PS4 NPL NSW Men’s 2 Round 16 Review

Spirit FC’s lead at the top of the PS4 NPL NSW Men’s 2 competition has been cut back to six points after they suffered a 2-1 loss to Hakoah Sydney City East.
Central Coast took full advantage with a 5-0 shellacking of Mount Druitt Town Rangers.
Northern Tigers’ victory over Sydney University keeps them close to the pace also, in an ultra-competitive top tier of clubs.
Feature Game
Sydney University v Northern Tigers
This was no classic at Lambert Park on Saturday night, when Northern Tigers edged hosts Sydney University, 2-0, with a rather scrappy first goal and a breakaway for the second, late, when the University side were chasing the game hard.

Sydney University had to do without their form striker, Peter Crevani, who had other commitments, while the visitors were also missing key personnel, Steve Baveas out for the last four games, Braden Cheng and Daniel Stuart away and defender, Sam Porter, back in England now as well.

The game began with Northern Tigers mostly on top, but unable to find a way through a well-drilled home defence.

The ‘students’ threatened mostly on the break, but the Tigers had to defend stoutly to prevent any danger presenting itself under those circumstances.

Tiger’s right side attacker, Tai Smith, was causing some problems for the Uni defence out wide and at one stage he steered a shot from a difficult angle out on the right that bounced off the left-hand upright.

Yet, for all that, chances were not coming thick and fast by any means.

After an eleven minute break, just four minutes into the second-half, due to a sudden and intense thunderstorm, play resumed with Northern Tigers looking far more purposeful after earlier dropping their intensity as the first-half had worn on.

With Nathan Sansom leading the University line tirelessly and having Adrian Porcu in support, the Tigers’ defence needed to be at their sharpest, with the lively Uni pair keen to keep the pressure on their opponents.

At the other end, Smith burst through the Uni defence in the 56th and looked set to open his team’s account, only for a last-ditch tackle from Marton Vass to end his progress.

After winning a few corners Northern Tigers fortuitously broke the deadlock in the 73rd.

The corner from the right by Paul Davies was contested in the goalmouth, before the ball was played off a Uni defender against the post, after Liam McConaghy had contested a header.

Up for the corner and handily-placed, Tigers’ defender, Russell Farrell, latched onto the loose ball and scrambled it home to earn his side the lead.

After that setback, Uni made a change, bringing on the speedy Ammar Alyassen for Porcu, but it was still Nathan Sansom who was doing much of the bullocking up front and from whom the chances looked most likely to come, if at all.

Being unable to retain possession proved the home team’s downfall as the game wound down.

The Tigers had replaced Hayden Krha with Julian Lim and it was the latter who stole the ball in the centre of the park in the 85th minute and sent striker, Matthew West, galloping off towards goal.

The Uni keeper, Marko Bozic, came racing well out, but West side-stepped him adroitly before planting the ball into an empty net.

Sydney University players had become frustrated as the game began to slip away from them and five of them were cautioned, four of those in the concluding stages.

It was a tight game and perhaps the Tigers were never going to lose this one, it being more a matter of whether they could score the goals to win it against a well-drilled University defence.

Coming on top of their 2-1 win in the Under-18s and their 4-2 success in the Under 20s it was a good day all round for the Northerners.

“We set ourselves a target of 21 points today as we’re chasing the Club Championship,” said Tigers coach, Steve Hurd.

“We play three big games over the next three weeks and that’s probably when the Championship will be decided.

“We have to play Hakoah, Spirit FC and Central Coast, so we’ll want to win all of them to be in with a chance of the Club Championship,” he observed.
Sydney University 0 v Northern Tigers 2 (Russell Farrell 73’, Matthew West 85’)

Saturday 11 July 2015

at Lambert Park, Leichhardt

Referee: Adam Susz

Assts: Joon Park and John Garcia

Sydney University: 1. Marko Bozic 3. Nathan Sansom (c) 4. Gyubeom Kim 10. Santiago Rodriguez 12. Dario Borovickic 14. Daniel Mifsud 16. Adrian Porcu (7. Ammar Alyssen 75’) 17. Stefan de Jesus 32. Tayfun Buyukkopru 40. Matthew Fsadni 43. Marton Vass.

Subs not used: 8. Khushaba Khushaba 13. Alexander Sopina 42. James Conaghan

Yellow Cards: Marton Vass 34’, Santiago Rodriguez 69’, Tayfun Buyukkopru 69’, Matthew Fsadni 70’, Stefan de Jesus 73’

Coach: Raul Blanco

Northern Tigers: 1. Matt Nemes 3. Lucas Dawson 4. Michael Rolston 6. Paul Davies (11. Mitchell Smith 85’) 7. Matthew West 9. Liam McConaghy 10. Shervin Adeli (2. Samuel Ryder 80’) 12. Russell Farrell 13. Jamie Craig 15. Hayden Krha (23. Julian Lim 65’) 18. Tai Smith.

