Semi Finals Review – Week 1 – PS4 NPL NSW Men’s 2

Bankstown City and Northern Tigers claimed victory in week one of the PS4 NPL NSW Men’s 2 finals series, overcoming Central Coast and Hakoah Sydney City East respectively, as the race for the Championship begins to heat up.
Both teams kept their opponents scoreless with the Lions eliminating Central Coast with a 1-0 win while Northern Tigers steamrolled Hakoah late, on the way to a 3-0 victory.

Elimination Final
Central Coast v Bankstown City
Bankstown City have continued their fine run of recent form, overcoming Central Coast 1-0 in the Elimination Final to progress to next week’s elimination semi final against Hakoah Sydney City East, but ending Central Coast’s season in the process.
This was a tight affair between two sides who only met in the league two weeks ago, coincidentally finishing with the same result. Both the Lions and Coast had made changes, some forced through injury and suspension, with Bankstown’s Domenic Hudap serving the second of this three game suspension for that late send off against the Coast a fortnight ago, while coach Leo Carle brought in Gerard Ouffoue and Kyohei Kimura. The Coast, similarly, were without the injured Daniel McFarlane and Matthew Crowell, while defender Nathan Verity was out after collecting his fifth yellow last week.
Notwithstanding the changes, it was a quality game with both sides attempting to play quality football on the smooth artificial pitch at Valentine Sports Park. But from the outset, the in-form Lions were keen to take the game by the scruff of the neck, dominating territorially from the off.
They had the first chances of the game, with Kimura grazing the cross bar as early as the eighth minute, although an offside call would have negated any goal. Brima Kamara had a chance a few minutes after that but Blake Tuxford was equal to the task. Before twenty minutes were up, Kamara again, heading over a Huseyin Jasli corner, and Grant Lynch had further opportunities, but just couldn’t breach that Coast goal. Lynch’s chance in particular was the best to that point, a great run down the left combining with the ever dangerous Chris Gomez, and Kamara, his shot bringing another fine save from Tuxford.
The Lions were not short of attacking options, the gangly and strong Ouffoue always in the mix, while Gomez was showing good touch all night. Jasli was in support, while Lynch and Todd Halloran, out wide,
were keen to overlap at every opportunity. Central Coast by comparison, tended to rely on the speed of Trent Buhagiar, no small asset, and Adam Woodbine, but Michael Beauchamp and Dean Heffernan were solid as a rock all game.
In fact, it was not until five minutes before the break that the Coast had their best chance. It was a good one too, a cross field ball looking for the pacy Lachlan Wales, out on the right, but Dion Shaw claimed the ball in the nick of time, right on the edge of the area, just before Wales could get there.
Three minutes before half time, Jasli drove high when he had time and space, the scoreline thus remaining 0-0 at the break, despite those chances.
After the turnaround, the Coast came more into the game, with Buhagiar hitting the side netting on fifty two minutes, before a dead ball chance presented itself to the Coast, after further good work by the young striker. Buhagiar cut inside from the right, and looked to shoot, before being fouled by Kimura right on the edge of the area, dead smack in the middle of the D. Up stepped Louis Bozanic, whose direct free kick beat the wall, but not the diving Shaw.
It was five minutes later that the Lions really should have taken the lead. A pearler of a cross from Halloran swept across the area where Ouffoue connected. But inside the six yard box, with the gaping goal at his mercy, the first time strike went over the bar, giving the Coast a huge sense of relief, but not one felt by the Lions supporters.
Within minutes, Halloran grazed the bar but then, as if the Coast’s job was not difficult enough, they were reduced to ten. In a race for the ball, Bozanic and Heffernan tangled, and while it seemed innocuous enough, Bozanic received a second yellow for impeding the experienced defender, and with twenty five minutes to go, it seemed all uphill from here for the Coast.
That would prove to be the case too, as just two minutes later, Bankstown finally scored. A deep free kick into the penalty area was headed home by Kimura inside a crowded box, the ball falling out of reach of the outstretched Tuxford.
To their credit, despite being a goal and a man down, Central Coast didn’t lie down. They still sought an equaliser, Joel Hardwick just shooting wide with fifteen to go, but the chance that Peter Preston was waiting for, came with just two minutes left on the clock.
Buhagiar, who had been largely shadowed by Beauchamp and Heffernan all evening, found space out wide and his low cross fell perfectly to Woodbine, close in. With a goal seeming certain, Woodbine’s shot was saved by Shaw, spreading himself across goal to save the day for the Lions.
It was a mighty close call but it is by such measures that games can be won or lost. In the end, there could be little argument that Bankstown City deserved the victory, a side who are now looking a formidable unit indeed.
Central Coast 0 v Bankstown City 1 (Kyohei Kimura 70’)
Saturday 29 August 2015
at Valentine Park, Parklea
Referee: Stephen Lucas
Assts: Scott Edeling and Danny Horstead
Central Coast: 1. Blake Tuxford 2. Liam O’Dell 3. Joshua Forbes 5. Brian Jamba 8. Joel Hardwick 9. Adam Woodbine 11. Louis Bozanic 12. Trent Buhagiar 17. Lachlan Wales (14. Steve Whyte 71’) 26. Max Foster (10. Alexander Arbelo 77’) 28. Chris Hurley
Subs not used: 40. Beyhan Irmako 7. Jayden Priest 22. Daniel Tuddenham
Yellow Cards: Joshua Forbes, Adam Woodbine, Louis Bozanic.
Red Card: Louis Bozanic 66’
Coach: Peter Preston
Bankstown City:  1. Dion Shaw 2. Todd Halloran 3. Grant Lynch 4. Aaron D’Mello 5. Michael Beauchamp 7. Brima Kamara 8. Dean Heffernan 9. Chris Gomez (12. Steven Veleski 90+2’) 11. Huseyin Jasli 17. Gerard Ouffoue (6. Reuben Lagos 85’) 22. Kyohei Kimura.
Subs not used: 30. Nicholas Carosi 20. Alvaro Malmierca 33. Jack Musgrave
Yellow Cards: Kyohei Kimura
Coach: Leo Carle

