Round 1 Review – PS4 NPL 3 NSW Men’s
The eagerly awaited opening round of the PlayStation®4 National Premier Leagues 3 NSW Men’s 2017 competition did not disappoint, with the seven matches producing no less than 34 goals – at an average of just shy of five per match – as well as the usual thrills and spills that accompany first day nerves.
Fraser Park accounted for Granville Rage to open their season with three points in front of their fans, Dulwich Hill edged past a resilient Hawkesbury City with a Luke Giverin bomb, Stanmore Hawks grabbed the spoils away to Dunbar Rovers in a three goal affair, Kyriakos Tohouroglou kept a clean sheet and also scored the winning goal to give Gladesville Ryde Magic an away triumph over Sydney University, SD Raiders exploded out of the blocks with a resounding 6-2 drubbing of Balmain Tigers, and Inter Lions demolished Western NSW Mariners 5-1 in Orange on Sunday afternoon.
Football NSW ventured out to Sydney United Sports Centre on Saturday night to see 2016 Champions, Rydalmere Lions, welcome newly promoted St George City FA to the NPL3.
Rydalmere Lions and St George City FA put on an exhilarating display for the neutral on Saturday night, in a game that saw the lead change numerous times on the way to what eventuated into an eleven-goal extravaganza.
St George City twice fell behind in the opening half hour, before storming back to lead 4-2 at the break. But beware the wounded Rydalmere Lion – the home side roared out of the sheds at half time with five unanswered second half goals, completing a remarkable opening day result of 7-4.
The fans barely had time to take their seats when Rydalmere opened proceedings for the 2017 season. Zac Elrich played a ball from the left wing across the edge of the penalty area, with Ahmad Elrich letting it run past him with a neat dummy.
Rydalmere’s Mitchell Gibbs was afforded way too much time by the St George defence, and he took a touch before slamming a 20-yard bullet into the top corner past a stranded St George keeper, Marko Bozic.
St George then suffered a setback in the 6th minute, with Sam Messam succumbing to an injury after a nasty fall, and he had to be substituted.
Rydalmere should’ve made it two on 10 minutes, but Zac Watters hurried his close-range volley and the ball flashed wide of the mark.
Two minutes later and St George had a great chance to equalise, when Messam’s replacement, Sean Richardson, was played in to space and found himself one on one with the advancing Rydalmere keeper, Harrick Sinpraseuth, but the shot stopper did well to deflect the effort.
But St George did restore parity, and it came in the 20th minute. A corner by Juan Chavez was half cleared and Nicholas Napoli seized on the opportunity, slamming home a left foot volley into the top corner from close range to make it 1-1.
Rydalmere responded just four minutes later, courtesy of a Zac Elrich assist, the winger cutting inside from the left flank before playing a delightful ball across the face of the goal. Amaury Gauthier anticipated and stroked the ball past Bozic in the St George goal to edge the Lions back in front.
But it was all square once again in the 27th minute, and it came on the end of a slick passing movement from St George that saw the ball end up at the feet of Aleksander Jovovic. Again Rydalmere keeper, Sinpraseuth, had advanced well off his line, so Jovovic took full advantage, shooting calmly past the stranded keeper from distance for 2-2.
Both teams were prepared to chance their hand it seemed, with plenty of swift attacking intent at both ends of the park.
Remarkably it was St George who edged themselves in front for the first time on 38 minutes with a great bit of skill. Jovovic received the ball on the right-hand touchline, putting the ball back on his left foot before playing a delightful chipped pass in to the ‘D’ of the penalty area.
St George striker, James Spanoudakis, nipped in between two defenders, dribbling one before cutting inside another, slipping a neat shot past Rydalmere’s keeper, Sinpraseuth, to give St George a 3-2 lead.
Three became four in first half injury time when Spanoudakis became the provider, neatly chipping a first time ball over the Rydalmere defence after Zac Coulsen had forced a turnover.
Striker Juan Chavez showed all of his technical ability, striking a first-time lob that went over Sinpraseuth before nestling into the net.
