Round 22 Review – League Two Men’s
It went down to the wire in the final round of League Two Men’s, with Canterbury Bankstown and Macarthur Rams both sealing their spots in the top five at the expense of Bankstown City.
Our match of the round saw Macarthur, with their season on the line take down Rydalmere, who subsequently fell to third on the ladder.
Elsewhere, Sydney Uni ended the season with a massive win over Gladesville Ryde Magic, Dulwich Hill ended Bankstown City’s season, as Bankstown United got past Inner West Hawks.
Central Coast United cemented their spot in second place with a win over Inter Lions, as Canterbury Bankstown left it late against Dunbar Rovers.
Match of the Round: Rydalmere Lions FC 1-2 Macarthur Rams FC
Macarthur have sealed their spot in the top five after a workmanlike performance against a strong Rydalmere side.
Both sides had a lot to play for in this match-up as the Lions were looking to secure a home final, whilst the Rams needed a win to put themselves in contention for a finals finish.
The visitors got out to a dream start with two first-half goals from Mark Symington and Anthony Vastag, sending them into the break with their destiny in their own hands.
Rydalmere came out strong in the second half after Julian Aguirre opened the Lions account, but the Rams defensive pressure paid off as they held the hosts to just one goal and secured three points.
As the sides prepared for kick-off, the tension was high at Rydalmere Park in anticipation of what would be a consequential result either way.
After announcing his retirement mid-week, Symington got the visitors off the board in the ninth minute after finishing off a nice bit of build-up play from the Rams in attack.
Macarthur’s defence set the tone for the remainder of the game in the early stages, giving Rydalmere little room to move with the ball and limiting their attacking chances.
It was a physical start from both sides with plenty of stoppages for free-kicks, keeping the referee on his toes in the process.
After a frustrating start in attack, Rydalmere began to come alive in attack in the backend of the first half.
Nicholas Trimble came closest with his header from close range that was eventually disposed of by the Rams defence.
Macarthur’s shot-stopper, Steven Savicic ensured the Rams kept their clean sheet in the first half after making a world-class save to deny a promising effort Timothy Wohlfiel.
The visitors doubled their advantage moments before the break after Mitchell Brooker picked out Vastag in the box, who found the back of the net with a stellar header.
Rydalmere came within inches of an instant answer as Garang Awac’s low-driven shot beat the keeper but smashed back against the post.
The Rams went into the break with a two-goal buffer and plenty of belief to pull off what would be a monumental result.
The hosts started off the second half looking strong, but the defensive pressure of their opponents began to frustrate them in attack.
Rydalmere opened their account for the night 52nd minute as Aguirre sensationally found the back of the net with a powerful half-volley from just outside the box.
With plenty of the time on the clock, the Lions pushed hard in attack and put the Rams under a mountain of pressure.
The final period was another frustrating end for the Lions as Macarthur proved why they maintained the best defensive record in the league.
As the chances began to go by the wayside, it seemed more and more likely that the visitors would hold on for the result.
After the final whistle was blown, the Rams waited in anticipation for the results to come in from the other games as they had done all they could to put themselves in the finals.
Macarthur’s win sealed their spot in fifth place on the ladder as they face the Berries next week in the first elimination semi-final.
Rams coach, Brett Hewit credited the tough opposition and noted his pride in the players ability to bounce back after a bitter loss last week.
“It was a really positive reaction to a disappointing week on the back of conceding eight goals, I’m really proud of their effort and energy during the week, they wanted to prove everyone wrong,” he said.
“We got promoted and we have the equal-best defence in the league so there’s a lot of positives to come out of such a young group, going against a really good Rydalmere side we showed a lot of resilience and character under a bit of pressure.”
Sydney University SFC 5-0 Gladesville Ryde Magic
Sydney University kicked-off the final round of the regular season with an emphatic 5-0 win over Gladesville Ryde Magic.
Although this game didn’t have much meaning for either sides final spot on the ladder, Uni looked determined to fish their season on a high.
The Magic rested the majority of their players from the Round 21 fixture and showed plenty of faith in some of the promising youngsters.
Uni took a commanding lead in the first half, with five goals to put the result beyond doubt in the early stages of the game.
The hosts opened the scoring in the 11th minute through Jethro Thorton before Thomas Quilligan doubled the lead minutes later.
The scoring didn’t slow down after this with Fletcher Williamson sending Uni ahead by three in the 20th minute.
The Magic didn’t look completely out of the game as they found some success in the wide spaces, but it was the counter attacks of Uni that separated the teams.
Isaac Folkes and Quilligan both found the back of the net at half hour mark to put Uni ahead by five as they all but secured the win before the halftime break.
Uni held on for the win and ended the season with their fifth win, as the Magic were forced to watch as their defence was caught out by the rapid attack of their opponents.
Canterbury Bankstown FC 1-0 Dunbar Rovers FC
Canterbury Bankstown punched their ticket to the finals series with a one goal victory over the recently promoted Dunbar Rovers.
