Round 16 Review – League One Men’s

Seven of the top eight sides in the FNSW League One Men’s competition dropped points in Round 16, which was highlighted by a number of surprise results.

Let’s check out this weekend’s massive wrap up of matches.

Match of the Round: Western City Rangers 0-2 Macarthur Rams

Macarthur Rams claimed a season double over Western City Rangers with a 2-0 win at Popondetta Park on Saturday evening.

A return to winning ways for the visitors after a Round 15 defeat, their two attacking outlets in Oliver Beltran-Woodward and Chan Yelchan found the back of the net to secure the three points.

It was the Rams who settled into the contest the quickest, with their first clear-cut opportunity coming inside ten minutes. Oliver Beltran-Woodward hit the post, then put a shot wide from inside the six-yard box after a Chan Yelchan ball across the face was there to be finished.

The striker was not going to miss a second bite of the cherry on the quarter hour. A long throw from the left-hand side resulted in Chan Yelchan poking an effort goalwards, which was saved into the path of Beltran-Woodward, who finished from close range on the quarter hour.

Dan Mijovic’s side were unrelenting in the first quarter of the match, controlling the ball and field position as they searched for a second goal. Western City Rangers, for their part, had their first chance of goal through Hugo Cornish, who headed wide off a Jamal Belkadi corner after 25 minutes.

Though it was Macarthur who still looked the more likely, Beltran-Woodward had another chance on the half hour, followed by another Rams opportunity for Jaidynn Dunn five minutes later after a quick transition.

The Rams were on top in chances over the opening 45 minutes, though Western City Rangers grew into proceedings as the half went on.

Western City Rangers improved in the early stages of the second half, playing more of the game in the attacking half, with a big chance for an equaliser coming through Cornish, who could not get his shot on target after a corner was headed down into his path.

Though the visitors continued to create chances at the other end, with the game set up nicely for the final half hour.

The Rams put the game to bed in the final ten minutes. A swift passing move down the right saw Michael Martin combine with Jaidyn Dunn by the right byline, who sent a low ball across the face for Chan Yelchan to finish at the back post in the 81st minute.

Macarthur Rams are now moving back into the top six after 16 games, while the second-half performance should bring encouragement from a Western City Rangers perspective.

Western City Rangers 0
Macarthur Rams 2 (Beltran-Woodward 15’, Yelchan 81’)

Elsewhere

Canterbury Bankstown 2-1 Northern Tigers

Canterbury Bankstown secured back-to-back victories for the first time this season, overcoming Northern Tigers 2-1 at Jensen Park.

They handed the visitors their third defeat of the season in the process, scoring twice in the second half through Finley Hayhurst and William Kounnas before Ally Brown’s consolation made it a nervy final five minutes.

The first half was a good showcase of end-to-end football in an open game, with both teams creating chances despite neither side taking the lead.

That changed early in the second half with a set-piece goal. Finley Hayhurst headed home just before the hour mark. The Berries did well to contain the Tigers’ threat as they pushed for an equaliser, and they took a two-goal lead in the 84th minute. Dennis Jang was instrumental with a run down the left before finding William Kounnas to finish.

Ally Brown scored a late consolation goal in the 88th minute, with Tigers debutant Brody Marshall playing a role in the build-up — a bright moment in an otherwise forgettable evening.

Canterbury Bankstown 2 (Hayhurst 59’, Kounnas 84’)
Northern Tigers 1 (Brown 88’)

Inter Lions 2-0 Bulls FC Academy

Inter Lions continued their charge up the table with a 2-0 win over Bulls FC Academy, moving four points clear of the bottom two.

As mentioned above, the Lions took the lead inside five minutes through the second phase of a set piece, with Mitchell Smith scoring his first goal of the campaign. Their lead was extended in a similar timeframe after the restart, with Smith turning provider for James Khoury to finish after a high press dislodged the ball in the attacking third.

Inter Lions coach Nick Porreca credited his team, who all contributed to the win which saw them close in on the mid-table pack. A big part of deciding the game was the hosts’ ability to make themselves hard to break down.

The defeat saw Bulls FC Academy lose ground on teams above them in eighth position after 16 games.

Inter Lions 2 (Smith 4’, Khoury 48’)
Bulls FC Academy 0

Hakoah FC 4-2 Dulwich Hill

Hakoah FC bounced back from their loss last weekend with a high-scoring victory over Dulwich Hill at a soggy Hensley Athletic Field.