It was an incredible first half of football, with the lead changing numerous times on the way to six goals and many more close shave opportunities. The players took a well-earned break but you could sense there was much more to come.
Surely a key focus for St George after the break was to play themselves in to the second half without conceding any early goals, and maybe catch the Lions on the break. That objective went out the window as Rydalmere came out roaring and were level at 4-4 within 8 minutes of the second half.
In the 47th minute, Zac Watters picked up a loose ball inside his own half, slaloming his way past a couple of would be St George challenges before slipping a pass in to space for both Gauthier and Zac Elrich to run onto. Retreating St George captain, Bill Tsanidis, committed a foul with a trip inside the box, and Amaury Gauthier slammed home the penalty to reduce the deficit to one.
Zac Watters then made it 4-4 in the 53rd minute, latching on to a nice pass from Gauthier inside the box to slam a shot high in to the roof of the net from an acute angle.
Rydalmere could smell blood and just kept coming, putting themselves in front on the hour mark when they simply showed more desire than St George to get to a loose ball. Gauthier tracked down a stray pass that was headed towards the corner flag, promptly slamming a low cross that was met by the oncoming Mitchell Gibbs who diverted it in to the net from close range.
Zac Elrich then added his party piece goal, cutting inside from the left flank on 73 minutes before unleashing a diagonal dart that skimmed the fingertips of St George keeper, Marko Bozic, as it reached the far top corner of his net.
On 77 minutes, it became 7-4 when Elrich again was at it, twisting and turning two defenders inside out before hitting the ball low across the face of the goal.
Rydalmere substitute, Yoel Silvestre, had literally just entered the fray, and showed more desire than anyone to slide in and divert the ball past Bozic, sending the travelling fans into raptures.
The match then fizzled out towards the 90 minutes, both sets of players exhausted after putting on a real show for the fans to kick start 2017.
Neither side can be totally happy having conceded so many goals on day one, but there are plenty of positives to be taken from the encounter.
St George City will take some learnings from the clash, and did well in a frentic first period, having recovered twice in the early stages to not only draw level, but take what looked like a comfortable two goal lead in to the break.
Four goals is a great effort against the champions, but their capitulation after half time will give them something to work on at training. For the visitors, James Spanoudakis looked comfortable on the ball in the number 10 role, scoring a great goal and assisting with another; Aleksandar Jovovic was very sound with the ball at his feet, and looked dangerous when in full flight; Nicholas Napoli worked tirelessly across the midfield, adding a nicely taken goal to his performance before an injury forced a substitution just after the hour mark.
Rydalmere once again showed why they will be a force to be reckoned with, and why they are an entertaining side to watch. After starting well, they seemingly looked down at 2-4 at half time, but came back like only they can to devastating effect, scoring five goals in a second half ruthless display.
The Lions had plenty of strong performers on the day, including young Mitchell Gibbs, who scored a brace and worked with intent in an accomplished ninety minute display; Zac Elrich picked up where he left off last year, scoring a brilliant goal, and with his speed and trickery on the ball being difficult to defend against; Amaury Gauthier was instrumental in most of his side’s attacks, often providing the link in the build-up play, and helping himself to a brace of goals in an effective display.
PlayStation®4 National Premier Leagues 3 NSW Men’s
Round One
Saturday, March 12, 2017
RYDALMERE LIONs 7 (Gibbs 2’ / 60’, Gauthier 24’ / 47’ pen, Watters 53’, Elrich 73’, Silvestre 77’
ST GEORGE CITY FA 4 (Napoli 20’, Jovovic 27’, Spanoudakis 38’, Chavez 45’ + 1’ )
Referee – Brandon Lovric
Assistant Referees – Soheil Adabjou,Kan Li Kim
RYDALMERE LIONS; 1.H.Sinpraseuth, 21.A.Elrich (22.Y.Silvestre 76’), 7.Z.Elrich, 4.R.Farrell, 24.A.Gauthier, 8.M.Gibbs, 15.M.Mayora (capt), 11.A.McKie, 6.A.Sayan, 9.Z.Watters (2.A.Sopina 81’), 19.S.Zahra (5.K.Allybokus 58’).
