Men’s State League 2 Round 2 Review

The second round of the State League Two competition kicked off on Saturday afternoon when Dunbar Rovers hosted the Wagga City Wanderers at Hensley Athletics Field for our pick as the match of the round.

Match of the Round

Dunbar Rovers v Wagga City Wanderers

Dunbar Rovers have toppled a travelling Wagga City Wanderers 6-1 in a match that was not purely reflected by the score line. 

The half time score was one all with the visitors well and truly hunting for a second goal.  Unfortunately for the Wanderers, Dunbar kicked into gear towards the end of the match scoring four goals in the last 15 minutes of play.

The match started with a fast pace, as both sides were eager to set the tone early.  It took only a matter of minutes for Dunbar to do just that, with their first goal of the game coming from the boot of Craig Mooney, in only the fourth minute of the game. 

Dunbar had created a three on one overlap through Robbie Deasy, who chose the right option in Mooney, as he tucked the ball past the keeper with composure.

Two minutes later however, Wagga City evened the score after a mix up at the back forced Clive Delaney to defend over-aggressively on Scott Dunn inside the box.  Dunn was knocked to the ground as a result and the referee pointed to the penalty spot, which was calmly converted by Ally Macleod.

The intensity of the match was still high from both sides as they searched for a goal to put them in the lead.  For Wagga Wagga, Jonathan Mathers and Scott Dunn formed an effective combination down their left flank while Dunbar’s Rene Mrva and Robbie Deasy continued to ask their own questions in attack.

The passing plays between Dunbar’s midfield split the Wanderers’ defence on a number of occasions.  Despite this, the Rovers could not get the ball past goal keeper Aaron Thomas for the rest of the half, who played a fantastic game despite what the score line might suggest.

The score remained at one goal apiece at the half but did not stay that way for very long when Dunbar regained the lead just two minutes after the break, from a Wanderer’s own goal.  Dunbar had gone to another level after this goal and were creating opportunities from all parts of the pitch. 

Alex Euripidou sparked a terrific counter from well inside his own half, which almost led to a third goal for the Rovers before being subbed by Sean Burke.  Euripidou had played a great game and was rewarded with this early mark.

Dunbar were presented another chance of their own moments after when a controversial mix up between the referee and a Wagga City defender saw John Niyonsaba one-on-one with Aaron Thomas.  Thomas again proved strong by putting Niyonsaba off just enough for him to mistime his attempt.

Wagga City continued to try in attack and managed to spark a few good attacking efforts through Adrien Jolly. 

However, they had well and truly run out of the petrol and Dunbar saw this as a brilliant opportunity to seal the game.  They scored the goal of the season after a brilliant ‘one-two’ passing play between Andrew Doddy and Ian Clayton saw Clayton finish a first-time volley, finding the side net on the rise.

Dunbar went back-to-back in the minute following through Robbie Deasy, who was one-on-one with Thomas. 

Deasy calmly slotted the ball past Thomas on his left foot, which extended the score to 4-1, in favour of the home side.  Second half substitution, Michael Sealy added himself to the score sheet after he capitalised on a long-range effort a few minutes before injury time.  He then supplied Deasy with a pass to bring up his second goal of the match. 

Deasy found himself again with only the keeper to beat and managed to squeeze the ball between the near post and Thomas, with yet another brilliant left foot finish.

Despite a disappointing end to the match it is still very early in the season so the Wanderers will continue to improve every game. 

Next week they will host Southern Districts when they make the long trip inland, while Dunbar will also play away when they come up against FC Gazy Lansvale at Hartleys Oval.

