Round 4 Review – League Two Men’s
Round four of the Football NSW League Two Men’s season saw five of the seven away teams pick up wins amid a mountain of 29 goals across the seven matches.
The Match of the Round this week saw Parramatta FC come from behind away to the dangerous Camden Tigers FC to pick up their first win of the season.
Central Coast United FC had a bye this round.
Friday, 1st March 2024
Match of the Round: Camden Tigers FC 2-3 Parramatta FC
Parramatta FC picked up their first win of the season with a come-from-behind victory over the previously unbeaten Camden Tigers FC.
The match had a frantic start, one which was perfect for the hosts, when Camden took the lead within the opening minute.
The Tigers’ David Scott launched a long ball into the box from the middle of the park to the right; the ball deflected off a few players before it found Jayden Russell in the box, who finished well on the turn to give Camden the lead within 60 seconds.
The Tigers almost doubled their lead ten minutes later when Russell got the ball after it had been half-cleared by Parramatta; he struck an effort from 12 yards out, which hit the crossbar and went over.
Camden had all the possession early, while Parramatta was ineffective with their press.
On the attacking end for Parramatta, they were caught offside on many occasions in the opening 20 minutes due to the high line and offside trap Camden deployed.
Abdu Elmir had a free kick saved by Parramatta goalkeeper, Thomas Sutton, while at the other end Tarek Elrich had a free kick from 20 yards which sailed over the Tigers’ goal.
Parramatta persisted and were awarded a penalty in the 28th minute when a Parramatta player was bundled over in the box; captain Marco Sama stepped up to take the penalty, which was saved by Michael O’Rourke well down low to his right to keep Camden ahead.
The Tigers were only ahead for two more minutes, however, when Parramatta pressed once more.
A ball into the box from the right was punched clear by O’Rourke straight into the path of Elrich; he settled on the ball in the box and curled an effort from the left into the top-right corner to level the match for the Eagles.
Parramatta had all the momentum and punished Camden two minutes later; Sama got in behind down the left and settled over his shot, which took a wicked deflection off a Camden defender, wrong-footing O’Rourke and crawling into the bottom-right corner to give Parramatta a 2-1 lead in a flash.
Sutton saved an effort from Camden in the 34th minute to keep his side ahead, but Camden found parity in the contest one minute later.
Camden won the ball in the middle of the field and drove forward; clever play in and around the box saw the ball at the feet of Russell, who turned his defender inside the box and found the bottom-left corner with a calm strike to level the match.
Camden had consecutive chances after that; first from a header from close range, straight at Sutton, and the second from Russell, who drove inside and launched an effort at a tight angle towards the far post, but his effort dribbled just wide.
The final chance of the first half fell to Parramatta in the 43rd minute; Sama drove at the Tigers’ defence on a counterattack and took advantage of a Camden defence which stood off him as he launched a left-footed shot towards the far-right post, which he found to put Parramatta 3-2 up at half-time.
After a lively first half where the Tigers started with the ascendancy, Parramatta fought back and took the one-goal lead into the break.
The Tigers had the perfect start to the second half when Russell was brought down by Elrich in the box for a penalty in the 50th minute; however, Russell had his penalty saved by Sutton low to his left as the Parramatta goalkeeper kept his side ahead.
Parramatta looked dangerous on the counter and had an effort from 12 yards out in the 54th minute which was shot over the goal as they looked for a killer fourth goal.
Camden had the next shot just before the hour mark, while Parramatta had shots through Sama and Nathan Rayner which wide left and wide right of the goal, respectively.
Parramatta had started to press well and won the ball, forcing Camden into turnovers.
Bailey Simpson had a big chance for Camden in the 64th minute when he had the ball at his feet, free at the back post, but he could not generate the power needed behind his shot as it was collected by Sutton.
Rayner thought he had scored for Parramatta in the 67th minute before he was flagged for offside, while the match became transitional in the second half.
