Round 10 Review – League Two Men’s
38 goals in seven matches meant Round 10 of the 2024 Football NSW League Two Men’s season was the highest-scoring round yet, with some big results.
The Match of the Round this week saw Bankstown United FC inflict a first home defeat of the season on Mounties Wanderers FC in a big victory.
Friday, 12th April 2024
Match of the Round: Mounties Wanderers FC 2-5 Bankstown United FC
Bankstown United FC picked up their first away win of the season in a big way after a strong 5-2 comeback win over a 10-man Mounties Wanderers FC in a match which had a hat-trick hero.
Bankstown had the first chance of the match in the 5th minute when Corey Freeman crossed the ball into the box onto the head of Mitchell Cross, who headed wide for the visitors.
It was Mounties, however, who scored first in the 7th minute through Poda Da, who struck a powerful shot low into the bottom corner to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.
Mounties followed that up with another shot from Kuot Maliet two minutes later, who twisted and turned around the Bankstown defence but shot over the goal.
The leading goal scorer for Mounties this season, Yuki Kanai, had the next attempt for the host from a free kick but he curled his effort wide as the hosts hunted a second goal.
Bankstown hit back in the 14th minute when Marie Gauthier crossed the ball in from the left onto the head of the leading scorer for Bankstown this season, Mitchell Cross, who slotted the ball home to restore parity at 1-1.
In the next four minutes, both Benjamin Ansah and Da had shots at goal but could not convert.
The match took a turn in the 23rd minute when Mounties’ Alistair Mckie was shown a straight red card by the referee for dissent, which brought the hosts down to ten men for the remainder of the contest.
A minute later, the hosts had the next chance in the match when Ansah rose highest from a corner but headed his effort wide.
Bankstown took the lead for the first time in the match in the 30th minute when Cross unleashed a shot from 30 yards which found the back of the net – he did the dead fish celebration amid celebrations from his teammates as the visitors took a 2-1 lead into half-time.
The visitors continued their momentum in the first minute of the second half when Gauthier thrashed an effort home to give Bankstown a 3-1 lead in the contest.
Mounties had the next attempt in the match when Kanai cut inside, but he curled his effort over as the hosts looked for a way back into the contest.
A tense period saw the next highlight not occur until the 64th minute when Kanai lifted a free kick wide of the Bankstown goal.
Kanai also had a low-driven shot for the hosts five minutes later but could not convert as his side remained two goals down.
In the 74th minute, Maliet broke the Bankstown line but shot his effort straight as time began to run out for the hosts.
One minute later, at the other end, Bankstown’s Corey Freeman smashed an effort against the post as the visitors looked to wrap up the win.
Freeman converted Bankstown’s next chance in the 80th minute after he slid an effort home to give the visitors a 4-1 lead.
In the 84th minute, following a bit of pinball in the Bankstown box, Mounties’ Ansah slammed the ball home to give Mounties a glimmer of hope in the contest at 4-2.
That glimmer was shut down by Cross in the 87th minute, who completed his hat-trick for his 14th goal of the season after he took a good touch and slotted the ball home off the post to give Bankstown a 5-2 away victory over Mounties.
The loss for Mounties was their second in three matches and meant they dropped four points off 1st in 3rd place, while the win for Bankstown moved them level on points with Mounties in 4th.
Mounties will hope to respond when they travel to face Camden Tigers FC in Round 11, while Bankstown will look to hunt down the top three when they travel to face Hawkesbury City FC.
Mounties Wanderers FC 2 (Poda Da 7’; Benjamin Ansah 84’; Alistair Mckie 22’ red card)
Bankstown United FC 5 (Mitchell Cross 14’, 30’, 87’; Marie Gauthier 46’; Corey Freeman 80’)
Hawkesbury City FC 3-2 Gladesville Ryde Magic
A ten-man Hawkesbury City FC responded to their tough Round 9 loss with a tense 3-2 home victory over Gladesville Ryde Magic, who suffered their fifth-straight loss.
Hawkesbury held a lot of the ball in the first half and had multiple chances saved by Gladesville goalkeeper, Kyriakos Tohouroglou.
The hosts also hit the post in the first half through Vincent D’Ermilio and Zac Miletic as they hunted for the opening goal.
