Finals Series Round 1 Review – PS4 NPL 2 NSW Men’s
Mt Druitt Town Rangers and North Shore Mariners emerged victorious in this weekend’s PlayStation 4 National Premier Leagues’ 2 NSW Men’s elimination finals and will next weekend face St George and Marconi Stallions respectively.
Rangers won a nail-biter over Northern Tigers via a penalty shootout on Saturday; while North Shore Mariners proved to be too strong for their Central Coast counterparts in a comprehensive 3-1 victory on Sunday.
Mt Druitt Town Rangers 1 (4) Northern Tigers 1 (3), Lilys Football Centre
Mt Druitt Town Rangers kept their Championship hopes alive with a nail-biting elimination final win over Northern Tigers via penalty shootout at Lily’s Football Centre on Saturday night.
The teams were locked at one-all at fulltime, after Alex Vlismas opened the scoring for Mt Druitt and Lachlan Hughes fired home a late equaliser for the Tigers. But it was goalkeeper Carlos Saliadarre who was the Rangers’ hero, saving two spot kicks as his side nailed a 4-3 victory during an intriguing penalty shootout.
“How good was Carlos in the penalty shootout?” mused Mt Druitt coach Aidan Desmond. “When it went to penalties the belief amongst the group was incredible with Carlos in there. He certainly stood up tonight. Cometh the man, cometh the hour.”
The first half proved to be one of frenetic activity and while both sides created the odd half-chance, neither could conjure a single clear-cut opportunity in front of goal.
This was a surprise given the previous two clashes between the teams had netted seven goals. But on a mild Saturday night in Sydney’s west, finding the back of the net proved to be a difficult proposition.
Statistically, Mt Druitt should have had no trouble disposing of the Tigers. After all, Aidan Desmond’s side finished third on the league as opposed to the Tigers’ sixth; and in two matches smashed six goals past the hapless Tigers while conceding just one.
But this is the stage of the season where regular season form counts for nothing. This is the stage of the season where surprises occur and teams dig deep in the hope of taking another step towards the Holy Grail of winning a Grand Final.
The Tigers showed serious intent from the opening whistle and dominated the first five minutes of the game. Stopper Josh Ward produced the first telling moment, setting out on a fine solo run of around 40 metres and working a crisp one-two with Mark McAlpine, Ward had an opportunity to give his side the lead, but could only shoot directly at Saliadarre. Great movement but a disappointing finish, which proved to be a sign of things to come.
In the 12th minute, Mt Druitt’s Daniel Rezo floated in a high cross for Alex Vlismas, who was out-jumped by young Tigers’ goalkeeper Elliot Carwardine just outside the six yard box. The 17-year-old keeper turned on a mature performance and was outstanding, making life extremely difficult for the Rangers’ front third.
Tigers’ Lucas Dawson probably had the best chance of the half, when he sent a close range header wide with the goal at his mercy. The collective groans of the small group of Tigers’ supporters in the grandstand told the story.
Tigers’ Lachlan Hughes then raced down the touchline and delivered a deceptive cross that, with an ounce of luck, could have ended up in the back of the net. But again, it wasn’t to be.
Tigers’ midfielder McAlpine went close with a header in the 26th minute while Mt Druitt’s Alex Vlismas powered a shot towards the target in the 33rd, his effort comfortably saved by Carwardine. Rezo then lobbed from close range in the 35th, only to see the ball hoofed upfield by the Tigers’ defence.
The final play of the half came just shy of the 40th minute when Tigers’ playmaker Max Glanville unleashed a lively shot from inside the box, only to see Saliadarre deny his side the opening goal of the match.
The teams went to the sheds level at nil-all and while there had been plenty of movement in the first 45 minutes, the lack of clear-cut opportunities left the small crowd somewhat disappointed with the fare on offer.
But that changed in the second half.
Mt Druitt came out with all guns blazing and struck gold just four minutes after the restart when Alex Vlismas headed home from a corner to give the home side a 1-0 lead.
Would this be Mt Druitt’s cue to go on a rampage as they had done in previous matches against their old foes?
Rangers’ Hiten Satoh kept the pressure on a minute later, sending a wicked shot rocketing over the crossbar.
Vlismas should have grabbed his second goal in the 53rd minute, when, from a low cross into the box he couldn’t quite reach the ball with an open goal beckoning. Had Vlismas even got a slight touch, Mt Druitt would have held a commanding 2-0 lead. But yet again, it just wasn’t to be.
Three minutes later Tigers’ Mighty Mouse McAlpine sent Max Glanville down the right flank with a beautifully weighted pass and sprinted up the middle anticipating the cross. Glanville’s cross was deflected by Saliadarre and into the path of McAlpine, who suffered the ignominy of losing his footing with an open goal at his mercy.
The Tigers again went close when Dawson whipped the ball across the face of goal and with Saliadarre stranded, his effort just missed the target by inches.
Mt Druitt’s Lachlan Roberts had a great chance to extend his side’s lead in the 63rd. Chasing a through ball into the box and with only Carwardine to beat, Roberts shot straight at the young keeper, a poor effort that was probably Roberts’ only real chance of the game.
