Round 28 Review – League One Men’s
Another change at the top of the FNSW League One Men’s table highlighted Round 28 of the competition with just two games remaining.
Yes, a Hills United victory and Bonnyrigg White Eagles loss saw them switch places at the top. While St George put six past Central Coast United, while Hakoah FC and Bankstown City cemented their position in the league going forward.
Match of the Round: Inter Lions FC 4-0 Bonnyrigg White Eagles FC (Tuesday)
Inter Lions threw a spanner in the premiership/promotion race with a comfortable 4-0 victory over Bonnyrigg White Eagles at Majors Bay Reserve.
Capping off a memorable week which also saw them advance in the Australia Cup, four different goal scorers found the back of the net on the night.
In truth, it was a dominant performance from hosts Inter Lions with only a few moments coming at the other end. They opened the game in terms of opportunities in the 3rd minute. Giuseppe Tilio forcing a save from Luke Turnbull before a follow up was saved again.
For most of the opening 20 however, it was proving to be a wrestle for control with Bonnyrigg in particular winning a significant amount of set pieces.
Their best chance was from open play though, Nick Sullivan curling a shot wide of the right post after Zac Sfiligoi found him with a ball from midfield as the clock approached 20 minutes.
The shot count was in favour of the hosts however as they finished the half with a flurry of chances.
Kicked off by the opening goal of the contest in the 35th minute, Stephen Athanaseris setting in motion the attack from right back with a ball to Fikret Berisha. Berisha’s cross from the byline weighed perfectly to find the head of Patrick Scibilio who made no mistake with his header.
Athanaseris nearly finding a goal of his own minutes later, Thomas Quilligan finding him with a ball before Luke Turnbull came up big for the visitors with an important save.
Quilligan creating one more chance before half time finding Daniel Georgievski on the overlap down the left. Georgievski hitting the base of the right post with his shot in the 43rd minute.
Needing a response after the break, Bonnyrigg came out firing early in the second half with several half chances. The most notable of which saw Mark Rodic head over the bar free in the box. Rodic proving a threat from the set piece with a similar chance soon after.
However, it was nearly 2-0 at the other end, Giuseppe Tilio finding Alex Becerra with a dangerous set piece, Becerra heading wide of the left post before the hour mark. Scibilio following that with a big opportunity of his own soon after as Owen Duke and Oliver Green entered the fray.
A frantic minute of play seeing Bonnyrigg break forward following to no avail despite going forward with equal numbers to their opposing defense.
It was Inter Lions who were still creating the chances though and substitute Owen Duke gave them a two-goal lead in the 73rd minute. Armson and Berisha playing a role in the leadup before Duke finished slotting it past the keeper for an impressive individual effort.
While at the other end, Bonnyrigg White Eagles were largely not troubling the opposition goal on a frustrating night for the visitors. Inter adding a third and fourth goal late, Sam Armson finishing after Owen Duke headed the ball down to him. Before Fikret Berisha added a fourth goal to cap a memorable week.
Bonnyrigg next take on Mounties Wanderers, looking to cement their position in the top two with a victory, while Inter Lions move onto Dunbar Rovers.
Inter Lions FC 4 (Patrick Scibilio 36’, Owen Duke 73’, Sam Armson 88’, Fikret Berisha 94’)
Bonnyrigg White Eagles FC 0
Hills United FC 1 (Jamal Belkadi 51’) v Canterbury Bankstown FC 0
An important goal saw Hills United maintain their pressure on Bonnyrigg White Eagles at Landen Stadium.
Holding onto a five-point gap over third placed St George FC, they edged closer to securing a playoff position at worst. Jamal Belkadi scored the all-important goal in the second half to give them the victory.
Currently down on players, Canterbury Bankstown did make things difficult for their hosts. They missed a chance from the spot in the first half and pushed for an equalizer late.
As you can probably figure out from the sentences above, this came down to two moments. The first coming when a long ball caught the Hills defense out, Ryan Wood conceding the penalty then redeeming himself seconds later with a save to deny Gabriel Lopez.
The second after the break. Thomas Makko setting up a goal for Jamal Belkadi with an assertive run in midfield, Belkadi calmly slotting home.
Hills next take on Hakoah FC while Canterbury Bankstown host Bankstown City at Jensen Park
Mounties Wanderers FC 0 v Hakoah FC 1 (Nicholas Drummond 18’)
Hakoah FC furthered the woes of Mounties Wanderers with a narrow 1-0 victory at Cook Park, Saturday afternoon.
A win that moves Hakoah up to tenth and that they will stick in the division another year, Nicholas Drummond scored an important goal for the visitors, his ninth goal of the campaign in the first half.
