Round 2 Review – PS4 NPL NSW Men’s U20
It was an entertaining round of football action as the PlayStation4 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s Under 20s competition clicked into gear for round 2 as the Match of the Round took shape at Lilys Football Centre when Blacktown City FC entertained the Sutherland Sharks.
Match of the Round
Blacktown City v Sutherland Sharks, Saturday 5.00pm at Lilys Football Centre
Sutherland Sharks continued their excellent start to the 2017 campaign after beating Blacktown City 4-1 at Lilys Football Centre with striker Jeremy Cox netting a first half brace.
Cox was on guard to slide in the opening goal inside seven minutes after fine wing play from Matias Da Silva Santos before punishing a Blacktown error late in the first half to double the advantage.
Although Blacktown retaliated briefly in the second half the encounter was all but sealed on the hour mark when former City winger Jake Borremeo tucked home a third at the back post after another fine assist from Da Silva Santos.
Lachlan Everett added another sheen of gloss to the score line late on when he rifled a fierce swerving effort past Matthew Symes while Mason Ireland netted a consolation penalty on the cusp of full-time for Blacktown.
Having dispatched reigning premiers Manly for five on the opening weekend, the big victory places the visiting Sutherland as the early team to beat in the competition’s fledging rounds. Nick Dimovski’s outfit simply outclassed their opponents who were unable to contend with the intensity of Sutherland’s press and the excellent attacking displays of Da Silva Santos, Cox and Borromeo.
There were periods of intermittent promise for Blacktown, particularly in the way John Carnevale’s side rallied early in the second half, but it was an ultimately disappointing showing from the hosts with Sutherland goalkeeper Nikolas Loe remaining largely untroubled as the Sharks cruised to a convincing victory.
Carnevale’s side opened the 2017 campaign with a 3-1 win over Hakoah last weekend but looked fragile at home and were on the back foot immediately when Cox broke the deadlock after seven minutes. Da Silva Santos wriggled free on the edge of the area and forced Symes into a good save but Cox reacted quickly to poke the ball home for his first of the season.
The Blacktown defence were caught on their heels and exposed by Cox again for his second twenty minutes later. Symes made a strong save from the original effort but the Sutherland striker was once again quickest to react and tucked away the rebound.
The hosts enjoyed a few chances to respond – including a Benjaming Parkinson header late in the first half – but Sutherland maintained their momentum and wrapped up the victory in style on the hour mark when Borromeo applied the finishing touches to a superb breakaway.
There was no coming back for Blacktown but Sutherland and Everett, who was sporting a toe injury for the match, made absolutely sure of the victory after unleashing a swerving effort past Symes from 25 metres.
And although Ireland netted a late consolation from the penalty spot for City when Dan Machara was fouled by Matthew Stewart, it was mere damage limitation for the hosts who had been convincingly outplayed.
“Sutherland are a quality side and were far too good for us today”, said City boss and former APIA man John Carnevale following the match.
“We’ve got a young side here at Blacktown and were a bit short today, but there were some good signs for us throughout at the match and that’s what we’ll be taking away.”
Meanwhile, Sutherland manager Nick Dimovski praised his charges after extending a happy start to the 2017 season for the new Sharks custodian.
“I’m really proud of the boys because Blacktown is never an easy place to come, especially on a day like today.
“We had the best defensive record from last season and part of my job is trying to make us better in attack which seems to be working at the moment with nine goals in two games.”
Match Stats
Blacktown City 1 (Ireland pen 89’)
Sutherland Sharks 4 (Cox 7’, 27’, Borromeo 59’, Everett 84’)
Saturday 18th March 2017, Lilys Football Centre
Referee:
Assistant Referees:
Fourth Official:
Blacktown City: 34. Jarrod Dodds, 29. Lewis Fraser, 26. Mason Ireland, 30. Adolph Koudakpo, 36. Grant Lych, 37. Dan Machara, 24. Jake Mamone, 25. Benjamin Parkinson, 38. Evan Patramanis, 31. Lachlan Rose, 20. Matthew Symes (GK)
Substitutes Not Used: 32. John Azar, 33. Fikret Berisha, 35. Anthony Gallo, 27. Mason Ingram, 40. Dylan Niski
Yellow Cards: 38. Evan Patramanis 10’
Red Cards: N/A
Sutherland Sharks: 34. Jake Borromeo, 5. Matias Da Silva Santos (23. Deren O’Brien 77’), 30. Lachlan Everett, 21. Nikolas Loe, 24. Adam Massoud (26. Harry Sutherland 47’), 14. Patrick O’Shea (37. Christian Torrelli 81’), 33. Thomas Papa, 36. Matthew Stewart, 31. Robert Watson, 13. Jeremy Cox (29. Daniel Krkovski 71’), 8. Harry Quirk
Substitutes Not Used: 22. Gerard Roebuck
Yellow Cards: 31. Robert Watson 61’
Red Cards: N/A
Sunday
Sydney Olympic 4-0 Wollongong Wolves, 12.45pm at Belmore Sports Ground
Sydney Olympic continued their title defence with a 4-0 hammering of Wollongong Wolves at Belmore Sports Ground.
Nikita Andricopoulos and Sebastian Malfara were both on the scoresheer in the comprehensive victory with Billy Patraminis and Amar Adilovic opening their accounts for the 2017 season.
Olympic will get another chance to flex their muscles next weekend when they take on Sydney in one of standout fixtures of round three, while Wollongong will look to kickstart their campaign when they welcome Manly to WIN Stadium.
Manly United 4-0 Bonnyrigg White Eagles, 1.00pm at Cromer Park
Manly United served up the perfect response to their 5-2 loss against Sutherland by easily accounting for Bonnyrigg White Eagles 4-0 at Cromer Park in their round two clash.
The hosts were far too strong for Bonnyrigg on the occasion with Sheldon Tweedie’s double and goals for Kyle Conna and Jamie Glover paving way for a resounding victory.
Having lost two in a row to start the season Bonnyrigg will no doubt heighten preparations for next weekend’s visit of Blacktown City. Manly meanwhile will travel to the South Coast to take on Wollongong Wolves.
APIA Leichhardt 1-2 Hakoah Sydney City East, 2.30pm at Lambert Park
A strong second half from Hakoah Sydney City East has consigned APIA Leichhardt to their second straight defeat of the season with the Tigers falling 2-1 at Lambert Park.
Goals from Nathan Roberts and Connor Eldridge proved to be the difference for Hakoah, while Ismaeel Hasan netted a late consolation for APIA.
The Lambert Park outfit will have their work cut out in round three as they face a daunting trip to Seymour Shaw to face a red-hot Sutherland Sharks team. Hakoah Sydney City East will aim to continue their momentum when they host Sydney United 58.
Postponed due to wet weather:
Parramatta v Sydney FC, Sunday 1.00pm at Melita Stadium
Rockdale City Suns v Sydney United 58, Sunday 2.00pm at Illinden Sports Centre
–Jacob Windon, National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s U20 reporter
