Round 12 Review – League Two Men’s
More goal-fests were on show in Round 12 of the 2024 Football NSW League Two Men’s season as big results tightened the table following a super Saturday of action.
The Match of the Round this week saw Prospect United SC score in a blitz as they came away with a big away win over Fraser Park FC.
Saturday, 27th April 2024
Match of the Round: Fraser Park FC 1-4 Prospect United SC
Prospect United SC responded to back-to-back losses in a big way after they came away with a 4-1 away victory over Fraser Park FC.
The visitors got off to the perfect start within the first minute of the match when a through ball found the returning striker, Anthony Idehen, who got around his defender and slotted the ball home into the bottom-left corner of the net to give Prospect a 1-0 lead.
1-0 soon became 2-0 when, in the 13th minute, Prospect’s Jacob Micallef crossed the ball into the six-yard-box, onto the head of Idehen, who nodded home from close range to double the visitors lead early.
Three minutes later, Prospect continued their early onslaught from a corner, which was delivered in by Micallef onto the head of Hristopher Neskovski, who headed home after he had got in between a few Fraser Park defenders – Prospect had an early 3-0 lead.
Fraser Park had to be the next to score and were, in the 25th minute, when a shot which was saved by Prospect goalkeeper Connor Gilbert, who came in for the injured Brendan Allen – the ball then fell into the path of David Ustimenko, who slotted the ball into the empty net to reduce Fraser Park’s deficit to two goals.
Prospect did not let their heads drop, however, and a minute later scored their fourth goal – a ball cut back from the by-line down the left flank found Corey Smith in the middle of the box, who calmly slotted the ball home from six yards with defenders around him to give Prospect a 4-1 lead.
Prospect had the next chance in the match when Idehen fired a shot at the near post, which was saved by Fraser Park goalkeeper, Amaro Ferreria, before Fraser Park had a chance themselves which was saved well down low by Gilbert.
The visitors had most of the ball in the first half and had another chance through Idehen, who cut in from the left flank and fired a shot towards the bottom-right corner, which was saved well down low by Ferreira.
Idehen terrorised the right side of the Fraser Park defence in the first half; his double helped give Prospect a 4-1 lead at half-time.
Prospect had the first two chances within seven minutes of the second half – the first was a shot from 25 yards from Reo Hirose which flew wide of the left-hand post, while the next was a shot from Neskovski which went over the goal.
Fraser Park had a dangerous attack shortly after but were unable to reach a ball played into the middle of the box as the match slowed right down.
There were no chances between the 54th and 67th minute, when Fraser Park had a long shot saved well down to the left by Gilbert for a corner; Prospect’s Jacob Micallef broke from the resulting Fraser Park corner but fired his shot at the other end high and wide right of the goal.
Three minutes later, Prospect had a header which was mistimed across goal, before a long shot went wide of the left post.
Prospect substitute Tallon Zahra worked his way between defenders and into the box in the 72nd minute; he turned and shot on his right foot, but his shot was saved well by the outstretched legs of Ferreira.
Prospect came close to a fifth goal once again three minutes later with a break down the left flank, but the final effort was blazed over the bar.
Fraser Park had the next two chances in the match through substitutes Christian Dos Santos and Tommaso Pandolfo, but both were denied by strong saves by Gilbert.
Fraser Park’s biggest chance of the second half came in the 82nd minue following a strong solo run from Alexander Nicolosi, who got on the end of a through ball, weaved through defenders into the box, and took a shot on target which was saved well down low by the legs of Gilbert.
Prospect’s biggest chance of the second half came a minute later when Fraser Park gave the ball away near their own goal – the effort on goal from Prospect from 30 yards did not find the target, however, with the goalkeeper off his line.
Fraser Park had the final two chances of the match but were unable to change the scoreline, which read 4-1 to Prospect at the end of the night.
Speaking post-match, Prospect Head Coach Darren Camilleri said he was happy to change up the team’s structure to see how players best fit to get the most out of them in this match.
“We are a very young group – we are not going to score one million goals this year, but we do not want to concede a lot of goals, either, so our defensive structure is really good for our football model.”
Anthony Idehen came back after missing the past three matches and Camilleri had praise for what he brings to the team up front in the young squad, as well as where he hopes his team will be in the next twelve months.
“He is a big, strong, powerful player… we created ten or twelve really good chances today, which is a good thing… I think in the next twelve months, if we keep having this group, we will improve even more, with a few more additions.”
Speaking on their match at home to Sydney University SFC next week, Camilleri said a win against Fraser Park is what they needed for their confidence moving forward to that match.
“I was not really worried about how beautiful it looked, I just wanted it to be effective and the three points is good – hopefully with these guys, it can build their confidence.”
