Round 5 Review – PS4 NPL 2 NSW Men’s
Round 5 of the PlayStation®4 National Premier Leagues 2 NSW Men’s competition proved to be one of excitement, controversy and upsets as Fraser Park and Mt Druitt secured their first wins of the season, while wins by Western Sydney Wanderers and Sydney FC placed them in first equal position alongside Bankstown City and Mounties, who both suffered defeat.
Fraser Park 3 Central Coast Mariners 1
FRASER PARK CAUSED a major upset when they defeated Central Coast Mariners 3-1 in a torrid clash at Marrickville on Saturday night.
The win was the club’s first of the season and ended the young Mariners’ unbeaten run of three matches.
A humble Fraser Park coach Branko Culina was impressed with his side, who he said were a bit more hungry than the opposition. “Central Coast is a very good young team,” Culina told Football NSW. “But I think that in the end we probably wanted it a bit more than them and our experience played an influence on the outcome.”
Fraser Park pressed hard from the opening whistle, hounding and harrassing their young opponents. And while they created a number of chances in the front third, too often their final touch let them down. Peter Crevani and Kevin Oliveira provided some nice touches, with Crevani’s free kicks and crosses causing some angst in the Mariners’ defence.
Despite the robust commitment of their opponents, Central Coast played with width and assurance, central defender Nathan Verity impressing with his anticipation and distribution around the park, while the size and pace of tall striker Josh Bingham caused problems for the home side.
A searching cross from the right presented Central Coast with an early opportunity to score, but Fraser Park’s impressive goalkeeper Wayne Estevao outjumped Bingham, snatching the ball from number nine’s head just in the nick of time.
Fraser Park settled down midway through the first half, providing some nice passages of play but Central Coast came close to scoring in the 21st minute when Reece Papadimitrios floated a perfect free kick into the box, only for Liam O’Dell to head into the side netting.
Fraser Park’s Aleksandar Todoroski created some dramas down the right wing, his pace and ability to cross troubling the Mariners’ defence.
On the half hour mark, Nicholas Dimitropoulos went close with a header from a Crevani corner; and minutes later, the Mariners’ Ryan Peterson unleashed a long range effort that Estevao handled with ease.
The teams went to the dressing rooms after a scoreless but spirited first half, an accurate indication of the first 45 minutes.
The second half started with as much frenzy as the first, Fraser Park’s Askin Oygur conceding a free kick after a heavy foul on Bingham in the 47th minute. The young Mariners punished the locals for their folly, with O’Dell glancing home the opener from a well flighted Papadimitrios free kick.
With coach Branko Culina worried that the goal would give the Mariners newfound confidence and momentum, it was instead his own side that gained a new lease of life.
Fraser Park refused to give up and continued to fight for every ball, sparking a revival that lit up the small home crowd. In the 54th minute, Crevani tried an audacious long-range effort that forced a brilliant save by Central Coast keeper Thomas Heward-Belle, who tipped the ball over the bar. A minute later, Central Coast’s Papadimitrios lost his cool and received a yellow card for dissent. The wheels were slowly beginning to turn in the home side’s favour.
Two minutes later, Central Coast handled inside the box, giving referee Yaghi no option but to point to the penalty spot. Crevani calmly stepped up and slotted home the equaliser.
Fraser Park continued to attack and their diligence paid off when in the 60th minute that man Crevani unleashed a cracking left-foot shot from outside the box, the ball deflecting off the post and into the net for a 2-1 lead. The momentum had well and truly swung Fraser Park’s way.
The home side continued to dominate, closing down the Mariners in defence and creating opportunities in attack. Oygur and Dimitropoulos were a robust presence in defence, while Crevani taunted the Mariners with his skill and educated left boot.
The locals sealed the spoils in the 82nd minute when substitute Nathan Sansom made the most of great leadup work by Kevin Oliveira, slipping the ball past Heward-Belle to extend Fraser Park’s lead to 3-1.
While Culina was delighted with his side’s victory, Central Coast Mariners coach Ben Cahn said his team was too predictable and had lost to a better side.
