Round 2 Review – League Two Men’s
Round Two of the 2024 Football NSW League Two Men’s season tossed up a hat-trick, many late goals, and plenty of action.
The Match of the Round this week saw Fraser Park FC pick up three points in a tense match against Hurstville FC.
Friday, 23rd February 2024
Match of the Round: Hurstville FC 0-2 Fraser Park FC
Fraser Park FC triumphed in a tense encounter away to Hurstville FC 2-0 as the visitors picked up a win in their second match of the season.
Hurstville’s David Botic had the first two chances of the match, before Paul Gagro had a good chance early after he just stayed onside with a run in behind, but his powerful effort on goal was palmed away by Fraser Park goalkeeper, Patrick Ferrara.
Hurstville kept up the early pressure from the resulting corner, which had a mistimed clearance from Fraser Park’s Asel Dehsabzi, for a corner; the next corner was headed off the line as Fraser Park survived the early Hurstville pressure.
Mouhamed Hamdache had the next two chances for Hurstville in the opening 25 minutes but was unable to find the target, while Fraser Park created the next two chances after that, with David Ustimenko setting up Alexander Nicolosi for a shot which was struck wide of the right-hand post, while another shot from the visitors was off target as they looked to create.
Ustimenko was stopped after a long ball over the top found him by a strong Hurstville defence during a scrappy period where there were many fights for the ball in the midfield.
Neither side created chances of note after the 31st minute until the end of the first half, where Hurstville’s Conor Earley had a long-range effort from 30 yards which was comfortably caught by Ferrara.
Hurstville had most of the possession in the first half but were unable to convert their big chances.
Michael Rutherford was tested by a Fraser Park shot in the 52nd minute, but he saved well low to his left to deny the visitors.
From the resulting corner, Fraser Park delivered the ball in from the right by Alexander Price, which was palmed away by Rutherford; however, Dehsabzi won the second ball for Fraser Park and headed in over Hurstville players from close range to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.
Hamdache tested Ferrara with a curling effort towards the top-right corner, where Ferrara dived at full stretch to deny Hurstville.
Hurstville substitute Andre Guzman also had a big chance when he got on the end of a ball played to him in the box and fired an effort at Ferrara; the Fraser Park goalkeeper made the save but the ball dribbled under him towards goal before it stopped inches short of the line and was cleared.
Fraser Park put in many challenges late to block shots and made their attack count at the other end.
In the 71st minute, off a Hurstville throw-in, Fraser Park substitute Adriana Garigliano intercepted the ball and played Ustimenko in behind; Ustimenko sized up where Rutherford was in goal and fired a shot from 25 yards towards the near post, which snuck in to give Fraser Park a second goal.
Fraser Park had put in the work defensively and made their chances count in the second half for their 2-0 lead.
Hurstville’s Alexander Moribito and George Salachoris combined well down the left and played a ball in for Jacob Botic in the 80th minute, but he struck his effort wide of the left-hand post as Hurstville looked for an avenue into the match late.
Hurstville had two more chances in stoppage-time, where a deflected effort was saved by Ferrara, while the last shot in the match for Hurstville was saved by Ferrara.
Fraser Park FC held on in a tough encounter for a 2-0 win against a tough Hurstville outfit.
Speaking post-match, Hurstville captain Paul Gagro said he hopes his side can learn from these first few matches and put their lessons into action.
“We had a lot of those games last year where we had a lot of possession, a lot of chances and not much to show for it; we spoke about not letting that happen this year.”
He spoke on how his side is determined to have a strong season and the results from the first two matches will not define that.
“It is not a good mix when you are not finishing chances and let a couple of cheap goals in… we are not going to let it be the story of our season.”
Fraser Park head coach Alex Araujo said the message to his team at half-time to focus on defence helped his side.
“There were a few things we were not doing well in terms of our defensive shape… we tried to make it harder for them to switch the play [in the second half].”
He gave credit to Hurstville for the tough match, which they were prepared for.
“We knew it was going to be a difficult game – they play good football, we know they are very physical… they created a lot of problems, they were very good.”
Hurstville will hope to respond from back-to-back losses when they face South Coast Flame FC in a short turnaround in Round Three, while Fraser Park will play their next match in a Round Four matchup at home to Granville Rage.
