Westfield FFA Cup Preliminary Round 4 Review
Football NSW’s feature Westfield FFA Cup Round 4 match of the round pitted St George Association side Arncliffe Scots hosting PS4 NPL 2 NSW Men’s side North Shore Mariners at Scarborough Park on a drizzling Wednesday evening.
Arncliffe Scots FC have only just started their season in the St George Football Association, but came in to the match hoping to match it with their opponents for effort, and hopefully spring a surprise.
North Shore Mariners are six weeks in to their PS4 NPL 2 NSW Men’s campaign, sitting fifth on the ladder, so took this opportunity to blood quite a few of the club’s Under 20s squad, and give them a taste of first team football.
The surface at Scarborough Park was a little uneven, and most definitely slippery given the incessant rain that fell prior and throughout the evening, highlighting grassroots football at its best, and creating every opportunity of a potential Cup upset.
But although Arncliffe commenced enthusiastically, the Mariners had the energy to match, and the structure to eventually overcome their locally based opponents.
James Goldsmith was first to test his range, the Mariners left flanker making space in to the box before shooting straight at Arncliffe keeper, Ahmad Ismail, in the 7th minute.
Goldsmith was at it again in the 12th minute, this time beating his man with ease before whipping over a delightful cross behind the Arncliffe defence. William Smith had raced in from the opposite flank and side footed home to give the Mariners a 1-0 lead.
Christopher Woo doubled the Mariners’ advantage in the 19th minute when he seized on a loose clearance out of Arncliffe’s defence, steadying himself, before chipping over the head of Arncliffe’s keeper, Ismail, from all of 25 yards to make it 2-0.
Arncliffe were feisty in the tackle, and made some inroads in to North Shore’s half, but their final pass was wayward, and they rarely troubled Dominic Maunder in the Mariners’ goal.
Robert Kerr was next to test Ismail in the Arncliffe goal, the keeper doing well to get down low and hold onto a fierce angled drive that skidded off the wet surface on the half hour.
Goldsmith then made a brilliant run in the 38th minute, showing speed and close ball control as he weaved his way past three Arncliffe defenders in a journey that took him from the halfway line well in to the Arncliffe penalty area. Goldsmith then clipped a shot past the advancing Ismail in the Arncliffe goal, only to see the ball slip agonisingly past the far upright.
2-0 can be a dangerous scoreline in football, and Arncliffe came out in the second half with some positional changes and intent on giving it a real go.
Skipper David Nastoski was the instigator of most of Arncliffe’s forays forward, and he was moved in to a central midfield role to give him a little more influence. He initiated a move in the 49th minute that saw Paolo Mitry fire in a shot from a tight angle, but Mariners’ custodian, Dominic Maunder, was equal to the task, dropping low to make a good save.
Even though Arncliffe seemed to come more and more in to the game, the Mariners broke quickly and made it 3-0 in the 57th minute to effectively end the contest.
A sweeping passing move from left to right ended with William Kerr slipping the ball in to space for Philip Hasiuk, and he took a touch inside the box before drilling a shot inside the far side netting.
With nothing to lose at this point, Arncliffe pushed men forward in numbers and created a little bit of havoc for the Mariners, eventually pulling a goal back in the 80th minute.
It was Ivan Kovaci who cracked a low shot from a few yards out after North Shore had failed a couple of times to clear the danger in a scramble inside their penalty area, and all of a sudden it was 1-3 with ten minutes remaining.
North Shore almost made it 4-1 in the 84th minute when substitute, Scott Tonkin – making his long awaited return from a broken foot suffered early in pre-season – raced away down the left channel before trying to chip Ismail in the Arncliffe goal, but the retrieving Scots keeper saved well.
Arncliffe did not heed the warning and North Shore did in fact make it 4-1 just sixty seconds later. Scott Tonkin slipped a pass in to space for James Goldsmith just inside the penalty area, and Arncliffe keeper, Ismail, couldn’t hold his blistering drive. Christopher Woo was first to the loose ball to slam it in to an empty net, giving the North Shore Mariners passage in to Round Five of the Westfield FFA Cup courtesy of a final score line of 4-1.