“They (Fraser Park) played well and deserved the win,” Cahn told Football NSW. “For us, there were few positives to take from the match, but I’m sure the experience of playing against more experienced players in this competition will stand us in good stead as the season moves forward.”
Fraser Park 3 (Peter Crevani 57’ (pen), 61’; Nathan Sansom 82’) Central Coast Mariners 1 (Liam O’Dell 48’)
Saturday 2 April 2016
At Fraser Park, Marrickville
Referee: K Yaghi
Assistants: D Broderick, A Beecham
Fraser Park 1. Wayne Estevao (GK), 3. Davide Talone (15. Daisan Kim 68’), 4. Peter Crevani, 5. Nicholas Dimitropoulos (C), 6. Aleksandar Todoroski, 7. Kevin Oliveira, 8. Zac Ribeiro, 9. Jeffrey Issa (17. Nathan Sansom), 11. Jordan Roberts, 13. Pasqualino Cappuccio, 18. Askin Oygur
Unused Substitutes: 16. N Mouzourakis, 20. Adem Kir, 21. J. Dimitrakas (GK)
Coach: Branko Culina
Central Coast Mariners FC 1. Thomas Heward-Belle (GK), 2. Brian Jamba, 3. Reece Papadimitrios, 5. Daniel Tuddenham, 6. Liam O’Dell (C), 7. Lachlan Wales, 9. Josh Bingham, 10. Ryan Peterson (18. Cade Mapu 63’), 11. Christopher Hurley, 12. Trent Buhagiar, 14. Nathan Verity (15. Nathan Hundley 74’)
Unused Substitutes: 8. Lewis Miccio
Yellow Cards: 3. Reece Papadimitrios (56’)
Coach: Ben Cahn
Sydney FC 1 Bankstown City 0
SYDNEY FC STOLE a 1-0 victory over Bankstown City at Lambert Park after Lions fullback Todd Halloran scored an own goal in the 28th minute.
Robbie Stanton’s young guns were well organised and defended well, limiting the Lions’ opportunities.
“Our key was our defensive structure which I knew would have to be very good,” FC coach Robert Stanton told Football NSW.
“We defended well but we also kept the ball well, and to be honest I thought we were deserving winners, unlucky not to score two or three.
“It was always going to be a tight game, they’re probably the strongest team and were the form team in the competition. They’ve got plenty of experience, good speed, play well in possession, in transition, and they’re very good at set pieces. They tick all the areas that can hurt you. They could have pinched a goal back but I think we deserved our three pints this week.”
Bankstown City coach Leo Carle said the game was fairly even and a draw would probably have been a fair result.
“I’ll be honest, we weren’t at our best, I think physically last week’s game against the Wanderers took a lot out of us, but I think we still could have got a draw, which would have been a fair result.
“We played on a smaller pitch, the ball ran a bit quicker so we had to adjust to that. No excuses, they’re all young, enthusiastic, and like the Wanderers, all have decent touch on them. These young teams bring that high intensity to the competition, a different challenge to what the old teams bring. They were probably on top in the first half but the second half was all us. We really pushed and looked for the goal but just couldn’t get it at the end.
Carle added that Sydney FC were difficult to break down because they were so compact, especially through the middle. “We tried to get in and around them but the execution wasn’t good enough,” he said. “I think it’s just a slip at the moment, I’m not looking into it too much. These players have done the job in the past. It was a testing game, one we’ll learn for next time. I’m confident we can beat them.”
