SUPA IGA NPL NSW Mens 2 Round 17 Review
Round 17 provided a few more shake ups in the SUPA IGA NPL NSW Mens 2 ladder, with Sydney University deserved newcomers to the top five and Fraser Park climbing off the foot of the ladder.
Macarthur snapped an eight-game winless streak to get their title charge back on track, Spirit FC claimed a much-needed win over Hills and Northern Tigers controlled a goal frenzy at Jensen Park in our match of the round.
Match of the Round
Bankstown City v Northern Tigers
Northern Tigers made an emphatic statement of their Championship intentions with a 4-0 romp of Bankstown City at Jensen Park on Saturday night
Lucas Dawson and Mitchell Smith each helped themselves to a brace as Jason Eagar’s men maintained their stranglehold of second place, while the result proved only a minor blip for the Lions as they slipped one spot into fifth.
A clash of two title hopefuls always promised to be fraught with action and it delivered so from the outset, Tigers getting a slight edge in a frantic opening period with their high line of pressure.
Bankstown had their first sniff of goal on the ten minute mark courtesy of a swift passage of play, Dominic Hudap feeding Thomas Kovacs who flicked on for Huseyin Jasli, but there were no bodies in the box to latch onto the latter’s cross.
Tigers found the breakthrough just two minutes later via Lucas Dawson. Guilherme de Souza won possession on the halfway mark and played the ball forward, with it rebounding back into his path, allowing the energetic midfielder to cross for an unmarked Dawson who sent a powerful header past Matt Nemes.
The visitors had all the momentum following the goal and soon doubled their tally as Dawson clinched his brace. It was again De Souza – an omnipresent figure throughout the match – who provided the assist, this time touching through for Dawson, with the midfielder sending a sublime first time shot sailing into the top corner.
It could’ve been three moments later when Lions intercepted Aram Tayebi’s through ball but cleared back into his path. He took a touch and lashed a shot at Nemes but the goalkeeper caught it well.
The midfield trio of Shane Webb, Aaron D’Mello and Dominic Hudap looked in good touch for the hosts and proved effective in distributing the play as the Lions pushed desperately forward to pull one back.
Their best chance of the first half came after 27 minutes when Webb switched the ball wide for Stefan De Jesus, whose cross was met by the head of Dominic Hudap who couldn’t direct his effort on target.
But Tigers extended the buffer to three goals shortly before the interval, Mitchell Smith proving last week’s double against Mounties was no fluke.
A hopeful ball through looked to be cleared by an onrushing Matt Nemes, but Smith charged down the clearance and had the ball fall kindly into his path, allowing him to tap home from close range.
Polar opposite half-time talks as Tigers entered the sheds exuding confidence, leaving their opponents almost certainly in a state of damage control.
But there was no sign of a demoralised team as Lions emerged from the break on a full throttle mission.
Brima Kamara and Jason Naidovski were introduced to change the dynamics of the home side, something they have been forced to do on a number of occasions this season with a disrupted roster.
Their intent to claw the result back was clear as Jasli picked out Naidovski, but his glancing header flashed across the box.
Although the Lions proved good value at times going forward, they lacked a killer instinct and were vulnerable on the counter.
Max Glanville was regularly called into action on the right flank for Tigers and his cross in the 56th minute was only kept at bay by a good tip away from Nemes and clearance from Anthony Schmidt.
Substitutes Kamara and Naidovski combined down the other end almost immediately, with Naidovski sending a snap shot into the arms of Stuart Page.
If it wasn’t already, the match was put well beyond doubt in the 69th minute as Mitchell Smith clinched his second of the night.
De Souza went for the spectacular but skewed his kick into the path of Smith at the far post and he duly slotted home to make it 4-0.
It should’ve been five after 81 minutes when Billy Darwich’s miskick put Daniel Stuart clean through on goal, but the substitute blasted his shot straight into the arms of Nemes.
That was all she wrote on an impressive night for Northern Tigers, with Jason Eagar lauding the work of his youngsters who stepped up in the absence of the club’s two top goalscorers – Matthew West and Liam McConaghy.
