Mens State League 1 Round 12 Review
Round 12 action saw 29 goals scored in the Mens State League 1 competition as the goals keep mounting for season 2014.
There were some big wins for Inter Lions, Hakoah and Northbridge, while Balmain claimed victory in an epic contest against Granville Rage.
Western NSW Mariners FC v Gladesville Ryde Magic
Gladesville overcame Western NSW Mariners 2-1 in a tightly contested encounter on Saturday night.
Glen Willow Regional Sports Stadium in Mudgee was the venue for this weeks match of the round, and with state of the art facilities and a picturesque setting, both teams had the opportunity to showcase their talents on a first class venue that ranks amongst the best in the competition.
The match got off to fast start as the Mariners looked to make an early statement with some early pressure on the Gladesville goal, but it was the Gladesville who took early control of the game with Wol Reec giving the away side the lead after 6 minutes. The goal came from a set piece, with a Cameron Newton corner met by Reec with a thumping header which left the keeper with no chance.
Only a few minutes later matters got worse for the Mariners with Gladesville making it 2-0. It started with a counter attack by the away side, with some quick passing in the midfield between Martinez and Mckie leading to Majid Eslami being brought down in the box and winning a penalty. Despite a great initial save by Mariners keeper Bryce Deaton, the rebound was tucked home by Chris Gaitatzis.
With the Mariners now down 2-0, the home side spent the next part of the match trying to settle into the game and get some possession back in their favour. But it was Gladesville who looked crisper on the ball and Chris Gaitatzis nearly added another goal when he pounced on a sloppy back pass, but his shot was well saved down low by the keeper.
In the 32nd minute there was another set piece chance for Gladesville when Alistair Mckie’s free kick was well met by Alexander Morris, but the defenders header flashed just wide of the left post.
The Mariners seemed to have weathered the initial barrage, and as the rain started to come in, they composed themselves and started to build from the back, with some nice passing leading to their first big chance of the game. Centre back John Rimmer played a delightful switch to Nathan Davis, who crossed the ball into the path of Kenny McCall, but his low shot was smothered well by Gladesville keeper Kiriakos Tohouroglou.
But they didn’t have to wait long for their way back into the game to arrive, as Adam Scimone got one back for the Mariners on the stroke of half time. A pinpoint cross from Jesse Lane saw right winger Scimone meet the ball at the front post and squeeze it past the Gladesville keeper to make it 2-1. Moments later the half time whistle blew and the Mariners were back in the game.
The second half got underway and the game developed into a tight contest, with the goal really lifting the Mariners. Both teams sensed the next goal was vital, but it was Gladesville who looked the likelier to get on the scoresheet, and the 55th minute saw some good work by Wol Reec lead to a chance for Stephen Lloyd to increase the margin, but the striker failed to find the target after taking up a good position in the box.
The 66th minute saw a great chance for the Mariners to level the game when a mix up at the back for Gladesville allowed Adam Scimone to race in on goal, and though the winger found himself one on one with the keeper, Tohouroglou managed to close down the angle and produced a fine save.
It was an even contest now, and with both sides having chances to score, the game was on a knives edge. The longer the match went with only one goal in it, the more the Mariners felt they could take something from the game, and the nervier it became for Gladesville. With an open game producing end-to-end action tempers also started to flare, but the referee did well to keep a lid on things and keep the game flowing.
The next site on goal came in the 80th minute for the Mariners after some pressure on the Gladesville goal saw the ball fall to Nathan Davis, the left winger trying his luck with a stinging long range effort, only to be tipped over the bar by the keeper.
With the Mariners trying to find an equaliser, it was Gladesville who looked to seal the game at the other end with a few good chances. Second half substitute Yannopoulos looked especially threatening on the counter attack and came close to sealing the points when both he and Eslami just failed to get on the end of a terrific Alistair McKie cross.
It was shortly followed by another chance to Yannopoulos, who controlled a good cross by Johnny Martinez, but he couldn’t get the right contact on the ball and saw it blaze over the bar.
Moments later came the final whistle, as the referee blew full time on an exciting game.
Whilst not at their best it’s still an important three points for Gladesville, with the win leaving them firmly entrenched for a finals spot. Best on ground for the team included midfield duo Johnny Martinez, who provided a calm and steadying influence on the team, and Alistair McKie, who was at the heart of the majority of Gladesville’s attaching raids. Centre back Alexander Morris also had a fine game in the heart of defence, adding plenty of steel and composure in the back line.
Gladesville coach George Ganiatsas was pleased to get the win, “We were a few players down unfortunately but we had a good game and the boys toughed it out. We made it a bit hard on ourselves and I thought we could’ve got a few more in the first half. It’s a real tough trip out here and congratulations to the Mariners, they had a good game”.
