Goals galore for Sharks at Blacktown

SUTHERLAND Sharks came and conquered in what turned out to be a real goal-fest against Blacktown Spartans.
Their mission was to take home maximum points which they did after a convincing first half display that really put the game beyond reach. It was entertaining football with the plethora of goals for the fans, but not so much for the men in orange and black who were disappointing in front of their loyal following.
The first chance of the game arrived in the fourth minute when a delightful cross by Daniel Fogarty from the right was met by a glancing header from Shu Sasaki that sailed narrowly over the crossbar.
The home side opened the scoring shortly afterwards in the 8^th minute when Nathan Denham failed to hold onto a curling free kick from the right and Mitchell Long, on the spot, put the ball away.
Two minutes later though Sutherland Sharks hit back with a goal to Seonjian Park who, with a simple diagonal shot, placed the ball in the bottom left hand corner of the net. It was the first of some easy goals for the Sharks.
The 12^th minute rewarded the Sutherland Sharks again as they took the lead. A square ball from the left by Bai Antoniou was met delightfully by Sean O’Connell who simply placed the ball accurately into the goal.
In the 18^th minute Blacktown Spartans tried to restore parity when a shot from Nakamura from just outside the box ended up marginally over the crossbar. In the 23^rd minute Luka Dukic from a corner hit the post with a header from close range much to the disappointment of the Spartans’ faithful.
When chances are not capitalised on at one end, they can be taken advantage of up the other end of the field which is exactly what occurred in the 25^th minute. Park tapped in when Saliadarre was upended by his own defender and the Sharks player simply finished off the goal.
In the 38^th minute Jordan Figon scored Sutherland’s fourth goal when he galloped from just inside the halfway line and then beautifully beat an out-rushing Saliadarre. The game, with still just under an hour left of play, seemed by now well and truly out of reach for the Spartans.
The second half should have been better for the Spartans after coach Ben De Haan’s halftime message and the first real chance arrived in the 60^thminute when Nakamura played a beautiful shot across the face of goal and just wide of the post. It certainly wasn’t the same opening pace as the first stanza of play as both teams played somewhat more cautious football.
Three minutes later a powerful shot by Hayden Morton reached Shu Sasaki in the box who turned nicely and beat Denham with his diagonal shot. It was a goal that gave the Spartans a mini-shot of adrenaline and a remote chance of further pegging back the lead.
In the 70^th minute though Sutherland Sharks almost had their fifth goal when a nice ball from the right by Steven Hayes just beat an outstretched Saliadarre and Bai Antoniou from close range slammed the ball onto the post. How it didn’t go in is anyone’s guess, but the Spartans were indeed grateful.
They say lightning doesn’t strike twice but it certainly did for the same player three minutes later. After a nice run Antoniou, with a powerful finish, once again drove the ball into the woodwork.
Sutherland Sharks finally scored their fifth goal in the 78^th minute when a ball from the by-line was played back to Seonjian Park who, totally unmarked, hit the back of the net for his hat trick. It was too easy for the visitors as the home side’s defence was at sixes and sevens.
A late free kick by O’Connell from inside the box awarded for some dangerous play was delightfully tipped over by Saliadarre. It was the last of the shots for the night.
After the game Sutherland coach Steve O’Connor was pleased with his side’s win but not so much about conceding the opening goal.
“We always give a goal away and we need to score three to have a chance,” he said. 
“We got one back and scored a few more, so it was pleasing. We haven’t been playing too bad; we played well against Olympic and lost 2-1 and played well against Blacktown City and lost 1-0 at the death. It’s good for the boys to get a win and justify the way they have been playing and carry on now.
“They are decent side if you let them play, but we decided that we were going to press early and put them under pressure. They have some good players but look, our team did well and in the end we probably could have scored a few more. 
"It could have been 7-4 or something like that and real crowd pleaser.”
In the Spartans dressing room captain and goalkeeper Carlos Saliadarre was philosophical about the loss.
“It was a very disappointing result as we took the lead early and just conceded scrappy goals,” he said. 
“There were some silly mistakes and some poor communication that cost us in the end. It makes a difference and all of a sudden they got a roll on and we couldn’t stop them.”
Match Stats
Blacktown Spartans 2 (Long 8’, Sasaki 63’)
Sutherland Sharks 5 (Park 10’, O’Connell 12’, Park 25’, Figon 38’, Park 78’)
Saturday 30^th May
Blacktown Football Park, Rooty Hill 
Referee: Matthew Cropper
Assistant Referees: Kearney Robinson, Janush Adabijou
Fourth Official: Chris Hughes
Blacktown Spartans: Saliadarre, Crighton, Dukic, Fogarty (Da Silva 55’), Kondek, Long (Quigley 81’), Morton, Nakamura, Sasaki, Tomohiro, Valastro (Tosi 27’)
Substitutes not used: Nascimben, Tanner
Sutherland Sharks: Denham, Antoniou, Caton (Stergiou 68’), Figon, Gordon, Littler, Moustakas, O’Connell, Park (Mitwali 81’), Tratt, Roberts (Hayes 64’)
Substitutes not used: Depta, McKenzie
Yellow Cards: Moustakas 23’, Stergiou 88’
Player ratings:
3. Sean O’Connell (SS)
2. Jordan Figon (SS)
1. Seonjian Park (SS)
– by Joe Russo, PS4 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s 1 Reporter, at Blacktown Football Park