Round 11 Review – League Two Men’s
Round 11 of the 2024 Football NSW League Two Men’s season saw late drama across many matches, with last-minute goals and tackles deciding the outcomes.
The Match of the Round this week saw Central Coast United FC bounce back from their last-start loss after they took down Gladesville Ryde Magic in the rain in a match which had a tight finish.
Saturday, 20th April 2024
Match of the Round: Gladesville Ryde Magic 0-1 Central Coast United FC
Central Coast United FC held on in the rain for a tight 1-0 away win over Gladesville Ryde Magic FC in a tense Match of the Round.
With the rain pouring onto the artificial pitch, neither side was able to create many chances in the match – the first attempted shot came in the 14th minute from Gladesville, who had a dribbled effort on goal collected by Pirates goalkeeper, Zayd Husain.
Four minutes later, a dangerous ball in from the right from the Magic almost found Genki Kohyama in the middle, but the ball was just ahead of him as he dived for it.
Micheal Singh was a danger for the Pirates in the first half, bombing up and down the right flank from right fullback, putting dangerous crosses into the box.
The away side had the next few opportunities in the match in the 22nd and 24th minute, respectively; first, a shot was dragged wide by the Pirates before the Magic’s Aaron Khan put in a crucial tackle to stop the Pirates from getting into the box.
The Pirates defence, meanwhile, covered well whenever the Magic had chances to run with the ball.
In the 41st minute, Singh got to the byline for the Pirates and crossed the ball in, which took a little deflection and was palmed away by Magic goalkeeper, Vasos Kartambis.
The last chance in a first half where neither side was able to create any clear-cut chances fell to the Magic, when Kohyama got on the end of a corner with a powerful header on target, which was saved by Husain before the ball was put out for another corner.
The final ball was missing for both sides in the first half, while good defending from the Pirates in their box kept the Magic at bay as the teams entered half-time locked at 0-0.
To start the second half, neither side was able to create any meaningful chances in the wet conditions, with an audacious volley and a chipped effort from the Magic’s Stefan Baker the highlights from the first ten minutes of the second period.
The Pirates had the next chance in the 58th minute through Bret Sibanda, who got the ball off a throw-in and lined up a shot from 25 yards, which just sailed past the left-hand post.
A double change for the Pirates in the 71st minute brought with it immediate good luck when they hit the lead.
The Magic had tried to play a pass out from the back, which was intercepted by the Pirates’ substitute, Xavier Williams; he played the ball forward to substitute Euan Mcevoy-Folland, who in turn played the ball across the box to Cade Mapu where he settled and slotted the ball into the back of the net with a calm right-footed finish for a 1-0 lead.
The Pirates had dominated possession so far in the match and held off the Magic on the counter; they also had the next chance three minutes later when Mapu got in behind down the left and squared the ball to Mcevoy-Folland, who could not fashion a shot on goal from inside the box.
Central Coast had the next two chances in quick succession in the 75th and 77th minute, respectively, when Mapu was found at the back post with a cross but was unable to get a touch on the ball, before substitute Jesi Wanjohi had an effort aimed for the top-right corner fly high and wide of the target.
The Magic had consecutive chances in the 85th and 86th minute, respectively, when a header off a corner from the right sailed just wide of the left-hand post before a fingertip save from Husain denied the Magic from a header from open play.
The Pirates had a shot from the edge of the box sailed just wide of the left-hand post in the 88th minute, but it was the Magic who had the biggest chance late to salvage a draw in the first minute of stoppage time.
Christopher Guyot had gotten into the box late and lined up a shot with only Husain to beat, but the Pirates’ Khan recovered quickly and put in a crucial tackle to block the shot from close range.
After three minutes of added time, the referee blew for full time – the Pirates picked up the three points in a tight and tense contest.
Speaking post-match, Central Coast United Head Coach, Shannon Cole, said he was proud of the whole team, from the starting 11 to the final squad out there.
“Really happy – quite a young team by the time we finished there tonight, so I am really happy for all the boys that have been working hard and waiting for opportunities to have a good impact on that last 30 minutes.”
The most pleasing part for Cole was the resilience his side showed to hold on for the win late in the tough conditions.
“It was awesome to see the young boys step up late and take real leadership and ownership of that moment that we were going to get the job done.”
With more midweek matches coming up, Cole said his side relishes the opportunities they have to get out there and play.
