Round 22 – National Premier Leagues 3 NSW Men’s Review
Jitters and nerves were prevalent on the weekend when none of the league’s top three sides registered a win following the completion of Round Twenty Two in the National Premier Leagues 3 NSW Men’s competition.
Dunbar Rovers jumped into 6th spot following a 3-0 triumph over Camden Tigers on Saturday afternoon; Hawkesbury City dropped two valuable points, scoring late on to snatch a draw against a gallant Fraser Park; Stanmore Hawks overcame Dulwich Hill by the odd goal in three at Arlington Oval on Saturday night; league leaders, St George City FA, came from 0-2 and a man down at half time to grab a point in a 2-2 draw against Sydney University at Marrickville; Granville Rage produced an upset at Garside Park, toppling Bankstown City 1-0 to extend their unbeaten run to five games; SD Raiders dismantled Inter Lions 8-2 on Sunday evening with John Fahmi helping himself to a hatrick.
Football NSW took their seat at Christie Park in Marsfield to see the battle between Gladesville Ryde Magic and the Western NSW Mariners.
MATCH OF THE ROUND
GLADESVILLE RYDE MAGIC – WESTERN NSW MARINERS 7-0
Gladesville Ryde Magic made light work of a disappointing Western NSW Mariners on Sunday afternoon, winning 7-0 in a canter at Christie Park.
Michael Gaitatzis helped himself to a four goal haul, which means he is now perched at the top of the NSW NPL 3 Mens goalscorers charts with a remarkable 28 goals this campaign thus far.
Magic got on the board as early as the 10th minute.
Chris Triantis squeezed a delightful pass in to the box for Chris Gaitatzis to run onto. The Magic skipper got to the ball before the advancing Mariners’ keeper, Brock Logan, but showed unselfishness to slip a short pass inside in to the path of Nick Ioannides who stroked the ball in to an empty net to open proceedings.
Ioannides almost doubled his and his team’s advantage on 15 minutes, seizing on another Triantis pass to round Logan in the Mariners’ goal before striking the upright from the tightest of angles.
17 year old Ioannides was having a field day at this stage, and he turned provider in the 25th minute. The tall flanker showed quick feet and a neat touch to leave two defenders in his wake, reaching the goal line before his square pass was bundled over the line by Michael Gaitatzis.
It took half an hour for the Gaitatzis brothers to combine for a goal, with Michael delivering a superbly weighted cross from the left for brother, Chris, to guide home with a neat volley and make it 3-0 to Gladesville.
The Mariners were at sixes and sevens at this stage and simply couldn’t cope with the attacking prowess of the home side.
The visitors did however muster two opportunities just after the half hour mark that could easily have dragged them back in to the encounter.
A cross from the left channel in the 34th minute was flicked on by Adam Scimone and landed at the feet of Jaiden Culbert, whose close range snapshot was diverted for a corner by Magic custodian, Gabriel Koliomihos.
Koliomihos was deputising for veteran, Kiriakou Tohouroglou, and was intent on keeping a clean sheet for Magic.
Culbert had another effort on goal in the 40th minute, blasting a shot from the edge of the box that Koliomihos did ever so well to finger tip over the cross bar.
That was all she wrote in the first half, but Gladesville showed no remorse after the break, extending their lead to 4-0 in the 53rd minute.
Ioannides showed good vision to slip a pass in to the right channel for Michael Gaitatzis to run onto, and the Magic striker struck clinically, angling his low drive under Brock Logan in the Mariners goal to bag his second of the match.
Jayden McLeod was then adjudged to have fouled Michael Gaitatzis inside the penalty area in the 62nd minute, leaving referee, Mr Roberto Mattei, with no option but to award the spot kick.
Michael Gaitatzis netted, only to be called upon to retake the kick due to encroachment. Gaitatzis found the back of the net for the second time with an emphatic finish, nabbing his hatrick in the process and extending his side’s lead to 5-0.
Lachlan Thomas fired a 25 yard free kick inches wide in the 64th minute as the Mariners searched for a consolation, but the visitors struggled to impose themselves in the front third with the Magic back line holding firm throughout.
Chris Triantis then made way for Chris Tomaras on 59 minutes, simply passing the creative baton on from one playmaker to another, and the number 10 continued on with the show, producing the goal of the match in the 64th minute to tick the scoreboard over to 6-0.
Receiving the ball out wide near the left sideline, Tomaras began a slalom run that any snow skier would be proud of, weaving in and out of three Mariners’ defenders as he entered the penalty box at speed before slotting the ball past Brock Logan in the Mariners’ goal, much to the delight of the local contingent.
Gladesville weren’t finished just yet, and they grabbed goal number 7 in the 82nd minute. Nick Ioannides raced along the goal line before finding Michael Gaitatzis with his firmly struck cut back.
Gaitatzis was unmarked, and took a touch before placing his shot into the net to round off the proceedings for the day.
