Spartans smash Saints for six
THE round 19 encounter between St George FC and Blacktown Spartans FC at Seymour Shaw Park was won by Blacktown Spartans who, with an extremely strong second half display, clinched all three points against the home side.
The win pushed the Spartans to top spot of the IGA NPL NSW Mens 1 ladder on goal difference after rivals Blacktown City suffered a 2-0 loss at the hand of the Rockdale City Suns.
St George FC played some good football in the first half but were overwhelmed by an extremely strong comeback in the second half by the visitors. It was a very astute display.
In the seventh minute a diagonal shot from close range by George Codrea hit a Blacktown Spartans defender and the ball went just wide of the goal. Shortly afterwards from close Christopher Gomez hit the side netting as St George FC pushed forward once again to no avail.
In the 19’ minute David Talevski charged through the Spartans team from midfield but, in the end, his finishing let him down as his weak shot was no trouble for Carlos Saliadarre.
In the 24’ minute St George FC deservedly took the lead through Juan Chavez who volleyed the ball in from close range after a Bruno Pivato header appeared perhaps to be already travelling towards the back of the net. Pivato had jumped at full stretch to head the ball towards goal after a delightful cross from David Dascal.
In the 38’ minute Raymond Miller from out wide tried his luck with a speculator type shot that Dion Shaw did well to bring under control. St George FC replied immediately when Chavez made a nice run down the left and then he put a cross in for Talevski who volleyed wide of the mark on the run.
In the 40’ minute though Blacktown Spartans equalised: Conor Evans was played through delightfully from midfield and he simply charged towards goal and finished off the move clinically by sending the ball into the bottom right hand corner of the net.
In the 43’ minute a rocket from Miller from outside the box almost saw the Spartans take the lead but his shot went just over the crossbar as the game came well and truly alive in the latter part of the first half.
Both sides then went into the break shortly afterwards with the scores locked at one goal each.
In the second half, Blacktown Spartans did take the lead early on when a corner was played out to Raymond Miller who, in the 49’ minute, fired home an unstoppable shot that went straight into the net.
It was a cruel blow for the home side who until the visitors had equalised late in the first stanza of stanza had played well.
Blacktown Spartans thought that they may have had a penalty in the 58’ minute when Marton Vass and Corey Biczo collided in the box but the call from referee Stephen Lucas went against the attacking team.
However, in the 65’ minute the Spartans did deserve another goal, but it didn’t arrive, when a wonderful cross by Emmanuel Giannaros from the right reached Elsid Barkhousir who with a majestic overhead kick put the ball just over the crossbar.
In the end Barkhousir didn’t have to wait too long because a minute later he was brought down in the box by Vass and referee Lucas adjudicated that it was a penalty. He stepped up to the spot sending the goalkeeper the wrong way to give the Spartans a commanding lead.
In the 83’ minute Raymond Miller scored his second goal of the game when, from close range in the box, he received the ball and then struck home.
Two minutes later a long, looping ball forward reached Barkhousir unmarked in the box and, with a very nice volley, he simply put the ball past Shaw in St George’s goal for his second and his team’s fifth.
A cross from the by-line well into stoppage time reached Corey Biczo who slotted home his side’s sixth goal to make it well and truly a tennis score in the end.
After the game Carlos Saliadarre, the captain and goalkeeper of Blacktown Spartans, was very pleased with such a clinical performance by his side.
“We are very pleased absolutely, because we spoke about it all week. About actually playing football and going back to what we did earlier in the season and today was a great demonstration of that,” he said.
“In the first half they worked really well and scored a goal against us and full credit to them but in the second half, given that we heard the result against Blacktown City at halftime – not that we needed extra motivation – we finished off the job very well.”
Aleksander Jovovic spoke on behalf of St George FC. “Obviously with a 6-1 loss you are going to be disappointed because you can’t do much,” he said.
“We lost concentration in the second half. After the first goal came [late in the first half], they just kept coming. The lack of concentration has let us down throughout the season because we are starting games well. We have even been winning, such as against Bonnyrigg, but we lose concentration and our heads drop and the opposition scores.”
Match Stats
St George FC 1 (Juan Chavez 24’)
Blacktown Spartans FC 6 (Conor Evans 40’, Raymond Miller 49’, 83’, Elsid Barkhousir PEN 67’, 85’, Corey Biczo 90+2’)
Sunday 27th July, 2014
Seymour Shaw Park, Miranda
Referee: Stephen Lucas
Assistant Referees: James Tesoriero and Andrej Giev
Fourth Official: Roberto Mattei
ST GEORGE: 1.Dion Shaw, 2.Costa Andricopoulos, 3.David Dascal, 5.Bill Tsanidis, 6.Marton Vass, 7.Christopher Gomez (12.Aleksander Jovovic 60’), 8.Daniel Mitwali (16.Jonathan Castano-Acero 52’), 10.Bruno Pivato, 11.Juan Chavez (C), 19.David Talevski, 23.George Codrea (13.Lenox Tweneboa 63’).
Substitutes not used: 21.Lucas North and 34.Andreas Vais
Yellow Cards: Juan Chavez 45’+2, Daniel Mitwali 51’, Jonathan Castano-Acero 58’, Marton Vass 66’
Red Cards: Nil
BLACKTOWN SPARTANS: 1.Carlos Saliadarre (C), 2.Luke Austin (18.Zachary Freeburn 86’), 5.Luka Dukic, 6.Greg Kondek, 8.Raymond Miller, 10.Emmanuel Giannaros, 11.David Gullo (9.Elsid Barkhousir 30’), 13.Corey Biczo, 1.Benjamin Tosi, 20.Tomislav Cirjak (7.Phillip Makrys 75’), 39.Conor Evans
Substitutes not used: 14.Domenic Di Leo, 41.Nascimben Domenic
Yellow Cards: Raymond Miller 19’
Red Cards: Nil
– By Joe Russo, National Premier Leagues NSW Mens 1 Reporter, at Seymour Shaw Park
