Finals Series Week Two – State League Men’s Review
At its best, Finals football creates drama which is hard to match anywhere else and it was at it’s best as Saturday produced two high quality semi-finals in the State League Men’s competition.
Bankstown United secured the first spot in this years grand final whilst condemning Central Coast United to an unenviable fixture against Nepean FC next week and we say farewell to once competition leaders UNSW FC.
Bankstown United 3-3 Central Coast United (Bankstown won 4-3 on penalties)
Bankstown United came from behind on three separate occasions against Central Coast United to clinch the first grand final spot of the 2018 season.
In what was a memorable fixture, a goal in the 119th minute from Toshi Saikawa ensured that the game would go to a penalty shootout in which David Hamilton produced two stunning saves to clinch the win.
Earlier young striker Sean Robertson and Stephen Tomasich scored crucial goals to bring them back level.
It was a cruel fate for Central Coast United who were once again ahead and in sight of the finish line only to concede deep into an extra time.
An early goal to captain Daniel Mcfarlane sent them on their way before a double to substitute Thomas Lyons including a top drawer free-kick were not enough of a hurdle for Bankstown to jump.
Central Coast were the team to break the deadlock after an opening twenty-five minutes which saw intensity aplenty, just not much to write about in terms of chances. As a true leader does though Daniel Mcfarlane unleashed a powerful header to meet a corner from the left which no keeper in the world could save.
That clicked Bankstown United into gear though and the premiership winners dominated the game in terms of chances from that point until the equaliser with ten minutes of regulation time to go.
Substitute Mitch Cross made an immediate impact in setting up said equaliser greeting a ball played through the right channel before playing in Robertson who duly finished into an empty net to bring the scores level.
The scores remained level until the conclusion of normal time of which allowed Central Coast United with the inclusion of substitute Adam Woodbine to reset and it worked. Seven minutes into injury time they were given an opportunity through a free kick of which Thomas Lyons stepped up and well we saw pin-point perfection, the ball ending up in the top left-hand corner.
Bankstown United aren’t a team to rollover and their mental strength came to the floor once again when Stephen Tomasich was in the right place at the right time as the ball fell to him after hitting the post off a free kick. Tomasich perhaps scuffing his left footed effort into the left side of the net.
Next goal wins, right?
It was Central Coast United who scored next through Lyons again, this time the attacker found himself on the end of a Woodbine pass into the middle from the by-line.
Third time lucky?
Nope, it just wasn’t Central Coast United’s night. Not without warning, Toshi Saikawa got on the wrong side of his marker on the left flank with a minute to go and placed it home from inside the six-yard box from a tight angle.
It was penalty shootout time and time for yet another twist. The hero of the night being Bankstown shot stopper David Hamilton who saved not one but two penalties in the shootout. One, low down to his right and one to his left pushing the ball into the post with Mitch Cross finishing off a perfect shootout from Bankstown United.
Bankstown United coach Scott Belgre was notably ecstatic with the thrilling victory.
“I’m lost for words every week, happy for the boys. They’ve worked hard all year and deserved moments like that. we’ve got into the habit of winning and knew we were going to win.
“Up front, Sean Robertson was a handful, only thing missing from his game was a hat-trick, Toshi was immense and big props to David Hamilton who made two saves in the shootout.”
Central Coast United coach Stu Davis lamented what was a tough defeat for the squad.
“Tough, very tough game. Bankstown were very good dominant in the second half but the disappointing thing for us was we had the lead three times and couldn’t hold onto it. We’ll dust ourselves off and go again”.
Match Stats
Bankstown United: 3 (Robertson 79’, Tomasich 101’, Saikawa 118’)
Central Coast United: 3 (Mcfarlane 27’, Lyons 97’ 109’)
Valentine Sports Park 3, Glenwood
Saturday 1st September, 2018
Referee: S. Mcfarlane
Assistant Referees: D. Horstead & A. Hossnani.
Bankstown United: 99. David Hamilton, 3. Stephen Tomasich, 4. Steven Wright, 5. Andreas Kartsioulis, 6. Joseph Ninnes, 7. Joseph Miladinovic (79. Shane Webb), 8. Sean Robertson, 20. Ryota Oketani, 23. Daniel Ramirez (10. Mitchell Cross), 25. Toshihisa Saikawa, 70. Matthew Sadler (62. Daia Nakano).
Subs Not Used: 16. Devrim Huseyin, 84. Nathan Paull.