Strong tackling from Camden kept Parramatta at bay on the counter late, while the Tigers threw bodies forward.
In the 89th minute, Shaun Irwin had a powerful effort for the Tigers from range which was tipped wide by Sutton; the follow-up effort from Camden was saved at the near post by the Parramatta shot stopper.
Camden were unable to find the goal back in the second half as Parramatta held on for their first win of the season, 3-2.
Speaking post-match, Camden Head Coach Dean Bradley said his side did not play the way he felt they should after the opening stages.
“We got too ahead of ourselves… we did not get in the grind and just play the way we should… the beauty of football is, if you do not play to your potential, then you get hurt.”
Bradley hopes his side can move on quickly from this defeat and re-focus for the next match.
“It is just disappointing, the way they let themselves down in that first half, and that is what hurts.”
Parramatta FC Assistant Coach, Paul Fraser, said he was glad his side saw out the result late, but his side left some potential goals out there.
“We should have put the game to bed after about 70 minutes, we should have been 4-2, 5-2 up, and I was always wary that it might come back and bite us.”
Fraser said there are a few injured players they are waiting to come back, and they should help strengthen the side even more.
“We have a player out at the moment, a holding midfielder, who just holds the ball and distributes it, and he just calms us down… so we are still trying to find the right combos in that middle.”
The loss for Camden saw their record move to one win, one draw and one loss for the season, while the win for Parramatta saw their record become the same.
Camden Tigers will hope to bounce back when they host the winless Prospect United SC next week, while Parramatta FC will hope to win back-to-back matches when they host a strong Inner West Hawks FC in Round Five.
Camden Tigers FC 2 (Jayden Russell 1’, 35’, 50’ missed pen)
Parramatta FC 3 (Tarek Elrich 30’; Marco Sama 28’ missed pen, 32’, 43’)
Saturday, 2nd March 2024
South Coast Flame FC 4-0 Sydney University SFC
South Coast Flame FC continued their perfect start to the season with a strong 4-0 home win over Sydney University SFC.
Both sides had their periods of possession in the first half, but it was the Flame who took their chance in the 10th minute.
A long, straight ball by the Flame was not attacked by the Uni defence, where one defender slipped and collected Matthew Mazevski in the process for a penalty; Michael Trajkovski slotted the spot kick away, sending Uni goalkeeper Jasper Sarkies the wrong way, to give the Flame a 1-0 lead.
The Flame had a few more opportunities from a set piece and play in behind, but it was in the 39th minute when they grabbed their second goal.
Good combinations in the midfield saw the ball played to Trajkovski on the edge of the box; he turned and shot towards the bottom corner to double the Flame’s lead, although Sarkies would be disappointed not to have saved the effort as the Flame took a 2-0 lead into half-time.
University pressed the Flame high to start the second half, while the Flame looked to utilise quick ball movement.
Genki Iwata set up Alexander Alston for another Flame chance, before Uni’s first real chance of the night fell to Jesse Hirschowitz, who struck an effort straight at Flame goalkeeper, Rocco Zinnato.
Uni’s biggest chance came when a ball played in the air across the box flashed just in front of the Uni attackers, where if the ball was played low, it could have been tapped in at the back post to change the match.
The Flame capitalised and extended their lead to 3-0 when Zinnato collected a Jethro Thornton shot and launched the ball into space quickly up the field; Trajkovski got on the end of it and once Sarkies had slipped in goal, chipped the goalkeeper to collect his hat-trick.
Uni could not create or threaten enough and the Flame finished the match with a goal in stoppage time; Jyden Harb got on the end of a low corner played into the box, which evaded every player and found him, before he shot through bodies towards the far post, where it went in off it and picked up his goal.
The win for the Flame sees them with a perfect record of four wins from four matches, while Uni have a win, draw and loss from their opening three matches.
The Flame will hope to continue their hot start when they host the unbeaten Newcastle Jets in Round Five, while Uni play their Round Three match away to Granville Rage, before a Round Five trip to face Gladesville Ryde Magic.
