Round 13 Review – League Two Men’s
Round 13 of League Two Men’s gave us plenty of drama, with a top of the table clash and plenty of important results in the race for promotion.
Our match of the round saw Rydalmere Lions take down Inter Lions at Majors Bay Reserve, with a thrilling end to the game leaving us wanting more.
The race for promotion and finals heated up around the league, with Central Coast United taking down Bankstown City, Canterbury Bankstown edging out Dulwich Hill and Macarthur Rams returning to the winners circle against Sydney University.
Dunbar Rovers got its third consecutive win over Bankstown United, with Gladesville Ryde Magic getting a much needed win over Inner West Hawks in the final game of the round.
Round 4 Catchup: Canterbury Bankstown FC 2-1 Gladesville Ryde Magic
Canterbury Bankstown kicked off their week with a Wednesday night clash against Gladesville Ryde, securing three crucial points in the process.
The Berries entered this matchup in ninth place after two tough losses and were eager to catapult themselves back into a promotion spot.
The hosts got off to a stellar start, with Bonmyeong Koo opening the scoring in the 6th minute.
After holding a one goal lead for majority of the half, Canterbury Bankstown were forced to go into the break level as Daniel Rigby bagged his third goal of the campaign in the 38th minute.
The second half was controlled by the Berries, as they found more success in attack but still had to hold out some counter attacks from the Magic.
Koo popped up once again in the late stages of the game, getting his brace and sending the home side into the lead.
A late push from the Magic was held out by the Berries’ defence, as they hung on for the three points.
Match of the Round: Inter Lions FC 1-2 Rydalmere Lions FC
Rydalmere have avenged Inter with an impressive 2-1 win at Majors Bay Reserve on a cold Saturday night.
The visitors looked dangerous in attack and were putting the Inter defence under plenty of pressure throughout the game.
Mitchell Gibbs’ brace was enough to separate the side, but Inter gave Rydalmere an almighty scare in the final minutes.
Liam Flack’s 90th minute goal gave the hosts a second wind as they pursued for a draw and came agonisingly close to doing so.
It was a very open start to the game, with the weather playing a factor as the sides adjusted to the chilly conditions.
On his 100th game for the club, Alistair McKie took his game to another level and gave Rydalmere their first chance of the game when he sent Jacob Chidiac through only for his shot to hit the side netting.
Inter answered back immediately with Sam Armson rifling a shot towards Charles Samushonga, forcing the keeper to send his efforts behind for a corner.
McKie continued to create havoc for the Inter defence after his long range effort narrowly missed the roof of the net.
The hosts fired back and came within inches of an opening goal just before the break, after Patrick Scibilio sent a ball across to Nathan Rayner with his shot falling comfortably into the arms of Samushonga.
With the scores level heading into the break, Rydalmere looked determined to swing the momentum upon the restart.
Rydalmere forced Daniel Axford into some world-class saves, highlighted by an incredible double save to hold the visitors at bay for the time being.
The defensive resilience of Inter was broken in the 47th minute, with Gibbs finishing off a neat bit of team play for Rydalmere to give them the lead.
Inter thought they had levelled the game moments later when Guiseppe Tillio’s saved shot fell perfectly to Scibilio, with his effort finding the back of the net only for the linesmen to rule offside.
The hosts continued to push after conceding and came incredibly close when Owen Duke’s header narrowly missed the target.
Although they begun to find themselves under the pump, Rydalmere’s attack didn’t slow down and were sensationally denied of a second as Kyle Sande played Matthew West one-on-one with Axford, only for the Inter shot stopper to deny him from close range.
The visitors were left in disbelief moments later, after Mandlenkosi Ndlovu’s efforts went wide from close range with the Inter defence out of shape.
Rydalmere didn’t have to wait long for a second, with Gibbs breaking through and knocking it past Axford to leave him with an open net to secure his brace.
With the referee looking to his watch in the final minutes, Inter managed to bag their first goal, after Tilio perfectly picked out Liam Flack for a headed goal.
With a recent history of getting results late in games, Inter looked destined to gain an unlikely draw with a few chances in the final moments of play just missing the target.
After surviving the late barrage, Rydalmere held onto to the three points and handed Inter their second loss of the season.
Inter coach John Theodoropoulos noted his belief in his side to salvage a result, even when they were down by two goals.
“I thought it was an even game and both teams battled hard, there was a couple of crucial errors that ultimately decided the game,” he said.
“Even at 2-0 down I thought we were chance to comeback, there was a couple of handballs at the end that we could of got, but in the end it didn’t happen.”
Rydalmere coach Ben Rollinson was happy with his sides output but noted the improvement that needs to come.
“Apart from a couple of ten minute periods where we weren’t as aggressive off the ball and lost our focus, which let the individual quality of Inter start to combine, I thought we controlled the game and created enough chances to win more comfortably than we did in the end,” he said.
“Our rest defence was much better in the second half, which made it difficult for Inter to get out of their half, all in all a good performance with plenty to improve on.”
Dunbar Rovers FC 3-1 Bankstown United FC
Dunbar Rovers have made it three wins in a row after taking down Bankstown United 3-1.
It did come at a cost for the Rovers, losing their captain and top goal scorer Aram Tayebi for what could be the rest of the season with a knee injury.
The skipper opened the scoring for the hosts early on, with a composed finish but ultimately succumbing to an injury after the goal that forced him off.
The hosts remained in good form without their skipper and continued to play their style of football.
It was the substitute Andrew Alvarenga who made a big impact on the game, scoring a second half brace to seal the result.