The win for Prospect moved them up to 11th place on the ladder, while the loss for Fraser Park was their third in a row and saw them drop to 13th place.
Fraser Park also crashed out of the Australia Cup in the fifth preliminary round midweek after a 3-0 away loss to National Premier League side, Blacktown City FC.
Fraser Park will hope to find a response when they host 7th-placed Central Coast United FC next week, while Prospect will hope to win back-to-back matches when they host 14th-placed Sydney University SFC in Round 13.
Fraser Park FC 1 (David Ustimenko 25’)
Prospect United SC 4 (Anthony Idehen 1’, 13’; Hristopher Neskovski 16’; Corey Smith 28’)
Central Coast United FC 0-2 Hawkesbury City FC
Hawkesbury City FC picked up a third win from their past five matches after they overcame Central Coast United FC 2-0 away from home.
There were two contrasting styles of football on display; Central Coast looked to play through the Hawkesbury pressure despite the difficult conditions, while Hawkesbury looked to play more direct with willing runners in behind the hosts.
Central Coast controlled the first 30 minutes of the match with quick play in tight spaces and had a one-on-one chance through Cade Mapu, which was saved by Hawkesbury goalkeeper, Daniel Schwarzer.
Hawkesbury had two one-on-ones to Duncan Stewart saved by Central Coast goalkeeper, Zayd Husain, before Anthony Pedavoli had an effort which went just over the goal for the visitors.
The hosts hit the outside of the post after a curling shot from Bret Sibanda; both sides had good chances to score in the first half but were unable to find the back of the net and went into the second half scoreless.
The match became scrappy in the second half, where Central Coast persisted and had a few half-chances but could not score, while Hawkesbury looked dangerous off second balls and runs in behind.
Hawkesbury broke the deadlock in the 79th minute following a corner when the ball fell to Tobias Elliott-Oar, who shot a deflected volley on goal which went into the back of the net to give the away side a 1-0 lead.
Harry Drew had a shot hit the bar and had another saved in a one-on-one, before Vincent D’Ermilio secured the victory for the Hawks in the third minute of stoppage time – he got on the end of a ball in behind on halfway from Drew and ran down the other end of the field before he slotted the ball home for a 2-0 victory.
The loss for Central Coast saw them drop to 7th place, while the win for Hawkesbury saw them rise to 12th place.
Central Coast also crashed out of the fifth preliminary round of the Australia Cup midweek away to Wollongong United FC after a 2-1 loss – after going down 2-0 following a Jack Barr own goal and a goal from Klime Sekutkoski, a 68th minute goal from substitute Noah Crossingham was not enough to inspire them to a comeback.
Central Coast United will hope to record a win when they travel to face 13th-placed Fraser Park FC next week, while Hawkesbury will hope to prevail in a battle of the birds when they travel to face 10th-placed Parramatta FC in Round 13.
Central Coast United FC 0
Hawkesbury City FC 2 (Tobias Elliott-Oar 79’; Vincent D’Ermilio 90+3’)
Gladesville Ryde Magic 2-4 Camden Tigers FC
Camden Tigers FC came from behind twice to come away from Christie Park with a big 4-2 victory over Gladesville Ryde Magic.
In a highly competitive start to the match, there were chances at both ends in what was an open game.
Gladesville scored the opener in the 10th minute when Stefan Baker closed in on Camden goalkeeper, Joshua Glasson, and forced an error before he slotted the ball home to give the hosts an early 1-0 lead.
The Tigers responded quickly, however, after a ball over the top of the Magic defence found Bailey Simpson, who slotted the ball into the bottom corner to restore parity at 1-1.
The Magic took a 2-1 lead into half-time, whenever, when a quick throw-in from Oscar Felipe Neto Rava saw Aram Tayebi slot the ball into the bottom corner in the 34th minute.
Camden came out quickly in the second half, however, with a few positional changes and restored parity once more at 2-2 following a set piece which was cleared as far as Shaun Irwin, who volleyed the ball home from the top of the box.
The visitors then took the lead five minutes later when half-time substitute Andrew Head scored with his head from a set piece – that goal put Camden ahead for the first time in the match at 3-2.
The Magic had plenty of chances to equalise but were denied by good saves from Glasson, who kept the Tigers in the lead.
Camden wrapped up the victory in the 72nd minute when Jack Harris got down the other end of the field and got on the end of a ball played to him across the box, where he scored to give Camden a 4-2 lead.
The end of the match was high tempo with more chances to both teams, but Camden saw out the strong victory away from home, 4-2.
The win for Camden saw them rise into the top half of the table, into 6th place, while the loss for the Magic was their seventh in a row and kept them rooted to the bottom of the league.