Hurstville FC 0
Fraser Park FC 2 (Asel Dehsabzi 53’; David Ustimenko 71’)
Saturday, 24th February 2024
Central Coast United FC 4-1 Bankstown United FC
Ben Flakus was the hat-trick hero for Central Coast United in their 4-1 home win over Bankstown United.
The hosts started strongly with a goal in the 6th minute; Ben Flakus took a shot on goal, which took a deflection and went into the back of the net to give the Pirates a 1-0 lead.
Bankstown looked dangerous on the counter early with a few chances but were unable to find a goal back.
The Pirates then missed a penalty, before they scored their second goal in the 34th minute through Zac Pezzutto; a ball played out from the back by Bankstown saw them caught square and give the ball away, before the ball was played in behind to Pezzutto who put the hosts 2-0 up at half-time with a strike from the edge of the box.
In the second half, Bankstown pressed higher up and kept the Pirates in their defensive half; the visitors launched good deliveries into the box and had three chances saved by Grimmitt, who did well to stop Bankstown.
The hosts scored a third just after the hour-mark when an error at the back saw the Pirates play a ball through on the counter; Bankstown made an error defending the situation and after some good link-up play, Flakus scored his second goal of the match to put the Pirates 3-0 up.
Flakus had his hat-trick in the 82nd minute when a ball played down the left was launched into the middle, half-cleared by Bankstown, and fell to Flakus, who scored with a clean strike to take home the match ball.
Bankstown grabbed a consolation goal in the 89th minute when the Pirates failed to clear their lines following a Bankstown attack; the ball fell to Mitchell Cross outside the box, who curled the ball into the top-left corner of the goal with his left foot to make the score 4-1.
Central Coast moved to be only one of two sides to win their opening two matches of the season following the 4-1 win.
The Pirates will hope to make that three-from-three when they host the Newcastle Jets in a mid-week Round Three encounter, while Bankstown United will hope to bounce back against Hurstville FC in a Round Four encounter.
Central Coast United FC 4 (Ben Flakus 6’, 34’, 61’; Zac Pezzutto 34’)
Bankstown United FC 1 (Mitchell Cross 89’)
Sydney University SFC 2-2 Inner West Hawks FC
A late, quickfire double from Peter Zervos helped Sydney University rescue a point at home to Inner West Hawks FC.
The Hawks started the match strongly and hit the front in under five minutes when Takuma Hirano drilled the ball into the back of the net with a shot from 35 yards to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead.
Inner West’s Angelo Pezzano fought hard in the midfield, winning tackles, and defending well to stop the Uni forays forward.
The visitors had more chances to score but were unable to take them, while a more urgent Uni showed up in the second half.
Neither side was able to create clear-cut chances in the second half, until the Hawks were awarded a penalty in the 79th minute, which Hirano dispatched to give the visitors a 2-0 lead late in the match.
The penalty was the catalyst for Uni, however, who made a few changes, changed their shape, and played without fear to get a result.
An inspired substitute in debutant Peter Zervos brought a goal back for Uni in the 88th minute when a free-kick was played down the side of the box; Stephen Marinos cut the ball back into the box for Zervos, who scored with his first touch in first grade from six-yards out to give Uni hope late.
Marinos was the catalyst for Uni – the striker had missed the previous two seasons through injury but held the ball well, caused trouble for defenders and led the front-line well before he grabbed the assist.
Uni persisted and, in the 90th minute, found the equaliser when a play down the right led to a cross into the box; a first-time volley hit the crossbar before it fell to Zervos inside the six-yard box again, who picked up a double to rescue a point for his side.
The hosts fought back late, and it was their debutant in Zervos who led them to a 2-2 draw with the Hawks.
Uni remained undefeated from their opening two matches, while the Hawks still awaited their first win of the season.
Sydney University will hope to continue their momentum when they travel to face a team who has won two-from-two in South Coast Flame FC in Round Four, while the Hawks will hope to recover quickly from this result as they host Prospect United SC in a mid-week Round Three clash.
Sydney University SFC 2 (Peter Zervos 88’, 90’)
Inner West Hawks FC 2 (Takuma Hirano 5’, 79’ pen)
Gladesville Ryde Magic 4-2 Granville Rage
Gladesville Ryde Magic bounced back from their opening-round loss to South Coast Flame FC with a 4-2 victory over Granville Rage.
