Round 6 Review – Westfield FFA Cup
Round Six of the Westfield FFA Cup was as exciting as any of the previous rounds, bringing together the final 20 teams in this year’s tournament, representing five different competitions, and requiring 42 goals, extra time, and even penalties to sort out some of the victors.
What was waiting for each of the ten Round Six winners was a spot in Round Seven, which is mere 90 minutes away from a position in the national Round of 32 draw for the 2017 Westfield FFA Cup.
The ten Round Six matches were played over the space of a fortnight, commencing with the May 9 battle at Cook Park, St Marys, between Nepean FC and Bulli FC.
This match needed extra time to sort out the teams, with Bulli FC prevailing 2-1 after the scores were locked at 1-1 at the end of ninety minutes.
Nepean FC ply their football in the NSW State League, and had reached this round with a thumping 6-1 win over PlayStation NPL 2 side, North Shore Mariners. After a tense opening hour or so, Nepean FC thought they were on their way in to the next round when Shomari Sabatho edged them in front in the 77th minute.
But Dylan Lewis equalised for Bulli FC in the 83rd minute to take the match into extra time, where Ben McDonald snatched the second and winning goal to the send the Illawarra Premier League club in to Round Seven.
Current PlayStation NPL NSW Men’s 1 Champions, Blacktown City FC, were made to fight all the way in their Round Six encounter at Lilys Football Centre, downing PlayStation NPL NSW Men’s 2 side, Mt Druitt Town Rangers SC, 2-1 after extra time.
Blacktown City dominated proceedings in the opening forty five minutes, but had nothing to show for it on the scoreboard with the teams locked at 0-0 at the break. The best opportunity came midway through the half when Blacktown City were awarded a penalty, but Mt Druitt keeper, Carlos Saliadarre, did well to parry the spot kick from Joe Gibbs.
Drama ensued just five minutes after half time, when Blacktown City goal keeper, Matt Symes, was adjudged to have handled the ball outside the penalty area, and was given an early shower by the referee. Mitchell Mallia made way for regular number one, Tristan Prendergast, and Blacktown City were down to ten men.
Blacktown City had now made all three substitutions at this point, having brought on Connor Evans and Danny Choi at half time, and it was in fact Choi who broke the deadlock in the 56th minute when he whipped in a superb free kick, leaving Saliadarre grasping at thin air in the Mt Druitt goal.
Within a few minutes and Mt Druitt were awarded a spot kick of their own after Daniel Araujo was adjudged to have committed a foul inside the penalty area. But Tristan Prendergast did ever so well to parry Daniel McCann’s spot kick and keep Blacktown City in front.
Mt Druitt were not to be denied, however, and centre back Nicholas Trimble did find the net in the 64th minute, his thumping header giving Mt Druitt the equaliser they so craved.
Trying to execute a swift counter attack in the 68th minute, Danny Choi suffered a reoccurring injury to his ankle, and had to be taken from the field, leaving Blacktown City to play out the match with just nine men.
Not only did Blacktown City play the remaining 20 minutes of normal time plus the 30 minutes of extra time with two players less, but they managed to nab a winning goal in the 102nd minute.
Blacktown City skipper, Matthew Lewis, made a long run into the Mt Druitt penalty area, and his low cross was diverted in to his own goal by Mt Druitt’s Nicholas Trimble.
A typical Cup effort saw Blacktown City move in to Round Seven with a nail biting 2-1 extra time win over the plucky Mt Druitt Town Rangers.
In an all PlayStation NPL NSW Men’s 1 match at Belmore Sports Ground, Sydney Olympic overcame Parramatta FC 2-1 to move in to the next round of the Westfield FFA Cup.
Daniel Rezo opened the scoring in the 9th minute, firing in a bullet from outside the penalty area to give Parramatta FC a 1-0 lead, a lead they held on to until half time.
Parramatta FC suffered a setback in the 53rd minute when captain, Ibrahim Haydar, was sent off, conceding a penalty in the process. Parramatta’s keeper, Chris Moore, did brilliantly to save the penalty and keep Parramatta in front.
Olympic kept at it and finally grabbed their equaliser, Radovan Pavicevic scoring in the 65th minute to make it 1-1.
Some quick thinking in the 86th minute gave Yu Kuboki the opportunity to score, and he disappoint, netting Sydney Olympic’s second and winning goal, much to the jubilation of the home support.
Hills Brumbies turned on the style at Hooka Creek Park, running away with the game to knock out Wollongong United FC 6-2 after leading 2-1 at half time.
Peter Cejka was the hero for Hills Brumbies, finding the net three times to register a hatrick, whilst the other goals for the Brumbies came from Glen Kelshaw, Nikolas Dimitriadis, and second half substitute, Matias Toro Suazo.
Wollongong United’s goals were scored by Dylan Chopin, Milan Zoric and Daisuke Yuzowa.
In another all PlayStation NPL NSW Men’s 1 battle at Bonnyrigg Sports Centre, APIA Leichhardt Tigers transferred their good league form to the Cup by knocking out Bonnyrigg White Eagles 2-0.
It was a typically tight affair, both heavyweights desperate to have a successful run in the Cup this year, with Bonnyrigg having tasted the excitement of making the Round of 32 in the 2016 version of the Westfield FFA Cup.
But it was to be APIA’s night this time around, with the team from Leichhardt prevailing in an arm wrestle of a match.
Matthew West finished clinically in to the bottom corner to give APIA a first half lead, whilst Corey Biczo grabbed a second half goal to complete the scoring at 2-0, sending Daniel Cummins’ squad in to Round Seven.
SD Raiders progressed in to the next round of the Westfield FFA Cup when they upset Mounties Wanderers, from the PlayStation NPL NSW Men’s 2 competition, by 3-1 at Ernie Smith Reserve.