The 7-0 win was an example of the attacking weapons that Gladesville Ryde Magic possess, with the experience of Triantis, Tomaras and Chris Gaitatzis supplemented by the clinical finishing of Michael Gaitatzis and youthful speed of Nick Ioannides. With a solid backline and hard working midfield behind the potent front third, Gladesville are starting to hit some ominous form at the right end of the season. The win and three points moves Magic on to 45 points, and in to 2nd place on the ladder, just 2 points adrift of the league leaders, St George
City FA, who are surely looking over their shoulder as we move towards the last few rounds of the competition proper.
National Premier Leagues 3 NSW Men’s
Round Twenty Two
Sunday, August 5, 2018
GLADESVILLE RYDE MAGIC 7 (Ioannides 10’, M.Gaitatzis 25’ / 53’ / 62’ pen / 82’, C.Gaitatzis 30’, Tomaras 66’)
WESTERN NSW MARINERS 0
Christie Park, Marsfield
Referee – Roberto Mattei
Assistant Referees – Alex Danzel and Hugh Cowardine
GLADESVILLE RYDE MAGIC;
21.G.Koliomihos, 2.C.Newton, 3.S.Tarazona, 4.L.Harte (6.A.Mickael 46’), 5.A.Khan, 8.J.Martinez, 9.C.Gaitatzis (capt) (19.F.Calcagno 75’), 11.C.Triantis (10.C.Tomaras 59’), 13.B.Kerr, 17.M.Gaitatzis, 34.N.Ioannides.
Substitutes Not Used – 23.Z.Hando, 33.K.Tohouroglou.
Yellow Cards – Nil
Red Cards – Nil
WESTERN NSW MARINERS;
1.B.Logan, 3.N.Spice (capt), 5.M.Corben, 6.B.Collins (13.J.McLeod 53’), 7.M.Hobby,17.D.Logan,18.P.Long, 19.L.Thomas (47.A.Arnott-Webb 75’), 21.J.Fuda, 23.J.Culbert, 26.A.Scimone.
Substitutes Not Used – 16.A.Elliott, 31.C.Christie, 25.B.McNabb.
Yellow Cards – 5.M.Corben 29’.
Red Cards – Nil
Dunbar Rovers – Camden Tigers 3-0
Dunbar Rovers moved ominously up to 6th position on the competition ladder, in to the top six and with a game in hand, following their comprehensive 3-0 victory over Camden Tigers on Saturday afternoon at Hensley Athletic Field.
But it was Camden that started the better, putting Dunbar on the back foot and restricting the home side to the occasional counter attack.
Dunbar did in fact take the lead against the run of play, and it was Ryan Shaughnessy who netted with a low right footed strike.
Shaughnessy in fact almost doubled Dunbar’s lead shortly afterwards, the playmaker’s lob smacking against the Camden cross bar.
Despite Camden threatening with a shot of their own which came off the woodwork, it was Dunbar who managed to extend their lead a few minutes before half time.
Henry Kamleitner seized on to a Cristian Garces pass to slot home and give the Rovers a commanding 2-0 half time lead.
Even though it was Dunbar who seemed to control proceedings after the break, Camden had a wonderful opportunity to drag themselves back in to match on 70 minutes.
Dunbar’s young keeper, Luke Del Vecchio, stood tall, producing a brilliant full stretch parry to deny the competition’s top goal scorer, Jayden Russell, from the penalty spot.
That save took the wind out of the Camden sails, and Ryan Shaughnessy even managed to extend Dunbar’s lead late on, diverting a flick header in to the Camden net for a 3-0 final scoreline, helping Dunbar to record their 3rd consecutive win.
The loss sees Camden move outside the top six, dropping to 7th position on the ladder. Dunbar Rovers on the other hand catapult the Tigers due to the win, moving to 6th ahead of their ‘two match challenge next week’ – first playing their rescheduled Round 17 game against Western NSW Mariners on the Sunday in Orange, before facing Granville Rage on the Tuesday in their Round 23 fixture.
Hawkesbury City – Fraser Park 1-1
Fraser Park put a spanner in Hawkesbury’s Premiership aspirations, holding the Hawks to a 1-1 draw in the Saturday afternoon fixture at David Bertenshaw Field.
Bottom placed Fraser Park were not expected to be a difficult hurdle for Hawkesbury to overcome, but this league is a competition where you need to show up against every opponent each and every week if you are to snatch the spoils.
Fraser Park took the lead just before the break, when an Anthony Musumeci effort found its way past Hawkesbury keeper, Daniel Schwarzer, in the 43rd minute.
Desperate for the points, Fraser then worked hard and defended in numbers, inviting the home side to come at them.
Predictably, Fraser keeper, Mark Villaescusa, was in inspired form, denying the Hawkesbury attack on a number of times. Villaescusa’s best ally was his goalposts, with the home side hitting the woodwork on a couple of occasions.
Things got worse on 74 minutes for the Hawks, with Jonathan Ekehov receiving his marching orders, reducing Hawkesbury to 10 men.
The pressure told in the end, and Hawkesbury equalised on 80 minutes through substitute, Ryan Wilson, and the score remained at 1-1 until full time.
