Mens State League 1 Round 17 Review
Round 17 action saw a huge victory for Hakoah against second placed Northbridge in the race for the Premiership.
Camden continued their recent revival with their third win on the trot, while Balmain and Hawkesbury still have ambitions of finals football after crucial wins.
Northbridge FC v Hakoah Sydney City East FC
Sunday’s top of the table clash certainly lived up to its billing with Hakoah claiming the points in a thrilling 3-2 victory against Northbridge.
With regular right back Lee Jones out injured for Northbridge, Michael Cole slotted into his position, while talented midfielder Agneesh Lahiri also came into the line-up. For Hakoah keeper Daniel Conway stepped into the line-up.
As expected the opening exchanges were extremely hard fought, with both teams coming out with a high tempo right from the start. Both sides looked to move the ball around sharply, but it was Northbridge who looked slightly more threatening when on the break.
The 10th minute saw Hakoah danger man Lloyd Owusu with half an opening, but his volley blazed over the bar.
No clear cut chances were created by either side as the half proceeded, with defences clearly on top, but the combination of Michael Cole and Matthew Alessi on the right hand side looked promising for Northbridge. In the midfield, Northbridge duo Marquin Smith and Ricky Woodward looked to gain the ascendency.
Hakoah looked a little disjointed with their usual possession game being disrupted by Northbridge’s pressing style, but the away side still looked to play forward, and a corner in the 27th minute saw Nathan Bowden-Haase go close to opening the scoring, but his back post header was off target.
The game came to life in the 35th minute with Lewis Walker opening the scoring for Northbridge. The play was started by Agneesh Lahiri, who showed some nice skill to link up with Michael Cole, who then sent in a quality delivery into the Hakoah box, and striker Oliver Babington let the ball run through to an onrushing Lewis Walker, who slammed the ball into the back of the net to make the score 1-0 to Northbridge.
Hakoah looked to respond with a quick breakaway minutes later, but Captain Neil Jablonski and Owusu got their wires crossed with a promising move beckoning.
As the half came to a close Northbridge steamed forward from a counter attack and striker Oliver Babington played a delightful ball to Matthew Alessi, but after bursting into the box the right wingers shot went straight into the arms of Hakoah keeper Daniel Conway. The score remained 1-0 to Northbridge as both sides went to the sheds for a well-earned break.
Hakoah Coach Mark Robertson’s half time team talk looked to have had an immediate impact as the away side created a chance minutes into the second half. Lloyd Owusu held up and laid off the ball to overlapping Mike Katz, with the right back sending a delightful cross for Kevin Lopes at the front post, but despite making firm contact the striker’s header was just wide of the target.
The 50th minute saw another line up reshuffle for Northbridge with right winger Michael Alessi leaving the field injured, and in his place came on midfield dynamo Paul Orgad. Moments later however it was Hakoah who went close again, this time Jordan Mundell connected with a free header at the back post, but the midfielder was unable to find the target.
Northbridge looked to have weathered Hakoah’s initial charge, but in the 55th minutes a loose ball across the field by Northbridge left Lloyd Owusu racing in on goal. The striker steadied himself as keeper Jack Rushworth come out, and was able to slot the ball into the goal to level the scores at 1-1.
Hakoah had the momentum now and a free kick in the 60th minute spelled more danger for Northbridge. Captain Jablonski whipped in a free kick to the back post and Nathan Bowden-Haase rose highest and powered his header back across the goal and into the back of the net to give Hakoah a 2-1 lead.
A shell shocked Northbridge looked to get back into the contest, but Hakoah striker Lloyd Owusu continued to cause problems for the Northbridge backline, while in the middle of the park Captain Jablonski started to exert his influence on the game.
Despite losing the ascendency, Northbridge weren’t about to lie down. Oliver Babington got the home side back in the contest in the 67th minute when a corner was swung into the box by Northbridge, and after an initial touch by Jay Wynter, the ball fell invitingly to Babington who slammed the ball into the roof of the net.
With the game now evenly balanced, Northbridge suffered a setback in the 72nd minute with Captain Ricky Woodward being forced from the field with a groin injury. On for the captain was substitute Kieran Hall, who tried his luck from long range shortly after coming on, but his shot flashed wide of the goal.
Neither team refused to give an inch as the game headed into the home stretch, and Hakoah freshened up their line up by bringing on Deklan Gilmartin and Jarrod Basger, and it was the latter who was involved in a Hakoah move in the 81st minute which lead to the game winner. A quick break by Hakoah saw Basger play the ball to Mark McAlpine on the left hand side, and McAlpine sent in an early cross towards Lloyd Owusu at the back post, with the striker meeting the ball perfectly and placing his side foot shot back across the goal and into the bottom corner, much to the delight of the travelling Hakoah fans.
The final minutes of the game saw both sides put it all on the line as Northbridge looked to mount one last push for an equalising goal, while Hakoah looked to hold firm and kill the game off at the other end.
A late corner for Northbridge right at the death saw one last scare for the away side, with everyone including Northbridge keeper Jack Rushworth piling into the Hakoah box. And it was indeed keeper Rushworth who managed to meet the ball with a firm header that strayed just wide of the goal, in what proved to be the last kick of the game.
The referee blew full time as Hakoah held on to claim a huge 3-2 victory which sparked big celebrations from players and fans alike. The win sees Hakoah move 11 points clear in the race for the Minor Premiership, and Mark Robertson’s men showed great character and determination to turn the match around after being outgunned in the first half.
