Supa IGA NPL NSW Men’s 2 – Finals week 1
SUPA IGA NSW National Premier League Mens 2
Finals Week 1
Week one of finals football saw two great games and two worthy winners as Fraser Park kept their season alive, eliminating the Bankstown Berries in the process while a depleted Macarthur Rams overcame Mounties Wanderers in a tempestuous affair.
Elimination Final
Fraser Park v Bankstown Berries
A stirring second half performance from Fraser Park helped to overturn a 1-0 half time deficit, running out 2-1 winners over Bankstown Berries in the elimination final on Saturday.
There was simply no stopping Fraser in a rampant second period and when David Wilson cancelled out Ante Deur’s first half strike just five minutes after the break, you could sense that it was going to be Fraser Park’s night.
That hadn’t seemed likely during a somewhat staid first half, and even though Thomas Taylor almost had Fraser in the lead as early as five minutes, it was the Berries who had looked most likely. Deur’s shot on the turn gave the Berries the lead on twenty one minutes and while Ben Vidaic did have a couple of attempts, neither drew a serious save.
That all changed in the second half though as the pace quickened immediately on restart. Nick Paras, dangerous down the left, had looked to double the Berries lead and came close to doing so too, but it was Deur who seemed certain to add to his tally, except Michael Frost was alert to the danger and smothered the shot just in time/
But as so often happens, a quick break by Fraser saw it become 1-1, when moments earlier it could have been 2-0. Wilson, in space inside the box, had time to put the shot away in the bottom corner to raise the spirits of Fraser Park. Certainly their bench rose as one when the goal came and Fraser’s game lifted almost immediately. But for the woodwork, Wilson would have had two, a direct free kick from just outside the area smashing against the bar.
The Berries began to live dangerously for a time, almost putting into their own net after great work down the right by Kevin Oliviera. They were struggling to maintain Fraser who again hit the bar, for the second time in minutes, this time from Nick Dimitropoulos.
Vidaic was beginning to become more influential, his control exemplary, as was Sash Tirovski, while Taylor was also causing the Berries plenty of problems. They were certainly on a roll and the Berries were at times struggling to keep up.
But even so, the Berries almost had a lifeline when Dimitri Zakilas got on the end of a Yianni Tsattalios cross, a good chance, but cleanly held by Frost.
Within two minutes of that close call, Fraser took the lead. And what an exquisite shot it was. Mitchell Davidson started the move, and finished it too with a superb curling left footer, sneaking past Nestor Tsioustas. If a goal deserved to win a game, it was this one. Not only that, it produced near delirium on the Fraser Park bench.
Fraser weren’t satisfied with just that one though, and urged on by a prowling Albin Mikulski, they could have had another. Oliveira again got to the byeline, past the defenders, and cut in sharply. Unfortunately for Fraser, the effort drew no reward.
With just six minutes to go, in an enthralling forty five minutes, the Berries had the ball in the net for what seemed their equaliser. Alex Becerra shot hard after Fraser failed to clear, but the linesman’s flag ruled out the effort for offside, much to the displeasure of the Berries. Not for Becerra’s strike, but for a previous hit on goal.
Some pressure from the Berries in the dying moments always suggested the chance of a goal, even Tsioustas coming up late for free kicks, but Fraser Park held firm, and their season continues on.
“That was the best second half we have had in the league this year”, stated Albin Mikulski.
“All the players played well, and the win shows that they have the ability to raise their level of play”.
“It is a great result for the club too, who have all worked hard to get Fraser Park where we are now. We are a club with great tradition, and I am confident that we have the ability to reach the Premier League in a few years. I have had some offers already to coach there [in the PL] but I am sure that I can get there with this club”.
Mikulski acknowledges that on field discipline will need to improve though.
“We have finished a couple of games with nine players and a couple of others with ten. Against St George, we were leading but they scored twice in five minutes near the end, and we had two send offs there. We have lost eleven points from being short, so instead of finishing on thirty four points, we could have had forty five. That is the difference”.
With a couple of players returning from suspension for next week’s game, Fraser Park will surely learn that lesson.
John Calleja was honest in his overall assessment of the game.
“They deserved to win”, he said. “We couldn’t match them in the second half, and you can’t argue with the result”.
“Vidaic had the ball on a string for large parts of that second half, and we gave him too much room. Thomas Taylor also gave us some trouble. To be honest, even allowing for our disallowed goal, they deserved the win tonight”.
Fraser Park 2 (David Wilson 50’, Mitchell Davidson 69’) v Bankstown Berries 1 (Ante Deur 21’)
Saturday 31 August 2013
at Jensen Park, Sefton
Referee: Michael Weiner
Assts: Craig Fisher and Nathan Wotton
Fraser Park: 1. Michael Frost (c) 2. Rocci Gabey 19. Nick Dimitropoulos 3. Andrew Vitucci 7. Kevin Oliviera 10. Carlo Musumeci (20. Hussein Akil 9’) 8. David Wilson 15. Sash Tirovski (29. Shivan Swamy 84’) 18. Mitchell Davidson (17. Fabio da Silva 89’) 4. Thomas Taylor 14. Ben Vidaic.
Subs not used: 5. Harrison Brown 40. Wayne Estavao
Yellow Cards: Fabio da Silva
Coach: Albin Mikulski
Bankstown Berries: 40. Nestor Tsioustas 12. Yianni Tsattalios 4. Alex Becerra 6. Gary Hill 2. Adam Savetta 14. Nick Paras (10. John Tsironis 54’) 5. Shannon Burgin (15. Pan Gotsis 76’) 8. Ante Deur (c) (7. Chris Gaitatzis 76’) 13. Kyle Ewart 9. Kodjo Adjassou 19. Dimitri Zakilas.