That came in the 45th minute when an in-swinging corner saw Tohouroglou turn the ball into the back of his own net as Hawkesbury took a 1-0 lead into half-time.
Hawkesbury came out strong in the second half and doubled their lead in the 58th minute through D’Ermilio, who scored from a header after a cross had been played in by Zachary Reardon.
The match took a turn in the 66th minute when Hawkesbury’s Ethan Payne lunged into a tackle in the middle of the field and was shown a straight-red card as Hawkesbury were reduced to ten men.
Gladesville dominated the next 15 minutes of the match and found a goal back through Genki Kohyama, who scored off the bench to halve the deficit for the Magic.
The visitors restored parity in the match at 2-2 in the 80th minute when Oscar Felipe Nieto Rava slotted home to level the match.
Hawkesbury kept themselves in the match, however, and were rewarded in the 85th minute when D’Ermilio scored his second goal of the night to give the hosts a 3-2 win.
The win for Hawkesbury was their second in three matches as they continued to find some form, while the loss for the Magic saw them remain rooted to the bottom of the table.
Hawkesbury will hope to pick up a big win when they host the formidable Bankstown United FC next week, while the Magic will hope to end their losing streak when they host Central Coast United FC.
Hawkesbury City FC 3 (Kiriakos Tohouroglou 45’ own goal; Vincent D’Ermilio 58’, 85’; Ethan Payne 66’ red card)
Gladesville Ryde Magic 2 (Genki Kohyama 71’; Oscar Felipe Nieto Rava 80’)
Saturday, 13th April 2024
Parramatta FC 2-3 Central Coast United FC
Central Coast United FC went a fourth match unbeaten after they held off Parramatta FC for a 3-2 win away from home in an entertaining match.
Parramatta started the match strong and showed their intentions early with runners in behind, but the Pirates dealt with the early threat.
Central Coast took the lead in the 14th minute from a corner after a delivery in from Jack Ragen found the head of Mark Partridge, who rose highest from the corner and headed the ball home for the Pirates’ first goal.
The visitors doubled their lead in the 39th minute when they were awarded a penalty after Partridge was fouled in the box; Daniel Macfarlane converted from the spot to give the Pirates a 2-0 lead at half-time.
Parramatta had a spell of good momentum to start the second half and off a counterattack in the 55th minute, Youssef Badr slammed the ball home from the edge of the box to get Parramatta back into the contest at 2-1.
Five minutes later, the Eagles restored parity in the contest when a ball in behind down the left found Marco Sama, who scored with a smart finish to the far post to level the match for Parramatta.
Central Coast hit back relatively quickly though in the 67th minute when they played through a four-man Parramatta press and finished off their chance through Cade Mapu, who beat his man and drove the ball in at the near post to give the Pirates a 3-2 lead.
Parramatta were reduced to ten men in the 94th minute when Antre Furjanic fouled Mapu when he was through on goal and was sent off for fouling as the last man for the Eagles.
In the dying seconds of stoppage-time, Parramatta had one final counter down the right; they put a cross into the box for an attacker to latch onto, but Pirates’ goalkeeper Zayd Hussein pulled off a full-stretch save with one hand, with the ball behind him, to deny the hosts the late equaliser.
That save was crucial and handed the Pirates a tough-fought 3-2 away win over the Eagles.
Parramatta will hope to respond to a third defeat in four matches when they travel to face Prospect United SC in a western Sydney derby, while Central Coast United play their Round Nine catch-up match away to Camden Tigers FC on Tuesday, 16th April before they travel to face Gladesville Ryde Magic in Round 11.
Parramatta FC 2 (Youssef Badr 55’; Marco Sama 60’)
Central Coast United FC 3 (Mark Patridge 14’; Daniel Macfarlane 39’ pen; Cade Mapu 67’)
Camden Tigers FC 1-2 Hurstville FC
Hurstville FC won back-to-back matches for the first time this season after they overcame Camden Tigers FC away from home for a 2-1 victory.
Hurstville started fast in the opening 10 minutes and had a chance fall to Jacob Ritchie from a Paul Gagro free kick, but he headed just over the goal.
Camden settled in the match from there and had joy moving forward and had three good chances which were saved by Hurstville goalkeeper, Michael Rutherford.
