on the clock. The goal was made by Calum Fleming, who got the better of Mounties keeper Ali Akbal near the goal line, before cutting back for Hankin.
A late send off to Mark D’Alessandro, also with a straight red, meant that both sides finished the match with equal, but reduced, numbers. 
Macarthur Rams 1 (Shannon Hankin 77’) v Mounties Wanderers 0
Bankstown Berries v Mount Druitt Town Rangers
Bankstown Berries got back on track with an ultimately comfortable 5-2 win over Mount Druitt Town Rangers, the Berries back in the five after other results on the night went their way.
It took a while for them to get going though, having to come from a goal down after Hosyar Cakal took advantage from some sloppy defensive play to put Rangers 1-0 up. But a depleted Berries side, missing regulars such as Adem Kir, Kyle Ewart, John Tsironis and Nestor Tsioustas, rallied to go ahead with goals to Pan Gotsis and Ante Deur. Cakal then got Mount Druitt back on level terms with his ninth goal of the season to draw level at 2-2.
That scoreline lasted just sixty seconds though as the Berries immediately went ahead 3-2 when Gary Hill connected from a corner before Deur and Gotsis each got their second goals of the night to send the Berries home 5-2.
It was a great result for Bankstown Berries who finished the game with five Under 20s on the park, including keeper Chris Becerra, who replaced the injured George Bouropoulos at half time.
“That result was what we needed”, stated John Calleja. “Even though we conceded that sloppy first goal, we always appeared comfortable and the young guys did really well”.
“A few other results went our way too which really sets up next week’s game against Macarthur to be a big one. There will need to be a few decisions to be made too, as we now have Alex Becerra back as well as Dimitri Zakilas. It gives me a few options to consider”, he finished.
The loss all but confirms Rangers for the wooden spoon, after Sydney University’s win against Parramatta.
Bankstown Berries 5 (Pan Gotsis 2, Ante Deur 2, Gary Hill) v Mount Druitt Town Rangers 2 (Hosyar Cakal 2)
Sydney University v Parramatta FC
Parramatta’s run to the finals were dealt a blow by Sydney University who ran out 3-1 winners on Saturday, and that after coming from a goal down. 
After Robert Tribbia had given the Eagles the lead, connecting to an inswinging corner, an unfortunate own goal by Anthony Avanti gifted Uni an equaliser. The advantage still looked to go Parramatta’s way when they were awarded a penalty but Devante Clut failed in his attempt from the spot. Uni then had their chance to take the lead when they were awarded their own penalty but the young Lucas North, in for the injured Justin Biega, showed his worth by saving Uni’s spotkick.
It wasn’t the best night for Parramatta though, who were second best for most of the evening and two goals for Uni in the final quarter of an hour gave them only their fourth win of the season.
“They were too good for us on the night”, conceded Lee Sterrey. “It was disappointing considering what we had to play for, but they were up for the fight. They were first to every ball and we didn’t get a second ball at all”.
“They caused us a lot of headaches and you would not have thought that they were in the bottom two. They played as good as sides in the top two, as good as St George on the night”.
Sydney University 3 (Anthony Avanti o.g, TBA x 2) v Parramatta 1 (Robert Tribbia)
Spirit FC v Fraser Park
They must have put something in the water at Christie Park as Spirit collected their sixth win on the trot to move into outright third position on the ladder, virtually securing themselves finals football, when a little over a month ago that target must have looked almost impossible.
They were no doubt helped here by Fraser Park having Paulo Oliviera and Davide Talone sent off, the third time this season that Fraser have finished a game with nine players.
A second half goal to Tim Simpson got Spirit the points, and the remarkable turnaround doesn’t show any signs of ending just yet.
Spirit FC 1 (Tim Simpson) v Fraser Park 0
Bankstown City v Northern Tigers
Bankstown City’s slim hopes of sneaking into the finals were all but quashed when Northern Tigers held them to a 1-1 draw at Jensen Park, although the result was not the best for the Tigers either.
James O’Rourke put the Lions in front, heading home a Reuben Lagos corner just six minutes in. But the Tigers had their equaliser before half time, Aram Tayebi finishing off a great team goal. David McMurray made a surging run down the left, linking with Stefan de Jesus before crossing deep to Adam Biddle. Biddle returned the cross neatly back into the area for Tayebi to rise unchallenged.
De Jesus almost got the Tigers in front but his first time strike from a corner was cleared off the line by Lagos before Daniel Cunningham headed the resultant corner against the upright.
The Lions’ best chance for a winner fell to Lagos whose scuffed shot was fumbled away by Page, ten minutes from time.
Bankstown City 1 (James O’Rourke 6’) v Northern Tigers 1 (Aram Tayebi 33’)
Leading Goalscorers
16 –       Juan Chavez                 (St George)
13 –       Sam Messam                (St George)
11 –       Danny Choi                   (Parramatta)
10 –       Saso Petrovski             (ex – Bankstown City)
Jamie Watt                    (Sydney University)
9 –        Hosyar Cakal                (Mount Druitt Town Rangers)
Daniel Severino             (Mounties Wanderers)
Under 20s
Hills Brumbies and Bankstown Berries both continued on their winning ways as they go head to head for the title. Hills got the better of St George with goals to Jared Seager and Glen Kelshaw with Marino Musumeci replying for the Saints. The Berries took the win by the solitary goal over Mount Druitt to stay second on goal difference. 
Spirit stay in third but a massive fourteen points adrift, despite only drawing 1-1 with Fraser Park. Fabio da Silva gave Fraser a half time lead but an equaliser to Robert Polistina made sure of a share of the points.  Macarthur Rams stay level with Spirit on points following their 2-2 draw with Mounties. A brace to Christian Ciampa for the Mounties was cancelled out by goals to Nicholas Mugridge and Sean Luttrell.
Sydney University and Parramatta also shared the points, the two sides drawing 1-1 at Hensley Field. Northern Tigers dealt Bankstown City another hefty loss running out winners 6-2.
St George 1 Hills Brumbies 2, Bankstown Berries 1 Mount Druitt Town Rangers 0, Macarthur Rams 2 Mounties Wanderers 2, Spirit FC 1 Fraser Park 1, Sydney University 1 Parramatta FC 1, Bankstown City 2 Northern Tigers 6.
-By Peter Rowney