It was disappointment but no panic for Bankstown City as they remain well in the hunt for a finals position, only aware of the turnaround they must produce ahead of next week’s clash with Spirit.
MATCH STATS
Bankstown City 0
Northern Tigers 4 (Lucas Dawson 12′ 18′, Mitchell Smith 39′ 69′)
Bankstown City: 15. Aaron D’Mello, 5. Billy Darwich, 21. Stefan De Jesus (30. Brima Kamara 45′), 24. Dominic Hudap, 19. Huseyin Jasli (14. Kosta Lagoudakis 77′), 12. Thomas Kovacs (22. Jason Naidovski 45′), 1. Matt Nemes, 17. James O’Rourke, 16. Anthony Schmidt, 4. Peter Vassilis, 3. Shane Webb
Subs not used: 6. Reuben Lagos, 70. N. Carosi
Yellow cards: Billy Darwich, Aaron D’Mello, Huseyin Jasli,
Red cards: Nil
Northern Tigers: 7. Shervin Adeli, 14. Ryan Batley, 16. Steven Baveas (19. Daniel Stuart 79′), 3. Lucas Dawson, 10. Guilherme De Souza (36. Jamie Craig 70′), 8. Max Glanville, 1. Stuart Page, 4. Michael Rolston, 15. Oliver Skelding (5. Samuel Ryder 90′), 18. Mitchell Smith, 17. Aram Tayebi Derazkala
Subs not used: 21. Harry Devenish-Meares, 23. Liam McConaghy
Yellow cards: Nil
Red cards: Nil
Sydney University v Mounties Wanderers
Peter Crevani was the hero as Sydney United claimed an important 2-1 win over Mounties Wanderers to move into the top five.
Uni have been on the periphery of the finals positions for a number of weeks and it took their fourth consecutive win to lift them into fourth.
Captain Crevani bagged a brace to make Daniel Willoughby’s strike a mere consolation for Wanderers, who remain in sixth place.
Sydney University 2 (Peter Crevani 2)
Mounties Wanderers 1 ( )
Fraser Park v Central Coast Mariners Academy
Fraser Park clawed their way off the foot of the ladder with an impressive 2-0 win over Central Coast Mariners Academy on Saturday night.
Second half goals to Davide Talone and Hussein Akil gifted Mile Todorovski’s side back-to-back wins for the first time this season.
The result moved Fraser Park into 11th place and extended their unbeaten streak to four matches.
The congested top half of the ladder means Mariners dropped into seventh place.
Fraser Park 2 (Davide Talone, Hussein Akil)
Central Coast Mariners Academy 0
Hills Brumbies v Spirit FC
Spirit FC bounced back from last week’s defeat to Fraser Park with a comprehensive 5-2 win over Hills.
Lilys Football Centre has been somewhat of a fortress for Brumbies this season but they were undone by a rampant Spirit who jumped into ninth place and now sit just two points behind Hills.
Hills Brumbies 2
Spirit FC 5
Mt Druitt Town Rangers v Macarthur Rams
Macarthur’s eight-match winless streak has finally come to an end as the Rams picked up a 2-0 win over Mt Druitt Town Rangers to steer their title charge back on track.
Goals in either half from Louis Duchesne and Alvaro Malmierca ensured Rams kept hold of third place and established some breathing space from the finals chasers.
Rangers slipped to ninth and now sit just one point above bottom-placed Bankstown Berries.
Mt Druitt Town Rangers 0
Macarthur Rams 2 (Louis Duchesne, Alvaro Malmierca)
Parramatta FC v Bankstown Berries
Parramatta were made to work to maintain their seven-point lead atop the Mens 2 standings, but they emerged with yet another victory, this time edging Bankstown Berries 1-0.
John Tsironis came back to haunt his former side with the only goal of the match in the first half to relegate Berries into 12th spot, although there is but a hair length separating the bottom four sides.
Parramatta FC 1 (John Tsironis)
Bankstown Berries 0
– By Mitchell Grima