South Coast Flame FC 4 (Michael Trajkovski 10’, 39’, 79’; Jayden Harb 90+1’)
Sydney University SFC 0
Fraser Park FC 2-4 Granville Rage
Granville Rage picked up their first win of the season with a big 4-2 away win over Fraser Park FC.
The Rage scored their first goal within four minutes when they built from the back and played the ball to Anthony Zullo, who found Jacob Carluccio out wide; he found Timothy Borg-Williams, who flicked the ball on to Jad Moussa for a one-on-one opportunity, which he scored to put the Rage 1-0 up.
Fraser Park responded within two minutes when Christian Desa got the ball, where some play down their left saw them switch to their right, where a chipped ball in behind found David Ustimenko, who scored to level the match at 1-1.
Granville struck back in the 21st minute when Moussa pinched the ball off Samuel Paslis and, three passes later, received the ball back before he slotted it into the back of the net to restore the Rage’s one-goal lead.
The Rage had a few chances on the counter in an even end to the half, including one where Moussa found Borg-Williams, who shot wide; the teams went into the sheds with the Rage leading 2-1 at half-time.
Fraser Park responded with another equaliser in the 66th minute when Alexis Wenzel found David Usitmenko with a cross; Ustimenko took two blocked shots on before he scored with his third shot to level the match at 2-2.
The Rage hit the lead once again three minutes later when Borg-Williams crossed the ball in from the right, aiming for Nikola Todoroski in the middle; he headed the ball home as the ball just snuck over the line as Fraser Park goalkeeper Patrick Ferrara caught it in his own goal, 3-2 the score to the Rage.
Five minutes later, Borg-Williams hit the crossbar while Moussa missed two one-on-one chances, but after that Fraser Park controlled more of the ball and moved it nicely.
The Rage had a point to prove, however, and did so when they picked up a fourth; Ante Tomic came off the bench and after a ball was played to the back post for Moussa, he volleyed it to the other post, where Tomic was waiting to convert for the Rage’s fourth.
Credit was given from the Rage to Fraser Park for a tough match and for putting in a big game, as the Rage emerged 4-2 victors.
Fraser Park had a draw, win and loss from their first three matches, while the Rage picked up their first win of the season after back-to-back losses.
Fraser Park will hope to respond when they face Bankstown United in a Round Three mid-week match next week before they host Hawkesbury City FC in Round Five, while Granville Rage will hope to build off this performance as they host Sydney University SFC in a mid-week Round Three match, before they host Hurstville FC in Round Five.
Fraser Park FC 2 (David Ustimenko 6’, 66’)
Granville Rage 4 (Jad Moussa 4’, 21’; Nikola Todoroski 69’; Ante Tomic 86’)
Gladesville Ryde Magic 2-3 Inner West Hawks FC
Inner West Hawks FC picked up back-to-back wins and moved to three matches unbeaten after they emerged 3-2 victors over Gladesville Ryde Magic thanks to a first-half hat-trick hero.
The Hawks pressed early and found the opener within four minutes through their form player – Takuma Hirano.
The number nine got on the end of a through ball after a one-two was played outside the box and placed the ball into the back of the net to give the Hawks the early 1-0 lead.
The Magic struck back within three minutes, however, when they collected a loose ball and crossed the ball in from the right wing to Genki Kohyama in the middle, who converted his chance to level the match early.
The Hawks responded once more in the 13th minute when a ball played into the box from midfield towards the far post was tapped in by Hirano, who picked up his second of the match.
The Magic levelled the match once more in the 26th minute when the Hawks gave the ball away and Michael Morrow converted on the counter after good combination play to restore parity in the contest.
A frantic first half had another goal in it, however, when Hirano completed his first-half hat-trick with a free-kick from 25 yards out, which went over the Magic wall and found the top corner to restore the Hawks’ lead once more at 3-2.
The Hawks had more chances in the first half and took that 3-2 advantage into the break.
