Seventh heaven for Blacktown City
IT WAS supposed to be Blacktown Spartans’ big day, but Blacktown City spoiled the party with a scarcely believable 7-0 win, that ripped the premiership from Spartans’ grasp.
For almost 90 minutes, it seemed as if the result would be irrelevant as Bonnyrigg White Eagles struggled to find a way past Sydney Olympic in the later, final fixture of the regular season, but Robbie Younis’ superb late goal for the White Eagles won them the Premiership and put the Spartans result into very sharp focus on what was supposed to be their special day
Shayne D’Cunha opened the scoring, before Ryuiji Miyazawa scored one of the great goals two minutes later. A penalty converted by Kearyn Baccus made it 3-0 at the break, before Matthew Lewis added the fourth. Mitchell Mallia came on as a substitute and in 11′ minutes helped himself to a hat-trick.
Brazil’s capitulation to Germany at the World Cup is the only performance in recent memory to which this can be compared. From the early throes when Baccus forced a save from Carlos Saliadarre, it was clear that something wasn’t right with the home side.
For Blacktown City, it was a result for the ages and a welcome end to their run of four games without a win. They will play at the same ground against the same opposition next weekend, but you have to wonder how on earth Spartans will recover from imploding so spectacularly.
Their best player was Saliadarre and the pain was etched on the face of the captain well before the final whistle and for many minutes thereafter. Without him, it would have been double figures. To say that Blacktown City could have scored 12 is no exaggeration. The truth of it is that Saliadarre was the only one who turned up.
His first save was early on from Baccus. Blacktown City were probing and even with Mallia on the bench and Zac Cairncross out, they were on top.
Miyazawa found himself one-on-one in the 17′ minute but again Saliadarre made a save, before he denied Lewis’ shot from the edge of the area a few minutes later.
Spartans couldn’t keep the ball, let alone create anything, and Blacktown City were all over them like a rash. They looked certain to open the scoring when Sasa Macura found himself one-on-one after some nice play around the edge of the area, but for the fourth time in the first half, Saliadarre was able to deny Blacktown City.
It mattered not and the floodgates soon opened.
A corner from the left found the head of the young defender D’Cunha and his header was true, flying past Saliadarre to give the visiting side a much-deserved lead. He and Jacob Poscoliero were scarcely tested at the back and the young pair won’t face many easier tasks than this.
So often one brings two and it was the case two minutes later, and it was a goal from the very top draw. Miyazawa on the left corner of the penalty area let fly with an arcing, fizzing shot that faded away from Saliadarre and into the top corner.
It was the sort of thing we have come to expect from Miyazawa, but that we have not seen too often lately.
The first half misery was complete in the 41′ minute when Luka Dukic stuck out a leg and felled the advancing Travis Major and referee Kris Griffiths-Jones blew for one of the easiest penalty decisions he will ever have to make.
Saliadarre dived to his left and guessed the correct way, but Baccus’ spot kick was too accurate and nestled in the bottom corner.
Saliadarre was heard trying to fire up his side in the sheds at the interval and for 17′ minutes they hung in there in the second half. He had to make a one-on-one save from Major after Miyazawa nicked possession high up the park, before making another sharp stop from a Danny Choi shot that came from the resulting corner. Then, Miyazawa hit the post when one-on-one. On the hour mark, Spartans had their only shot on target, a long range effort from Corey Biczo that forced Nenad Vekic into an acrobatic save.
Spartans were still second best but hadn’t yet conceded, as they clung to some hope. That all changed when Lewis popped up at the back post to control and finish for a fourth goal. Spartans seemed to give up, for when Mallia came on, he helped himself to an 11′ minutes hat-trick of goals.
His first was in the only four minutes after he came on, when he arrived at the back post to finish off another slick move. Then, Major forced another save from Saliadarre, before Mallia scored his second.
Kieren Paull was on as a substitute and his touch saw him break down the right, before crossing to Mallia. His header was sharply tipped up by Saliadarre, but when the ball came down it spun backwards off the turf and into the back of the net for Mallia’s second.
The pain was over when Mallia rounded Saliadarre to slot in his third and Blacktown City’s seventh.
Spartans clung to hope for a few hours but when Younis found the bottom corner at Lambert Park, the obituaries began to be written.
Match Stats
Blacktown Spartans 0
Blacktown City 7 (Shayne D’Cunha 36, Ryuji Miyazawa 38′, Kearyn Baccus PEN 41′, Matthew Lewis 62′, Mitchell Mallia 69′, 76′, 81′)
Sunday August 17, 2014
Blacktown Football Park, Rooty Hill
Referee: Kris Griffiths-Jones
Assistant Referees: Lance Greenshields and Andrej Giev
Fourth Official: Lachlan Keevers
Blacktown Spartans: 1.Carlos Saliadarre (C); 3.Nathan Millgate, 5.Luka Dukic, 7.Phil Makrys, 8.Raymond Miller, 9.Elsid Barkhousir (6.Greg Kondek 64′), 10.Emmanuel Giannaros (20.Tomislav Cirjak 72′), 13.Corey Biczo, 14.Jacob Ott, 15.Mitchell Long, 39.Conor Evans (2.Luke Austin 28′)
Substitutes not used: 41.Dominic Nascimben, 16.Benjamin Tosi
Yellow Cards: Mitchell Long 63′, Luka Dukic 79′
Red Cards: Nil
Blacktown City: 1.Nenad Vekic; 3.Giorgio Speranza, 4.Yianni Fragogiannis, 5.Jacob Poscoliero (15.Marco Travaglini 78′), 6.Matthew Lewis, 7.Travis Major (C), 8.Sasa Macura, 9.Ryuiji Miyazawa,10.Shayne D’Cunha, 11.Danny Choi (14.Mitchell Mallia 65′), 16.Kearyn Baccus (17.Kieren Paull 75′)
Substitutes not used: 13.Blake Tuxford, 18.Daniel Araujo
Yellow Cards: Jacob Poscoliero 58′
Red Cards: Nil
– By Matthew Lopez, National Premier Leagues NSW Mens 1 Editor, at Blacktown Football Park