Qualifying Final
Hakoah Sydney City East v Northern Tigers
Goals at both ends of the game bookended this match as Northern Tigers ultimately triumphed 3-0 against Hakoah Sydney City East to earn the right to take on Spirit FC in next week’s major semi final.

The Tigers hit the front with their first attack of the afternoon, when Liam McConaghy drove home a loose ball across Matthew Symes, after just five minutes.
That lead was almost doubled ten minutes later when Matthew West hit a left footer which just swerved wide, before the Tigers again, this time with West setting up Tai Smith, came close.
But they couldn’t get any closer without scoring when West hit an exquisite pass to Smith, wide on the right, whose charge upfield eventually saw the ball turned back in to the onrushing West, who hit the inside of the post, before the ball miraculously stayed out.
The best chance for Hakoah in the first half fell to Neil Jablonski, who controlled well on the edge of the box as he held off his defender. His swivel put him with a shot on goal but he was a fraction wide.
This match was a real battle, tending on the scrappy at times. The Tigers couldn’t feel the result was safe, at just the one goal, and Hakoah had opportunities to draw level, with Brad Paikin perhaps taking too long when in receipt of a brilliant pass. A first time drive would really have brought the crowd to their feet.
But with seven minutes to go, Northern Tigers did seal the win. A corner to the far post was headed back across goal by West, and Lucas Dawson had the simple task to nod in from close range.
There was no comeback for Hakoah from here, and maybe even they knew it. The Tigers threatened to run out the score late on, as the Hakoah resistance dwindled. A keeper error in picking up a back pass gave the Tigers an indirect free kick just inside the box. A short touch by West to Paul Davies, gave Davies the chance to drill home low for the third.
It almost became four in injury time as Julian Lim found himself one on one with Matthew Symes, but the keeper redeemed himself with a good save. Such a scoreline would have been cruel on Hakoah who were well in the game up until those last crucial minutes.
Hakoah Sydney City East 0 v Northern Tigers 3 (Liam McConaghy 5’, Lucas Dawson 83’, Paul Davies 90’)
Sunday 30 August 2015
at Sydney United Sports Centre
Referee: Jerry Bitas
Assts: Mitch Clark and Matthew Cassidy
Hakoah Sydney City East: 1. Matthew Symes 2. Remy Wolanski 4. Bradley Walker (29. Harry Jones 46’) 7. Kevin Lopes 8. Paul Orgad (26. Federico Kertscher 65’) 9. Neil Jablonski 10. Deklan Gilmartin 11. Gavin Rae 16. Brad Paikin (44. Nicholas Mouzourakis 81’) 17. Joseph Dingwall 19. Jacob Esposito.
Sub not used: 40 Matthew McKenzie 
Yellow Cards: Nil
Coach: Mark Robertson
Northern Tigers: 1. Matthew Nemes 3. Lucas Dawson 4. Michael Rolston 6. Paul Davies 7. Matthew West 9. Liam McConaghy (17. Braden Cheng 71’) 10. Sherven Adeli 12. Russell Farrell 13. James Craig 16. Steven Baveas (2. Samuel Ryder 63’) 18. Tai Smith (23. Julian Lim 82’).
Subs not used: 21. Harrison Devenish-Meares 11. Mitchell Smith
Yellow Cards: Lucas Dawson, Braden Cheng
Coach: Steve Hurd
by Peter Rowney, PS4 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s 2 Reporter