“Once you’re out there on the pitch, the players usually do not complain too much – that is where they want to be more than anywhere else, so it is just about keeping them happy and healthy.”
The loss for the Magic was their 6th in a row and kept them rooted to the bottom of the ladder in 15th, while the win for the Pirates was their third from their past five matches and moved them to within three points of 3rd place in 6th.
The Magic will hope to end their losing streak when host 7th-placed Camden Tigers FC next week, while the Pirates travel to face Wollongong United FC in the fourth preliminary round of the Australia Cup on Wednesday, 24th April, before they host 12th-placed Hawkesbury City FC in Round 12.
Gladesville Ryde Magic 0
Central Coast United FC 1 (Cade Mapu 71’)
Sydney University SFC 0-1 Hurstville FC
Hurstville FC continued their strong run of form and picked up a third-straight head-to-head victory over Sydney University SFC after a tight, last-minute 1-0 away win at a rain-soaked University ground.
University was more settled to start the match in the wet conditions, with an early chance to Isaac Folkes which was just off target, while the ball speed for Hurstville was slow early.
After the opening 20 minutes, Hurstville had a good spell where they won the ball high and had a few chances through Jacob Ritchie which were saved by University goalkeeper, Jasper Sarkies, one of those saves coming from a deflected effort.
Hurstville started turning the ball over after that and last-ditch defending from the away side kept University at bay.
The hosts had the biggest chance of the half when they were awarded a penalty just before the break, but Hurstville goalkeeper Michael Rutherford guessed the right way and saved the penalty onto the post, before it deflected onto the back of his legs and away to ensure the two teams went into half-time level at 0-0.
Hurstville came out with more intent in the second half and looked to drive University back, but lacked the final pass, as they looked to shoot from range.
Juan Da Silva and Jacob Botic made good impacts off the bench for Hurstville; the latter hit the crossbar shortly after coming on.
University looked to work the ball in behind Hurstville and had two good chances; the first saw University unable to score from a one-on-one scenario, before an attempted finish at the back post went wide.
Ritchie had two headers from close range but was unable to find the target, before Jesse Gagro came on late and made a significant impact.
In the third minute of stoppage time, Jesse Gagro broke through following a throw-in and slipped the ball to Botic, who crossed the ball to Declan Sheldon at the back post; he slotted the ball past Sarkies, with one of the final actions of the match to earn all three points for Hurstville in a tight 1-0 win.
The loss for University was their fifth in a row and kept them in 13th, but they will be hopeful of turning a corner going forward after big performances throughout in this match, while the win for Hurstville was their third in a row, all away from home, as they continued their hot streak and rose up to 9th place.
University will hope to continue to put in good performances and have a result to show for it when they travel to face Parramatta FC in a Round 9 catchup match on Tuesday, 23rd April, before they travel to face 2nd-placed Bankstown United FC next week, while Hurstville return home and will hunt a fourth-straight win when they host 10th-placed Parramatta FC.
Sydney University 0
Hurstville FC 1 (Declan Sheldon 90+3)
Camden Tigers FC 1-1 Mounties Wanderers FC
Stoppage-time drama saw Camden Tigers FC escape with a 1-1 draw at home to Mounties Wanderers FC in a rain-soaked match.
The Tigers tried to stop Mounties from playing in behind in the first half and did so successfully, with lots of running and effort put in to keep the scores level at 0-0 at half-time.
Camden goalkeeper, Joshua Glasson, made some good saves throughout the match to prevent Mounties from taking the lead through both Brima Kamara and Yuki Kanai and kept the Tigers in the contest.
Mounties came close to scoring early in the second half after Anthony Windsor had a shot from around 40 yards, which lobbed Glasson and hit the crossbar – Mounties were close to finding the opening goal.
As the Tigers got more tired, however, the Wanderers had more success and capitalised in the 74th minute.
Yuki Kanai scored his 12th goal of the season to put Mounties ahead as they looked to keep up with the Newcastle Jets near the top of the ladder.
From there, Mounties continued to push forward but they were unable to find a second goal to seal the match.
The Tigers made a few tactical changes and had some success, before their hard work paid off in the sixth minute of stoppage time.
Brendan Lane scored the goal at the death to ensure the Tigers came away with a point in a 1-1 draw at home to one of the teams running near the top of the league.