A minute later, Brian Griffin-Colls beat Carwardine with a bending strike, only to see the ball bounce off the far post. Again a classic case of so close, yet so far. With so many chances gone begging, Rangers just couldn’t take a trick, and as the match progressed, so too did the Tigers’ confidence. Indeed, the Tigers swept downfield and created chances of their own, but the men in stripes fared no better in front of goal than their opponents.
But that was until Tigers’ Lachlan Hughes broke Mt Druitt hearts with just three minutes remaining, curling home a brilliant equaliser with his instep, just beyond the despairing reach of Saliadarre, and sending the game into extra time.
Mt Druitt looked shellshocked but they came back hard in the remaining three minutes of regulation time, albeit without reward.
Rezo had a crack from just outside the box in the 89th minute but his shot shaved the bar; and a minute into injury time, Rezo again had an opportunity to steal the spoils, volleying a Roberts cross straight at Carwardine from a metre inside the box.
Referee Michael Weiner blew the fulltime whistle and the teams began the psyching up process for half an hour of extra time.
The Tigers’ 17-year-old striker Jordan Smylie ran onto a through-ball seven minutes into extra time, only to miss the target from close range. The youngster, who had come on for Alex Brown, has scored his fair share of goals this season, but this time, his radar was slightly off.
Mt Druitt then created a perfect chance in the 99th minute, a low cross from the left beating Carwardine, but somehow evading two incoming Mt Druitt players who couldn’t provide the final touch needed to nudge the ball into an empty net.
Rangers’ Brian Griffin-Colls then shot wide from an angle; while Rezo skied an effort over the bar from outside the box.
When the two sides returned for the remaining half of extra time, Tigers’ sub Junfeng Su was the first to have a crack inside a minute, but his effort posed no problems for Saliadarre.
Tigers’ Lachlan Hughes then unleashed a rasping shot that gave Saliadarre some grief, the Rangers gloveman dropping the ball but recovering quickly enough to prevent McAlpine from capitalising on the rebound. So close, yet so far for the Tigers.
Rangers’ sub Jamie Dib then tried a lob from a corner in the 24th minute but his effort cleared the bar, and two minutes later Rezo launched a powerful long range shot that Carwardine handled without fuss.
Just a minute shy of the end of extra time, Saliadarre rushed out of the penalty area to bring down Smylie, receiving a yellow card for his troubles. Josh Tanner tried to bend the resulting free kick into the far corner but the experienced Rangers’ keeper easily read his intentions to pull off a simple save.
Weiner again blew his whistle and the teams prepared for the penalty shootout, a harsh way to decide a game of such importance, but probably the fairest.
In the end, it was Saliafarre and his Rangers who held their nerve to claim the spoils 4-3 on a night when neither side deserved to lose.
Mt Druitt coach Aidan Desmond was delighted to see his side live to fight another day.
“The Tigers came out and played different to the way they’ve played all year,” Desmond told Football NSW. “I think they were probably concerned about our pace up front and decided to sit deep. At halftime we were still very confident that we could come out and do the job and to be fair, they played well but I thought the result was just. We hit the post and created chances and think we deserved the result tonight.”
“They did grow in confidence as the game went on but I think our ball movement in the first half was too slow. We needed to get the ball into wide spaces because they were so compact centrally; but we didn’t get the ball there quick enough. In the second half we got the ball into those areas quickly which resulted in a number of corners, hitting the post, and the goal we scored.”
When asked who were his side’s standouts, Desmond replied: ” I don’t think there was any one single standout; I think our defence was really solid as a unit with some really good tackles by Nick Trimble and Matthew Clowes. Some of the tackles were really good.
“We’ve got a lot of young players. Everyone thinks we’re an old side and experienced but we had six players out there under the age of 21. A couple of them are only 19. That’s a good learning curve for them.”
Meanwhile, Tigers’ coach Mark McCormick was disappointed with the result but pleased with the effort put in by his youthful side.
“I think we nailed it tactically, we knew what was coming,” McCormick told Football NSW. “I think we controlled the game without having the ball, we wanted to shut off because we knew they would have difficulty breaking us down and we did that and I think it showed tactical discipline. Their goal came from a set piece.
“We played a different style to the one we played when we played them earlier this season. When you concede six goals you need to readjust and play in a different manner. Not to do so would be naive. We set up tactically differently and played a more attacking style game rather than a possession dominated game we’re used to. And it worked.
“When we went behind in the second half I was still positive because I knew we were controlling the game without having the ball. And we knew that they might score so it didn’t really bother me at all (when they did score). We made a couple of tactical changes after that and changed shape three times after we went 1-0 down. All that worked because after they scored we were the dominant team.
“I think our confidence rose because we were keeping the ball better (than Mt Druitt). We had a lot more possession after they scored and we were much more dangerous in certain areas.