Substitutes Not Used – 12.M.Aoki, 16.S.Malcotti.
Yellow Cards – 4.R.Farrell 25’, 11.A.McKie 83’, 5.K.Allybokus 90’ + 2’.
Red Cards – Nil
ST GEORGE CITY FA; 1.M.Bozic, 19.J.Chavez, 20.Z.Coulson (14.J.Tsironis 78’), 6.D.Dascal, 21.A.Jovovic, 15.M.Kamara, 4.C.Lawson, 7.S.Messam (13.S.Richardson 6’), 8.N.Napoli (32.K.Bangura 65’), 10.J.Spanoudakis, 3.B.Tsanidis (capt).
Substitutes Not Used –, 16.D.Kartel, 29.L.Maait.
Yellow Cards – 20.Z.Coulson 43’, 3.B.Tsanidis 47’.
Red Cards – Nil
Dulwich Hill – Hawkesbury City 1-0
Dulwich Hill got the 2017 season off to a winning start when they overcame a stubborn Hawkesbury City by the solitary goal at Arlington Oval on Saturday night.
Luke Giverin grabbed the all-important winner for Dully on 20 minutes, seizing on to a cross field pass on the edge of the box before unleashing a drive that flew in to the roof of the net.
Both sides went at it thereafter, with Dully almost doubling their lead on a number of occasions before the break. Gerard Offue was effective at the point of the attack for the home side, but couldn’t give Dulwich that second goal they so craved on the night.
Hawkesbury were low on troops on the day, with quite a few players needing to play both 1sts and U/20s, including Matthew Marshall, who played for 140 minutes across both grades.
Brett Morley and John Ekehov were solid in central defence in a spirited display for the visitors, who will no doubt be looking forward to some of their troops returning to the fray in coming weeks.
Dunbar Rovers – Stanmore Hawks 1-2
Stanmore Hawks came from a goal down to overcome Dunbar Rovers by 2-1 at Hensley Athletic Field on Saturday night.
The first half was a tight affair as expected, but most of the clinical goalmouth action occurred after the break.
Tod Bamber got his Dunbar tenure off on a bright note when he was awarded and converted a penalty to give Dunbar the lead after 60 minutes.
But Stanmore hit back with goals by Ian Hillier and Petros Stefadouros to take the points, one a long-range speculator that beat the despairing dive of Dunbar keeper, Dylan Wilson.
Hayden O’Kelly hit a shot against the underside of the crossbar with five minutes left, but it was all Dunbar could muster on a day where they probably deserved more for their efforts, especially that of the inspirational Brad Karpin.
Fraser Park – Granville Rage 3-1
Fraser Park defeated Granville Rage by 3-1 on Saturday night to kick start their 2017 campaign on a winning note.
Ben Vidaic got things going for Fraser when he netted after just three minutes, getting in at the back post to score after a neat flick on from Nathan Sansom.
Granville Rage responded with more intensity over the next 10 minutes or so, and almost equalised when a Patrick Gatt header just cleared the crossbar.
Fraser then took the game by the scruff of the neck when Peter Crevani converted a penalty just before the break, following a foul inside the penalty area on Ben Vidaic.
Fraser dictated the play at the beginning of the second half, and it was that man, Vidiac, in the midst of it once again. Peter Crevani sent over a fierce near post cross, and Vidaic was alert to beat his marker to the ball and bullet his header in to the net to give his side a 3-0 lead.
Granville Rage did not throw in the towel, finishing strongly with a number of half opportunities. The Rage were rewarded when Charbel Haddad pulled a goal back in the 88th minute, beating a number of defenders inside the penalty area before slotting past Fraser Park custodian, Anthony Costa.
But that was all she wrote for Granville, and Fraser Park grabbed the win and subsequent three points to start their season on the front foot.
Sydney University – Gladesville Ryde Magic 0-1
Gladesville Ryde Magic managed to take home all three points in a dour affair against Sydney University on Saturday evening.