Sydney FC 1 (Todd Halloran own goal) Bankstown City 0
Sydney FC1. Mitchell Evans (GK), 2. Brendan Curtis, 3. Patrick Flottmann, 4. George Timotheou, 5. Yianni Spyrakis (C), 6. Nicola Kuleski, 7. Daniel Araujo, 9. Bai Antoniou (8. Max Burgess 59’), 12. Charles Lokolingoy (10. Aaron Avery 87’), 14. Cristian Gonzalez, 17. Chris Zuvela
Unused Subs: 16. Tom Slater, 19. Matt Green, 22. Duro Dragicevic
Yellow Cards: 9. Bai Antoniou 56’, 5. Yianni Spyrakis 81’
Coach: Robert Stanton
Bankstown City FC 1. Dion Shaw (GK), 2. Todd Halloran (O.G 28’), 5. Michael Beauchamp (C), 8. Dominic Hudap, 9. Grant Ouffoue (4. Mate Lucic 72’). 10. Christopher Gomez, 11. Huseyin Jasli, 12. S. Veleski, 13. Dhari Alsaad, 14. Dean Bereveskos (12. Steven Veleski 72’), 16. Kojiro Hori (15. Alessandro Pecora 79’), 20. A. Malmierca, 23. Grant Lynch
Unused Subs: 22. Kyohei Kimura, 26. Nicholas Carosi
Yellow Cards: Dominic Hudap 70’
Coach: Leo Carle
Referee: Kris Griffiths-Jones
Assistants: Darren Allatt, Jordan Lake
Western Sydney Wanderers 5 St George 0
WESTERN SYDNEY WANDERERS stunned a reeling St George 5-0 at Blacktown Football Park on Saturday night to jump to the top of the table.
Wanderers coach Trevor Morgan said he was pleased with his team’s growing maturity and ability to play to the final whistle.
“We had a few chances we should have taken in the first half,” Morgan told Football NSW. “Then towards the end of the match a few things opened up for us and we finished well. Our boys are learning that being patient and sticking to the game plan will ultimately bring rewards.”
St George were competitive but according to Morgan, apart from creating opportunities, his side were just a little bit quicker in both footwork and movement than the opposition. “The young boys are training four times a week,” he said. “Most of them don’t have to go to work because they’re at school or uni. We’re taking advantage of the fact they’re more agile and a little bit quicker moving the ball. Some of them are fortunate enough to be even training with the Wanderers’ first team and that’s a high level of training that makes a big diffeence.”
Midfielder Liam Youlley received special mention for his dominance of the midfield, but Morgan was more impressed by the team effort, especially the quality of Mario Shabow and Lachlan Scott, who made an immediate impact from the bench.
Despite the heavy defeat, St George coaches Nass Martino and Ivo De Jesus were pleased with their side’s performance and conceded that the young Wanderers were just too good on the night.
“The score didn’t reflect the game,” Martino told Football NSW. “They’re good, there’s no question about that. But it was only 1-0 at halftime and 2-0 near the end.
“No excuses but it’s a difficult time for us with injuries right now. We lost a player to a back injury on Thursday night at training, last week McCracken went to hospital, this week Sam Cornish went to hospital, the list goes on. We’ve got eight players out injured and they’re all senior experienced players. So I can’t fault the rest of the squad, they’re doing the best they can do and in the circumstances that’s all we can ask for. “(Co-coach) Ivo (De Jesus) and I can’t fault the team.”
Western Sydney Wanderers 5 (Liam Youlley, Lachlan Scott, Brenton Fox, Tariq Maia, Mario Shabow) St George 0
Western Sydney Wanderers FC 2. Lachlan Roberts, 5. Jackson Bandiera, 6. Keanu Baccus, 8. Cameron Devlin, 10. Tariq Maia, 14. Brenton Fox, 18. Matthew Symes (GK), 23. Shayne D’Cunha, 32. Daniel Alessi, 33. Josh Macdonald, 36. Liam Youlley
Subs: 1. Nicholas Suman, 9. Lachlan Scott 11. Mathieu Cordier, 12. Joshua Gaspari, 34. Mario Shabow
Yellow Cards: 32. Daniel Alessi
Coach: Trevor Morgan
St George FC 1. George Bouropoulos (GK), 2. Daniel Kamel, 4. Jonathan Kontalis (3. Ali Nasreddine), 8. Tarik Ercan, 9. Steven Ilic, 10. Nicolas Rouco, 13. Peter Vassillis, 16. Thomas Menton, 17. Bruno Pivato, 18. Sam Cornish (6. Reuben Lagos), 38. Jacob Sullivan (15. Nicolas Perez)
Unused Subs: 50. Mark Slivic
Yellow Cards: 1. George Bouropoulos (GK)17’, 8. Tarik Ercan 45+1’, 2. Daniel Kamel 52’, 4. Jonathan Kontalis 66’
Coaches: Nass Martino and Ivo De Jesus
Referee: T Nash
Bankstown Berries 2 North Shore Mariners FC 3
NORTH SHORE MARINERS staged a remarkable comeback to finish on top of Bankstown Berries 3-2 at Crest Athletic Centre on Saturday night.
