Men’s State League 1 Round 19 Review

Round 19 action saw Hakoah Sydney City East FC crowned 2014 Men’s State League One Premiers.

Mark Robertson’s men are deserved winners after playing exceptionally well all season, and will no doubt now be looking forward to the finals and Wesftield FFA Cup action. Elsewhere, the battle remains as tight as ever with Balmain closing in on 5^th spot and everything left to play for at the other end of the ladder.

Stanmore Hawks v Inter Lions SC

Stanmore Hawks put on a show in their first game back at Arlington Oval with a high scoring 5-2 victory over Inter Lions on Saturday night.

With the ground officially reopened during the day, the new synthetic turf looked marvelous and would ensure both sides could showcase their talent on a first class pitch, and it didn’t take long for the action to get started with an early goal to Stanmore in the 4^th minute. A long diagonal ball by left back Reo Morinaga found Thibault Marchal on the right hand side, the midfielder beat his defender and burst into the box before cutting the ball across the face of goal, and just as the Inter defence looked to clear their lines the ball rebounded off an Inter defender, and somehow managed to sail back into the Inter goal to put the Hawks in front.  

The early goal was a sign of things to come as the next few minutes saw both teams show their attacking intent, and after a somewhat nervy start Inter found themselves on level terms in the 10^th minute. Not surprisingly the goal was engineered by captain Adrian Vizzari, with the centre back first making a last ditch interception to break up a dangerous Stanmore attack, and then after gaining possession palying a delightful through ball in a behind the Stanmore defence and into the path of Dean Zammit, who rounded the keeper and tucked the ball into the net to make it 1-1.

With the scores tied up the game was blown open three minutes later when Inter grabbed the lead courtesy of a wonder goal by Marino Musumeci. After beating his marker and finding himself on the edge of the Stanmore box, the midfielder produced a stunning lob which went over the outstretched keeper and into the back of the net to make it 2-1 for Inter.

Stanmore looked to respond to Inters quick fire double, and some good play by Striker Neil Philippou saw Marchal find a bit of space on the edge of the box, but the midfielders shot flashed over the goal.

After such a frantic start the next stage of the game saw both teams settle on the ball, with both sides maintaining possession well and still looking to get forward at every opportunity.

The 30^th minute saw a great chance for Stanmore to draw level when they were awarded a penalty after a long range effort by Marchal was leaned into by defender Vizzari, and the referee pointed to the spot for a handball. Stephen Stavropoulos stepped to take the kick but his shot was well saved by Inter keeper Roberto Maiorana.

Maiorana was in the thick of it moments later, making two crucial saves to keep Stanmore at bay. He first denied Philippou by racing off his line and smothering the ball just as striker pulled the trigger, and minutes later Maiorana made a great reaction save to a bullet header from Anthony Papadopoulos.

But Stanmore kept pushing and there was nothing Maiorana could do in the 41^st minute when a stunning half volley by Costa Bakoulis drew the Hawks level. A give away in the Inter midfield saw Marchal pick out Bakoulis on the edge of the box, and the winger took a touch before finding the top corner with a thumping drive. With the scores locked at 2-2 the referee called for half time in what was a frenetic opening period.

The second half commenced and there was no let down in the action with Stanmore taking the lead only two minutes after the restart. A cross from the right wing by Stanmore was met by Neil Philippou, and after seeing his header hit the post, Anthony Papadopoulos was on hand to smash home the rebound and put the Hawks up 3-2.

The goal lifted Stanmore who had clearly come out of the sheds the hungrier of the two sides, and only another Maiorana save in the 55^th minute prevented more damage as the Inter keeper denied Marchal from increasing the lead. But from the resulting corner Stanmore struck a decisive blow, with Anthony Papadopoulos grabbing his double by heading home a powerful header from just inside the six yard box to give Stanmore a 4-2 goal lead.

The two goals by Stanmore took the sting out of the game as the Hawks took control of proceedings. Midfielder Stephen Stavropoulos became more influential for Stanmore as the game wore on, with some nice touches in the middle of the park leading to more possession for Stanmore.

With 15 minutes to go Inter looked for a way back into the game and veteran striker Pablo Cardozo floated around the field looking for an opening, but despite some nice combinations with team mate Nathan Scicchitano, the Stanmore defence looked composed and compact, with veteran defender Petratos marshalling the troops.

Inter Coach Maiorana pushed Vizzari into the midfield to try and find a spark for his side, and despite Inter having some good possession, no clear cut chances were created, while at the other end Stanmore looked to hit on the counter as the minutes ticked away.

As the game drew to a close there was time for one last to goal Stanmore in the 90^th minute. With Inter pushing men forward Stanmore striker Neil Philippou sent second half substitute Peter Theodosi through on goal, but the winger was bought down in the box by Inter keeper Maiorana and the referee awarded a penalty to the Hawks. Captain Neil Philippou stepped up and converted the spot kick to put the icing on the cake for Stanmore as the referee blew for full time straight after the restart.

For Stanmore, it was a deserved victory in their first game back at their spiritual home Arlington Oval. Best performances for the Hawks came from two goal hero Anthony Papadopoulos, who read the game well all night and whose goals arrived at the perfect time to help see off Inter. Thibault Marchal also had a strong game and was heavily involved during his time on the field, showing electric pace to continually beat his marker and being at the heart of the majority of Stanmore’s attacking moves.

Coach John Theodoropoulos was a happy man after the game, “I’m real happy to get the three points, I think we played really well and I’m pleased with the performance by the boys.”