The point for Camden saw them remain in 7th place, three points behind 6th-placed Central Coast United FC, while the draw for Mounties saw them remain in 3rd-place but drop to six points behind league leaders, the Newcastle Jets.
Camden will hope to continue their scoring streak when they travel to face 15th-placed Gladesville Ryde Magic in Round 12, while Mounties have a crucial Round 9 catch-up match at home to South Coast Flame FC on Tuesday, 23rd April, before their bye in Round 12.
Camden Tigers FC 1 (Brendan Lane 90+6)
Mounties Wanderers FC 1 (Yuki Kanai 74’)
Prospect United SC 0-3 Parramatta FC
Parramatta FC won a second match from their past three and kept a clean sheet for the second match in three, after they defeated Prospect United SC 3-0 away from home.
The Eagles capitalised on a chance early in the 4th minute when Jordan Parfait was fouled in the box after he had made a good run; Youssef Badr converted from the penalty spot to give the away side an early 1-0 lead.
Prospect were off the pace early against a physical Parramatta side and that showed when the Eagles scored again.
Parramatta doubled their lead in the 19th minute when Gabriel Contigiani scored with a header off a set piece to put the visitors in a prime position early in the contest.
The Eagles took a 3-0 lead into half-time when Mouhammed Bakr finished off a counterattack for Parramatta to put them in a commanding position at the break.
In the second half, Prospect came at Parramatta, but the Eagles withheld their pressure to finish the match with a clean sheet as they picked up a strong 3-0 away win.
The loss for Prospect was their second in a row and saw them drop to 11th-place, while the win for Parramatta was their second in three matches as they rose to 10th.
Both sides have many injuries and will hope to welcome some players back soon – Prospect will hope their young side can pick up a first win in three weeks when they travel to face 14th-placed Fraser Park FC next week, while Parramatta will hope to win their first home match of the season when they host 13th-placed Sydney University SFC in a Round 9 catchup match on Tuesday, 23rd April, before they travel to face the in-form 9th-placed Hurstville FC in Round 12.
Prospect United SC 0
Parramatta FC 3 (Youssef Badr 4’ pen; Gabriel Contigiani 19’; Mouhammed Bakr 48’)
Bankstown United FC 5-3 Hawkesbury City FC
An eight-goal thriller saw Bankstown United FC come from behind and seal the match late in a 5-3 home win over Hawkesbury City FC.
Hawkesbury started well and opened the scoring in the 15th minute off a counterattack – Anthony Pedavoli crossed the ball to Vincent D’Ermilio, who picked up his 6th goal of the season to give the away side an early 1-0 lead.
Bankstown had the best of the next 25 minutes and capitalised with two goals to Mitchell Cross – the first came with a header in the 28th minute after a cross from wide found him at the back post.
The second goal for Cross came in the 38th minute from a similar situation, but this time the ball was finished at the feet by Cross as Bankstown hit the lead at 2-1.
Bankstown scored a third on the stroke of half-time when Mathew Cook got on the end of a through ball and struck an effort which ballooned over everyone and found the top-left corner from outside the box.
Six minutes into the second half, Bankstown scored a fourth goal when a good ball played through midfield found Josh Gersbach, who scored to give Bankstown a 4-1 lead.
Hawkesbury powered back into the contest, however, when Zac Miletic found the top corner with a shot from distance in the 58th minute to reduce the deficit to two goals.
Harry Drew then scored three minutes later for the Hawks when he found the back of the net from the top of the box to make the score 4-3 in Bankstown’s favour.
Hawkesbury thought they had the equaliser when the ball hit the back of the net once again, but the goal was ruled out for offside.
Corey Freeman gave Bankstown some breathing room in the 89th minute when he scored from a wide angle off a through ball in behind to give Bankstown a 5-3 lead.
The action was not done, however, as Hawkesbury were awarded a penalty in stoppage time, but the attempt from Duncan Stewart was saved by Bankstown goalkeeper, Mitchell Evans, as Bankstown took out the 5-3 win.
The win for Bankstown powered them up into 2nd-place on the ladder, four points behind the Newcastle Jets, while the loss for Hawkesbury dropped them to 12th.
Bankstown will hope to extend their winning streak to four matches and win an eight match of the season when they host 13th-placed Sydney University SFC next week, while Hawkesbury will hope to respond to defeat when they host 6th-placed Central Coast United FC.