The second half saw a very even contest between the two sides where the Magic had more chances, but the Hawks held on for a big 3-2 win.
The Magic moved to three losses from four matches to start the season with one win, while the Hawks moved to three matches unbeaten on seven points.
Gladesville will hope to respond when they host Sydney University SFC in Round Five, while the Hawks will hope to continue their momentum against last-start winners, Parramatta FC.
Gladesville Ryde Magic 2 (Genki Kohyama 7’; Michael Morrow 26’)
Inner West Hawks 3 (Takuma Hirano 4’, 13’, 34’)
Prospect United SC 0-2 Newcastle Jets
The Newcastle Jets kept their unbeaten start to the season going after a strong 2-0 away win over Prospect United SC.
Prospect were set up structurally to make it hard for the Jets to create big chances against them, but the Jets were also very hard for the hosts to break down.
The Jets took the lead in the 26th minute when Xavier Bertoncello found the back of the net, slotting the ball under Prospect goalkeeper, Brendan Allen, from close range; the Jets took that 1-0 lead into the break.
The second half was a close contest where Prospect could not create any big chances, despite a few half-chances in the box.
The Jets held firm and extended their lead to 2-0 when Alex Nunes scored to ensure the three points for the visitors.
Prospect fought hard and stayed in a tough match but were unable to find a way back into the contest as the Jets won 2-0.
The Jets stayed unbeaten with three wins from four matches, while Prospect stayed winless with two draws and two losses from the first four rounds.
Prospect will hope their squad continue to fight but find some consistency when they travel to face Camden Tigers FC in Round Five, while the Newcastle Jets travel to face South Coast Flame FC in an early-season top-of-the-table clash between two unbeaten sides.
Prospect United SC 0
Newcastle Jets 2 (Xavier Bertoncello 26’; Alex Nunes 76’)
Bankstown United FC 3-0 Hurstville FC
Bankstown United FC picked up their first win of the season after a strong 3-0 showcase against Hurstville FC in Mitchell Cross’ 100th match for Bankstown.
Hurstville had a strong first half with plenty of attacks where they wanted to get at Bankstown in their box, but the last pass was missing.
Bankstown had a chance when Jovan Blagojevic hit the post-crossbar junction but took the lead eventually.
In the 36th minute, Jamie Dib found Raoel Yakub, who beat his defender and got into the box; he crossed the ball from out wide into the middle for Mitchell Cross to attack, who scored with a diving header to give Bankstown a 1-0 lead in his milestone match.
Hurstville had a few chances to end the half but could not find the back of the net as the hosts led 1-0 at the break.
The second half started even with a few half-chances to each side, including one to Cross where he forced Hurstville goalkeeper Michael Rutherford into a big save with the ball heading to the top-right corner.
Bankstown found their second in the 64th minute when a ball played through midfield found Mitchell Edmunds, who hit the ball from just outside the box across goal into the back of the net to give Bankstown a 2-0 lead.
Cross ended with a double in his milestone match when he tapped the ball home from just outside the six-yard-box to seal a 3-0 Bankstown win; Bankstown picked up the three points in a physical match where they played quickly and both teams could have scored more if they took on better shots.
In his 100 matches for the club, Cross had scored 84 goals and the team paid tribute to him post-match in the sheds with good celebrations.
Bankstown will hope to build momentum from this result as they host Fraser Park FC in a Round Three encounter before they have a bye in Round Five, while Hurstville will look to end their four-match losing streak when they travel to face Granville Rage in Round Five.
Bankstown United FC 3 (Mitchell Cross 36’, 87’; Mitchell Edmunds 64’)
Hurstville FC 0
Hawkesbury City FC 0-4 Mounties Wanderers FC
Mounties Wanderers FC continued their strong start to the season with a 4-0 win away over the winless Hawkesbury City FC.
Yukai Kanai continued his strong start to the season when he opened the scoring for the Wanderers in the 5th minute.