The home side dominated the Mariners in the first half and raced to a 2-0 lead with goals by Riccardo Milano and Nicholas Paras. The Berries continued to dominate until the game reached the hour mark, when Mariners coach Joe Haywood injected some youth from the bench.
“In the first half we played into their hands, but the last half hour belonged to us,” Haywood told Football NSW. “No offence to the Berries but their style of play is to get in your face and be aggressive, physical and strong. And that’s just the way they play, they do it very well. But our style of play is more technical.”
Indeed, the first 60 minutes were a physical battle, with the Berries rattling the young Mariners and putting them off their game. But when Haywood brought on youngsters Jake Mavin and Marley Peterson, the Mariners’ fortunes took a turn for the better.
“The youngsters have good football brains and are very technically gifted,” Haywood said. “Marley is only 17-years-old and Jake is around 20. They came on and got us playing again in that last half hour, which was probably our best passage of the game. We got on top and scored three goals in 25 minutes or so. All the hard work we’d been putting in finally paid off. Their contribution shows we’ve got a strong group, we’ve got quality boys all the way through the club. We’ve been there or thereabouts all season but this week it all came together and the boys responded accordingly.”
Bankstown Berries 2 (Riccardo Milano, Nicholas Paras) North Shore Mariners 3 (Nicholas Chapman, Marley Peterson, Marquin Smith)
Bankstown Berries FC 2. Andrew Vitucci, 4. Alexander Becerra, 5. Liam Mckenna, 6. P. Dimitropoulos,7. Kyle Ewart (8. Joel Anscomb), 9. Gavin Forbes, 10. Nicholas Paras (19. Dimitrios Zakilas), 11. Tai Smith, 14. James Ralston, 15. Riccardo Milano, 18. Jake Bradshaw, 40. Christopher Becerra
Unused Subs: 1. Marko Bozic, 27. Nathan Rayner, 32. Alex Scott
Yellow Cards: 10. Nicholas Paras 72’, 15. Ricardo Milano 73’, 5. Liam McKenna 78’
Coach: Rod Williams
North Shore Mariners 1. Anthony Zecchinati (GK), 3. Chris Lindsay, 4. Jack Grant, 6. Ricky Woodward (14. Jake Mavin), 7. Tadhg Purcell, 12. Nicholas Chapman (18. Callaghan Sharpe), 13. Marquin Smith, 17. Michael Cole, 19. Joseph Esposito (21. Marley Peterson), 20. Zac Sfiligoi, 35. J. Aguirre, 37. James Scott
Unused Subs: 28. Gianni Fabbro, 36. Stefan Giglio,
Coach: Joe Haywood
Referee: C Fisher
Assistants: E Amini, M Reidy
Mt Druitt Town Rangers 4 Mounties 1
MtT DRUITT TOWN Rangers broke through for their maiden win of the season with a spectacular 4-1 upset over second-placed Mounties at Popondetta Park.
The home side led 2-1 at the break following goals to Nicholas Trimble and Scott Goodwin; Wade Oostendorp bridging the gap for Mounties.
Mt Druitt coach Aidan Desmond said that for the first time this season his side started well and scored goals. “We took most of our chances and defended well,” Desmond told Football NSW. “We had a plan and stuck to it.”
After losing four matches in a row, Desmond said his side’s self-belief had taken a battering, “so we spoke about it through the week and they came out and executed what we’d practised”.
Desmond made special mention of the experienced Matthew Clowes and Daniel McCann, along with centre backs Scott Goodwin and Nick Trimble, who both scored from set pieces.