Match Stats
WESTFIELD FFA CUP – Round Four
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
Scarborough Park North, Kogarah
Referee – Andrew Bekkett
Assistant Referees – Matthew Moorist and James Gwynne
ARNCLIFFE SCOTS FC 1 (Kovaci 80’)
NORTH SHORE MARINERS 4 (Smith 12’, Woo 19’ / 85’, Hasiuk 57’)
ARNCLIFFE SCOTS FC: 1.A.Ismail, 22.R.Beattie (48.S.Donevski 52’), 30.A.Do Pao, 33.V.Lambroglou, 5.R.Domine, 19.C.Katsaros (4.I.Kovaci 70’), 10.P.Mitry, 23.N.Ristevski, 12.A.Doneski, 11.M.Amed, 8.D.Nastoski (capt).
Substitutes Not Used – 16.N.Ristevski, 28.M.Cevik.
Yellow Cards – 12.A.Doneski 26’, 8.D.Nastoski 31’.
Red Cards – Nil
NORTH SHORE MARINERS FC: 1.D.Maunder, 24.Q.Cheng (30.C.Ungaro 75’), 23.C.Desa (15.C.Parker 58’), 18.J.Esposito, 19.J.Goldsmith, 14.P.Hasiuk (9.S.Tonkin 70’), 27.R.Kerr, 5.A.Leroux, 37.W.Smith, 12.S.Toth (capt), 16.C.Woo.
Substitutes – 38.L.Silvera, 41.R.Wood.
Yellow Cards – 24.Q.Cheng 21’, 19.J.Goldsmith 78’, 12.S.Toth 82’.
Red Cards – Nil
Round 4 Summary
Round Four produced its fair share of thrills and spills, and the odd upset, as the Westfield FFA Cup welcomed the entrance of the top flight NPL teams to the 2017 tournament.
PS4 NPL 3 side, Western NSW Mariners, moved in to the fifth round of this year’s tournament, accounting for Pennant Hills SC at Proctor Park, Bathurst, by 4-0, with their goals coming from Duncan Logan, Jaidyn Culbert, Adam Scimone and Jai Regan.
Illawarra Premier League side, Kemblawarra Fury FC, made the trip to Pluim Park on the Central Coast, and came away with a 4-2 victory over Gosford City FC, from the Central Coast Premier League, courtesy of two goals each to Steve Wright and Shane Murray. Reece Caira grabbed a double for Gosford City, but it was not enough to see them tumble out of the Cup.
PS4 NPL NSW Men’s side, Blacktown City, made light work of Kirrawee Kangaroos at Kareela, scoring three goals in each half to register a 6-0 win. City took the opportunity to field some players from the U/20s in the driving rain, and the goals came via a clinical Mitch Mallia hatrick, whilst James Andrew, Yuta Konagaya, and young debutant, Adolph Koudakpo, also got on the scoresheet.
Wagga City Wanderers from the NSW State League accounted for Avalon SC at Rawlings Park by 3-0, with a Logan Flanagan header opening the scoring on 17 minutes. Lachlan Davis was fouled inside the box, and then got up to convert a spot kick in the 70th minute, before Adrian Jolly set up Samuel Jones to tap in to an empty net and round off the day’s proceedings.
Albion Park Eagles, from the Illawarra Premier League, made it look easy as they trounced Lane Cove FC from the Northern Suburbs Football Association at Blackman Park, the 6-1 win including a brace of goals from Yosuke Tashiro, and single strikes from Robbie Delbianco, Shohei Okuno, Darren Jones, and Mitch Del Turco. Alex White scored Lane Cove’s consolation goal on the night.
North Epping Rangers defeated Kellyville Kolts 3-1 in a match between two local Association sides, Rangers coming from the Gladesville Hornsby Football Association, whilst the Kolts ply their trade in the Granville District Soccer Football Association. Goals from Amos Jacobs, Jared Lyons and Sebastian Mendez gave North Epping the win, whilst Moe Shakourof grabbed Kellyville’s consolation strike.
Lokomotiv Cove demolished Minchinbury Jets by 10-0 at Heffron Park in another local Association derby. The Cove play in the Eastern Suburbs Football Association, and on the day managed to get seven players on the scoresheet. There were two goals apiece for David Maher, Paul Ferguson, and Kieran Burke, whilst the other goals came from David Chadwick, Paul Manley, Kieran O’Dwyer and Stefano Foti.
PS4 NPL 3 side SD Raiders continued their free scoring form of late in both league and cup by netting eight times without reply against Quakers Hill Junior Soccer Club. John Fahmi and Mark Symington both chimed in with a hat trick each, whilst Lucas Rossi also got his name on the scoresheet in a comprehensive display, with the final strike coming via an own goal.
