Round 9 Review – League One Men’s
Round nine of the FNSW League One Men’s saw movement at the top and bottom of the table as we entered the third month of the campaign.
Our match of the round saw Blacktown Spartans continue their positive run of form.
Elsewhere, Bankstown City won their sixth straight game and Dulwich Hill climbed out of the bottom two.
Match of the Round: Blacktown Spartans 2-1 Canterbury Bankstown
Capitalising on key moments, Blacktown Spartans secured their sixth win of the season to go equal top, prevailing 2-1 over Canterbury Bankstown at Blacktown Football Park.
Ahead of a big game next weekend against Northern Tigers, James Demetriou’s side took the lead twice, with Darcy Ellem and Suleyman Bangura finding the back of the net, while the Berries found an earlier equaliser through William Kounnas.
The Spartans started the game on the front foot in suffocating fashion, with much of the football in the opening quarter-hour played in their attacking half.
That start was rewarded with a goal in the 12th minute, Ellem applying a composed right-footed finish on the end of a Dion Carle ball through the defensive line.
Both sides’ defensive lines were kept busy, with each team looking to exploit the space in behind.
Canterbury Bankstown had their best chance of the match up to that point in the 21st minute, when a searching long ball from Finley Hayhurst found William Kounnas, whose shot from around 20 yards missed narrowly to the left.
The Spartans had a golden opportunity to double their lead in the 33rd minute, with Ellem nearly adding an assist to his name. His ball across the face of goal couldn’t be steered home by Aedon Kyra.
The visitors perhaps finished the half the stronger, though the score remained unchanged at the break.
Chances dried up in the early stages of the second half as the game took on an attritional nature, before Dennis Jang nearly snuck home a curling effort just before the hour from a left-wing position for the Berries.
Jang was involved in the equaliser less than ten minutes later, released down the left after a lovely passing interchange before picking out William Kounnas, who tapped home from close range.
However, like their last fixture, the Spartans’ response was almost immediate, and they were the side to claim all three points. Two substitutes combined in the 81st minute for what proved to be the winner, with Christian Nascimben overlapping to play a low ball to Suleyman Bangura, who controlled and finished from close range.
The Spartans held on for the three points, which sees them go equal top, while Canterbury Bankstown slipped to eleventh, two points above the relegation play-off spot.
Blacktown Spartans 2 (Ellem 12’, Bangura 81’)
Canterbury Bankstown 1 (Kounnas 73’)
Elsewhere
Northern Tigers 1-2 Central Coast Mariners
Central Coast Mariners handed Northern Tigers their first defeat of the season in a shock result at North Turramurra Recreation Area.
Crucial to the win was how the visitors started, opening the scoring in the 8th minute through Cooper Hall, who volleyed home after a good passage of play. Another chance fell their way minutes later, but they were unable to capitalise.
The Tigers, for their part, created some good chances in the first half, one of which resulted in an own goal in the 18th minute to draw them level.
It wasn’t the best day in front of goal for Milad Popalzay’s side, who struggled to convert their chances and were punished with just over ten minutes remaining when Laurence Taylor restored the Mariners’ lead. The visitors held on late, withstanding significant pressure.
Northern Tigers 1 (Celebija OG 18’)
Central Coast Mariners 2 (Hall 8’, Taylor 79’)
Newcastle Jets 4-3 Western City Rangers
An Ethan Debono hat-trick inspired Newcastle Jets to a 4-3 win over Western City Rangers at home on Saturday evening.
After speaking pre-match about starting games better, the hosts raced out of the blocks, scoring through Debono in the 3rd minute. Both sides exchanged goals throughout the first half, with Dimo Dimo equalising in the 10th minute for the Rangers before Debono added the Jets’ second in the 19th.
Western City Rangers worked hard to take the lead into the break, with Hugo Cornish scoring a brace before the half-hour mark.
That lead lasted ten minutes into the second half before Debono completed his hat-trick. The pick of the goals proved decisive, coming from substitute Lucas Johnson. The academy’s efficiency in front of goal was the decisive factor in this one.
