Round 1 Review – SELECT Futsal Premier League
The Football NSW SELECT Futsal Premier League opening weekend saw Inner West defeat Mountain Majik 8-1, Dural beat Campbelltown 5-1, Enfield down South Coast 5-3 and UTS edge Mascot 3-2.
The weekend run also saw the competition notch up its 600th premier league fixture with the open men’s game scoring at an entertaining 7.4 goals a game, and more than half the recorded contests have been decided by two goals or less to show a real competitiveness in the state’s top flight.
South Coast Taipans 3 (David Stojic 2, Matt Mazevski) Enfield Allstars 5 (Giacomo Di Mento 2, Alex Vlismas, Kristin Pereira, Stephen Spirou)
Campbelltown Quake 1 (Shaun Irwin) Dural Warriors 5 (Wade Giovenali 2, Greg Giovenali, Glen Kelshaw, Matthew Leroy)
Inner West Magic 8 (Brian Griffin-Colls 2, Fran Calle 2, Jonathan Barzel, Daniel Fogarty, Miles Downie, Daniel Fornito) Mountain Majik 1
Mascot Vipers 2 (Conor Quilligan, Matias Farias) UTS Northside 3 (Grant Lynch, Karim Moursi, Tristan Prendergast)
Enfield handle South Coast
Enfield Allstars held out South Coast Taipans 5-3 in an exciting contest at the University of Wollongong Sports Hub.
Both sides gave a solid account for themselves as Allstars took a 3-2 advantage into the break and then held out a second-half Taipans barrage before creating a small buffer they held to the final whistle – the two-goal margin the closest South Coast have come to beating Enfield in seven clashes.
Taipans coach Bobby Mazevski believed his team went unrewarded for a pretty good performance against an experienced Allstars.
“It was a game I felt we deserved to get something from,” he said. “I felt we matched it with Allstars throughout the game but we just didn’t seem to have luck go our way. We hit the post at least five times and conceded a crucial goal to a shorthanded Enfield at 3-2 down. It was probably the turning point.”
“[Enfield keeper] Steven Spirou pulled off several super saves particularly in second half [he also scored a goal]. Overall, I’m pleased with our effort but disappointed with a few of the goals conceded and result.”
It’s been an interesting and ultimately nostalgic few months for Allstars coach Ernie Bivona.
“You could say we freshened things up!” Bivona explained.
“We’ve been really active in the off-season and brought in some really good players. Our number one goal is to stay in premier league this year and make the kids feel like this a real family club that they always feel welcome at.”
“I do believe we’ll be competitive in most age groups, and I think this is going to be a very good club championship competition when it comes to the points-gap between a lot of the clubs on the ladder,” Bivona said.
“The coaches are getting better and many more are getting accredited, the pool of players is getting bigger and a few players who left Futsal have come back – it’s shaping up to be a very interesting competition.”
To underline Bivona’s statement, every club won between 3-6 games on the weekend to get the club championship off to a thrilling start (Majik earned 16 points to reigning champion Magic’s 10).
Against South Coast Bivona was delighted with a tough first-up test. “That club has got some very good coaches and they are well-drilled, whereas we had a short pre-season and our preparation wasn’t the best, so I’m very happy to be coming away with the result,” he said.
“Jake [di Mento] did really well and his opening goal took me back to when he was the first to score for Allstars back in the day. Maybe we felt too comfortable in a few places and South Coast came back at us; I still think we created as many chances at the other end but our shooting was a little off.”
Dural down Campbelltown
A strong second-half show lifted Dural Warriors to a 5-1 win over returned Campbelltown Quake at Minto Indoor Sports Centre on Saturday evening.
Warriors led 2-1 following a tense first-half struggle but skipped ahead in the second term to register a methodical four-goal victory – their seventh win in a row against Quake.
Wade Giovenali bagged a couple for Dural and his brother Greg also scored for the visitors – incredibly, he’s now found the back of the net in eight of the last 11 meetings with Campbelltown to be a real thorn in Quake’s side.
Warriors coach Rob Varela was satisfied with the outcome and hinted Dural would have some extra pep in their step this season.
“It was a good start to the season; we played well, kept possession well, defended very strongly, so we’re quite happy, yes,” he said. “Campbelltown were very strong, and physical, but I felt we matched them in the game’s physicality.”
“We haven’t spoken about it specifically [missing out on last season’s premiership and championship trophy]; we know we’re no longer the number one team in the competition, but you can sense in training that the players are keen to go the extra inch this summer.
“It’s a clear-cut challenge now. We’re in a position where we’re not the top-dog, so to speak. The players know what the challenge ahead is and are working hard to achieve it.”
Inner West topple Mountaineers
Inner West Magic blitzed Mountain Majik 8-1 at Valentine Sports Park on Saturday night to pick up where they left off last season’s championship run.
The defending champions raced to a 5-1 halftime lead and never looked back with new Spanish import Fran Calle grabbing a brace on debut and Brian Griffin-Colls also pocketing a pair.
The scoreline was one short of Inner West’s highest single-game collection (9-0 against Sydney City Eagles in 2012/13 and 9-5 versus Mascot Vipers in 2011/12), and six different scorers was also one off their best mark (seven players goaled in Magic’s 8-4 win over Phoenix in 2014/15).
Inner West club manager Matteo Maiorana applauded the team’s opening-game assertion. “Our boys were brilliant last night. Right from the outset they were focused and determined to get of to a good start,” he said.
“Griffin Colls was sensational and scored two absolute bombs while our new Spanish player Fran Calle got a brace on his club debut – he’s been really well received by the boys and fitted in like a glove.
“It’s encouraging to play that way and be without [goalkeeper Roberto] Maiorana, [veteran Chris] Zeballos, [Angelo] Konstantinou, [Daniel] Vellonio and Wright and still be that convincing. [Magic coach Stephen] Knighty has done a great job and the boys are looking forward to the challenge of defending their title.”
Northside pip Mascot
UTS Northside edged Mascot Vipers 3-2 in a gripping Saturday night affair at All Sorts Indoor Sports Centre, the visitors breaking a six-game winless streak in the open men’s competition.
It was neck-and-neck all the way as Northside maintained their 2-1 halftime advantage despite the sending off of Mason Ireland, with Grant Lynch, Karim Moursi and Tristan Prendergast scoring for the matchwinners while Conor Quilligan and Matias Farias netted Mascot goals.
Next week’s games
SELECT Futsal Premier League round 2 Saturday matches feature Mountain Majik against Campbelltown Quake at Blacktown Leisure Centre (4.05pm), Dural Warriors host Mascot Vipers at The Centre, Dural (6.50pm), UTS Northside play South Coast Taipans at Valentine Sports Park (7.30pm), and Enfield Allstars meet Inner West Magic at Morris Iemma Indoor Sports Centre (8.05pm).