Yellow Card: Cross
Central Coast United: 1. Jack O’Mally, 2. Scott Mcginley, 4. Geordie Howe, 5. Nathan Blunden, 6. Jack Ragen, 10. Alexander Arbelo (9. Adam Woodbine), 12. Ian Mcandrew, 13. Cade Mapu, 14. Tom Mallet, 15. Graham Toope (99. Thomas Lyons), 24. Daniel Mcfarlane (11. Bayley Appo 45’).
Subs Not Used: 43. Joshua Ferragamo, 16. Oscar Torres Inchaustti.
Yellow Card: Ragen.
Semi Final 1: UNSW FC 1-4 Nepean FC
Earlier, Nepean FC unleashed in an explosive second half which saw them eventually roll over a perhaps wasteful UNSW FC in the elimination semi-final.
Indeed, the team who finished fifth proved to have that much more decisiveness in front of goal as Mubarak Saaed, Hayden Pronin and Andrew Mekhail all found the net during the second period.
It topped off a leveller from the spot through David Adjassou in the first half.
For UNSW FC, it was another case of having a good start but not being able to capitalize and being punished for a few moments of madness from within.
They took the lead through Nima Beik inside the first fifteen minutes but were unable to go on with it and as a result will have to lick their wounds reflecting on the dreaded ‘what-ifs’.
The opener came through a lovely bit of combination play from the UNSW front three which saw Luiz Lobo cut across the field from the left before playing in Nima Beik who finished off with class hitting his effort into the top left corner.
It was a game between two evenly matched sides which means some moments count double.
Unfortunately for UNSW, a Nepean attack resulted in a penalty around the half hour mark of which David Adjassou slotted into the bottom left corner.
UNSW captain Nima Beik was looking their main threat and he nearly scored a spectacular effort with a lovely three touch effort. The first to control the ball, second to beat his man before a ferocious volley hit the crossbar.
Nepean came out a different unit after the half time break and capitalised early on through Mubarak Saeed.
The winger once again proving himself elusive for the opposition defenders, finding his way into the box before seeing his left footed effort put them ahead.
Any hopes of a comeback from UNSW FC were extinguished about halfway through the second half when Luiz Lobo was sent off.
One thing about Nepean is once they smell blood, they will capitalise on it and it wasn’t going to be any different in this one.
Attacker Hayden Pronin was the one to strike the killer blow this time as he used his smarts to beat an under-strength UNSW back four, charging into the box from the right before finishing high into the net.
The pain wasn’t over for UNSW, who did create their own chances after going down to ten but it wasn’t to be with Nepean substitute Andrew Mekhail scoring a goal. Mekhail cut in off the left onto his right before hitting a strike of which the ball dipped and curled into the top right-hand corner of the net to seal the win.
Nepean FC coach Magdy Andrawes was pleased with his team’s ability to back up last week.
“I told the boys that the game last weekend was the perfect game and it wasn’t going to repeat and so it was with them coming out better in the first fifteen minutes.
“Credit to our boys though, after that we brought things together with Hayden, Mubarak and Andrew capitalising. It’s hard to put two performances together and they did that well today.”
UNSW assistant coach Nestor Moreno rued his sides small errors.
“We started with good intent, got a lead and looked comfortable. At the moment our games are changing on errors and the penalty today changed things.
“Credit to Nepean, they came out and got an early second half goal. They were smart in dealing with Luiz and this league is too good to play with ten men of which we’ve done multiple times against Nepean, Bankstown and Central Coast.”
Match Stats
UNSW FC: 1 (Beik 12’)
Nepean FC: 4 (Adjassou 28’, Saeed 52’, Pronin 75’, Mekhail 86’)
Referee: A. Mansour
Asistant Referees: T. Plasto & L. Greenshields
UNSW FC: 21. Ian Johnson, 6. Ignacio Pacheco, 7. Christian Soares, 9. Nima Beik, 10. Luiz Lobo, 12. Bede Leyland (19. Giles Penfold), 17. Bastian Monroy Vargas, 18. Marcus Naoum, 20. Joshua Chahal (8. IIan Kessler), 23. Sam Wrublewski, 39. Florim Binakaj (24. Matthew Newton).
Subs Not Used: 1. Nicholas Croucher, 3. Alex Nolan.
Yellow Card: Johnson, Lobo
Red Card: Lobo.
Nepean FC: 1. Thomas Hamilton, 2. Kurt Machut, 3. Daryl Watson, 5. Michael Fakiye, 7. Mubarak Saeed (31. Andrew Mekhail), 10. Jamie Dib, 12. Paul Chester (25. Roberto Polistina), 14. Rory Mcgeown, 19. Hayden Pronin (8. Mario Ghobrial), 24. Simon Ly, 26. David Adjassou.
Subs Not Used: 23. Jake Senior, 20. Alex Moore.
Yellow Card: Dib.
-By Justin Smith