Match Stats

Dunbar Rovers 6  Robbie Deasy (78’, 90’), Craig Mooney (4’), OG (47’), Ian Clayton (65’), Mitchell Sealy (80’)

Wagga City Wanderers 1          Ally Macleod (6’)

Saturday 18th of April, 2015

Hensley Athletics Field, Eastgardens

Referee: Mr Alex Long

Assistant Referees: Mr Anthony Mansour and Mr Roy Belcher

Dunbar Rovers: 6. Ian Clayton (7. Umlil Fouad), 10. Robbie Deasy, 1. Stephen Deasy, 2. Clive Delaney, 8. Andrew Doddy, 14. Alex Euripidou (18. Sean Burke), 9. Anthony Glasheen, 15. Craig Mooney, 19. Rene Mrva (12. Michael Sealy), 3. John Niyonsaba, 4. Ali Simpson, 5. Adam Smith

Substitute Not Used: 11. Malcolm Miller

Yellow Cards: 15. Craig Mooney (48’), 4. Ali Simpson (58’), Umlil Fouad (68’), Rene Mrva

Red Cards: Nil

Wagga City Wanderers: 2. Dylan Berkrey, 6. Justin Curran, 18. Liam Dedini, 5. Callum Dunbar, 11. Scott Dunn, 10. Adrien Jolly, 4. Ally Macleod, 3. Samuel Mangelsdorf, 8. Jonathan Mathers, 9. Alexander Mulrooney Castellano, 1. Aaron Thomas, 7. Nicholas Tsipiras.

Substitutes: 12. Kane Baumer, 13. Tyler Allen, 15. Hanlon Toole, 18. Liam Dedini

Yellow Cards: 8. Jonathan Mathers (46’), 7. Nicholas Tsipiras (73’), Ally Mcleod (75’)

Red Cards: Nil

Round 1 Summaries

Prospect United v University of NSW

Prospect United have had another draw in the State League Two competition, this time against University of NSW in a one-all grind out.  David Mavisa scored the home side’s goal, which was originally created in the middle of the field.

Mavisa was one-on-one with the goalie after a beautiful ball found him onside where he made no mistake.  University of NSW hit back not long after, scoring the equaliser ten minutes before half time.

Despite both teams going for the win, both defences were rarely penetrated with the goalkeepers standing up when called upon, which resulted in the score staying at 1-1.

Southern Districts Association Club v Hurstville City Minotaurs

Southern Districts have made amends after last week’s disappointing draw to Western Condors, coming out convincing victors to Hurstville City Minotaurs with the score at 3-0.  It didn’t take long for the home side to open the scoring when a handball inside the box by the Minotaurs resulted in a penalty.

Reuben Agyei Danso made no mistake from the spot to give Southern Districts a one-goal lead.  Glenn Williams scored next on the back of a Milan Atlagic ball across goal, which took the score to 2-0 at half time. 

The match was sealed by Atlagic, who scored a deserved goal for himself early in the second half with a brilliant finesse. 

Despite the Minotaurs determination to stay in the game, they were clearly out-matched by a relentless Southern Districts side who were happy to get their first win of the season.

Camden Tigers v FC Gazy Lansvale

Camden Tigers have defeated FC Gazy Lansvale in a high scoring affair at Ron Dine Reserve.  Camden scored six while Lansvale rallied up two of their own in the second half.

Despite a fairly even first half, Camden took the chances that were presented to them while brilliant goal keeping prevented Lansvale from capitalising on theirs. 

The score at half time was 3-0 as a result, to Camden.  Lansvale closed their lead to just one goal, however, unfortunately for them, James Keane pulled his hamstring and was forced to be substituted.

Engin Ongel was the new man in and he made two crucial mistakes that lead to goals.  His aggression got the better of him, as he was sent from the field with two yellow cards.  In response to this, the Tigers closed out the game with three late goals.

Hurstville FC v Western Condors

Hurstville have edged out a back-and-forth contest against Western Condors 3-2, to claim their first win of the season.  They opened the scoring mid way through the first half through a corner, however, the Condors quickly replied with a cracking strike, which found the net from outside of the box.  

The see-sawing continued when Hurstville regained the lead just before the break to give them a 2-1 advantage at half time. 

The Condors showed their relentless attitude that saw them steal a late equaliser last week, when they leveled the score once again. 

However, Hurstville were awarded a penalty 20 minutes from full time and made no mistake.  Despite it being a very open-styled game, with possession turning over frequently, the Condors could not force another late equaliser and the final score was left at 3-2 to Hurstville FC.

-by Lars Roy, Men’s State League 2 Reporter