Subs not used: 27. Chris Becerra 33. Matthew Trotter.
Yellow Cards: Alex Becerra, Yianni Tsattalios, Kyle Ewart.
Coach: John Calleja
Qualifying Final
Macarthur Rams v Mounties Wanderers
A backs-to-the-wall nine man Macarthur Rams hung on in gallant fashion against Mounties Wanderers on Sunday to secure their passage to next week’s major semi final with a 2-1 win.
This was a finals game which lived up to all expectations and the continued rivalry between these two clubs was again on show at Popondetta Park, in another hard fought and tense contest.
The final twenty minutes was worth the admission alone as the heat began to rise. Macarthur had gone a goal up midway through the first half, an unmarked Shannon Hankin heading home a cross from Alvaro Malmierca, after good lead up play down the left from Craig Cooley. Mounties had had their chances to draw level, but Chad Taylor had excelled in denying firstly Daniel Severino and then Greg Baldock.
But it was in the second half that the game really picked up speed. The Rams had three early chances after the restart to increase their lead and how they didn’t remains a mystery. Hankin looked certain to score but Ali Akbal did extremely well in saving with his legs, while Almir Dizdaric and Neftali Gonzalez had good chances too. Gonzalez particularly was in superb form, and his runs from midfield, and his excellent left foot, was always a danger.
Mounties’ closest opportunity was a drive from Severino from at least thirty metres and it was not far away. The Rams though looked to be safely holding Mounties, at least until the 70th minute.
That was when the first red card of the afternoon was awarded. Singh had been unfairly tackled, a free kick to the Mounties the decision, but the aftermath of Wither apparently dropping the ball on Singh drew the attention of the linesman. After consultation between the officials, Wither was sent from the field, much to his bewilderment and consternation.
Down to ten, the Rams still had twenty minutes to survive. It may not have been pretty but they still looked likely to do so until, amazingly, they had a second red card. Substitute Joel Craig, brought on for Hankin after the first red to help shore up the midfield, was sent off himself for an errant elbow.
Now with nine, it surely would be tough for Macarthur. It seemed so too as Mounties equalised three minutes later, and still with five minutes to go. Daine Merrin touched home in the 85th, and seemingly the Mounties would go on with it from here.
But in a script that just couldn’t be written, it was Macarthur who regained the lead. Three minutes from time, a corner was won, and even Chad Taylor threw himself forward. But it was to Ko Kimura that the ball fell, and after a brief control, Kimura was able to slam it past Akbal before taking off to the sidelines in sheer delight.
What a finish to a game that promised a lot and delivered plenty.
“Whenever we are down, we always keep going”, said Claudio Canosa. “That is a credit to the side, we just never give up”.
“Even when we were short today, we stuck to our tactical plan, and it came off. We knew that Alvin Singh would be a danger but I felt that we really kept him under control today. As for our second goal, sometimes you just throw caution to the wind. We had nine, what were we supposed to do? Taylor went up, maybe caused a bit of confusion and it went our way”.
“Now we will have to reshuffle our side for next week. We will probably only have twelve available, and St George will be tough, but we will be ready”.
Macarthur Rams 2 (Shannon Hankin 22’, Ko Kimura 87’) v Mounties Wanderers 1 (Daine Merrin 85’)
Sunday 1 September 2013
at Popondetta Park, Emerton
Referee: Adrian Arndt
Assts: Scott Edeling and Thomas Lee
Macarthur Rams: 1. Chad Taylor 2. Craig Cooley (c) 5. Calum Fleming 13. Daniel Carozza 18. Daniel Ramirez 19. Alvaro Malmierca 17. Adam Wither 12. Neftali Gonzalez (30. Luke Beezem 90’) 7. Ko Kimura 9. Shannon Hankin (15. Joel Craig 70’) 11. Almir Dizdaric (18. Joseph Cartisano 88’)
Subs not used: 23. Aaron Farringdon 40. Augustin Machado.
Yellow Cards: Shannon Hankin, Daniel Carozza, Joel Craig
Red cards: Adam Wither 68’, Joel Craig 82’.
Coach: Claudio Canosa
Mounties Wanderers: 22. Ali Akbal 3. Tim Salvaggio 18. Mark D’Alessandro (c) 16. Scott Goodwin 6. Peter Day (Bradley Oud 36’) 2. Eli Squillacioti 17. Daniel McCann 27. Daniel Severino (10. Daniel Willoughby 70’) 31. Daine Merrin 4. Greg Baldock (4. Mark Symington 70’) 25. Alvin Singh.
Subs not used: 1. Jackson Franich 24. Klime Setkukoski
Yellow Cards: Mark D’Alessandro, Alvin Singh, Daine Merrin.
Coaches: Aiden Desmond and Glenn Lockhart.
Under 20s
A single goal victory to Spirit FC saw them defeat Bankstown Berries to move into the major semi final next weekend, where they will meet Hills Brumbies. Robert Polistino scored midway through the second half for the 1-0 win.
St George progressed past the elimination final after a late goal from James Spanoudakis, with ten minutes to go, secured a 2-1 win over Mount Druitt Town Rangers. Andrew Grey had put the Saints in front but a first half equaliser from Rangers saw the teams head in at half time 1-1. Spanoudakis’ late winner sees St George clash with Bankstown Berries next weekend