Hurstville hit the crossbar in the first half through a shot from Mouhamed Hamdache but neither side was able to break the deadlock in the first half.
Despite having the balance of play and better chances, Camden were also unable to score as the sides headed into the sheds at 0-0.
Hurstville came out in the second half with more intensity than in the first and started to win the ball, as well as play at a higher tempo.
Pedro Almeida and Daniel Kocina moved the ball in the middle of the park to the Hurstville forwards and the latter combined well with Paul Gagro with quick one-two passing before Kocina chipped a ball in behind for Andre Guzman, who was fouled in the box by Camden goalkeeper, Michael O’Rourke, for a Hurstville penalty.
Jacob Ritchie stepped up to the spot and converted the penalty to give Hurstville a 1-0 lead.
Hurstville had the next chance through Hamdache after his side won the ball high, but he shot the ball over the bar in a one-on-one situation.
At the other end, in the 76th minute, a deflected cross fell to Camden’s David Scott in the box, who headed home to restore parity in the match at 1-1.
That was short-lived as from the restart, Ritchie played the ball quickly to Almeida, who slotted home for Hurstville to restore their one-goal advantage.
Camden played direct from there and Hurstville defended stoutly, while they looked to also attack on the counter.
Jacob Botic and Patrick Caruana broke away late and both had chances, but their efforts were saved well by O’Rourke.
Hurstville saw out the match from their and picked up back-to-back away wins following the 2-1 victory.
Camden Tigers FC will hope to respond when they play their Round 9 catch-up match at home to Central Coast United FC on Tuesday, 16th April, before their Round 11 home match to Mounties Wanderers FC, while Hurstville FC will hunt a third-straight away win when they face Sydney University SFC.
Camden Tigers FC 1 (David Scott 76’)
Hurstville FC 2 (Jacob Ritchie 56’; Pedro Almeida 77’)
South Coast Flame FC 6-1 Fraser Park FC
South Coast Flame FC picked up their biggest win of the season, which was also their biggest win ever, after they dispatched of Fraser Park FC, who had head coach Alex Araujo resign mid-week and David Palma take the reins, 6-1 at home with a hat-trick hero.
The Flame had the first chance of the match fall to Matthew Mazevski, but his left-footed strike was saved well by Fraser Park goalkeeper, Amaro Ferreira.
Seconds later, Fraser Park had a shot from Alexander Nicolosi from distance which was saved by Flame goalkeeper, Jordan Bruce.
The Flame took the lead in the 23rd minute when Genki Iwata swung a ball into the box for Michael Trajkovski, who continued his scoring spree this season after he got in front of Ferreira and slotted the ball home to give the Flame a 1-0 lead.
Fraser Park had a ball into the box from a free kick diffused before Iwata latched onto a loose ball outside the box at the other end before he sent his effort wide.
On the stroke of half-time, the Flame doubled their lead when Alexander Alston drove into the penalty area and whipped a ball across goal to Trajkovski, who scored his second goal of the night to give the Flame a two-goal lead at the break.
Straight after half-time, Alexander Nicolosi saw Flame goalkeeper Jordan Bruce off his line and launched a shot from 50 yards, which found the back of the net as Fraser Park halved their deficit straight from the restart.
The Flame struck back in the 57th minute when Turner sent Iwata through on goal; he tucked the ball past Ferreira to restore the Flame’s two-goal lead.
Fraser Park substitute David Ustimenko stung the palms of Bruce in the 68th minute before the Flame scored their fourth goal a few minutes later.
The Flame midfield worked the ball forward to Iwata and Turner before the latter squared the ball to Trajkovski; he made no mistake as he scored his hat-trick and gave the Flame a 4-1 lead.
Two minutes later, in the 73rd minute, Turner sent Samuel Alston down the line; he squared the ball to his brother, Alexander Alston, in the box, who finished off the team move to give the Flame a 5-1 lead.
Turner had the next effort in the match, which was saved well by substitute Fraser Park goalkeeper, James Husoy.
In injury time, things deteriorated for Fraser Park when Ustimenko was shown a straight red card for a dangerous challenge; from the resulting free-kick, Yianni Fragogiannis almost snuck his shot in at the near post.
In the 7th minute of stoppage time, Trajkovski scored his fourth goal of the match and his 16th of the season after he bundled the ball over the line to give the Flame a 6-1 win over Fraser Park.