Despite the valuable draw, Fraser remain bottom but move to 8 points on the back of their 5th stalemate of the campaign. On the other hand, the draw and subsequent point sees Hawkesbury City move to 44 points on the ladder, but they’ve dropped to 3rd position.
Dulwich Hill – Stanmore Hawks 1-2
Stanmore Hawks added to Dulwich Hill’s misfortunes by winning the battle of the ‘Arlington Oval tenants’, registering a 2-1 triumph on Saturday night.
Sam Awad and Heo Wookbum were the goalscorers for Stanmore, whilst Harry Browell replied for Dulwich, with all the goals coming in the first half.
As a result, the Hawks have crept to within two points of Dully on the ladder, who in fact have been joined by Granville Rage on 24, meaning Dully are in real danger of dropping out of the top ten if their misfortunes continue.
St George City FA – Sydney University 2-2
St George City FA and Sydney University produced an entertaining 2-2 draw on Saturday night at Fraser Park.
Sydney University edged themselves in front early on when a corner pinged dangerously around the St George penalty with Peter Kardasis reacting quickest, smashing home from close range to give the ‘students’ the lead.
St George City responded well, and went close on a number of occasions, but were denied by a combination of Charlie Fanner in the Uni goal, as well as some desperate defending.
A key moment in the battle arrived just before the half time break, when St George City keeper, Chris Marques, was given his second yellow caution for handling outside the box, reducing the home side to 10 men.
Salt was rubbed in to the wound when ex-St George City player and current Sydney Uni striker, Michael Loupis, forced a save from the resultant free kick, and the lurking Scott Tonkin stabbed home the rebound to give Sydney Uni a 2-0 lead at the break.
Despite going down to 10 men, St George City FA increased their intensity after the break, and eventually pulled a goal back on 69 minutes when substitute, Sam Messam, planted a powerful header past Uni keeper, Charlie Fanner.
The home side poured forward in numbers throwing everything at Sydney Uni, and it was a moment of magic which brought them level with just minutes remaining on the clock.
St George attacker, 18 year old Emanuel Koumis, wriggled out of a few challenges before unleashing a long range piledriver which flew into the Uni net to make it 2-2, much to the delight of the home contingent.
There was still time for both sides to almost snatch the win, with good chances at either end, but the referee’s whistle brought an end to a pulsating encounter.
James Spanoudakis and Sean Thomas were outstanding in ten man St George’s second half come back, a fanastic result in the end considering the circumstances, despite dropping two points.
The point sees St George City move to 47 at the top, but they are now only 2 points in front of the resurgent Gladesville Ryde Magic, who move to 2nd on 45. Sydney University climb to 32 points, remaining in 8th spot, and will have a task to close the five point gap between them and the 6th semi final position.
Granville Rage – Bankstown City 1-0
Granville Rage continued their recent uplift in form by knocking over the high flying Bankstown City Lions 1-0 on Saturday night at Garside Park.
It was Granville’s 5th successive match without defeat, including 2 wins and 3 draws, in a run that has seen Rage climb to equal 9th position on the ladder.
Andre Guzman was the hero for the home side, running on to a through ball before chipping his effort over the onrushing Bankstown City keeper, Enol Ordonez Suarez.
Predictably, Bankstown threw the proverbial kitchen sink at Granville during a frenzied second half, but simply could not find an equaliser. The Lions’ plight wasn’t helped by Jacob Boutoubia, who was sent off, reducing the visitors to ten men.
Granville’s goal keeper, Samuel Bortolazzo, was a man possessed, denying Bankstown on numerous occasions as the Lions pushed men forward.
In fact, Rage skipper, Michael Sada, produced a courageous stop at one point, throwing his body in front of a point blank shot to deny the Lions a goal.
The loss sees Bankstown remain on 42 points, dropping to 4th spot in the process, on the back of their 3rd loss in their past 4 outings.
As mentioned, the win continues a great run for Rage as they climb up both the NSW NPL 3 Men’s and Club Championship ladders.
Inter Lions – SD Raiders 2-8
On Sunday evening the Raiders dismantled Inter Lions 8-2 at Fraser Park, extending their unbeaten run to 6 games on the back of 4 wins and 2 draws.
SD Raiders seem to be back to the form they started the competition with back in March, when they were scoring goals for fun as they took the league by storm.
John Fahmi got things going for the Raiders on just 8 minutes, and Lucas Rossi made it 2-0 in the 23rd as the visitors held their lead until the half time break.
Fahmi extended the lead to 3-0 for the Raiders in the 51st minute, but Inter Lions sparked a revival of sorts, netting in the 55th and 60th minutes through Juan Chavez and Nick Sullivan respectively.
Any hopes of an equaliser were quickly dispelled in the 75th minute when John Fahmi netted his third goal of the match, followed immediately with another two goals, this time by Sebastian Malfara, who found the mark with a 60-second brace on 77 minutes.
Matias Toro Suazo and Luke Mesiti netted either side of the 86th minute to round off the night’s work at 8-2, a resounding win for the visitors.
The win and subsequent three points means the Raiders climb to 41 points on the ladder, remaining in 5th position, but now sitting just 6 points off the summit given the closeness of the league.