The Magic will hope to snap their losing streak and cause a big upset when they host the top-of-the-table Newcastle Jets in Round 13, while the Tigers will hope to continue to prove their fighting spirit when they host 4th-placed South Coast Flame FC.
Gladesville Ryde Magic 2 (Stefan Baker 10’; Aram Tayebi 34’)
Camden Tigers FC 4 (Bailey Simpson 26’; Shaun Irwin 52’; Andrew Head 57’; Jack Harris 72’)
Inner West Hawks FC 1-1 Newcastle Jets
A big match between two sides in a packed top half of the table saw Inner West Hawks FC and the Newcastle Jets play out a tight 1-1 draw at Arlington Oval.
In an even match where both teams fought hard, the Hawks opened the scoring in the 16th minute when Lawrence Claxton got his eye on goal from outside the box and hit a strike on his weak foot which found the back of the net to give the hosts an early 1-0 lead – that was Claxton’s first goal since being converted from a centre-half to a striker.
The Jets equalised in the 41st minute from a free-kick from Janni Rafty, which swerved away from goal and went in at the near post – that ensured the teams were level at 1-1 at half-time.
In the second half, the Hawks looked to play Takuma Hirano and Peter Yannopoulos in behind to cause the Jets problems.
The Hawks had a shout for a penalty turned down in the final five minutes of the match after a collision between Yannopoulos and Jets’ goalkeeper, Zac Bowling, but had their appeal turned down as they hunted a late winner.
The Hawks defence, including captain Sid Malhotra and Taro Regan Williams, restricted the Jets in the match; neither side could find the winner as the match finished level at 1-1.
The draw for the Hawks saw them go three matches unbeaten and moved them level on 21 points with 4th-placed South Coast Flame FC and 3rd-placed Mounties Wanderers FC, while the point for the Jets saw their lead at the top of the table cut to just two points over 2nd-placed Bankstown United FC.
Inner West Hawks will hope to continue their good form after their bye in Round 13, while the Newcastle Jets will face off in a first-versus-last match-up away to Gladesville Ryde Magic.
Inner West Hawks FC 1 (Lawrence Claxton 16’)
Newcastle Jets 1 (Janni Rafty 41’)
Hurstville FC 3-1 Parramatta FC
Hurstville’s good run of form continued with a fourth-straight win after they held off Parramatta FC in a 3-1 home win.
Both teams started fast but Hurstville showed their strengths early with hard work and mobility across the pitch, with strong technical abilities to keep the ball and attack in the final third in a fast start.
The hosts were rewarded in the 9th minute when Alexander Morabito crossed the ball to Paul Gagro, who headed the ball back across goal to Andre Guzman – he finished from close range to give Hurstville an early 1-0 lead.
Hurstville continued to cause Parramatta problems in attack through Guzman and Juan Da Silva out wide – the hosts had multiple shots saved and blocked in the first half, while Parramatta, meanwhile, played direct and had a few dangerous situations off set pieces.
Hurstville scored their second in the 28th minute when good build-up play saw Conor Earley chip a ball to Pedro Almeida, who volleyed the ball home to give the hosts a 2-0 lead.
Da Silva had a few chances saved by Parramatta goalkeeper, Jameson Hinwood, before another effort was blasted over the goal, but Hurstville took a 2-0 lead into half-time.
Parramatta made changes at half-time to address their situation and scored in the 49th minute following a corner where the ball fell to Ali Chamsin in the box following a scramble – he finished off the chance to reduce the deficit for Parramatta to two goals.
The visitors looked to win second balls up the pitch and had a few set pieces which Hurstville defended to keep their two-goal lead intact, thanks to the likes of Daniel Maras at the back.
Paul Gagro continued to put crosses in from the right wing, while substitutes Mouhamed Hamdache and Jesse Gagro made an impact when they came on.
Hurstville continued to create chances and ensured victory in the 86th minute when Hamdache broke down the left flank and played a low cross to Jesse Gagro, who finished first-time to ensure the three points for the hosts in a 3-1 win.
The win for Hurstville saw them continue to rise as they moved into 9th-place on the table, while the loss for Parramatta saw them drop below Hurstville into 10th-place.
Hurstville will hope to continue their strong run of form as they chase a fifth-straight win when they host 3rd-placed Mounties Wanderers FC next week, while Parramatta will hope to respond to defeat in a battle of the birds when they host 12th-placed Hawkesbury City FC in Round 13.
Hurstville FC 3 (Andre Guzman 9’; Pedro Almeida 28’; Jesse Gagro 86’)
Parramatta FC 1 (Ali Chamsin 49’)
Bankstown United FC 3-0 Sydney University SFC
Bankstown United FC secured the victory late for their fourth-straight win after a 3-0 home success over Sydney University SFC.