Best on ground for Hakaoh was two goal hero Lloyd Owusu. The evergreen striker was clinical on the afternoon and stepped up when his team needed him most, with two quality strikes clinching the game for his side. Forward Mark McAlpine also had a strong game with some clever footwork and nicely timed runs throughout the afternoon getting his team on the front foot, while centre back Nathan Bowden-Haase marshalled the backline expertly and popped up with a goal as well.
Hakoah’s coach Mark Robertson shared his thoughts after the game, “I thought it was a tough game, it always is against Northbridge. You have to work for it to get results here and credit to our boys they’ve done that”.
For Northbridge, despite being disappointed with the result, they can take comfort in the fact they controlled large spells of the game and pushed the league leaders all the way. With the finals quickly approaching, the Bridge will definitely be one of the teams to watch.
Best on ground for Northbridge included midfielder Marquin Smith, who was a real force in the centre of the park with his strength in the tackle and precise distribution. Upfront Oliver Babington got on the scoresheet and was a threat for Northbridge all afternoon, using his speed to stretch the Hakoah defence and also showing nice link up play with his midfield.
Coach Joe Haywood was disappointed with the result but not with his team’s performance, “I thought we battled and competed really well. The team showed a lot of character which I was really happy about, to come from 2-1 down to 2-2, but then a slight switch off at the back has cost us the game”.
Match Stats
Northbridge FC 2 L.Walker, O.Babington)
Hakoah 3 (L.Owusu x2, N.Bowden-Haase)
Sunday, 20th of July, 2014
Northbridge Oval, Northbridge
Referee: J.Bitas
Assistant Referees: T.Harris, M.Wright
Northbridge FC: 38.Matthew Alessi (14.Paul Orgad 48’), 8.Michael Cole Raymond Lee, 10.Mitchell Lensink 20.Oliver Babington, 32.Jack Rushworth, 13.Marquin Smith, 19.Lewis Walker, 6.Ricky Woodward(12.Kieran Hall 70’), 11.Jay Wynter, 18.Agneesh Lahiri, 23.Raymond Lee
Substitutes Not Used: 5.James Collins, 15.Jake Marvin, 21.Thierry Heut
Yellow Cards: O.Babington, 10.M.Lensink
Red Cards: Nil
Hakoah Sydney City East FC: 45.Jack Conway 4. Bradley Walker 36. Nathan Bowden-Haase, 39. Michael Randall, 16. Mark McAlane 14. Gavin Macpherson (20. Deklan Gilmartin 78’) 8. Jordan Mundell 11. Neil Jablonski, 33. Kevin Lopes (19.Jarrod Basger 78’) 9.Lloyd Owusu, 15. Michael katz
Substitutes Not Used: 6. Nathan Kosmina, 7. Daan Ranshjijsen, 17. Joe Dingwar
Yellow Cards: 44.Nathan Bowden-Haase, 11.N Jablonski, 4.Bradley Walker
Red Cards: Nil
Hawkesbury City SC v Dulwich Hill FC
Hawkesbury City kept up their chances of finals football with a hard fought 2-1 victory over Dulwich Hill on Saturday evening.
The Hawks opened the scoring via the penalty spot, with Paul Cooper tucking the ball home to make it 1-0 to the Hawks.
James Mawein then doubled the lead for Hawkesbury with his strike making it 2-0 at halftime.
Malik Ballouch pulled a goal back for Dulwich Hill, converting a penalty with 15 minutes to go to set up a nervy finish, but the Hawks held on for a crucial 2-1 win.
Hawkesbury City SC 2 (P.Cooper, J.Mawein) Dulwich Hill FC 1 (M.Bellouch)
Camden Tigers v Western NSW Mariners FC
Camden Tigers continued their recent resurgence with a 2-0 victory against Western NSW Mariners on Saturday night.
A tight opening saw neither team able to break the deadlock in the first half, and the teams went into the break all tied up.
A red card to Nick Spice left the Mariners with 10 men, and soon after the home side opened the scoring when Callum Rogers found the back of the net for Camden.
The home side made sure of the points when second half substitute Dean Mugridge double the scores to hand Camden their third win in a row.
Camden Tigers 2 (D. Mugridge, C. Rogers) Western NSW Mariners FC 0
Stanmore Hawks v Granville Rage
Stanmore Hawks and Granville Rage played out a 2-2 draw on Sunday afternoon.
With no goals scored in the first 75 minutes, the game came to life in the final 15 minutes with Stanmore taking the lead through Jamal Boutkabout.
But Granville hit back with two goals in quick succession from Almir Dizdaric and Nenos Bobo.
With 5 minutes to go Stanmore claimed a point when Anthony Papadopoulos tied the game at 2-2.
Stanmore Hawks 2 (J.Boutkabout, A.Papadopoulos) v Granville Rage 2 (A.Dizdaric, N.Bobo)
Nepean FC v Balmain Tigers FC
Balmain Tigers pushed their claim for finals football with a 2-1 victory over Nepean FC.
Josh Karpes gave Balmain a one goal lead at half time, but Nepean struck back late in the game with Jack Long scoring from a free kick in the 90th minute to level the scores.
But there was more late drama when Dominic Arcella scored a late winner deep into stoppage time.
Nepean FC 1 (J.Long) v Balmain Tigers FC 2 (J.Karpes, D.Arcella)
Inter Lions v Gladesville Ryde Magic
Gladesville got back on track with a 4-0 victory over Inter Lions on Sunday night.
Two early goals put Gladesville in control, with Majid Eslami and Stephen Lloyd scoring inside the first ten minutes.
The second half saw John Martinez and Andrew McKie complete the scoring.
Inter Lions 0 v Gladesville Ryde Magic 4 (M.Eslami, S.Lloyd, J.Martinez, A.McKie)
-By Diego Munoz