It was always going to be tough for the visitors once they lost captain, Chris Gaitatzis, pregame due to food poisoning. Chris Tomaras had a couple of attempts on the Uni goal in the first period, whilst Peter Kardasis was proving menacing for the ‘students’, but overall it was a tight first half, centred around an effective display from both defensive units, with neither keeper stretched as the teams went in to the break at 0-0.
In the 65th minute came the game changing moment when Sydney University keeper, Carl McMahon, misjudged a through ball and fouled Gladesville winger, Heo Wookbum.
Gladesville Ryde Magic’s goalkeeper and cult hero, Kyriakos Tohouroglou, stepped up to the plate, and calm as you like, slotted the ball past McMahon, his opposite keeper, to give his side an all-important opening day victory.
Mihajlo Jonjic had a good chance thereafter but failed to hit the target with a header late on, and with that went Sydney University’s best chance of the afternoon.
SD Raiders – Balmain Tigers 6-2
SD Raiders made it a day to remember as they burst into the 2017 NPL3 competition, overcoming a 0-1 half time deficit to overrun Balmain Tigers by 6-2 in a commanding second half display.
Nathan Lopino scored for Balmain after 23 minutes, getting on the end of a free kick to squeeze the ball past Raiders captain and goal keeper, Tomi Romic, from a tight angle.
Tyrone Gatt almost drew the Raiders level when his long range bullet cannoned back off the upright, but it remained 0-1 to the visitors at the break.
SD Raiders coach, Diego Machuca must have produced a spirited half time speech, given the performance his troops put on in the second half, racing to a 4-1 lead within twenty minutes of the restart.
John Fahmi restored parity for SD Raiders with a well-executed spot kick, before Tyrone Gatt edged the home side in front on 61 minutes, this time his long range missile rocketing in to the corner of the net.
Mitsuki Nakada made it 3-1 shortly after with a brilliant lob, before Tyrone Gatt grabbed his second goal of the match, racing into space to collect a through ball before rounding the keeper to slot home the Raiders’ fourth.
Dario Vujovic pulled a goal back for Balmain when he was able to shrug off the challenge of two Raiders’ defenders to shoot home, but that only seemed to inspire SD Raiders to lift again.
Daniel Bittar’s sending off was a sour note for the SD Raiders, but even with ten men they kept at it, and managed two more goals.
It was a case of dejavu shortly afterwards as Mitsuki Nakada again netted with yet another lob, before Carlos Enwiya rounded off the night’s proceedings with his side’s sixth goal shortly after coming off the bench.
The home fans went home delirious in what was a comprehensive opening day performance from the league’s newcomers, SD Raiders.
Western NSW Mariners – Inter Lions 1-5
In what was the solitary Round One fixture played on Sunday afternoon, Inter Lions grabbed all three points when they accounted for home side, Western NSW Mariners, by 5-1 at Sir Jack Brabham Park in Orange.
Inter dominated the opening stanza, and duly took the lead after 10 minutes when an Eric Tomasek cross was headed in to the top corner by the lurking Daniel Fogarty.
Inter keeper, David Plowright, managed a super save when faced with a one on one on 25 minutes, and immediately released Adam Furnari, who reacted by sending a long ball in to space for Fogarty to run on to. The Inter speedster picked up the through ball, rounding Mariners keeper, Brock Logan, before slipping it in to an empty net.
It was 3-0 shortly afterwards when Lachlan Wright whipped over a corner with purpose and venom, the ball ricocheting off a number of players before it squeezed in to the Western NSW net.
Andrew Smith found the net for the Mariners just before half time, diverting a cross shot from a team mate past Inter keeper, Plowright, reducing the half time deficit to just two goals.
The Western NSW Mariners came in to the match more so after the break, but simply couldn’t score a second to bring the game to life.
Inter soaked up the play before netting two more goals to finish off a comprehensive result. Chris Pinto found Fogarty who nabbed his hat-trick with a clinical finish from inside the penalty area, and it was 5-1 late on, when Lachlan Wright converted a penalty after Fogarty – who else – was brought down inside the box after getting on the end of a Domenic Arcella pass.
Not a great start for the Mariners at home, but Inter Lions would be delighted to be singing the team song all the way home on the bus.
