Round 5 Review – PS4 NPL NSW Men’s U20
Sutherland Sharks remain unbeaten at the top of the Playstation®4 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s 20s competition after the fifth round of matches, securing a 2-2 draw against Hakoah Sydney East on Saturday afternoon to stay three points clear of Sydney Olympic in second place.
Elsewhere, Sydney United 58 and APIA Leichhardt Tigers scored big wins over Bonnyrigg White Eagles and Wollongong Wolves respectively to improve their standings as the ladder begins to take shape. The Match of the Round saw Blacktown City snatch a 1-0 win over Sydney FC at Lambert Park on Saturday afternoon.
Match of the Round
Sydney FC 0-1 Blacktown City FC, 5.45pm Saturday at Lambert Park
Blacktown City saw off Sydney FC with a narrow 1-0 win at Lambert Park on Saturday night to take second place in the 2017 Playstation®4 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s 20s competition after five rounds.
The visitors dominated the match and deservedly grabbed the winning goal midway through the second half; Yuta Konagaya reacting first to a loose ball in the area to put his side into the lead just after the hour.
The home side looked to settle in possession, with Daniel Maskin causing trouble for the Blacktown defence with darting runs beyond the back four. Yet it was the visitors who were afforded the first opportunity of the night, as Mason Ireland controlled a driven pass from the left to find himself with only Mitchell Evans to beat, but the goalkeeper spread himself well to block Ireland’s shot and send the ball out for a throw.
Blacktown City dominated both possession and chances as the first half wore on. They continued to find joy down the flanks, particularly through Lachlan Rose on the right, but an inability to find men in the box only served to undermine the rest of their otherwise impressive build up play.
Sydney FC provided an occasional reminder of their attacking prowess, with Daniel Maskin and Aaron Avery combining well through the middle. Maskin had several half-chances in quick succession midway through the half but wasted them all, failing to test Matthew Symes in the Blacktown goal with shots of any real danger.
Despite flashes of intent from the home side, Blacktown were in the ascendancy, and might have opened the scoring when a flicked header from Ireland put Rose clear through on goal, but the winger’s dink over the onrushing Evans bounced just wide of the post.
Rose had a second chance to put his team in the lead a few minutes later when he drifted into the box after controlling a long ball down the right side, but his driven shot was comfortably dealt with by the goalkeeper, and both sides went into the break level at 0-0.
Blacktown City continued in the second half where they left off in the first, and should have gone 1-0 up when Yuta Konagata’s free kick found an unmarked Ireland in the six-yard box, but his header sailed over the bar when it might have seemed easier to hit the target.
The visitors eventually went ahead just after the hour mark when Yuta Konagaya reacted first to a loose ball in the Sydney FC box, slamming his shot past Evans at the near post. It was no less than Blacktown City deserved, having had the better of the game for most of the hour.
Sydney FC played with a new intensity as they searched for an equaliser, and Aaron Avery came as close to scoring as his side had managed all night when he rattled the crossbar with a shot from the edge of the area, with Symes getting a crucial touch to tip Avery’s drive onto the woodwork.
Daniel Maskin was given a final opportunity to take his side level when the ball fell at his feet just beyond the six-yard box, but he snatched at the chance and hit his shot straight at Evans, who gathered easily. The final whistle sounded shortly after, confirming Sydney FC’s second loss of the season, and a win which took Blacktown City top of the table, if only for a night.
Sydney FC coach David Zdrilic said his side would learn from the defeat, having come up against the toughest opposition of their season to date. “I thought Blacktown City were very well organized and they pressed us well,” he said. “It was probably the toughest game we’ve had so far. Until now, I think we’ve had the better of the games that we’ve played, but they made it very difficult for us today.
"For our boys, it’s a good lesson. They were always pressing, they were always fighting, they were strong – we did well. We might have had a few chances right at the end, but it wasn’t to be.
“At the moment we’re controlling the game well, but it’s our final pass or shot that’s lacking. We’ve got to try to convert our dominance into goals. You need to be clinical with the chances you create, and they were. I was really impressed with Blacktown, but also with our boys too – we didn’t just drop our heads when we went down. It’s a good lesson, and we’ll learn from it.”
Blacktown City’s John Carnevale was delighted with his team’s performance. “I thought we were super today,” he said. "We created a lot in the first half and were disappointed to go in 0-0 at halftime, but we continued after halftime and got what we deserved. The most pleasing thing – other than the win – is the clean sheet; it’s our first of the year and you saw how hard everyone worked for each other out there.
"Sydney FC are a quality team – they’re very mobile, they’re good in tight areas, so our gameplan was to put a lot of pressure on them and ask them a few questions. We limited them to about three chances – they hit the post, they might’ve had one or two others – and I couldn’t ask for any more. We were really hurt after last week, and we talked a lot about stepping up against a quality opponent this week – it would’ve been a good game of footy to watch."