It took penalties to separate PS4 NPL 2 side, Macarthur Rams, and Bulli FC, from the Illawarra Premier League, after the match was deadlocked at 2-2 following the completion of extra time. Dylan Lewis scored in the 19th minute to edge Bulli in to the lead, but the Rams were back in front by the half time break, courtesy of a Kurdvan Abduljabbar (37’) and a Frank Martey penalty in the 41st minute.
Corey Horner equalised for Bulli in the 63rd minute, and Bulli held on in extra time before knocking the Rams out on the back of a 5-4 penalty shootout win.
PS4 NPL NSW Men’s side Sydney Olympic strolled past Mosman FC at Peter Moore Field, leading 5-0 at the break before winning 7-1 by full time.
Radovan Pavicevic helped himself to four goals on the night, whilst Max Burgess (2) and Jinya An (1) completed the rout. Mitch Steinberg scored Mosman’s second half consolation.
Granville Rage from the PS4 NPL 3 moved in to Round Five of the Cup following their 4-1 triumph over Sutherland Shire Association side, Lilli Pilli FC, at Seymour Shaw Park. Chris Boland scored for Lilli Pilli to keep them in the match at 1-1 at half time, but the Rage finished off comfortable winners in the end, with Stephen Homer, Jesse Casey, Goran Ljuboja and Ryan Faulkner scoring the goals.
It wasn’t a great night for Manly Warringah’s Football Association side, St Augustines FC, who took on the might of PS4 NPL NSW Mens’ Manly United at Cromer Park.
Manly United lead 3-0 at the break, and that turned into 9-0 by full time in a match where the PS4 NPL NSW Men’s side well and truly flexed their muscles.
Mitchell Rooke and Dejan Pandurevic both scored hat tricks in the romp, whilst Sipan Berti grabbed a brace, and Daniel Saric got the final strike for Manly.
Illawarra Premier League’s Wollongong United didn’t have it all their own way when they faced Doonside Hawks at Blacktown Football Park, being down 1-2 at the break before storming home to qualify for Round Five of the Cup on the back of a 4-2 triumph.
Benjamin McCann and Tony Galayini had given the Hawks a 2-1 half time lead, but Wollongong got home in the end, courtesy of goals to Shayne Ardle, Daisuke Yuzawa, Taka Noji and Brad Acev.
Killarney District SC sprung an upset at Pluim Park in Lisarow, overturning a 1-2 half time deficit to overcome high flying PS4 NPL 2 side, Blacktown Spartans, by 3-2.
Killarney, from the Central Coast Football Association, netted via Daniel Moffett, Brendan Hall and Daniel Rodger, whilst Spartans scorers were Mitchell Cross and Andre Gioiosa.
State League Nepean FC surprised PS4 NPL 3 outfit, Hawkesbury City, on their own patch at Bensons Lane, winning 2-1 in a tight affair. Mario Ghobrial and Hayden Pronin got Nepean’s goals, whilst Pallares Palomeque responded for the Hawks.
Jordan Roberts struck on the hour mark at Valentine Sports Park No.2 to give Fraser Park a welcome victory over PS4 NPL 2 club, Spirit FC, moving the high flying NPL 3 side in to Round Five of the Cup.
At 5 Sports Caringbah, St George Saints FC knocked out Stanmore Hawks by 2-0, courtesy of two second half goals from Nicholas Paras and Juan Carlos Heras Romero, whilst Gavin Forbes and Daniel Fornito both got on the scoresheet at The Crest as Bankstown Berries overcame East Gosford 2-0.
PS4 NPL 2 side, Northern Tigers, smacked Sporting Rovers 7-0 at North Turramurra Recreation Centre, with Ryan Petersen claiming a hat trick. Jordan Smylie scored a brace, whilst Max Glanville and Lachlan Hughes grabbed singles in a one sided match.
PS4 NPL3 side, Dunbar Rovers, beat their more fancied opponents, Bankstown City Lions, from the PS4 NPL 2, in a match that was originally scheduled to be played at Jensen Park.
All of the goal scoring action at Hensley Athletic Field happened in the dramatic final minutes, with Dunbar’s Tod Bamber sneaking the Rovers in front with a deft header in the 83rd minute.
Bankstown’s shining light this season has been tricky flanker, Huseyin Jasli, and he again came to his team’s rescue, equalising with a clinically taken free kick in the 90th minute.