Probably the most unpredictable side in the division currently, they played the entire second half with a numerical advantage, which eventually told on the scoreboard.

After responding to their defeat last weekend, the hosts took the lead before the half hour through Nicholas Tooley, who continued his good run of form. That lead was pegged back ten minutes later when Samuel Hovar scored in the 37th minute, though he was later shown a second yellow card during the celebration.

Hakoah enjoyed the majority of possession from there on, though it was Dulwich Hill who took the lead from a corner in the 52nd minute through Mark Younes, who headed home.

However, the hosts made their control of the ball count, with Cam Philpot scoring a second-half brace in the 57th and 84th minutes, while Benjamin Cook scored his first goal for the senior team on his first start in the 76th minute.

Hakoah FC 4 (Tooley 27’, Philpot 57’, 84’, Cook 76’)
Dulwich Hill 2 (Hovar 37’, Younes 52’)

Central Coast Mariners 2-4 Prospect United

Prospect United shot themselves off the bottom of the ladder with a 4-2 win over Central Coast Mariners on the road.

In their best performance of the season, the visitors raced out to a four-goal lead before two late consolation goals from the Mariners.

It was a clinical performance from the visitors, who made the most of their chances in transition after Central Coast Mariners had the first few opportunities. Praneet Singh opened the scoring in the 17th minute before Nicholas Boyd doubled their lead before the half hour, both goals coming from quality strikes.

Singh and Boyd then grabbed their second goals in the middle third of the second half to put the game beyond doubt, with Harrison Jablonski and Michael Paragalli scoring late consolation goals after the 80th minute.

Central Coast Mariners 2 (Jablonski 85’, Paragalli 93’)
Prospect United 4 (Singh 17’, 63’, Boyd 29’, 71’)

Newcastle Jets 0-1 Hurstville Zagreb

Hurstville Zagreb picked up a memorable away win over Newcastle Jets Academy to kick-start their second half of the season.

Against a strong Jets Academy side, they defended well and kept another clean sheet, with a second-half Alessandro Lacalandra goal proving the difference.

In an even first half, the visitors edged the chances, with the Jets struggling to click in the attacking third. Notable chances for Hurstville Zagreb fell to Jonathan Maras and Lacalandra.

Hurstville took the lead after a strong spell in the opening 20 minutes of the second half, with Lacalandra tapping home after a Declan Sheldon cross, with Mo Ahmed and Matthew Moric involved in the build-up. The Jets then pushed late but were unable to break through the Zagreb defence.

Newcastle Jets 0
Hurstville Zagreb 1 (Lacalandra 66’)

Rydalmere Lions 2-2 Bankstown City

Rydalmere Lions and Bankstown City shared the points in a see-sawing affair which saw Panni Nikas in the Bankstown City dugout for the first time.

Rydalmere Lions took an early lead before Bankstown City responded to take the lead before the half hour with two quickfire goals. A Nicholas Azzone goal on the cusp of half-time restored parity, which held into the second half.

All the goal action came in the first half, as both sides picked up where they left off in the first meeting. Isaac Cunningham scored his fourth goal against Bankstown City this season from the spot before the quarter hour.

A five-minute period before the half hour saw the game turn on its head, with Bai Antoniou scoring a penalty of his own after 27 minutes before Jonathan Grozdanovski gave them the lead two minutes later.

The scoring was rounded out with a Nicholas Azzone goal before half-time. Bankstown City held their position in third after 16 rounds, with Rydalmere three points below them.

Rydalmere Lions 2 (Cunningham 13’, Azzone 45’)
Bankstown City 2 (Antoniou 27’, Grozdanovski 29’)

Hills United 1-1 Blacktown Spartans

Another top-half meeting saw Hills United walk away with a point in their fixture against league leaders Blacktown Spartans at Valentine Sports Park.

In a tight contest, Hills United took the lead from the spot through Yuki Kanai with five minutes left in the first half. The hosts were unable to hold onto their advantage going into the break, with Blacktown Spartans equalising just before half-time through Suleyman Bangura.

Bangura found the top corner with a strike at the end of a blistering counter-attack. Both sides had decent chances in the second half but were unable to find a winner in a hard-fought battle played in tough conditions.

Hills United 1 (Kanai 40’)
Blacktown Spartans 1 (Bangura 44’)