For Inter the loss continues their recent slump. The side is down on troops at the moment, but despite the large injury toll, the Lions gave a good account of themselves and showed some good patches of play during the match. Strong performances came from Roberto Maiorana who had a fine game between the sticks, with the keeper making a string of impressive saves on the night, including the penalty save in the first half. Captain Adrian Vizarri played to his usual high standard, with the centre back as solid as ever in the heart of the defence and also looking to drive the team forward with his vision and precise distribution.

Inter coach Matteo Maiorana reflected on the game, “It’s a disappointing result, especially after being 2-1 up. Again, individual mistakes are costing us at the moment and it’s tough with so many first team regulars out injured”.

Match Stats

Stanmore Hawks              5 (OG, A.Papadopoulos x2, C.Bakoulis, N.Philippou,)

Inter Lions                          2 (D. Zammit, M Musumeci)

Saturday, 2nd^d of August, 2014

Arlington Oval, Dulwich Hill

Referee: Stephen Ellsmore

Assistant Referees: Roberto Mattei, Dale Fuda

Stanmore Hawks: 5.Evangelos Petratos, 9.Neil Phillipou, 21.Max Esposito, 2. Harvey Ashley-Nark, 62.Neil O’Sullivan, 47. Marchal Thibault (26.Alex Nicolosi), 83. Reo Moringa, 12.Vincent Leto, 75.Stephen Stavropoulos(Aleksander Gruevski)  13.Costa Bakoulis (18.Peter Theodosi) 15.Anthony Papadopoulos

Substitutes Not Used: 71. James Adams, 10.Jamal Boutkabout

Yellow Cards: C. Bakoulis, T. Marchal

Red Cards: Nil

Inter Lions: 6. Dario Espejel (18.Anthony Foti) 8.Marino Musumeci, 1.Roberto Maiorana, 13.Stephen Roda, 4.Adrian Vizzari, 22.Nathan Scichitano, 20.Pablo Cardozo, 30.M Shakourof, 67.Dean Zammit 2.Michael Sidoti, 28.Jean-Claude Saliba (21.Luca Caruso)

Substitutes Not Used: 27.Mario Napalitano, Luis Soto

Yellow Cards: M. Shakourof, R. Maiorana , A. Vizzari

Red Cards: Nil

Dulwich Hill v Camden Tigers

Dulwich Hill and Camden shared the spoils with a 1-1 draw on Saturday afternoon.

Dulwich Hill started brightly in their first game back at Arlington Oval and took a first half lead when Pedro Campos found the back of the net in the 35^th minute.

The second half saw Dulwich Hill awarded a penalty in the 70^th minute, but Camden keeper Dean Bradley was up to the task and saved the penalty. The penalty would prove costly for Dulwich Hill as with 15 minutes to go Camden were awarded their own penalty, and Captain Daniel Semaan held his nerve to score the equaliser and ensure a hard earned point for the Tigers.

Dulwich Hill 1 (P.Campos) Camden Tigers 1 (D.Semaan)

Hawkesbury City SC v Granville Rage

Hawkesbury kept their season alive with a 3-2 victory over Granville Rage at Benson Lane.

Granville took the lead through Captain David Harding, but a Michael McCrory header levelled the scores as the sides went into the halftime break at 1-1.

The Hawks took the lead in the second half with McCrory grabbing his second of the game, before James Mawein gave the Hawks a two goal buffer with his close range finish. David Harding then grabbed his second goal of the game to give the away side a lifeline, but the Hawks held on for a valuable three points.

Hawkesbury City SC 3 (M.Mcrory x2, J.Mawein) Granville Rage 2 (D.Harding x 2)

Gladesville Ryde Magic v Northbridge FC

The battle for second spot ended all square with Gladesville and Northbridge playing out a tense 1-1 draw on Saturday night.

Under tough conditions at Magdala Park, a goal by Oliver Babington gave the away side a halftime lead, but Gladesville hit back in the second half and found an equaliser in the 70^th minute, with club veteran Thomas Nastoulis finding the back of the net after coming on as a substitute.

The draw leaves both sides on equal points, with Northbridge’s superior goal difference keeping them in second spot.

Gladesville Ryde Magic 1 (T. Nastoulis) Northbridge FC 1 (O.Babington)

Nepean FC v Hakoah Sydney City East FC

Nepean and Hakoah played out a 1-1 draw on Saturday night, with the point enough for Hakoah to claim the Premiership for season 2014.

Nepean came into the game with numerous under 20’s stepping into the lineup, and an upset looked on the cards in the 40^th minute when Wiltar Jajaw lobbed the keeper after a nice pass from Jason Brown.

But Hakoah pressed hard in the second half and a set piece in the 80^th minute saw the league leaders draw level when centre back Bradley Walker got on the end of a free kick to head home an equaliser.

With other results going their way, the point sees Hakoah hold an unassailable lead in the Premiership race for season 2014.

Nepean FC 1 (Wiltar Jajaw) Hakoah Sydney City East FC 1 (Bradley Walker)

Balmain Tigers FC v Western NSW Mariners FC

Balmain stayed on track in their bid for finals football with a 3-1 victory over the Western NSW Mariners.

A 30 yard screamer from Domenic Arcella gave Balmain the lead, before Arcella grabbed his second of the game to give the home side a 2-0 half time lead.

Star striker Rosario Occhipinti then wrapped up the points and made it 3-0 in the second half, before the Mariners grabbed a late consolidation when Adam Scimone converted a 90^th minute penalty.

Balmain Tigers FC 3 (D. Arcella x2, R. Occhipinti) Western NSW Mariners FC 1 (A.Scimone)

– By Diego Munoz