Round 6 Review – League Two Men’s
Round Six of the 2024 Football NSW League Two Men’s season saw two of the largest victories of the season so far amid a mountain of goals.
The Match of the Round this week saw Inner West Hawks FC prevail in the battle of the Hawks away to Hawkesbury City FC.
Friday, 15th March 2024
Match of the Round: Hawkesbury City FC 0-2 Inner West Hawks FC
Inner West Hawks FC prevailed in a tight encounter over Hawkesbury City FC to keep their strong start to the season going.
Inner West had the early possession and launched crosses into the box, with the first effort falling to Jacob Palamidas which he shanked wide of goal.
The match lacked any real chances early as Hawkesbury’s Declan Cotter had a shot which went wide in the 7th minute, but the next attempt did not arrive until the 19th minute when Inner West’s Takuma Hirano shot wide from a free-kick.
Harry Drew also had an attempt from a free-kick 23 yards from goal for Hawkesbury two minutes later, but his effort was straight at Inner West goalkeeper, Harrison Myers.
Strong Inner West tackling at the base of the midfield from Angelo Pezzano stopped Hawkesbury from getting forward and also blocked shots on target; he mauraded the midfield and cut out many balls.
Hirano continued to attack down the other end and had a strong effort at the near post saved with strong hands by Hawkesbury goalkeeper, Daniel Schwarzer, in the 26th minute.
Seven minutes later, Inner West’s Nathan Chakanetsa had a shot from a good angle, 25 yards from goal, collected by Schwarzer, while he also had the final attempt of the half when he cut in for a left-footed shot which took a deflection straight into the arms of Schwarzer.
A stubborn first half where Inner West had the possession and shots saw them unable to break down a strong Hawkesbury defence, while the visitors defence was strong to deny Hawkesbury any chances.
The second half started with drama when Inner West’s Hirano got in behind off a Chakanetsa flick on and was clipped in the box by an Inner West defender in the 47th minute.
Hirano stepped up to take the penalty and sent Myers the wrong way as he sent his shot into the bottom-right corner to score his 10th goal of the season and give the visitors a 1-0 lead.
Neither side was able to create chanes for the next twenty minutes as a tense midfield battle saw both sides look to counter instead with little success; both teams pressed well and forced many turnovers but could not create – both sides put dangerous balls into the box but they were dealt with.
Hawkesbury made three substitutions which changed the match, as they started to hold the ball more.
The next shot came in the 68th minute when Hirano attempted to score from outside the box, but his effort went well over the top of the goal.
Hirano was involved once more in the 77th minute when he got into the box off a counterattack and was taken out by Schwarzer with a late challenge in the area to earn a penalty.
Hirano, the league’s top goal scorer, stepped up once more for the penalty and struck the ball into the top-left corner, sending Schwarzer the wrong way for his 11th goal of the season as Inner West doubled their advantage late.
The match became physical in the latter stages as Hawkesbury looked for a way back into the match; it became a bit fiery towards the end with a bit of pushing and shoving between the two teams.
Inner West have a four-versus-two situation in stoppage time with a chance to add a third, but the final ball was missing as the attack ended.
Desperate defending in the third and final minute of stoppage time from Inner West kept Hawkesbury at bay.
At the other end, Hawkesbury’s Ethan Payne stopped Inner West’s Peter Phillips with a perfectly timed challenge to stop him from having a shot inside the box; that was the final action as the referee blew for full-time, Inner West 2-0 winners over Hawkesbury.
The win for Inner West kept them in 4th as they moved to five matches unbeaten, while for Hawkesbury they dropped to the bottom of the ladder after the opening six rounds.
Speaking post-match, Inner West player Peter Yannopoulos said his side executed their game plan well to claim victory.
“The plan was to just keep the ball and starve them of possession… even when we did not have the ball, we were very physical and matched their tempo.”
Speaking on Hirano, Yannopoulos said it has been great to play with him.
“He is scoring week-in-week-out… there is not much he cannot do, at the moment.”