SD Raiders won promotion from the State League to the PlayStation NPL NSW Men’s 3 competition in the off season, and have carried their positive league form in to the Cup with a solid victory in Round Six in front of their own fans.
Mark D’Alessandro was an inspirational leader for the Raiders against his former club in what was an enthusiastic performance by the home side.
Danny Martinez opened the scoring for the Raiders in the 6th minute, sending the home fans into raptures.
Taewoo Jung equalised for Mounties in the 21st minute, but Daniel Bittar restored the lead for the Raiders in the 28th minute.
When John Fahmi extended the lead for the Raiders in the 55th minute, making it 3-1, Mounties coach, Lee Sterrey, rang the changes by bringing on a couple of substitutions, but it was to no avail.
SD Raiders played out the match to win 3-1, making the club the sole representatives from the NPL 3 competition remaining in this year’s Westfield FFA Cup.
PlayStation NPL NSW Men’s 1 side, Rockdale City Suns, overcame Marconi Stallions at the Ilinden Sports Centre, winning 4-2 after being 0-1 down early on in the game.
With Marconi perched at the top of the PlayStation NPL NSW Men’s 2 competition, and both sides boasting players playing against their former club, it was always going to be a tense yet exciting affair.
Sam Burfoot struck early for Marconi, putting them in front on 9 minutes, but Rockdale worked their way in to the match and eventually equalised just before half time, Alex Canak doing the honours in the 38th minute.
Canak in fact scored his and his side’s double in the 42nd minute, sending Rockdale in to the break holding a slender 2-1 lead.
Alec Urosevski extended Rockdale’s lead in the 57th minute, before Canak scored once more in the 72nd minute to nab his hatrick against his former club.
Sean Rooney pulled a goal back for Marconi in the 89th minute, but it was too little, too late, with the final score of 4-2 in favour to Rockdale City Suns moving the Suns in to Round Seven of the Westfield FFA Cup.
The Round Six match at Hensley Athletic Field between Hakoah Sydney City East and Albion Park White Eagles needed penalties to be sorted out, after the two sides finished 3-3 at the end of extra time.
It was second time in successive rounds that PlayStation NPL NSW Men’s 1 side, Hakoah Sydney City East, had prevailed on penalties after knocking out fellow PlayStation NPL NSW Men’s 1 Manly United in the previous round.
It was the team from the Illawarra Premier League who took the lead in the 20th minute, Hikaru Kawasakiya making it 1-0 to Albion Park.
Hakoah hit the front with a brace of goals within minutes of either side of half time, Andre De Jong equalising in the 43rd minute before Anthony Frangie put the home side in front on 50 minutes.
Just when the match was in its final seconds, up popped Shohei Okuno to equalise for Albion Park in injury time, sending the match in to extra time.
The visitors then remarkably hit the front when Yosuke Tashiro scored in the fourth minute of extra time, but Andre De Jong pulled Hakoah back in to the contest when he made it 3-3 just six minutes later.
There were no more goals in extra time, so it was off to the dreaded penalty shootout.
Anthony Bouzanis was the hero for Hakoah, the goalkeeper not only scoring a penalty himself, but saving the final spot kick to send Hakoah Sydney City East in to Round Seven with a pulsating victory.
Kemblawarra Fury from the Illawarra Premier League advanced to Round Seven of this year’s Westfield FFA Cup with a hard fought 2-1 victory over Fraser Park at Hooka Creek Park.
The two sides had actually met earlier this year in the pre-season ‘Portuguese Cup’, with the PlayStation NPL NSW Men’s 3 side, Fraser Park, prevailing 2-0.
Kemblawarra came out of the blocks firing on all cylinders, and dominated the opening forty five minutes. After Matthew McNab had twice come close to opening the scoring, the Fury finally took the lead in the 24th minute.
McNab made a dissecting run into the Fraser Park penalty area, before laying it in to the path of Anthony Proia who produced a clinical finish to make it 1-0 to the home side.
It was then the turn of Kemblawarra’s Shane Murray to almost make it two, curling a superb free kick on 40 minutes that was headed towards the top corner, only for Fraser Park’s Chris Becerra to produce a spectacular save to keep the visitors in the match.
Fraser Park almost equalised in the 65th minute following a long range effort from Jordan Simpson, but Fury custodian, Mitchell Blowes, tipped the ball over the bar with a great save.
Kemblawarra did not heed the warning, and Fraser Park finally drew level in the 72nd minute.
Alvin Ceccoli did well to partly block a shot from the edge of the area, but Fury keeper, Mitchell Blowes, was unable to gather the loose ball, and the lurking Peter Crevani scored from close range to make it 1-1.
Just when all and sundry were preparing for extra time, Fury broke the hearts of the visiting fans by snatching a winning goal in the opening minute of injury time.
Shane Murray produced a cracking shot which Fraser Park keeper, Chris Becerra, was unable to hold on to, and substitute, Liam Unicomb, accepted the opportunity with glee, slamming a shot in to the roof of the net to produce a dramatic last gasp winner for Kemblawarra Fury.
Bankstown Berries FC progressed to Round Seven of the Westfield FFA Cup with a narrow 2-1 victory over Dulwich Hill at Fraser Park.
It was a tight affair between the sides, with PlayStation NPL NSW Men’s 2 side, Bankstown Berries, scoring through Andreas Vais and Daniel Fornito to take their place in the next round.
Striker Tommy Bentham had earlier drawn Dulwich Hill level with a clinical finish, but the PlayStation NPL 3 club just couldn’t muster a second equaliser, and exited after a spirited performance.
Click here for round 6 results