In a physical battle between the two sides, a 4th minute goal from Genki Kohyama helped the Magic settle; he got on the end of a ball played in from Michael Morrow down the left and finished well inside the box to give the hosts a 1-0 lead early.
With a few chances either way, Kohyama helped set up the Magic’s second goal after he won a 50/50 duel down the left flank and passed the ball to young Christopher Guyot, who found a yard of space on the right and bent the ball into the top-left corner to double the Magic’s lead.
Three minutes later, Kohyama had a throw-in on the right and found Stefan Baker in midfield; he found Guyot, who played in Kohyama for a one-on-one finish against Kartambis, which he slotted into the bottom corner to give the Magic a 3-0 lead.
The Rage struck back before half-time, though, when a ball into the box was cleared by the Magic defence before Nikola Todoroski was fouled in the follow-through of the clearance.
Todoroski stepped up to the spot and shot the ball towards the bottom-left corner of the goal; Vasos Kartambis in the Magic goal guessed the right way, but the ball was just out of his reach as the Rage reduced their deficit to two goals at half-time.
The Rage had a chance to pull another goal back in the 47th minute with another penalty attempt, but that was saved by Rage goalkeeper Samuel Bortolazzo; that was the turning point in the match for the Magic.
They scored two minutes later for a 4-1 advantage when a set piece delivered into the box by Paul Lee rebounded in the box before Aaron Khan headed home to restore the Magic’s three-goal lead.
The Rage had a few chances to grab another goal following that but were unable to finish off those chances.
Granville picked up a second goal in the 72nd minute when a move down the right from Jad Moussa led him to having a shot across goal; the ball was struck well as it hit the post and found the back of the net to make the score 4-2.
However, the Rage were unable to find any more goals as a fighting performance from the Magic saw them grind out the 4-2 win.
The Magic won in Round Two after their opening round defeat, while the Rage moved to back-to-back losses to start the season.
Gladesville will be tested when they travel to face Mounties Wanderers FC in a mid-week Round Three clash, while the Rage are next in action in Round Four away to Fraser Park FC.
Gladesville Ryde Magic 4 (Genki Kohyama 4’, 32’; Christopher Guyot 29’; Aaron Khan 49’)
Granville Rage 2 (Nikola Todoroski 40’ pen; Jad Moussa 72’)
South Coast Flame FC 3-1 Parramatta FC
South Coast Flame FC became one of only two sides to win their first two matches on the season after a 3-1 win over a determined Parramatta FC.
The Flame struck early when a ball was played into Genki Iwata on the edge of the Parramatta penalty area; he took a touch and slotted the ball past Thomas Sutton in the Parramatta goal to give the hosts an early 1-0 lead.
That lead was doubled three minutes later when Michael Trajkovski charged down a Sutton clearance; Trajkovski recovered the loose ball and squared it to Samuel Alston, who slid the ball into the back of the net from close range.
Parramatta had the next chance in the match in the 20th minute when Nathan Raynor collected the ball on the edge of the Flame box after a mistimed clearance; he took a shot on goal which was cleared by Samuel Alston.
In the 35th minute, Matthew Mazevski found Samuel Alston, who beat his defender but slid his effort just wide; the Flame had the 2-0 lead at the break.
Parramatta looked to start the second half strongly and Marco Sama looked to lead the charge, but his shot in the 60th minute was collected by Flame goalkeeper, Jordan Bruce.
The Eagles sustained their pressure and that told in the 65th minute when former Socceroo, Tarek Elrich, stepped up to take a free kick from 25 yards out; his strike went over the wall and flew into the top corner to halve the deficit for the Eagles.
Sama had another shot as the Eagles looked to cause the Flame more problems, but as they threw bodies forward for a goal back late, Namito Tsuchiya and Jacob Gjorsevski had half-chances for the Flame at the other end.
However, the Flame secured the three points in injury time when Tsuchiya found space down the left and put a low cross into the box; the ball was parried by Sutton into the path of Gjorsevski, who sealed the 3-1 win with a finish from ten yards out.
The win for the Flame ensured they remained perfect to start the season, while the Eagles lost after their opening round draw.
The Flame will hope to make it three wins from three when they travel to face Hurstville FC in Round Three, while Parramatta FC have the bye in Round Three.
South Coast Flame FC 3 (Genki Iwata 6’; Samuel Alston 9’; Jacob Gjorsevski 90+6’)
Parramatta FC 1 (Tarek Elrich 66’)
Prospect United SC 3-3 Mounties Wanderers FC
Late drama saw Mounties Wanderers FC escape with a 3-3 draw away to Prospect United SC in a back-and-forth contest.