Hawkesbury Head Coach, Dean Bertenshaw, said Inner West had the two moments in the match that mattered with the two goals and his side will hope to prepare well for their next match.
“It was a pretty tight match but they got the two moments that mattered… I think Schwarzer made one other save than [those two goals].”
Beternshaw said he tried to change a few things at half-time to play better in the second half after he thought they did not play as well as they could have in the first half.
“That was possibly because of how Inner West were playing, pressing well, they were organised and quick.”
Hawkesbury City FC will hope to bounce back when they host Prospect United SC in Round Seven, while Inner West Hawks FC will hope to extend their unbeaten streak to six matches when they host the unbeaten South Coast Flame FC.
Inner West also travel to face Moorebank Sports Soccer Club in Round Three of the Australia Cup preliminary rounds on Wednesday, 20th March.
Hawkesbury City FC 0
Inner West Hawks FC 2 (Takuma Hirano 47’ pen, 78’ pen)
Hurstville FC 9-0 Gladesville Ryde Magic
Hurstville FC recorded their first win of the season with the biggest win by any side so far this season after a 9-0 home victory over Gladesville Ryde Magic, with two hat-trick heroes.
Hurstville started well early and took the lead in the 10th minute when Conor Earley scored off a Declan Sheldon cross for Hurstville’s first.
Hurstville doubled their lead in the 25th minute when Juan Da Silva cut the ball back to George Salachoris, who scored his first of the evening to give Hurstville a 2-0 lead.
He scored his second goal four minutes later when he slotted home a rebound to give Hurstville a commanding 3-0 lead in the contest.
Earley also picked up his second in the 35th minute when he intercepted a pass and chipped Gladesville goalkeeper, Gabriel Koliomihos, from 30 yards to give Hurstville a 4-0 lead.
Salachoris completed his hat-trick in the first half and scored Hurstville’s fifth goal when the hosts forced another turnover; Jacob Ritchie played the ball back to Salachoris, who slotted the ball into the back of the net to pick up a first half hat-trick.
Earley also ended the first half with a hat-trick after Da Silva was fouled in the box and Earley stepped up to take the penalty; he scored to pick up his third goal of the night as Hurstville went into half-time 6-0 up.
Hurstville controlled the ball early in the second half and pushed Gladesville back; they picked up their seventh goal in the 82nd minute when Sheldon crossed the ball into the box for Hurstville debutant, Ricardo White, who tapped the ball in at the far post for his first goal for the club.
Samuel Shainfeld got in on the action for Hurstville’s eighth goal when he took a long-range shot which just dipped over Koliomihos and into the back of the net.
The scoring was rounded out by White, who scored his second goal of the night, in the fifth minute of stoppage time; he picked up a rebound, beat his defender and slotted the ball past the goalkeeper to wrap up a 9-0 home win for Hurstville.
The win for Hurstville was their first of the season and moved them off the bottom of the ladder into 14th, while Gladesville dropped to 9th after their fourth loss of the season.
Hurstville FC have the bye in Round Seven before a Round Eight match at home to Hawkesbury City FC, while Gladesville Ryde Magic will hope to forget this result and bounce back when they travel to face Bankstown United FC.
Hurstville also travel to face Wollongong Olympic FC in Round Three of the Australia Cup preliminary rounds on Tuesday, 19th March, while Gladesville travel to face MRP FC.
Hurstville FC 9 (Conor Earley 10’, 35’, 45+3’ pen; George Salachoris 25’, 29’, 41’; Ricardo White 82’, 90+5’; Samuel Shainfeld 90’)
Gladesville Ryde Magic 0
Mounties Wanderers FC 3-0 Fraser Park FC
Mounties Wanderers FC continued to power on at the top of the ladder after a 3-0 home win over Fraser Park FC.
Fraser Park struggled to break Mounties down while at the other end, the hosts created a couple of half-chances against a compact Frasser Park defence.
