Round 16 Review – State League Men’s

Round 16 of the State League Men’s was cagey and atypically low scoring, with St. George FA’s dramatic victory over Hurstville FC headlining proceedings.
Match of the Round – Hurstville FC vs. St. George FA: 0-1.
St. George have made a significant step towards the Premiership overcoming second placed Hurstville FC with an impressive performance this Saturday.
The visitors were quick to establish a grip on possession over Hurstville in the opening fifteen minutes, dictating the pace of play particularly through midfielders James Spanoudakis and Nicholas Napoli..
Hurstville were chasing shadows for most of the first half as St. George executed the sort of football they’ve made their own this season – moving the ball around quickly in midfield, before finding a through ball down the wings.
Indeed, it was exactly this sort of move that led to St. George’s goal (which would eventually prove the winner) midway through the first half. Napoli played a stunning diagonal ball between the Hurstville back four to winger Sean Richardson on the right flank. Richardson cut the ball across goal towards Sam Messam at the back post, who finished with composition.
St. George didn’t slow down in the second period, continuing to play Hurstville out of the game. They did, however, struggle to break down Hurstville’s strong defensive unit who were forced deep into their half.
Hurstville’s few attempts forward were shut down well by the St. George back four, who shielded goalkeeper Marco Bozic so impressively that he didn’t have to make a single save all game.
As the game sped towards the final whistle, Hurstville became more desperate – pushing forward frantically to find an equaliser. Despite St. George’s dominance, their lead was vulnerable with only one goal in it.
Nevertheless, the home side couldn’t find a way through a compact St. George defence. St. George celebrated gratefully at the full time whistle, realising the significance of the result.
St. George coach Manny Spanoudakis was delighted with his side’s performance and the result, saying, “We dominated the play for long passages and always looked to play positive football.”
“Our goal came from a midfield combination and passing pattern we have been working on all year, and it typifies our philosophy and the style of football we want to play.”
Spanoudakis says his side is not thinking about the Premiership just yet, averting their attention to this Tuesday’s catchup game against Gazy Auburn FC.
“The back four were outstanding today, however the reality is everybody played really well – even the subs that came on. I’m very pleased for the boys and the club as a whole, as we’ve won all three grades for the third week in a row.”
Hurstville coach Alex Prophet acknowledged that his boys were beaten by the better team on the day.
“There’s still a long way to go for the title though. One game does not make a season.”
Match Stats
Hurstville FC                                        0
St. George FA                                      1 (Messam)
Saturday, 16 July 2016
Seymour Shaw Stadium, Hurstville
Hurstville FC: 15. M. Abaid, 7. M. Banic, 8. D. Borovickic, 9. D. Cutura, 2. S. Flatt, 6. A. Harb, 4. M. Harding, 14. M. Janov, 11. H. Kamleitner, 12. M. Karagiannis, 13. A. Livio, 5. P. Lloyd, 10. D. Marjanovic, 3. H. Rachid, 1. M. Rutherford, 16. R. Turner.
Yellow Cards: N/A
Red Cards: N/A
St. George FA: 13. K. Bangura, 31. M. Bozic, 41. T. Dal Broi, 15. D. Dascal, 18. M. Fsadni, 4. C. Lawson, 11. S. Messam, 8. N. Napoli, 7. S. Richardson, 12. H. Silva Neto, 10. J. Spanoudakis, 2. S. Thomas, 3. B. Tsanidis, 20. J. Tsironis, 9. F. Umlil, 16. M. Vass.
Yellow Cards: N/A
Red Cards: N/A
Round Summaries
Wagga City Wanderers vs. University of NSW: 3-2.
The Wagga City Wanderers will be relieved to have returned to winning ways this weekend, edging by the University of NSW in a tight 3-2 battle.
It was the visitors who took an early lead, thanks to a strike from Luis Lobo. The Wanderers responded resiliently, equalising through Tyler Allen just before half time.
Callum Dunbar then proceeded to score two second half goals to give Wagga a strong lead. Luis Lobo scored his second to give the visitors some hope with fifteen minutes left, but UNSW dropped to ten men after Mate Balazs received a second yellow. The Wanderers were able to limp over the finish line.
Wanderers coach Andrew Douglas says that his side is pleased to have gotten all three points and played well in the face of personnel changes.
“We made life hard for ourselves in the last fifteen minutes, allowing UNSW options to equalise. Fortunately we came away with it in the end – the club had a clean sweep in all grades.”
Nepean FC vs. Camden Tigers FC: 0-0.
Both Nepean and Camden will be disappointed to have drawn this weekend, with valuable points squandered.
Camden coach Dean Bradley says he is pleased with his team’s performance despite the two points dropped.
“I’m happy with my team as they stuck to my plan and structure, though needed to be a bit more clinical in front of goal.”
Bradley adds that a point away from home to a reinvigorated Nepean is nothing to be ashamed of.
SD Raiders FC vs. Gazy Auburn FC: 3-0.
The SD Raiders FC were clinical this weekend, coming away with a confident 3-0 victory against Gazy Auburn FC on Saturday.
Almost predictably, it was the combination of star strikers Mclintock and Symington who scored for the Raiders – Mclintock scoring once and Symington twice. Symington has now scored seven goals in his past five appearances
Southern Districts extend their lead over fourth placed Bankstown United to five points, however still have a lot of ground to make up for on the top two.
Hurstville City Minotaurs vs. Bankstown United: 4-1.
The Hurstville City Minotaurs have pulled off the shock of the round, crushing fourth placed Bankstown United 4-1 this Sunday.
Minotaurs coach Peter Sarikakis says that the result should come as no surprise, believing his boys are finally getting the goals to complement their impressive performances.
“So far we have played some good football without getting the required results – a little fine tuning is all I have done and the boys have responded in a positive way.”
“All along, I have reassured them of their ability and to have pride in themselves and the club they play for.”
Bankstown United coach Petar Finka was livid with his squad’s performance, calling it their worst performance to date.
“Disappointing, very disappointing. We played our worst game of the season.”
Prospect United vs. Western Condors FC: 0-0.
In this round’s second nil-all draw, Prospect United and the Western Condors cancelled each other out at Stanwell Oval.
Neither side was able to find the scoreboard in what was an otherwise entertaining game of end-to-end football, between two attacking sides.
Prospect coach John Caruana describes, “It was a good game by both teams – an entertaining draw with plenty of action.”
Caruana says that he was particularly pleased with his side keeping a clean sheet. Prospect sit in tenth position, while the Western Condors maintain fifth and keep their Finals hopes alive.
-by Daniel Palmer, Football NSW State League Men’s Reporter