Prospect were pinned back early and conceded a goal in the 7th minute when Yuki Kanai scored to put Mounties 1-0 up in the contest.
That lead lasted only six minutes, however, when Anthony Idehen was brought down in the Mounties’ box; he stepped up to convert the penalty he won and was successful as the hosts levelled the match 1-1.
Prospect lifted in belief and intensity from there and looked to limit Mounties’ play in the first half.
However, in the 44th minute, Mounties were awarded a penalty, themselves, which Kanai converted for his double to restore the visitors’ one-goal advantage.
However, 90 seconds later, Prospect levelled the match once more before the break when Prospect captain Dimos Vlachos found Jacob Micallef in the box with a switch of play; Micallef cut inside and found the top corner with his effort to level the match at half-time, 2-2.
Prospect hit the lead for the first time in the match in the 69th minute following good build-up play from Reo Hirose and Corey Smith; they found substitute Hristopher Neskovski, who scored off the bench with his first touch with a first-time finish to give Prospect a 3-2 lead.
The match grew tense late when Vlahos was sent off for a second yellow card in the 85th minute.
Mounties capitalised when a cross in the 89th minute found substitute Anthony Vastag, who rescued a point for the visitors with a header; 3-3 the final score.
The result for Prospect meant they started the season with back-to-back draws, while for Mounties, they remained undefeated after the first two match weeks.
Prospect have a short turnaround when they travel to face Inner West Hawks in a mid-week Round Three battle, while it is the same story for Mounties, who host Gladesville Ryde Magic in a mid-week fixture.
Prospect United SC 3 (Anthony Idehen 13’ pen; Jacob Micallef 45’; Hristopher Neskovski 69’; Dimos Vlachos 85’ red card)
Mounties Wanderers FC 3 (Yuki Kanai 7’, 44’ pen; Anthony Vastag 89’)
Sunday, 25th February 2024
Newcastle Jets 3-3 Camden Tigers FC
A thrilling finish between the Newcastle Jets and Camden Tigers saw the two sides settle for a 3-3 draw, where late goals were the order of the contest.
The Tigers took the lead in the 16th minute when a ball down the right was cut back for a tap-in for Francesco Giannetto, who made no mistake as Camden took an early 1-0 lead.
Camden doubled their advantage from a corner when the ball was played directly into the box, headed onto the crossbar before it was headed in on the rebound by Bailey Simpson.
The Tigers adjusted their shape to press Newcastle to win the ball and had two more chances to score in the first half but could not find another goal.
Camden settled for a one-goal advantage when the Jets hit in transition and scored through Xavier Bertoncello to make the score 2-1 at the break.
Both sides had a big chance each to grab another goal in the five minutes following half-time but were unable to convert those chances, including a shot from the Jets which hit the crossbar.
The drama came late when Bailey Simpson was shown a second yellow card for Camden for dissent in the 81st minute, while Christian Braca saw a straight red card just four minutes later.
The Jets levelled the match at 2-2 in the 88th minute when Alex Nunes scored directly from a free kick on the edge of the Tigers’ box.
However, the late drama continued in the 89th when the Tigers played a ball down the left to Andrew Head; he took a deflected shot, and the ball found the back of the net; Ben Van Dorssen down as the player who scored the own goal.
However, the Jets found another equaliser in the fourth minute of stoppage time; after being awarded a penalty, Justin Vidic stepped up and slotted the ball home to rescue a point for the Jets; 3-3 the final score.
The draw for the Jets ensured they remained unbeaten after two rounds, while the Tigers picked up a point in their first match of the season.
Newcastle travel to face Central Coast United FC mid-week in Round Three in a local rivalry, while Camden travel again as they face Hawkesbury City FC in Round Three, mid-week.
Newcastle Jets 3 (Xavier Bertoncello 37’; Alex Nunes 88’; Justin Vidic 90+4’ pen; Christian Bracco 85’ red card)
Camden Tigers FC 3 (Francesco Giannetto 16’; Bailey Simpson 27’; Ben Van Dorssen 89’ own goal; Bailey Simpson 81’ red card)
By Football New South Wales League Two Men’s Reporter, Dylan Costa @_dylancosta