Mounties scored their first goal in the 30th minute when Kuot Maliet got down the right wing following a corner and launched a cross to the back post, which was headed into the middle and tapped in by Dany Ghetti to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.
Fraser Park attacked and had a penalty shout turned down late in the first half as the hosts took their one goal advantage into the break.
Mounties lifted their intensity and ball movement in the second half and were rewarded for their play.
The hosts had a chance in the 48th minute when Marko Filipovic beat three players on a run on the edge of the box and fired a shot at goal, which was well saved by Fraser Park goalkeeper, Patrick Ferrara.
They scored their second goal in the 53rd minute when Kuot Maliet got in behind Fraser Park down the right side; he crossed the ball into the middle for Yuki Kanai, who finished well to score his ninth goal of the season to double Mounties’ lead.
Kanai and Maliet were threats in attack in the second half and in the 56th minute, the latter stepped up to take a penalty after a foul in the box by Fraser Park on Maliet following an attacking run.
He slotted the ball home past the outstretched hand of Ferrara, to wrap up the scoring for Mounties in the match in a 3-0 victory.
The win for Mounties was their fourth in a row where they have kept a clean sheet as they powered on as the ladder leaders, while Fraser Park lost a fourth match in a row as they dropped to 13th.
Mounties Wanderers FC have their toughest test of the season so far in Round Seven when they host fellow unbeaten side, the Newcastle Jets, while Fraser Park FC will hope to snap their losing streak when they travel to face Camden Tigers FC.
Mounties also have Australia Cup action a they travel to face Balmain DFC in Round Three of the preliminary rounds on Wednesday, 20th March, while Fraser Park travel to face Workers FC on Tuesday, 19th March.
Mounties Wanderers FC 3 (Dany Ghetti 30’; Yuki Kanai 53’; Kuot Maliet 56’)
Fraser Park FC 0
Saturday, 16th March 2024
Parramatta FC 1-7 Newcastle Jets
The Newcastle Jets recorded their biggest win of the season following a 7-1 away victory over a 10-man Parramatta FC.
Assistant Coach Nathan Byrn took the reigns for the Jets for this clash with Damian Zane away and despite good play from Parramatta early, the Jets had the first chance of the match when a ball played over the top by Nathan Grimaldi to Justin Vidic was handled on the edge of the box by a Parramatta player for a penalty.
Vidic stepped up and dispatched the penalty to give Newcastle the 1-0 lead in the 8th minute.
Xavier Bertoncello added a second for the Jets in the 21st minute after good combination play saw the ball played through to Bertoncello, who got a toe on the ball to slide it home for a 2-0 lead.
Things worsened for Parramatta when Vidic was fouled inside the box by Noorullah Afzaly after chasing a ball in behind; Afzaly was shown a red card and Newcastle were awarded a penalty, which was missed by Vidic, in the 25th minute.
Parramatta kept trying to play football, but Newcastle added a third before half-time when more good combination play saw Bertoncello score his second goal of the night in the 35th minute to give the Jets a 3-0 lead at half-time.
Newcastle continued their pressure and that told just five minutes into the second half when Bertoncello picked up his hat-trick for his eighth goal of the season to give the Jets a 4-0 lead.
In the 53rd minute, Newcastle scored their fifth when Ben Van Dorssen scored a header from a set piece as the visitors continued their ruthless attack.
Parramatta kept coming and did grab a goal, themselves, five minutes later through Nathan Rayner after a ball in behind found him; he slotted the ball home after some hesitation from the Newcastle defence.
Newcastle continued to attack, however, and after some good build-up play, Kierry James slotted the ball home to give Newcastle a 6-1 lead in the 64th minute.
The scoring was rounded out three minutes later when Vidic grabbed his second goal of the match to give Newcastle a 7-1 win.
The win for Newcastle kept their unbeaten start to the season going and kept them in 3rd as they looked to keep up with the top two, while Parramatta lost their first match in three weeks as they stayed in 11th.