For the Mariners it was a much improved performance, and after a slow start they found their feet and held their own for the rest of the match. Strong performances came from goal keeper Bryce Deaton, who made a string of good saves throughout the game. Centre back John Rimmer was a tower of strength at the back and directed and organised his team well for the entire 90 minutes, while Adam Scimone also had a good game, getting on the scoresheet and providing plenty of spark going forward.
Coach Andrew Fearnley reflected on the game, “We didn’t start well and it took us while to find our feet, but the goal just before half time was important. In the second half we didn’t create enough clear cut chances but we certainly tried to get back in the game and moved the ball better which was pleasing. It’s just frustrating not to get anything from that game”.
Match Stats
Western NSW Mariners FC 1 (A.Scimone)
Gladesville Ryde Magic 2 (W.Reec, C.Gaziatsis
Saturday, 14th of June, 2014
Glen Willow Stadium, Mudgee
Referee: Craig Mitchell
Assistant Referees: Chris Tomasella, Barry Neaverson-Smith
Western NSW Mariners: 10.Stuart Bromley, 4.Matthew Corbin, 37.Nathan Davis, 25.Bryce Deaton, 18. John Henry, 2. Jesse Lane (Ricky James Giuhot), 18.Kenny Mccall, 11.Adam Scimone, 3.Nikki Spice, 20.John Rimmer, 30.Owen Short (33.Saired Portegies)
Substitutes Not Used: 23.Mitchell Rooke, 26.Mathew Hobby
Yellow Cards: 2.Jesse Lane, Adam Scimone
Red Cards: Nil
Gladesville Ryde Magic: 5. Alexander Morris, 12. Stephen Speirs, 33. K Tohouroglou, 6. C Gaitatzis, 3.Cameron Newton, 7. M Eslam, 15.Stephen Lloyd (11. Peter Yannopoulos), 9.Wol Reece, 4. Samuel Alexander Powell, 10.Alistair Mckie, 8.John Martinez
Substitutes Not Used: 1.A. Frecious, 13.Benjamin Kerr 2.Tim Woonhouse
Yellow Cards: Alistair Mckie
Red Cards: Nil
Dulwich Hill FC v Hakoah Sydney City FC
Hakoah have once again stamped their authority on the competition with a 4-0 victory over Dulwich Hill.
Having previously lost to Dulwich Hill earlier in the year Hakoah was able to exact revenge with a great performance on Saturday afternoon, and the win sees Hakoah hold their five point lead at the top of the summit.
Dulwich Hill FC 0 Hakoah Sydney City FC 4 (J. Mundell, J. Dingwall , M. Mcalpine , B. Walker)
Camden Tigers v Hawkesbury City SC
Hawkesbury claimed a much needed victory on Saturday night defeating Camden Tigers 2-0.
In a tight first half which saw plenty of chances for both sides, neither team could capitalise and the score remained 0-0 at half time.
The second half saw Hawkesbury make the breakthrough as a James Mawein double wrapped up the points for the away side.
Camden Tigers 0 Hawkesbury City SC 2 (J. Mawein x 2)
Nepean FC v Inter Lions SC
Inter claimed a big win with a 5-1 victory over Nepean on Saturday night.
Inter were fast out of the blocks and raced to a 3-0 nil lead at half time.
Nepean then struck first in the second half to make the score 3-1, but Inter weren’t to be denied and two more goals for the away side made the final score 5-1 in what was one of their best performances of the season.
Nepean FC 1 (Jason Browne) Inter Lions 5 (Anthony Foti x2, Nicolas Rouco, David Amiconi, Michael Sidoti)
Stanmore Hawks v Northbridge FC
Northbridge kept up their good form with a 4-1 victory over Stanmore Hawks.
Oliver Babington opened the scoring to put Northbridge in front, but Stanmore striker Neil Philippou leveled the scores.
With half time approaching Northbridge hit the front again when Lewis Walker hit the back of the net. A Paul Orgad strike then put Northbridge up 3-1 in the second half.
Stanmore had some chances to close the gap but were foiled by some brilliant goalkeeping from Michael Rushworth in the Northbridge goal. Michael Cole then found the back of the net to make the final score 4-1 to Northbridge.
Stanmore Hawks 1 (N. Philippou) Northbridge FC 4 (P. Orgad, L. Walker, O. Babington, M. Cole)
Balmain Tigers FC v Granville Rage
Balmain were 5-4 winners against Granville Rage in a thrilling encounter on Sunday afternoon.
In a high scoring game Balmain were able to race to a 3-1 half time lead, but Granville struck first in the second to get back within a goal.
Balmain were then able to find the net again to make the score 4-2.
Two goals down, the Rage mounted a fight back and were able to level the scores at 4-4, but just as it looked the match was headed for a draw, a late Will Donato goal gave the Tigers a 5-4 victory in an enthralling contest.
Balmain Tigers FC 5 (Domenic Arcella, Rosario Occhipinti x2, Jacob Di Mento, Will Donato) Granville Rage 4 (M. Yel, N. Bobo, D. Harding, A. Dizdaric)
-By Diego Munoz