Alvarenga scored shortly after the break, as Dunbar’s early persistence was rewarded with a second goal.
United were given a lifeline in the 83rd minute when they found the back of the net, but their goal was ultimately ruled out by a late double from Alvarenga.
The three points was crucial for Dunbar but they now face the prospect of going the remainder of the season without their influential leader up top.
For United it was another cruel result that leaves stranded in 10th spot on the ladder and twelve points behind the final promotion spot.
Dunbar turn around to a Friday night clash with Uni, as United host Dulwich Hill next week.
Bankstown City FC 1-3 Central Coast United FC
Central Coast have extended their unbeaten run to five with a statement win over Bankstown City.
City had been in poor form lately, losing their last three in all competitions and had already lost four games at home prior to this outing.
It seemed the momentum from last week’s win carried over for the Pirates, as they opened the scoring through their captain Daniel McFarlane in the 7th minute.
Central Coast’s incredible start had them up by two goals in a matter of minutes, with Josh Swadling doubling the visitors lead moments later.
With the hosts finding themselves down by two goals early on, they mounted an impressive comeback in attack but lacked a crucial finishing touch in front of goal.
United went into the break up by two and had to keep their fast-paced intensity up in order to secure the win.
McFarlane did it again for the visitors, securing his brace on the hour mark and seemingly giving the Pirates all three points.
City’s determination in attack finally paid off, as three minutes later they found their opener through Dimi Petratos.
United held off the attack of City for the remainder of the game and surged their way into the sixth place on the ladder.
City now face local rivals Canterbury Bankstown in Round 14, as United return home to face the inform Rydalmere Lions.
Macarthur Rams FC 3-0 Sydney University SFC
Macarthur have bounced back from a tough loss last week with an impressive 3-0 win over Sydney University.
Lynwood Park gave the sides arguably the coldest conditions of the round, which undoubtedly played a part in the flow of the game.
It was the hosts that started off strongly, dominating the opening ten minutes and being rewarded in the 3rd minute when Michael Osei-Adomako opened the scoring.
On the back off a successful opening period, the Rams found themselves on the backfoot with Uni dominating possession for the remainder of the half.
Although they had majority of the ball, Uni found themselves unable to breakdown the strong defence of Macarthur throughout the first half.
It was a much more open affair in the final 45 minutes, as the hosts began to run away with the result.
Christian Torrelli’s strike on the hour mark doubled the lead for the Rams, as Uni desperately searched for answers in attack and defence.
With the seconds ticking away, Macarthur found their third and secured all three points with Amir Ajaj getting on the scoreboard.
It was a first clean sheet for 17-year-old keeper and Rams junior Andrew Parkin, who has impressed in recent weeks after being called up for his first-grade debut.
Macarthur remain at home next week as they prepare for Gladesville Ryde, with Sydney Uni hosting Dunbar next Friday night.
Dulwich Hill FC 3-2 Canterbury Bankstown FC
With their third game in seven days, Canterbury Bankstown propelled themselves to within touching distance of finals spot with an impressive victory over Dulwich Hill.
In a game that had just about everything you could of asked for, the Berries overcame the odds with a few long-term injuries and a congested fixture list clouding their preparation for this matchup.
In theme with the rest of the games this round, it was the visitors who got on the board early through Cian McNamara.
Dulwich Hill answered back in the 2st minute, after capitalising on an error from the Berries defence to level the game.
The first half had one more twist to it, with the inform Bonmyeong Koo getting himself on the scoresheet in the 36th minute with one of the goals of the season.
On the heels of his stellar volley in the first half, Koo came out with another goal in the second and sent the visitors into a two-goal lead with his ninth of the season and fourth in two games.
It was a tough goal to concede for Dulwich Hill, who had started off the second half in a rapid pace and were unlucky to have not levelled the scores.
Dulwich Hill found a late surge of energy and put the Berries on the backfoot in the final period of play, after the visitors were reduced to ten men with a red card to Joshua Mbakwe.
The hosts reduced the deficit to one goal through Daniel Fornito and continued to push the ten men Berries until the final moments of play.
However, Canterbury Bankstown showed plenty of fight to hold off the potent Dulwich Hill attack and held on for a storied win.
Dulwich Hill will look to return to the winners circle when they face Bankstown United in Round 14, as Canterbury Bankstown host Bankstown City.
Gladesville Ryde Magic 3-2 Inner West Hawks FC
Gladesville Ryde have held off a late surge from the Inner West Hawks to secure their fourth victory of the campaign.
Playing their third game in a week, the Magic’s squad depth was tested as they utilised the youth in this outing.
It was the ‘golden boy’ of Gladesville Ryde, Bailey Stevens who marked his starting debut off with a goal to put the Magic ahead early on.
The first half blitz from the hosts was matched by an intense Hawks side that had their chances to level score heading into the break.
Stevens was front and centre again in the second half, turning into the creator for the Magic’s second goal as he worked the ball in for Nicholas Drummond to double the advantage.
The youngster continued to make his presence felt on the game and stepped for the hosts as he bagged a brace and sent the Magic up by three goals.
With the result seemingly sealed, the Hawks found a groove in attack and left it late with two goals to give them a chance of salvaging a result.
A goal from Peter Yannopoulos and an own goal put the Hawks within one goal, but it was too little too late as the Magic survived the late scare for a vital victory.
The result still sees the Magic in ninth spot but just three points off the tight race for promotion.
Gladesville Ryde face Macarthur next week, as Inner West take on Inter Lions.
By Football NSW Men’s League Two Writer, Dominic Criniti @DominicCriniti