Parramatta FC will hope to bounce back from the tough defeat when they travel to face Granville FC in a Western Sydney derby, while the Newcastle Jets take on the ladder-leading Mounties Wanderers FC in a mouth-watering home clash.
Parramatta also are in action in Round Three of the Australia Cup preliminary rounds when they travel to face Berkeley Vale S.C. on Wednesday, 20th March.
Parramatta FC 1 (Nathan Rayner 58’; Noorullah Afzaly 25’ red card)
Newcastle Jets 7 (Justin Vidic 8’ pen, 67’; Xavier Bertoncello 21’, 35’, 50’; Ben Van Dorssen 53’; Kierry James 64’)
Prospect United SC 0-1 South Coast Flame FC
South Coast Flame FC continued their unbeaten start to the season with a tight 1-0 away win over Prospect United SC.
The Flame started well with a shot within the opening three minutes from Jacob Gjorsevski, which was saved by Prospect goalkeeper, Brendan Allen.
South Coast took the lead in the 16th minute when Yanni Fragogiannis sent a long ball over for Yanna Perkatis to chase; he slotted the ball home with a composed finish to give the Flame an early 1-0 lead.
Perkatis almost had a double in the 30th minute when he shot an effort at the far post following a cross, but Blake Mottram cleared the ball away.
Prospect’s best moment of the first half came in the 36th minute when Hristopher Neskovski put a ball across goal, but no Prospect player was able to get on the end of it.
The Flame had a chance just before half-time to double their lead but Fragogiannis found James Baldacchino with a cross, but the latter headed just wide.
Gjorsevski had a shot well saved by Prospect’s Allen to start what was an even second half, while Genki Iwata also had a shot which needed to be saved minutes later.
The Flame looked to secure the three points while Prospect pushed for an equaliser late by changing their system.
In the final fifteen minutes, Prospect’s Dimos Vlachos also had an effort go wide from outside the box, Elijah Uelese shot straight at Flame goalkeeper, Jordan Bruce, from eight yards and Anthony Idehen had a shot blocked on the six-yard-box.
In the final five minutes, Prospect’s Rahim Kamara fizzed a shot just wide of the Flame goal and also had another opportunity when he struck a half volley from the edge of the box, which was saved by Bruce.
Blake Mottram headed wide following a corner inside the six-yard-box for Prospect with their last chance of the match late, while the Flame had other chances they did not convert; the Flame held on in a tight contest for the 1-0 away win.
The win for the Flame kept them 2nd and unbeaten to start the season, while Prospect fell to 10th after a third loss in four matches.
Prospect United SC will hope to respond when they travel to face Hawkesbury City FC in Round Seven, while South Coast Flame FC will also make a trip when they face Inner West Hawks FC.
South Coast Flame FC also play in Round Three of the Australia Cup preliminary rounds when they travel to face a local team in Wollongong United FC on Tuesday, 19th March, while Prospect will play another team from the south coast when they travel to face Coniston FC in Round Three of the Cup on Wednesday, 20th March.
Prospect United SC 0
South Coast Flame FC 1 (Yianni Perkatis 16’)
Bankstown United FC 4-1 Camden Tigers FC
Bankstown United FC won a third-straight match after a 4-1 home success over Camden Tigers FC, who fell to a third-straight loss.
A frantic start saw Bankstown have two early chances well saved by Camden goalkeeper, Michael O’Rourke, as well as a chance that was cleared off the line.
Camden took the early lead in the 5th minute when a corner played into the Bankstown box saw Harry Stavris mistime his header as he put the ball into the back of his own net for Camden to take a 1-0 lead away from home.
The momentum of the match shifted when Bankstown responded with a penalty in the 39th minute after Stavris was fouled in the box; Mitchell Cross scored his fifth goal of the season after he converted the spot kick to level the match at 1-1.
Six minutes later, Raoel Yakub pounced on a mistake from the Camden defence and finished past O’Rourke in a one-on-one situation to give Bankstown a 2-1 lead heading into half-time.
