Blacktown City smash Spartans for six

It was six of the best for a rampant Blacktown City as Mark Crittenden’s side defeated a sorry Blacktown Spartans outfit 6-0 in its PlayStation®4 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s clash at Lilys Football Stadium.

The visiting Spartans had lost seven of their last eight league matches against their fierce local rivals prior to kickoff and the wait for victory will go on after the visitors were outclassed by their premiership-chasing neighbours.

An onslaught was on the cards as early as the second minute when Joey Gibbs slammed home from close range.

While the former Western Sydney Wanderers forward saw his penalty saved by Spartans keeper and former teammate Carlos Saliadarre, goals from Robert Speranza and Mitchell Mallia gave City an unassailable 3-0 lead at half-time.

The frenetically paced first half affair took several shifts downward in the second stanza but there was no halting the utterly dominant hosts with a goal to Danny Choi and two goals from Patrick Antelmi piling on the misery for the struggling visitors.

The alarm bells sounded for the Spartans no sooner than moments after kick off as Blacktown City asserted their superiority early on.

The visitors were unable to grab a foothold in the contest and were continually caught out by the searing pace of City wingers Mitchell Mallia and Danny Choi.

It was a wicked delivery from Mallia which allowed Joey Gibbs to convert from close range inside two minutes.

Danny Choi on the other flank offered a timely reminder of his freakish athleticism when he surged past Spartans fullback Thomas Whiteside to earn a penalty.

Saliadarre denied Gibbs with a firm pair of hands after a long delay but the penalty save would only provide a brief reprieve from the home side’s onslaught

Robert Speranza doubled the advantage minutes later after the Spartans had failed to clear a corner.

Mallia added a deserved third on the cusp of half-time when he latched onto an errant back pass from Luka Dukic before lobbing a stranded Saliadarre.

Ben De Haan’s outfit had offered very little in terms of resistance in a morbid first half display and it went from bad to worse for the visitors.

Danny Choi added a fourth after substitute Riku Sasaki had caught the Spartans rearguard napping again.

Patrick Antelmi had enjoyed a backseat role in his side’s riot but the former Wigan and Leeds striker etched his name on the scoresheet after outmuscling Hyams Tomihiro in the box before applying an unstoppable curling finish past Saliadarre.

Antelmi completed his quick-fire brace moments after when he burst through a brittle Spartans rearguard and steered past Saliadarre for City’s sitx.

Mark Crittenden praised his side’s first half display

“Our first half was really good and we probably should’ve put a couple more away, but we showed again tonight that on our day we’re pretty lethal,” he said.

“I said at half-time that under no circumstances are we to concede.

“I’d have been sick had we conceded one at the end”.

Match Stats

Blacktown City 6 (Gibbs 2’, Sperenza 27’, Mallia 45’, Choi 61’, Antelmi 80’, 84’)

Blacktown Spartans 0

Saturday, May 7, 2016

Lilys Football Stadium, Seven Hills

Blacktown City FC: 1. VEKIC, Nenad, 16. ANTELMI Patrick, 19. CAIRNCROSS, Zach (17. BEUMIE, Lewis 72’), 11. CHOI, Danny (7. MAJOR, Travis 69’), 10. EVANS Connor (21. SASAKI, Riku 58’), 9. GIBBS Joey, 6. LEWIS Matt, 8. MACURA Sasa, 14. MALLIA Mitchell, 3. SPERANZA Giorgio, 4. SPERANZA Roberto

Substitutes not used: 12. GROZDANOVSKI, Jonathan, 20. NISKI, Dylan

Yellow Cards:  8. MACURA Sasa 54’, 11. CHOI, Danny 55’, 19. CAIRNCROSS, Zach 65’

Red Cards: Nil

Blacktown Spartans: 1. SALIADARRE, Carlos, 5. DUKIC, Luka, 7. SASAKI, Shu, 8. OTT, Jacob (4. MUTCH, William 45’), 9. PROIA, Anthony, 10. NAKAMURA, Futa, 25. GAUTHIER, Amaury (11. CRIGHTON, Jordan 58’) 15. WHITESIDE, Thomas, (6. Yianni PERKATIS), 17. TOMIHIRO, Hyams, 20. TOSI, Benjamin, 14. MORTON, Hayden

Substitutes not used: 41. NASCIMBEN, Dominic, 3. TANNER, Joshua, 

Yellow Cards: 20. TOSI, Benjamin 13’, 15. WHITESIDE, Thomas 21’, 5. DUKIC, Luka 65’, 14. MORTON, Hayden 65’, 9. PROIA, Anthony 83’

Red Cards: Nil

Player Ratings

3 – Mitchell Mallia (Blacktown City)
2 – Patrick Antelmi (Blacktown City)
1 – Danny Choi (Blacktown City)
–By PlayStation®4 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s reporter Jacob Windon