Blacktown City through to Grand Final
Like the wounded beast, Blacktown City FC struck back with a vengeance at Lilys Football Centre on Sunday afternoon to progress to the Grand Final next week.
It was APIA Leichhardt Tigers FC on the back of a City special serve during the PS4 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s 1 Preliminary Final, as Blacktown secured a stunning 6-1 win.
Patrick Antelmi stood out once again, grabbing a brace, as did substitute Mitch Mallia, with the other two goals coming through Matt Lewis and Sasa Macura.
Mark Crittenden’s men showed little ill-effects of last week’s shock loss to Bonnyrigg White Eagles in the Major Semi Final after leading 2-0.
Complacency was not going to be an issue this time.
PURCHASE TICKETS TO THE GRAND FINAL
Within just four minutes, City was 1-0 up, scoring through the brilliant Antelmi, who put the finishing touches on a brilliant move courtesy of a lovely cross from Danny Choi who inspired down the left hand flank all day.
The potent front four of Antelmi, Joey Gibbs, Choi and Travis Major caused headaches for the APIA defence all day but their industry up front was matched in midfield by Connor Evans whose hard-tackling and smart distribution from the midfield kept APIA pinned down in their defensive half.
It didn’t take long for the second goal to come, either.
Another brilliant pass from Antelmi out to the left wing found Choi, who raced at Brad Bartels and drew a foul inside the box.
Matt Lewis made the long trip up from the centre of defence to the penalty spot and showed no sign of nerves as he coolly dispatched his spot-kick into the bottom corner.
The APIA response was a strong one, as Corey Biczo and Nathan Elasi stepped up their efforts in the final third.
The latter almost forced an own goal out of Blacktown captain Zach Cairncross, just after a fine display of tricky feet almost allowed him to pull back the two-goal deficit instantly.
Elasi who singlehandedly looked to get his team back in the game tested soon after Blacktown keeper Nenad Vekic, but his shot was well saved by the City keeper.
The quality rearguard action was rewarded at the other end as Macura showed twinkle toes of his own after some lovely play with Antelmi to make his way through a crowded penalty area and hammer home a close-range shot.
It was a near flawless opening 35 minutes, which was only ruined by the sight of young Evans, tireless in midfield, down with a knee injury.
The problem would force him off at half-time, but not before Elasi scored a deserved goal as the Blacktown City defence was caught napping in the 43rd minute.
After seeing a two-goal lead slip last week, you might have forgiven City for heading into the break with a bit of trepidation, as the Tigers looked to build on the momentum in the second half.
But City was having none of it, and almost made it 4-1 barely a minute into the second half, only to see Major’s header ruled marginally offside.
Still, Franco Parisi was putting in an impressive shift in the middle for APIA as he tried to keep his team’s momentum going after a strong finish to the first stanza, but any hope of that vanished in the 57th minute.
Stephen Kayes, a first-half substitute for Bartels, earned a red card for his second bookable offence, a callous chop on Blacktown wing master Choi.
Now fighting a two-goal deficite and a man down, the APIA floodgates soon opened.
Had Gibbs had his shooting boots on, he might have scored three goals himself before Antlemi scored his second in the 66th minute, tucking away a superb cross from Yianni Fragogiannis from the left-hand side.
Vekic was called into action again to deny Nicholas Olsen, who continued to battle up front, as Choi was replaced by Mallia who would use his cameo to full-effect, putting his hand up for a starting berth in the Grand Final with two goals.
Mallia got his first after 78 minutes when he picked his spot beautifully from just outside the box to curl the ball around Tonu Liiband, before scoring again in the 82nd with a cool one-on-one finish.
City coach Crittenden was delighted with the level of play his side managed, especially after a flat week on the track.
“We were disappointed last week, but not in the way we played and it was an interesting week. On Thursday and Friday we looked a bit flat still,” Crittenden said.
“We stuck to the plan today. They’re very excited in the rooms.
“The boys were good today, training was a bit off, but they got here, they knew what they were here for and you could see the buzz around.
“It’s a long year. We’re up to about our 38th game, ocne you include the cups, so it’s a long, tough season … but just one to go now.”
That one game just happens to be a PS4 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s 1 Grand Final, and Crittenden will hope his side can find away to beat the one team that has consistently defied them in 2015 – Bonnyrigg White Eagles.
“We have to be better defensively than we were last week, but if the game itself is anything like it was last week, it will be a great one for the fans.”
PURCHASE TICKETS TO THE GRAND FINAL
Sunday September 6, 2015
Lilys Football Centre, Seven Hills
Blacktown City FC 6 (Antelmi 4’, 66’, Lewis 14’, Macura 31’, Mallia 78’, 82’)
APIA Leichhardt Tigers FC 1 (Elasi 43’)
Referee: Adrian Arndt
Assistant Referees: Lance Greenshields & Joon Park
Fourth Official: Khodr Yaghi
Blacktown City FC: Vekic, Antelmi, Cairncross, Choi (Mallia 66’), Evans (Araujo 45’), Fragogiannis, Gibbs, Lewis, Macura (Timotheou 77’), Major, Speranza
Substitutes not used: Prendergast, Tomaras
Yellow Cards:
APIA Leichhardt Tigers FC: Liiband, Bartels (Kayes 19’), Biczo, D’Apuzzo, Elasi, Millgate, Olsen, Parisi, Symons, Ucchino (Scott 66’), West
Substitutes not used: Kayes, Moore, Rhodes, Scott, Griffiths
Yellow Cards: Bartels 13’, Kayes 43’, 57’, West 52’
Red Cards: Kayes 57’
-By Matthew Galea, National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s 1 Editor, at Lilys Football Centre