University started brightly and had several shots from range in the opening exchanges of the match, but could not find an early goal, while they also defended well to deny the hosts.
Bankstown had many corners in the first half which were defended well by University, while on the stroke of half-time Harry Pilkington had a big one-on-one chance but was denied by a good save from Bankstown goalkeeper, Mitchell Evans, who kept the match scoreless at half-time.
University had a lot of possession in the second half but could not create any clear-cup goal scoring opportunities.
As the half progressed, Bankstown caused problems for the visitors and found the opener in the 63rd minute when a ball squared across the 18-yard-box found Marie Gauthier, who struck his shot past University goalkeeper, Jasper Sarkies, at the near post to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.
Bankstown continued to attack and doubled their lead in the 84th minute through their leading goal scorer for the season in Mitchell Cross, who converted from close range for his 14th goal of the season to put the hosts 2-0 up.
The hosts wrapped up the win in the sixth minute of stoppage time when substitute Javan Blagojevic finished off a chance at the back post to give Bankstown a 3-0 win over University.
The win for Bankstown saw them move to 25 points, two points off the league-leading Newcastle Jets, in 2nd place, while the loss for University was their seventh in a row and saw them stay in 14th place.
Bankstown will hope to potentially move to the top of the league when they host the 8th-placed Granville Rage in Round 13, while University will hope to end their losing streak when they travel to face 11th-placed Prospect United SC.
Bankstown United FC 3 (Marie Gauthier 63’; Mitchell Cross 84’; Jovan Blagojevic 90+6’)
Sydney University SFC 0
Granville Rage 5-3 South Coast Flame FC
Granville Rage extended their head-to-head unbeaten streak against South Coast Flame FC from last season after they came away with a 5-3 win in an entertaining match.
The Rage started the match brightly with a chance to Nikola Todoroski, while for the Flame Genki Iwata fired wide from the edge of the box.
Granville took the lead in the 14th minute when Jacob Carluccio latched onto a loose ball on the edge of the box and curled an effort into the top corner to give the Rage a 1-0 advantage.
Four minutes later, the Rage doubled their advantage when a cross to the far post was headed back to the edge of the box to Jad Moussa, who fired a shot into the back of the net from range to give the Rage a 2-0 lead.
The Flame had a good shot from Iwata which was saved by Rage goalkeeper, Samuel Bortolazzo, as well as another shot from Alexander Alston which produced the same result.
South Coast pulled a goal back in the 33rd minute when Iwata was played through on goal – he finished off his chance to make the scoreline 2-1 to the Rage at half-time.
Iwata continued to be dangerous for the Flame after the break and put a tantalising low ball into the box which evaded three Flame players in the 52nd minute.
One minute later, the Rage exerted their control in the match with a third goal when Ante Tomic went on a dissecting run through the Flame defence and scored off his individual effort to give the Rage a 3-1 lead.
Two minutes following that goal, the Rage all but wrapped up the victory through their top goal scorer for the season in Todoroski, who scored 11th goal of the season into the bottom corner to give the Rage a 4-1 lead.
Jad Moussa had a strong effort saved by Flame goalkeeper, Jordan Bruce, on the hour, before he made a darting run into the box two minutes later and was brought down for a penalty – Ante Tomic made no mistake from the spot as he scored the Rage’s fifth goal of the match.
The Flame did not give up, however, and had a strong effort from Michael Trajkovski saved by Bortolazzo in the 67th minute.
Five minutes later, the Flame scored their second goal when Iwata crossed the ball to Trajkovski, who flicked the ball home from close range to make the score 5-2 to the Rage.
With the final meaningful action of the match in stoppage time, the Flame added a third goal when Yianni Fragogiannis scored directly from a free-kick just outside the box – the damage was already done, however, as the Rage came away with a big 5-3 home win.
The victory for the Rage saw them respond to back-to-back defeats as they rose up to 8th-place on the table, while the loss for the Flame was their first in four matches and saw them stay in 4th-place.
Granville will hope to win back-to-back matches when they travel to face the high-flying 2nd-placed Bankstown United FC next week, while South Coast will hope to return to the winner’s circle when they host 6th-placed Camden Tigers FC.
Granville Rage 5 (Jacob Carluccio 14’; Jad Moussa 18’; Ante Tomic 53’, 63’ pen; Nikola Todoroski 56’)
South Coast Flame FC 3 (Genki Iwata 33’; Michael Trajkovski 72’; Yianni Fragogiannis 90+2’)
Mounties Wanderers FC had a bye in Round 12 and remained in 3rd place on 21 points.
By Football New South Wales League Two Men’s Reporter, Dylan Costa (@_dylancosta)