Match Stats
Sydney FC 0
Blacktown City FC 1 (Konagaya 63′)
Saturday 8th April 2017, Lambert Park
Sydney FC: 1. EVANS Mitchell, 10. AVERY Aaron, 28. BALLARD MCBRIDE Finn, 36. BLACHURA Daniel, 35. GOLLAN Alex, 26. MALFARA Leonardo (32. VAN DER SAAG Harry 67′), 7. MASKIN Daniel, 15. MCILLHATTON Sam, 33. TILIO Giuseppe, 24. UJDUR Nikola, 29. VAN MEURS Ben
Substitutes not used: 37. HAMILTON Samuel, 76, KUBECKA Bailey, 34. THOMAS Perry, 63. OKUDA Luke
Yellow Cards: N/A
Red Cards: N/A
Blacktown City: 20. SYMES Matthew, 32. AZAR John, 34. DODDS Jarrod, 36. INGRAM Mason, 26. IRELAND Mason, 23. KONAGAYA Yuta (33. BERISHA Fikret 69′), 24. MAMONE Jake, 25. PARKINSON Benjamin, 38. PATRAMANIS Evan (30. KOUDAKPO Adolph 80′), 31. ROSE Lachlan, 29. FRASER Lewis
Substitutes not used: 8. DANDAN Isaac, 35. GALLO Anthony, 27. PLUMIS Nathan
Yellow Cards: ROSE Lachlan 58′, IRELAND Mason 84′
Red Cards: N/A
Saturday
Sutherland Sharks 2-2 Hakoah Sydney City East, 4.30pm at Seymour Shaw
Sutherland Sharks played out a 2-2 draw with Hakoah Sydney City East in the second Saturday game, fighting back from 2-0 down at halftime to rescue a point at Seymour Shaw. Hakoah went up by two through Finley Hayhurst and Satchel Kolt, before being pegged back in the second half by two goals from the home side. The point takes Sutherland three points clear at the top of the table, a win ahead of Sydney Olympic in second, while Hakoah round out the top six with seven points after five games.
Sunday
Parramatta 2-2 Manly United, 1.00pm at Melita Stadium
Parramatta and Manly shared the points in their fifth round encounter, exchanging two goals apiece to draw at Melita Stadium on Sunday afternoon. The score was locked at 1-1 at halftime after goals from Parramatta’s Samuel De Oliveira and Manly’s Rory Spiers, while two goals in the second half – both scored by Manly players Todd Balneaves and Sheldon Tweedie, though up different ends – meant that the match ended 2-2. The result sees Manly slip a spot to fifth, while Parramatta remain in ninth place.
Rockdale City Suns 0-0 Sydney Olympic, 12.00pm at Ilinden Sports Centre
Rockdale City Suns and Sydney Olympic played out a 0-0 draw at Iliden Sports Centre on Sunday afternoon, a result which kept Olympic within three points of Sutherland at the top of the table after the Sharks drew 2-2 with Hakoah the previous night. Rockdale remain tenth after picking up their second result of the season, but face a tougher task next week when they travel to Seymour Shaw to play first-placed Sutherland in round six.
Sydney United 58 4-0 Bonnyrigg White Eagles, 12.00pm at Sydney United Sports Centre
Sydney United 58 took themselves up into the top six with a comprehensive 4-0 defeat of bottom-placed Bonnyrigg White Eagles at Sydney United Sports Centre on Sunday afternoon. Nathan Bertolissio opened the scoring in the first half from a corner before Liam Ivancic doubled his side’s lead, while Alex Abdullah rounded the match off with two goals in the second half to secure a valuable win for United. While United move into the top six, Bonnyrigg remain stuck to the foot of the ladder after five rounds, though they have played one game fewer than their opponents. The White Eagles will be hoping that new coach Hamish Brown will look towards picking up as many points as possible starting with their upcoming round 6 fixture against Hakoah Sydney City East.
Wollongong Wolves 0-3 APIA Leichhardt Tigers, 1.00pm at WIN Stadium
A week after demolishing Bonnyrigg White Eagles 7-0, APIA Leichhardt carried on their impressive run of form to claim a 3-0 win away to Wollongong Wolves at WIN Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Wollongong’s losing streak was extended to four games after the defeat, which sees them finish round five in second-to-last place, three points ahead of Bonnyrigg while having played two games more. Matthew West, Aedon Kyra and Jordan Morfitis scored the goals for APIA, who move up a place to seventh after consecutive wins over the past fortnight.
-Football NSW reporter Max Grieve