Mounties’ lead was doubled before half-time when Hawkesbury goalkeeper, Daniel Schwarzer, conceded an own goal to give the Wanderers a 2-0 advantage at half-time.
Kanai grabbed his double in the 69th minute to all-but seal the three points for the visitors, who kept up their record of scoring at least three goals in every match they have played this season.
The scoring was rounded out by Eijin Kishimoto, who scored to put Mounties 4-0 up in the 82nd minute; that was how the match finished as Mounties continued their strong start to the season.
Hawkesbury moved to three losses and one draw from four matches, while Mounties had three wins and one draw to start the season.
Hawkesbury City FC will hope to pick up their first win of the season when they travel to face Fraser Park FC in Round Five, while Mounties Wanderers FC host Central Coast United FC in what should be a tight clash.
Hawkesbury City FC 0
Mounties Wanderers FC 4 (Yuki Kanai 5’, 69’; Daniel Schwarzer 32′ own goal; Eijin Kishimoto 82’)
With Round Four done, there are two Round Three matches coming up to preview as part of the earlier split round:
Tuesday, 5th March 2024
Bankstown United FC vs Fraser Park FC, 7:30pm @ Padstow Park
Last season: Bankstown United FC 2-0 Fraser Park FC, Fraser Park FC 1-0 Bankstown United FC
Bankstown United FC and Fraser Park FC will back up quickly from the weekend’s action when they meet in a Round Three encounter.
Both sides picked up a win each against each other in tight matches last season and this clash should provide a similar outcome as both sides look to find consistency early in the season.
Bankstown will be buoyed by their first win of the season, a 3-0 success over Hurstville FC, and will be hopeful of picking up two wins in four days.
Mitchell Cross had three goals for the season from the opening three matches and will be the player to watch once again for Bankstown as he looks to lead the line up front.
Corey Freeman scored in Bankstown’s win over Fraser Park last season and could make an impact this time around, too; look for Bankstown to play physical and take their chances at home once again.
Fraser Park will hope to bounce back from their first loss of the season as they travel to face Bankstown United.
Hayato Sadamori was the match-winner for Fraser Park last season and will hope to have his say in this encounter, while David Ustimenko has started strong for his new club with three goals from his first three matches.
Look for Fraser Park to be solid across the park as they look to turn up against a side which they had tough battles against last season.
Both Bankstown United and Fraser Park will be hopeful of picking up the three points in this encounter; look for a key player to step up for each side as they chase another early-season victory.
Wednesday, 6th March 2024
Granville Rage vs Sydney University SFC, 8pm @ Rydalmere Park
Last season: Granville Rage 0-5 Sydney University SFC, Sydney University SFC 1-1 Granville Rage
Granville Rage will hope to back up a strong 4-2 victory over Fraser Park FC with another robust performance when they host a Sydney University side looking to find some consistency.
Last season, Uni picked up a strong 5-0 away win before there was a 1-1 stalemate in their second encounter; expect this clash to be just as unpredictable as both sides look to find what tactics best suit them this season.
Granville Rage picked up their first win of the season with a strong 4-2 away win over Fraser Park and will hope to back up quickly with a few lessons learned from that match.
Look for the Rage to focus on defence to bring results, where if they can have a good mentalility in defending collectively, they will have the belief needed to drive them towards more success.
There are positive signs from the young team and they will hope to use what they have learned from their victory as a base to build their matches on for the future.
Sydney University are hoping to responmd quickly following their first loss of the season and will be hopeful of starting on the front foot against the Rage.
The first 10-15 minutes of the clash will be crucial; if they can hold off any fast start from the Rage, they will be confident they can start the match well.
Look for Uni to create many more chances as they look to focus up to and pick up a victory in a quick turnaround.
With two teams looking to kick-start their season, expect a tense battle where, if there is a winner, the lessons learned will be more important than the three points.
By Football NSW League Two Men’s Reporter, Dylan Costa @_dylancosta