The win for the Flame kept them in 2nd, three points behind the Newcastle Jets.
South Coast Flame FC have the bye in Round 11, while Fraser Park FC will hope to respond when they travel to face Inner West Hawks FC.
South Coast Flame FC 6 (Michael Trajkovski 23’, 46’, 71’, 90+7’; Genki Iwata 57’; Alexander Alston 73’)
Fraser Park FC 1 (Alexander Nicolosi 46’; David Ustimenko 90+4’ red card)
Sunday, 14th April 2024
Sydney University SFC 0-5 Newcastle Jets
The Newcastle Jets continue to fire at the top of the league as they picked up a third-consecutive clean sheet in a big 5-0 away victory over Sydney University SFC, who suffered a fourth-straight loss.
University started the match well in the first 15 minutes, but in the 16th minute were undone when passing at the back; Justin Vidic stole the ball and converted in a one-on-one situation to give the Jets the early 1-0 lead.
Newcastle scored a second goal in the 33rd minute through Vidic once more as the hosts’ mistakes cost them early.
The students held the ball but could not create against a resolute Jets side, who linked well centrally and had a few more half-chances in the first half but took their two-goal lead into the break.
In the second half, the Jets got on top in the contest and scored goals in quick succession; their third goal fell to Will Dobson, who found the back of the net in the 55th minute for the Jets.
Four minutes later, Janni Rafty scored the Jets’ fourth as the result went beyond doubt.
Despite some good saves from University goalkeeper, Jasper Sarkies, the Jets scored a fifth in the 64th minute through Dobson to round out the scoring for the Jets.
University created a few half-chances in the final 20 minutes of the match, one of which was an effort from Peter Zervos from point-blank range which was saved well by Jets’ goalkeeper, Zac Bowling.
The Jets saw out the match and kept their clean sheet in a 5-0 away victory over University.
The win for the Jets kept them on top of the ladder, three points ahead of 2nd-place South Coast Flame FC.
University will hope to end their losing streak when they host Hurstville FC in Round 11, while the Newcastle Jets will hope to extend their lead at the top of the table when they host Granville Rage.
Sydney University SFC 0
Newcastle Jets 5 (Justin Vidic 16’, 33’; Will Dobson 55’, 64’; Janni Rafty 59’)
Granville Rage 2-4 Inner West Hawks FC
Inner West Hawks FC ended a run of back-to-back losses with a strong 4-2 away win over Granville Rage.
The Hawks started well through the league’s top goal scorer, Takuma Hirano, in the 21st minute after a long ball found him out wide; he took his first-touch shot from outside the box, catching out Rage goalkeeper, Samuel Bortolazzo, to give the away side a 1-0 lead.
Inner West scored again in the 34th minute through Peter Phillips, who came in well from the left wing and slotted the ball home for the Hawks’ second goal.
Two minutes later, however, the Rage struck back after they won a penalty in the 36th minute after Lawrence Claxton fouled a Rage player in the box; the spot-kick was converted by Ante Tomic as the Rage halved their deficit.
The Hawks re-took their two-goal lead in the 44th minute when Hirano grabbed his double; he scored with a header at the back post from a corner to give the Hawks control of the match back.
However, in the 58th minute, the Rage capitalised on a Hawks’ mistake and their leading goal scorer, Nikola Todoroski, scored his 11th goal of the season to make the score 3-2.
The Hawks made a few changes, including bringing on Sam Notarangelo, who scored in the 74th minute to give the Hawks a 4-2 lead.
From there, the Hawks kept playing forward and kept the pressure on as they came away with a 4-2 victory.
The win for the Hawks kept them within touching distance of the top sides, while the loss for the Rage dropped them to 7th.
Inner West Hawks FC will hope to win again when they host Fraser Park FC next week, while Granville Rage will hope to respond to the defeat when they travel to face the Newcastle Jets.
Granville Rage 2 (Ante Tomic 36’; Nikola Todoroski 58’)
Inner West Hawks FC 4 (Takuma Hirano 21’, 44’; Peter Phillips 34’; Sam Notarangelo 74’)
South Coast Flame FC had a bye this week and stayed in 2nd-place.
By Football New South Wales League Two Men’s Reporter, Dylan Costa @_dylancosta