In contrast, this makes things difficult for Mounties Wanderers if they want to avoid a dreaded relegation playoff. Five points behind Dunbar Rovers, only a couple of wins will do from their remaining fixtures.
It’s a tough ask for Mounties Wanderers however with Bonnyrigg next up while Hakoah host Hills United.
Bankstown City FC 1 (Jonathan Grozdanovski 87’) v Dunbar Rovers 0
Safe for another year, Bankstown City grabbed their 6th home win of the season triumphing over Dunbar Rovers, Sunday afternoon.
A bounce back win after losing their past two games (including at home to Mounties Wanderers), there is a feeling of relief that comes with it as they reach safety in the competition. Jonathan Grozdanovski finding the goal in the second half.
Dunbar weren’t without their chances though and walk away disappointed after failing to assure their position in the league, it’s unlikely to cost them too dearly however as they sit five points above Mounties Wanderers in 15th position.
Bankstown City look forward to the battle of Jensen Park next weekend, while Dunbar Rovers host Inter Lions at Fraser Park.
SD Raiders FC 2 (Mihael Marcic 53’, Charlie Ragg 62’) v Dulwich Hill FC 1 (Emmanuel Zervas 46’)
SD Raiders made it three wins in a row with a 2-1 victory over Dulwich Hill at Ernie Smith Reserve.
It’s been a season of improvement from the SD Raiders in 2023 as they look set to pass the 50-point mark before the season is done. They came from behind in this one after conceding early in the second half.
Dulwich Hill did give them a scare in this one though. They had a penalty in the first half which wasn’t converted before they opened the scoring early in the second half.
All three goals in this one came in the first 20 minutes of the second half. Emmanuel Zervas giving the visitors the lead two minutes after the restart which drew a response from the hosts.
Mihael Marcic equalizing seven minutes after going down with a simple finish. Before Charlie Ragg completed the turnaround just after the hour mark.
SD Raiders take on Northern Tigers at North Turramurra next weekend, while Dulwich Hill face an away trip to St George FC.
Central Coast United FC 1 (Adam Woodbine 31’) v St George FC 6 (Patrick O’Shea 8’, Troy Danaskos 19’ 70’ 90’, Jesse Spang 29’ 32’)
Showing no mercy, St George FC secured a five-goal victory over Central Coast United from their trip up the coast.
A victory which keeps them with an outside chance of the top two positions, the Saints were certainly marching, Saturday afternoon. Scoring frequently across the 90 minutes, it’s the highest margin of victory this season.
Captain Troy Danaskos led the way with a hat-trick with two of his goals coming in the second half while Jesse Spang joined him with a brace and Patrick O’Shea opened the scoring.
Unfortunately, the result confirmed that Central Coast United will finish bottom this season. Adam Woodbine scored in the first half but they were outplayed on the afternoon.
St George FC host Dulwich Hill this weekend, while Central Coast United host Rydalmere Lions.
Macarthur Rams FC 0 v Northern Tigers FC 1 (Luca Kmet 22’)
Northern Tigers took a narrow 1-0 victory away from their visit to Lynwood Park against Macarthur Rams, Tuesday evening.
It was an arm wrestle between the two sides with both sides blocking each other’s shots for fun throughout.
Macarthur could be pleased with their start to each half however a momentary switch off saw would prove the difference between the two sides at full time.
That goal for Northern Tigers coming when a ball from the right was put in behind the defense before Luca Kmet applied the finish past the keeper.
Macarthur chasing the game having their best chance through Will Miranda who just mishit his shot when bearing down on goal. An important moment given how hard the Tigers worked to keep their lead in the second half.
Macarthur Rams next look forward to a game with Blacktown Spartans, while SD Raiders await Northern Tigers this coming weekend.
Rydalmere Lions FC 0 v Blacktown Spartans FC 2 (Jordan Metcalfe 28’, Sallu Kamara 83’)
Blacktown Spartans extended the woes of Rydalmere Lions with a two-goal victory away from home, Tuesday night.
The 10th win of the Spartans season (eight of which have come away from home) extends the woes of Rydalmere Lions who have won none of their last six fixtures with mistakes costing them dearly on the field.
One of which led to the opening Spartans goal before the half hour, Jordan Metcalfe finding the back of the net after Emmanuel Dolo contributed with the assist.
Before Sallu Kamara added the second in the final ten minutes, going it alone for a solo effort to double the advantage.
The Spartans next face Macarthur Rams at home while Rydalmere Lions take a trip up the coast to face Central Coast United.
By Justin Smith