Bankstown United FC 5 (Mitchell Cross 28, 38; Mathew Cook 45’; Josh Gersbach 51’; Corey Freeman 89’)
Hawkesbury City FC 3 (Vincent D’Ermilio 15’; Zac Miletic 58’; Harry Drew 61’)
Inner West Hawks FC 4-1 Fraser Park FC
Inner West Hawks FC picked up back-to-back wins after they came from behind to defeat Fraser Park FC 4-1 at home with a hat-trick hero.
Fraser Park, now coached by caretaker coach Robert Cicek, had control of the match early, despite the Hawks ability to enter their 18-yard-box and found the opening goal in the 22nd minute.
Alexander Nicolosi got on the end of a long ball played forward by Fraser Park goalkeeper, Amaro Ferreira, and found the back of the net past Hawks’ goalkeeper, Jai Ivelja, to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.
Fraser Park lost centre-half Paul Turrin to a hamstring injury in the first half as the Hawks fought to find the equaliser before half-time but were unable to, as Fraser Park took their one-goal advantage into the break.
The Hawks made two changes at half-time with Sidhya Malhotra and Lawrence Claxton coming on for Angelo Pezzano and Sam Notarangelo, respectively, and the hosts capitalised early in the second half.
In the 48th minute, a delivery from Stavros Palapanis found Jacob Palamidas at the back post, who scored with a header to restore parity at 1-1.
The Hawks had several attempts after that and found the lead in the 77th minute when Takuma Hirano broke through the Fraser Park defence down the left and got into the box before he cut the ball back to Palamidas, who scored his second goal of the night.
Despite the effort from Fraser Park, fatigue got to them and Palamidas completed his hat-trick in the 88th minute when he got on the end of a failed headed clearance by Fraser Park and fired a bouncing shot at goal, which went past Ferreira into the back of the net to give the Hawks a 3-1 lead.
The Hawks rounded out the scoring in the fourth minute of stoppage time when Palamidas took a shot on goal, which deflected off the shoulder of Takuma Hirano; the latter claimed his 16th goal of the season as the ball found the back of the net to secure a 4-1 win for the Hawks.
The win for the Hawks kept them in 5th-place but moved them level on points with 3rd-placed Mounties Wanderers FC and 4th-placed South Coast Flame FC, while the loss for Fraser Park dropped them to 14th.
Inner West Hawks will hope to keep progressing towards the top four when they host the ladder-leading Newcastle Jets next week, while Fraser Park will hope to find a response when they host 11th-placed Prospect United SC.
Inner West Hawks FC 4 (Jacob Palamidas 48’, 77’, 88’; Takuma Hirano 90+4)
Fraser Park FC 1 (Alexander Nicolosi 22’)
Sunday, 22nd April 2024
Newcastle Jets 2-1 Granville Rage
The Newcastle Jets continued to fire at the top of the league after they held on late for a crucial 2-1 home victory over Granville Rage in a tight contest.
Will Dobson helped the Jets take the lead early in the match in the 10th minute when he scored his fifth goal of the season to give Newcastle the early advantage in the contest.
That lead was carried through to half-time as the Jets held firm at the back once more for their 1-0 lead.
The hosts came out firing in the second half and doubled their lead in the 47th minute through Janni Rafty, who scored his seventh goal of the season to give the Jets a bit of breathing room in the match.
Following three made changes, the Rage hit back in the 70th minute when Timothy Borg-Williams found the back of the net to give the Rage hope of a comeback late.
The Rage were unable to find the equaliser, however, as the Jets held on late for a tight 2-1 home win.
The win for the Newcastle Jets ensured their four-point lead at the top of the ladder remained, now over 2nd-placed Bankstown United FC, while the loss for the Rage kept them in 8th-place but dropped them to one point behind 7th-placed Camden Tigers FC.
The Newcastle Jets will hope to potentially extend their lead at the top as they hunt a sixth-straight win, this time over the strong 5th-placed Inner West Hawks FC, while Granville Rage will hope to respond to a third loss in four matches when they host 4th-placed South Coast Flame FC.
Newcastle Jets 2 (Will Dobson 10’; Janni Rafty 47’)
Granville Rage 1 (Timothy Borg-Williams 70’)
South Coast Flame FC had a bye this week and dropped from 2nd to 4th.
By Football New South Wales League Two Men’s Reporter, Dylan Costa (@_dylancosta)