“I think everyone stood out tonight. The result on the scoreboard doesn’t reflect who we are as a team. I had a 17-year-old kid in goal; a 17-year-old striker; another two teenagers in midfield, that’s the reality of the situation. My three central defenders were suspended so I had to bring in two Under 20 teenagers and one of them got injured during the week. My captain tonight has been in bed the last two days with the flu so going into the game it was just one thing after another. We’re disappointed that we’re not going through but every single one of my players knows that they gave everything, it just wasn’t to be. So I’m really proud of them.”
Match Stats
Mt Druitt Town Rangers 1
Northern Tigers 1
(Mt Druitt won 4-3 on penalties)
Lilys Football Centre, Seven Hills
Saturday 2 September 2017
Referee: Michael Weiner
Assistant Referees: Matthew Mcorist, Ray Osborne
Mt Druitt Town Rangers: 1. Carlos Saliadarre (GK), 8. Matthew Clowes, 3. Brian Griffin-Colls, 16. Luke Grima (18. Jamie Dib), 11. Daniel Rezo, 23. Lachlan Roberts (13. Lord Darkoh), 2. Hiten Satoh, 7. Trent Sierra, 12. Nick Trimble, 6. Alex Vlismas, 5. Kris Vlismas (14. Daniel McCann)
Unused Subs: 10. Nathan Ralph, 41. Joshua Wilde
Yellow Cards: Kris Vlismas (45′), Carlos Saliadarre (120′)
Coach: Aidan Desmond
Northern Tigers: 1. Elliot Carwardine (GK), 2. Josh Ward, 10. Lucas Dawson, 5. Alex Brown (29. Jordan Smylie), 3. William Foristal, 8. Max Glanville (9. Liam McConaghy), 7. Joel Hardwick, 11. Lachlan Hughes, 17. Mark McAlpine, 18. Josh Tanner, 16. Aram Tayebi (19. Junfeng Su),
Unused Subs: 12. Oliver Stickland, 40. Ben Taylor
Yellow Cards: Mark McAlpine (52′), Lachlan Hughes (102′)
Coach: Mark McCormick
Central Coast Mariners 1 North Shore Mariners 3, Lilys Football Centre
North Shore Mariners will face PS4 NPL 2 Premiers Marconi Stallions next week after powering past Central Coast Mariners 3-1 in the second elimination final at Lilys Football Centre on Sunday.
In a major coup for the Mariners’ “brand” Central Coast and North Shore clashed in what was predicted to be an intriguing matchup between teams of contrasting styles.
But North Shore proved to be too strong for the young Coasters, their physicality and high pressing game a challenge too difficult or the academy side to overcome.
North Shore opened the scoring in the 23rd minute through Braden Cheng and after Mitch Smith grabbed another goal just shy of halftime, held a 2-0 lead at the break.
They came out all fired up in the second spell and scored their third, an own goal, two minutes after the restart. Central Coast meanwhile, grabbed a consolation goal through Gianni Stensness in the 90th.
The young Coasters have played some brilliant football this season and possess the most potent front third in the competition – with the likes of Duncan Stewart, Brenton Fox, Lachlan Wales and Peter Kekeris running rings around most opponents. But the youngsters were no match for a disciplined North Shore outfit that stuck to its blueprint of direct and robust football; and a clinical ability to finish.
Central Coast coach Ben Cahn was confident going into the match and said his side had improved in areas that had hurt them in the past. He also said that despite the fact that both sides were familiar to one another, he expected some surprises on the day.
North Shore didn’t surprise with their tactics, but they certainly surprised with their relentless ability to finish. Indeed, Joe Haywood’s outfit were simply too fast, too strong and too mature for their opponents.
“From start to finish the boys did well,” Haywood told Football NSW. “In the first 15 minutes we had a plan to let them have the ball. And then we surprised them and came out and pressed. The gameplan worked today and the boys delivered it effectively.
“The biggest thing for me was our one-on-one defending which was what got us the control of the game. We won those individual battles and stopped their key players from playing. They’ve got some very talented young boys who are quick, strong and powerful, plus one of the top goalscorers in the league. Our defending was very good today.”
When asked what impressed him the most about his side’s performance, Haywood replied: “Our ability to control the game in stages, not necessarily with possession, but with our structure. We were always a threat – not just from setpieces – and we had a hatful of chances and on another day we would have scored more goals. We also kept them to minimal chances, and we controlled the game with our structure which was great.”
Haywood added that while the performance was a collective one, he made special mention of defender James Scott, whose tackling and leadership were inspirational.
In the last six rounds of the regular season, North Shore were one of the form teams of the competition, winning four and drawing two, a near perfect record that gave them plenty of confidence going into Sunday’s do-or-die “derby” against their fierce rivals. Now they’ve extended their unbeaten run to seven matches, which should give them plenty of confidence before facing Marconi Stallions for the right to play in the Grand Final next weekend.
Twelve months ago, North Shore avoided relegation by the skin of their teeth but Haywood has proved to be the man of the hour, taking his side to a position they could only have dreamed of last season,
“It’s huge and for us it’s a step in the right direction,” Haywood said. “We’ve learnt a lot of lessons and moved forward.”
– By Derek Royal, Football NSW Reporter