Newcastle Jets 4 (Debono 3’, 19’, 56’, Johnson 72’)
Western City Rangers 3 (Dimo 10’, Cornish 25’, 30’)
Bankstown City 2-1 Bulls FC Academy
Bankstown City secured their sixth straight win against Bulls FC Academy at Jensen Park, placing themselves within striking distance of the top two after a rough start to the year.
Leading for much of the match, a Blake Ricciuto goal minutes after the academy side equalised proved the difference, with the hosts taking out the game 2-1.
Described as their best performance of late by coach Fabian Micelli, it was a display full of heart, particularly after losing two players to injury in the warm-up.
Bankstown put together a strong first half, rewarded with a Jonathan Grozdanovski goal before the break.
They had to be at their best against a Bulls FC Academy side that pushed them, as evidenced by Henrique Oliveira’s equaliser in the 68th minute.
The hosts were not to be denied, responding emphatically seconds later, with Ricciuto heading home from a set piece to secure the three points.
Bankstown City 2 (Grozdanovski 33’, Ricciuto 70’)
Bulls FC Academy 1 (Oliveira 68’)
Hakoah FC 2-0 Hills United
Hakoah FC picked up an important win to move away from the bottom two, defeating Hills United by a two-goal margin.
Coming in without a win in over a month, two goals in three minutes midway through the first half proved decisive.
Hills United had a few early chances before the hosts struck with a quick one-two. Ryoma Takagi opened the scoring in the 18th minute after a strong team move, before Cam Philpot doubled the lead soon after with a tap-in following a goalmouth scramble.
Both teams shared chances in the second half, with Hills pushing, but they couldn’t find a breakthrough. Hakoah recorded their second clean sheet and second win of the season.
Hakoah FC 2 (Takagi 18’, Philpot 21’)
Hills United 0
Dulwich Hill 3-2 Hurstville Zagreb
Dulwich Hill picked up their second win in as many weeks in dramatic fashion, overcoming Hurstville Zagreb 3-2 at Arlington Oval.
The win lifted them out of the bottom two for the time being, with an 85th-minute strike from Marcus Lal securing the three points.
An even first half saw Hurstville Zagreb take a 2-1 lead into the break. An early own goal opened the scoring before Nikola Todoroski converted from the spot in the 35th minute. Jacob Palamidas had earlier equalised for Dulwich Hill with a strike from outside the box.
The second half was a different story, with Dulwich Hill raising their level while the visitors dropped off. Palamidas completed his brace in the 68th minute after a nice build-up and an assist from Harry Jones.
Marcus Lal then scored the winner from a set piece, pouncing on a rebound off the post with five minutes of regulation remaining.
Dulwich Hill 3 (Palamidas 23’, 68’, Lal 85’)
Hurstville Zagreb 2 (Di Blasio 4’, Todoroski 35’)
Macarthur Rams 3-0 Prospect United
Macarthur Rams returned to winning ways with a three-goal victory over Prospect United at Lynwood Park on Saturday evening.
After narrowly falling short against Bankstown City last weekend, the hosts made sure of things this time and were rewarded with a convincing win.
They took a two-goal lead into half-time and never lost control. Olivier Beltran-Woodward opened the scoring in the 21st minute after a through ball from Chan Yelchan, before Jaidyn Dunn doubled the lead with a chipped finish from a Cooper Widdup pass.
Dunn then added his second before the hour from a Jacob Esposito assist, sealing the result. Prospect suffered from an extensive injury list in this match.
Macarthur Rams 3 (Beltran-Woodward 21’, Dunn 27’, 59’)
Prospect United 0
Rydalmere Lions 1-1 Inter Lions
Inter Lions gained their second point in a fortnight, holding Rydalmere Lions to a draw at Rydalmere Park.
It marks the second time they’ve drawn with a top-half side—could this be the start of a run? Meanwhile, Rydalmere remain with just one loss from their first nine games.
A common theme in Rydalmere matches has been their low-scoring nature, and this was no different. Adil Toska gave the hosts an early lead in the 3rd minute, before James Andrianakos equalised just after the half-hour mark.
Inter are also starting to see players return to the team sheet as they continue their search for a first win.
Rydalmere Lions 1 (Toska 3’)
Inter Lions 1 (Andrianakos 33’)
By Justin Smith