At 2-1 down, Mounties still had the quality to win the match, prompting Desmond to warn his side against complacency. “I told them that Mounties would never give up. They’ve always got fight and a lot of experienced boys in there. We knew we had to go back out in the second half and do what we’d done in the first half but do some things a little better. We played right to the end and it was us who scored in the 92nd minute to make it 4-1.
Mounties coach David Perkovic was very disappointed with the loss but congratulated Mt Druitt on a job well done. “We didn’t play very well, we didn’t pay to our capabilities,” Perkovic told Football NSW. “We just didn’t settle into the game and they played as I expected of a team desperate to get their first points of the season. They basically wanted the game more than we did.”
At 2-1 at halftime, Perkovic was confident that his side could regroup and win the match. “I felt that if we scored the next goal we’d probably win the match, even though we didn’t deserve it. But they scored next and thoroughly deserved the victory. The loss was going to come sooner or later, everyone in the league has had a loss now. It’s a good reality check for us.”
Mt Druitt Town Rangers 4 (Scott Goodwin 18’, Nicholas Trimble 29’, Abraham Majok 71’, 92’,) Mounties Wanderers 1 (Wade Oostendorp 34’)
Mt Druitt Town Rangers FC 1. C. Moore (GK), 3. Brian Griffin-Colls, 6. Nicholas Trimble, 8. Matthew Clowes, 9. Kuag Reec (7. Luke Clifford), 10. Patrick Dixon (12. Jamie Dib), 11. Abraham Majok, 14. Daniel Mccann, 15. Rainer Smahel, 16. Scott Goodwin, 23. Shane Ardle (18. Bradley Zavaglia), 41. Christopher Moore
Unused Subs: 1. Justin Biega, 17. Raed Ardu
Yellow Cards: 8. Matthews Clowes 42’, 23, Shane Ardle 89’
Coach: Aidan Desmond
Mounties Wanderers FC 1. Daniel Sadaka (GK), 5. Patrick Gatt, 6. Aleksandar Tomic, 7. Neftali Gonzalez, 9. Matthew West (22. Josh Viera), 11. Juan Chavez, 20. Reid Taylor (25. Christian Torrelli), 22. Wade Oostendorp, 23. Glen Downey, 27. Domenic Dileo (8. Emanuel Elali), 29. Jake Ingle
Unused Subs: 17. Gandor Bah, 21. James Stojcevski
Yellow Cards: 20. Reid Taylor 45’, 29. Jake Ingle 60’, 8. Emanuel Elali 69’
Coach: David Perkovic
Spirit FC 1 Northern Tigers 1
IN A TYPICALLY physical local derby, Spirit FC and Northern Tigers shared the spoils at Christie Park on Saturay night.
Tigers coach Steve Hurd said a draw was a fair result, but he was disappointed in his side’s tactics after Bradley Chen had given them a 1-0 lead.
“It’s always a difficult place to play, Christie Park, the pitch isn’t the best and it’s a local derby,” Hurd told Football NSW. “It was a typical local derby, very quick and very aggressive. We played very well in the first half and were one-nil up after about 15 minutes, but Spirit really came at us in the second half.”
The Tigers defended well but were sloppy when in possession, losing the ball and allowing Spirit to score a late equaliser. “We stopped playing football and tried to defend our lead, which was disappointing. They equalised with about five minutes to go and probably deserved the point.”
Injuries have decimated the Mariners this season and they were forced to field a young, inexperienced lineup at Marsfield.
Goalkeeper Matt Nemes returned from injury and made some vital saves, while fullbacks Ali Brown and Zac Morris came up from the Under 20s and performed well.
“I’ve been involved in four or five Tigers-Spirit games and they’re always messy and physically hard,” Hurd said. “But the young guys stepped up and will be better for the experience.”