Subs not used: 19. Robin Freiberger 21. Harrison Devenish-Meares

Yellow Cards: Tai Smith 70’

Coach: Steve Hurd

-Feature Game report by Paul Green

Mounties Wanderers v St George
Mounties gained their second win of the season, coming from behind against St George, to take out a 3-1 victory, giving themselves a lifeline to avoid the wooden spoon.
After the Saints had taken the lead after eleven minutes, Michael Yarnold skipping through the Mounties defence to shoot past Ali Akbal, the weather turned with the approaching storm. As the rain came, the Mounties dug in, and it wasn’t long before they drew level. A far post header by Nathan Attard brought the equaliser before Gongjun Lee scored to put Mounties in front ten minutes before the break.
That lead was extended five minutes after half time when Jacob Carluccio struck a free kick from just outside the box, the ball careering in off the post.  
Mounties Wanderers 3 (Nathan Attard 25’, Gongjun Lee 35’, Jacob Carluccio 50’) v St George 1 (Michael Yarnold 11’)
Mounties Wanderers: 30. Ali Akbal 3. Neftali Gonzalez 6. Aleksandar Tomic 15. Shane Webb (14. Rory McGeown) 18. Mark d’Alessandro 20. Reid Taylor (16. Michael Cklamovski) 23. Nathan Attard 26. Jacob Carluccio 27. Gongjun Lee 28. Leon Faria 32. James Letta.
Subs not used: 1. James Stojcevski 2. Tiano Boutoubia 12. Brendan King  
St George: 1. Aaron Liddell 3. Emmanuel Elali 5. Daniell Zeleny 7. Matt Sadler 8. Tarek Ercan (30. Tom Slater) 10. Michael Yarnold (4. James Togias) 11. Wassim Hijazi 13. Lenox Tweneboa 14. Andrija Petkovic 16. Joseph d’Elia (6. Ali Nasreddine) 19. Stevan Ilic.
Subs not used: 15. Peter Pelekanos 17. David Hamilton
Hakoah Sydney City East v Spirit FC
Hakoah Sydney City East kept the title race open by defeating Spirit FC 2-1, only the leader’s third loss of the season.
A goal in each half, firstly to Brad Walker in the opening forty five, and then to Paul Orgad after the break, set Hakoah on the way to victory. Walker then turned villain late in the piece conceding a penalty with just minutes remaining, but Daniel Cunningham’s conversion from the spot proved to be too little too late.
Hakoah Sydney City East 2 (Bradley Walker, Paul Orgad) v Spirit FC 1 (Daniel Cunningham pen)
Fraser Park v Macarthur Rams
Macarthur Rams upset the form book with a vital win away at Fraser Park, to keep their slim hopes of the finals alive. With other scores going their way this weekend, the Rams can put themselves well into the mix should they come away from Mounties on Wednesday with another three points.
Mark Symington was the hero against Fraser, netting the only goal of the game after half an hour.
Fraser Park 0 v Macarthur Rams 1 (Mark Symington 32’)
Fraser Park: 1. Wayne Estavao 3. Davide Talone 4. Alexander Veljanovski, 5. Nicholas Dimitripoulos 6. Suad Ameti 7. Kevin Oliviera 9. Jeffrey Issa (16. Marko Micevski) 11. Stefan Jovanovic (20. Kim Daisan) 15. Rocci Gabey 17. Nikola Todoroski (8. Hussein Akil) 18. Aleksander Todoroski.
Subs not used: 22. Riley Keayes
Macarthur Rams: 1. Chris Becerra 2. Craig Cooley 4. Ben Cornish 7. Louis Duchesne 8.Ryan Marchant (10. Eros Bergamin) 9. Shannon Hankin (15. Joel Craig) 11. Aaron Farringdon 12. David McMurray 14. Mark Symington (19. Daniel Willoughby) 16. Daniel Ramirez 18. Gavin Forbes.
Subs not used: 20. Conor Irwin 3. Andy Matloub
Central Coast v Mount Druitt Town Rangers
Central Coast kept their title challenge alive with a comprehensive defeat of Mount Druitt Town Rangers at Pluim Park.
In a relatively even first half, the Coast held only the single goal advantage after Daniel McFarlane scored six minutes before half time.
But the floodgates opened in the second period, with a double to Trent Buhagiar inside five minutes, midway through the half, stretching the lead quickly out to 3-0.
A further two goals, one each to Louis Bozanic and Alex Arbelo, in the last few minutes put the perfect finish onto the Coast’s afternoon.
The heavy loss does further damage to Rangers’ season though, with ten goals now conceded in their past two games.
Central Coast 5 (Trent Buhagiar 61’, 65’, Daniel McFarlane 39’, Louis Bozanic 85’, Alexander Arbelo 89’) v Mount Druitt Town Rangers 0
Bankstown City v Bankstown Berries
The Berries continued their excellent recent form, with their fourth win on the trot, coming away from Jensen Park with all three points, only failing to make it into the top five by the barest of margins.
Joel Anscomb, who has made a habit of scoring winners lately, popped up in the second half to secure the victory for the visitors.
Bankstown City 0 v Bankstown Berries 1 (Joel Anscomb)
–by Peter Rowney, PS4 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s 2 Reporter