Bankstown pressed high and created chances to start the second half and were rewarded in the 51st minute when Corey Freeman beat his man on the right and finished the chance from an acute angle just inside the box to give Bankstown a 3-1 lead.
Five minutes later, a corner from Jamie Dib was turned in from close range by the hip of Alex Salgueira as Bankstown wrapped up the scoring and result.
Camden pushed to find a way back into the match in the remainder of the second half, including a change of formation and bringing more attackers into the match, but the Bankstown defence held strong against the Camden pressure.
Bankstown were resolute defensively and had an organised defensive shape that thwarted the Camden pressure late as the hosts ran out 4-1 winners.
The win for Bankstown moved them up to 5th, while the loss for Camden saw them remain in 12th.
Bankstown United FC will hope to win a fourth-straight league match when they host Gladesville Ryde Magic in Round Seven, while Camden Tigers FC host Fraser Park FC.
Bankstown United are also in Australia Cup action mid-week as they travel to face fellow League Two Men’s side Central Coast United FC on Wednesday, 20th March, while Camden travel to face Gerringong Breakers FC in the Cup on Tuesday, 19th March.
Bankstown United FC 4 (Mitchell Cross 39’ pen; Raoel Yakub 45+1’; Corey Freeman 51’; Alejandro Salgueira 56’)
Camden Tigers FC 1 (Harry Stavris 5’ own goal)
Granville Rage 2-2 Central Coast United FC
A 10-man Granville Rage picked up a positive result after they came from behind to secure a 2-2 draw at home to Central Coast United FC, who moved to a third match without a win.
The Pirates controlled a lot of the ball in the first half and were rewarded with a goal in the 31st minute; Central Coast had won the ball back and played it in behind for Zac Pezzutto to chase, which he did before he scored from a tight angle, squeezing the ball underneath Rage goalkeeper Samuel Bortolazzo for a 1-0 lead.
The Rage had a few good chances from crosses into the box after that, as well as a few good headed opportunities, but could not find a goal in the first half as Central Coast took a 1-0 lead into the break.
Central Coast started the second half strongly and found a second goal through Ben Flakus after he was released in behind down the right and drove a finish in off the far post to give the Pirates a 2-0 lead.
The Rage looked to play direct throughout the match and had good quality on the ball up front with their forward players causing havoc for the Central Coast defence.
The Rage pulled a goal back in the 60th minute through their form man, Nikola Todoroski, after a counter down the left saw Todoroski show good pace before he slotted the ball home with a shot to the far post.
Two minutes later, the Rage had completed the comeback after a Rage defender stopped a dangerous Pirates attack with a challenge which sent the ball 40 yards up the field; Todoroski got on the end of the ball up the field and showed good strength and balance before finishing the chance to level the match at 2-2.
Michael Sada was shown two yellow cards within four minutes as he was sent off in the 73rd minute; the first yellow was for dissent while the second yellow card was for a late challenge.
The Rage consolidated from there and made sure they were difficult to break down, while they posed a threat with long balls played from Bortolazzo.
Central Coast defended some set pieces well late to keep the Rage out, while they had a few half chances to score a third, themselves, but both sides settled for the 2-2 draw.
The draw moved the Rage level with Central Coast on seven points in 8th place, while the Pirates finished the round in 7th.
Granville Rage will hope to pick up the three points when they host Parramatta FC in a local derby in Round Seven, while Central Coast United FC will hope for a first win in four matches when they host Sydney University SFC.
In Round Three of the Australia Cup preliminary rounds, the Rage bowed out of the competition after a young Granville side went down 3-2 at home to Austral Soccer Club last week, while Central Coast United host Bankstown United FC in Round Three in a League Two Men’s matchup in the Cup.
Granville Rage 2 (Nikola Todoroski 60’, 62’; Michael Sada 73’ red card)
Central Coast United FC 2 (Zac Pezzutto 31’; Ben Flakus 54’)
Sydney University SFC had a bye this round.
By Football New South Wales League Two Men’s Reporter, Dylan Costa (@_dylancosta)