But Bankstown became their own worst enemy, when a needless high foot inside the penalty area gifted Dunbar Rovers a penalty in injury time. The experienced Tod Bamber stepped up and slotted it home, seconds before the final whistle, with the PS4 NPL3 side moving in to the 5th Round of this year’s Westfield FFA Cup.
In what was a local derby of sorts, PS4 NPL NSW Men’s side APIA Leichhardt Tigers eventually overcame local side, Leichhardt Saints Senior SFC, by 3-0 with all the goals coming towards the back end of the match.
UNSW FC defeated Lake Albert SC at Rawlings Park by 4-2, whilst Henry Wells and Andrew De Brito got amongst the scorers as Dulwich Hill saw off Dee Why FC by 3-0 at Fraser Park.
PS4 NPL NSW Men’s side, Parramatta FC, knocked out State League club, Bankstown United FC, courtesy of a 4-1 triumph at Melita Stadium.
Giosue Sama and Chris Carboni gave Parramatta a 2-0 half time lead, an advantage that was halved when Bankstown replied with a goal on the hour mark.
But Parramatta kicked up a gear and scored twice more via the Sama brothers – Gosue with his second of the match in the 62nd, and Marco in the 90th – to round off a comprehensive win and passage in to Round 5 of the FFA Cup.
Another PS4 NPL NSW Men’s club, Rockdale City Suns, didn’t have things their own way at Ilinden Sports Centre, being held at 1-1 by Hurstville FC over an hour before three quick fire goals gave them a 4-1 victory.
Harris Gaitatzis put Rockdale in front after only two minutes, but Adrian Livio equalised for Hurstville FC in the 23rd minute to put some spice in to the local derby.
The score remained that way until after the hour mark, when Jordan Figon (65’) and Brayden Sorge (75’) sandwiched a Hurstville own goal (67’) to put the match to bed.
Lee Sterrey’s Mounties Wanderers made it in to Round Five of the Westfield FFA Cup courtesy of a narrow 2-1 win over St Patricks FC.
Noah Chianese and Mitchell Davidson grabbed the goals for Mounties, whilst Mark Liberatore netted for St Patricks.
Picton Rangers defeated Baulkham Hills 3-2 at Ted Horwood Reserve, with Connor Dymond, Daniel Goodhew, and Jarred Morley grabbing the goals for the Rangers, whilst Green and Quarmby replied for Hills.
In an all PS4 NPL NSW Men’s top tier clash, Sutherland Sharks put their league form to one side when they despatched of the Wollongong Wolves by 3-0 at Seymour Shaw, with Kevin Lopes scoring a brace and Jeremy Cox also getting his name on the scoresheet.
PS4 NPL NSW Men’s side Bonnyrigg White Eagles, annihilated Padstow Hornets by 11-1, with a hat trick to Hassan Jalloh, and doubles to Ray Miller and Mun-Soo Gil. Adam Jenner, Luke Ivanovic, Greg Kondek and Martin Lo all got on the scoresheet to wrap up a convincing performance by Bonnyrigg, ensuring their passage in to Round Five of the competition – a result that was much needed as Brian Brown’s men continue to search for their first victory of the 2017 season.
Western Condors FC lost out in a close battle to Southern & Ettalong United FC, from the Central Coast Football Association, with the local side proving triumphant by 2-1 with goals by James Steer and Jimmy Caban.
Winston Hills gave Oatley RSL a 6-0 hiding at Lambert Park, whilst Waverley Old Boys edged out Gladesville Ravens by 2-1 at Waverley Park.
Hills Brumbies easily accounted for Glebe Gorillas by 6-1 to book their spot in Round Five, whilst St George City FA downed West Pennant Hills Cherrybrook FC by six goals without reply in a one-sided contest.
PS4 NPL NSW Men’s side, Hakoah Sydney City East, didn’t have things their own way against ps4 NPL3 team, Inter Lions, being forced to extra time after the scores were locked at 1-1 at the end of ninety minutes. Hakoah’s superior fitness took over and they ended up as 5-1 winners in the end to progress in to Round Five.
Ps4 NPL 2 giants, Marconi Stallions, trounced Glenwood Redbacks from the Blacktown District Soccer Football Association to move in the fifth round of the Westfield FFA Cup, winning 8-0 in a canter at Glenwood Reserve.
Details of the Westfield FFA Cup Round 4 fixtures can be found by clicking on the link