The Berries could control their fate, after a mid-week win over Bankstown United meant they only needed to match the result of the Rams to secure a top five finish.
The stacked fixtures in the last two weeks of the season undoubtedly took its toll on the Berries, as they entered this game with an injury list similar to that of their opponents.
The first half was a very even affair, with both sides going back and forth, finding their footing in what was a big game for the Berries’ season.
After the tight first half, the hosts took the upper hand in the second half and came close on a few occasions.
Justin Ivanovic missed a golden chance from close range, whilst Bonmyeong Koo saw his effort bounce back off the woodwork.
With the minutes ticking away and the prospect of missing finals on the card, the Berries threw everything forward in search of a season saving goal.
The game was blown open in the 78th minute when the hosts were awarded a penalty, which Koo neatly buried to give the Berries the lead.
The goal not only secured the win for Canterbury Bankstown, but it also put Koo into equal-first on the golden boot leader board.
The Berries now host Macarthur next week in the first semi-final, as Dunbar will be kept busy in the off-season rehabbing injuries as they prepare for League One football next year.
Dulwich Hill FC 6-0 Bankstown City FC
It was arguably the best performance of the season for Dulwich Hill as they put six goals past Bankstown City.
Dulwich Hill entered this game nothing to play for as they couldn’t go any higher than seventh on the table, but they turned up and reignited their attack.
City were in the driver’s seat for a guaranteed finals spot, but ultimately with injuries playing a part, they played well below average.
The youthful looking City side looked competitive in the opening stages, going toe-to-toe with the more experienced Dulwich Hill outfit.
The visitors took firm control of the game after this and opened the scoring shortly after through Emmanuel Zervas in the 18th minute.
The first attacking surge from Dulwich Hill continued soon after, with Alexander Vellar finding the back of the net before Goncalo Paradanta secured a first half brace.
Dulwich Hill keep their foot on the accelerator throughout the second half and found their fifth in the 55th minute.
After looking dominant for many stages of the second half, Dulwich Hill capped off the eventful game with a goal in the 83rd minute through David Burbidge.
Dulwich Hill’s work inside the box was impressive in this outing, with all six of their goals coming from close range.
It was an incredibly disappointing ending for City, after starting off the season with plenty of promise, the Lions fell at the final hurdle.
City captain, Nikola Todoroski noted that his team was embarrassing on the night and looked like a park football side.
Bankstown United FC 3-1 Inner West Hawks FC
Bankstown United have finished their season on a positive note with a victory over Inner West at Jensen Park.
It was an emotional day for the Hawks, as they farewelled veteran defender Sam Awad who called it a day on his storied 20-year NPL career.
The visitors fielded a youthful looking line-up, with a number of players and coaches in isolation with COVID.
The Hawks surprisingly opened the scoring in the 5th minute as Christian Buhagiar was on the on the receiving end of a perfectly placed cross.
United wasted little time finding their first goal, as Mitch Edmunds picked out the bottom corner in the 8th minute.
19-year-old debutant, Jack Slane stole the headlines in his first game with a brilliant first half brace.
Slane’s first goal came in the 34th minute as Oscar Nieto Rava setup the youngster, before a nice link-up play with Lachie Willmore gave him the chance for his second which he neatly buried.
After three first-half goals, United carried the momentum into the second half but were unable to crack the Hawks’ defence.
It was a good game from the hosts that saw them finishing a disappointing season on a positive note.
Both teams will enter the off-season with plenty of promise for much more improved campaign in 2023, with promotion looking to be the goal of both sides next year.
Inter Lions FC 0-2 Central Coast United FC
Central Coast have capped off the regular season with another impressive showing, this time taking down the reigning-premiers, Inter Lions.
It was a day of celebration at Majors Bay Reserve with the Lion’s securing their first premiership in 15 years.
There was plenty at stake for the visitors as a win could see them finish as high as second and gaining them a crucial home ground advantage in the finals.
The first half was incredibly tight as the both sides looked sharp on the ball and in attack.
Duncan Stewart came closest for United, as Daniel Georgievski was denied of sensational acrobatic finish, leaving the sides at a deadlock heading into the break.
After finishing off the first half looking the better of the two sides, Inter took the momentum into the second half and were unlucky to have not found the back of the net.
United found a second-wind in the final 20 minutes as they began to display their impressive brand of football.
The deadlock was broken just after the hour mark as Daniel McFarlane played Thomas Lyons through on goal where he neatly took his chance.
The skipper was rewarded for his work in the first goal as he found the back of the net minutes later on the back of a rapid counter attack.
Central Coast held on for the win and ensured they would be the only team in the league that Inter haven’t gotten a point off in the regular season.
These two sides will more than likely meet again and could face each other two more times in the finals series.
Central Coast will host Rydalmere next week in the first preliminary final, as Inter will take a well-deserved week off.
By Football NSW Men’s League Two Writer, Dominic Criniti @DominicCriniti