Spirit FC 1 (G Cornwell) Northern Tigers 1 (B Cheng)
Spirit FC 1. M. Nelson, 2. D. Cunningham (C), 3. H. Wells, 4. M. Streeter, 5. A. Robertson, 8. G. Cornwell, 10. K. Changyu, 12. L. Bozanic, 13. P. Reilly, 14. J. Mcleod, 15. A. Doyle, 16. M. Mcalpine, 17. R. George, 20. N. Jagelman, 51. D. Lowery (GK)
Yellow Cards: 8. G Cornwell, 15. A Doyle, 14. J Mcleod
Coach: Mark McCormick
Northern Tigers FC 2. R. Farrell, 3. O. Stickland, 5. M. Glanville , 6. P. Davies, 7. J. Hardwick, 8. C. Rosano, 9. L. Mcconaghy 2, 10. L. Dawson (C), 11. M. Smith, 12. B. Cheng, 13. J. Arima, 14. J. Lim, 18. Z. Morris, 19. A. Brown, 20. R. Keayes (GK), 21. N. Polinsky
Yellow Cards: 5. M Glanville, 6. P Davies, 12. B Cheng
Coach: Steve Hurd
Marconi 1 Macarthur 1
MARCONI AND MACARTHUR played a controversial 1-1 draw at Marconi Stadium on Sunday, with the match ending with a near brawl just before the final whistle.
In a spiteful game that saw referee Jerry Bitas give two red cards and four yellows, Marconi led 1-0 at halftime through a Marko Jesil penalty.
Marconi’s Bright Appiah conceded a penalty and earned himself a yellow card for handball in the 31st minute but to his relief, goalkeeper Chad Taylor capped his return from injury with a brilliant save. Appiah received another yellow for hand ball in the 45th minute, leaving the Stallions with 10 men at the start of the second half.
Macarthur equalised in the 60th minute when Elsid Barkhousir slammed home from close range. Taylor then denied the Rams what could easily have been the match-winner when in the 78th minute he tipped a well-struck Mitchell Thompson free kick over the bar.
Marconi centre back Simon Valastro then received his marching orders for his second yellow for high feet in the 79th minute, forcing his team to play the final moments of the match with two men down.
Marconi survived the torrid final minutes with nine men before the match ended in controversy after referee Bitas denied the Stallions two claims for penalties just seconds before he blew the final whistle.
Marconi coach Jeff Suzor was disappointed with the dramas but proud of his players’ performance at the end. “From our point of view we played most of the game with 10 men and the final moments with nine, yet we were the ones who looked like winning,” Suzor told Football NSW. “We played well, still played two up front and three at the back, while they were very conservative and obviously just happy for the point. I was pretty happy with our performance.”
Marconi Stallions 1 (Marko Jesil penalty) Macarthur Rams 1 (Elsid Barkhousir 60’)
Marconi Stallions FC 1. Chad Taylor, 4. Simon Valastro, 7. Mirjan Pavlovic, 8. Sean Rooney, 10. Marko Jesic, 12. Bright Appiah, 16. Noah Chianese (11. Sam Perre 63’), 17. Steven Drewery, 18. Brandon Vella, 22. Emmanuel Giannaros, 23. Christopher Nunes (C)
Unused Subs: 5. Peter Pelekanos, 19. Michael Cimino, 21. Kristian Sekutkoski (GK), 24. Christopher Godoy Bascur
Yellow Cards: Bright Appiah 31’ & 45+2’, Simon Valasco 56’ & 79’, Brandon Vella 40’, Marko Jesic 49’
Red Cards: Bright Appiah 45+2’, Simon Valasco 79’
Coach: Jeff Suzor
Macarthur Rams FC 1. Nikodin Matic, 2. Craig Cooley (C), 3. Mitchell Thompson, 4. B. Cornish, 5. Elsid Barkhousir, 7. Eli Squillacioti (11. Anthony Nicola 81’), 9. Anthony Schmidt, 10. Eros Bergamin, 12. David McMurray (19. Damien Travis 71’), 13. Daniel Carrozza, 14. Hayder Jasim (8. Cristian Leiva Martinez), 16. Mason Versi
Unused Subs: 6. Anthony Lavric, 20. Jair Fernandez
Yellow Cards: 10. Eros Bergamin 59’, 7. Eli Squillacioti 73’
Coach: Lee Sterrey
-By Derek Royal
