Round 20 Review – League One Men’s
Bankstown City and Inter Lions were the big winners in Round 20 of the FNSW League One Men’s competition this weekend.
In another round where the top two dropped points, Bankstown City—boosted by a returning face—beat Central Coast Mariners, while Inter Lions took out a six-pointer at the bottom end of the table. Those results and more feature in our review below.
Match of the Round: Hakoah FC 1-0 Northern Tigers
Hakoah FC secured a 1-0 Match of the Round win on the back of an impressive rearguard performance to overcome Northern Tigers.
The game quickly settled into a pattern, with Northern Tigers enjoying possession but largely in front of the Hakoah FC defence, who were happy to sit back and break forward quickly.
The Northern Tigers created their first clear-cut chance in the 13th minute, with a direct ball from Daichi Sugawara down the left allowing Connor Rose to cut inside into the area before hitting the base of the near post.
The Tigers’ next opportunity came from a set piece, with Rose firing over the bar in the 32nd minute. That chance was quickly followed by a Nicholas Loe save to deny Ryan Attard a shot on goal following a quick transition, with Rose again the instigator of the attack.
Hakoah, for their part, created limited chances throughout the half but did a good job of frustrating the visitors.
The hosts showed more intent from the outset of the second half and were rewarded with a goal five minutes after the restart.
The goal came from a Northern Tigers mix-up, with an under-hit back pass allowing Ben Fuchs to pressure the goalkeeper and finish into an open net.
With the onus now back on the Tigers, they set about finding a way back on the scoreboard, with Rose shooting over not long after the goal, though space was beginning to open up at the other end as well.
Hakoah had a great opportunity to double their lead not long after the hour mark, when a four-on-two attack saw a ball go agonisingly across the face of goal.
The remaining chances for Northern Tigers were more hopeful efforts rather than clear-cut opportunities against a stubborn defence. Their best effort came from a Javier Betancourt shot which hit the side netting with five minutes left after a deflection.
Hakoah held on for their seventh victory of the campaign, moving into ninth position, while Northern Tigers have left the door ajar for teams chasing a top-two spot.
Hakoah FC 1 (Fuchs 50’)
Northern Tigers 0
Elsewhere
Inter Lions 1-0 Western City Rangers
Inter Lions proved too good for Western City Rangers in a true six-pointer at Majors Bay Reserve on Saturday evening.
A game which at times looked destined for a scoreless draw saw Inter Lions create more chances, but they were made to wait by a disciplined Western City Rangers side. The breakthrough came through James Khoury in a moment of individual quality after the hour mark.
Earlier in the fixture, both sides had spells where they looked more likely, with Ned Armson going closest for the hosts on the half hour mark, drawing a good save from Dylan Niski. Rangers’ best chance saw Thomas Lopez narrowly miss the target from a Dimo Dimo cut-back shortly before.
However, it was the hosts who dictated play in attacking areas, looking the more complete unit. Multiple chances fell their way before Khoury broke the deadlock, isolating his defender before firing into the bottom corner off an Armson assist.
The onus was then on Rangers to find an equaliser, but they were unable to create the chance they needed, with Inter Lions picking up a valuable three points.
Inter Lions 1 (Khoury 64’)
Western City Rangers 0
Bankstown City 2-1 Central Coast Mariners
Bankstown City picked up a much-needed win, coming from behind to beat Central Coast Mariners at Jensen Park.
A contest in every sense, the young Mariners pushed their hosts to the limit before just falling short. Bai Antoniou scored a brace for the hosts in a match that also saw the return of Alec Urosevski.
The hosts showed belief and character, with Shun Maeta playing a key role in both second-half goals, registering two assists for Antoniou. The win broke a winless run at the venue stretching back to Round 11.
The turnaround came after Laurence Taylor gave the Mariners the lead, before they missed two good chances to double their tally in the final 15 minutes.
Bankstown City 2 (Antoniou 73’, 91’)
Central Coast Mariners 1 (Taylor 21’)
Newcastle Jets 0-1 Macarthur Rams
Macarthur Rams returned to winning ways with a narrow away victory over Newcastle Jets.
Returning to form after last week’s loss, the Rams could have had a bigger lead after an impressive first-half showing, with the result never really looking in doubt.
The young academy side struggled to adapt to the visitors’ style of play, particularly in the first half, with Christian Torrelli, Chan Yelchan and Olivier Beltran-Woodward all having chances before the opener.
The Rams eventually broke through when a venomous Michael Martin volley hit the post and ricocheted into the back of the net.
The second half followed a similar pattern, becoming more conservative once both sides were reduced to ten men. Rams coach Dan Mijovic praised Torrelli and Beltran-Woodward as standouts.
Newcastle Jets 0
Macarthur Rams 1 (Walshe OG 36’)
Rydalmere Lions 1-5 Canterbury Bankstown
Rydalmere Lions proved easy pickings for an in-form Canterbury Bankstown side in the later kick-off at Rydalmere Park.
It did not always look like it would finish that way, with a tight opening 20 minutes before the Berries opened the scoring. That goal came through Fikret Berisha, who followed up his brace last weekend.
A second goal arrived seven minutes later through John Fotopoulos, who ran onto a long ball before finishing calmly to give his side a two-goal half-time lead.
Any hope of a comeback was quickly extinguished four minutes into the second half, with Taketo Ochiai finishing after a goalmouth scramble. He was joined on the scoresheet by Gino Cerasoli and William Kounnas in the 58th and 77th minutes respectively.
Rydalmere scored a consolation goal early in the second half in an otherwise difficult night.
Rydalmere Lions 1 (Del Vecchio 54’)
Canterbury Bankstown 5 (Berisha 22’, Fotopoulos 29’, Ochiai 49’, Cerasoli 58’, Kounnas 77’)
Bulls FC Academy 4-1 Hurstville Zagreb
A youthful Bulls FC Academy side proved too strong for Hurstville Zagreb to return to winning ways.
Described as a strong performance from coach Nicolai Muller, the hosts were efficient in front of goal, while Hurstville Zagreb had a difficult night in transition.
Taking five chances and converting four, Ali El-Sabeh led the way with a brace in an impressive individual display. The other goals came from Lucas Blazevic and Ezra Frimpong.
The visitors had earlier opened the scoring through Alessandro Lacalandra, who headed home from a Michael Vakis cross. George Antonis also hit the post when the score was still 1-1.
Bulls FC Academy 4 (El-Sabeh 2, Blazevic, Frimpong)
Hurstville Zagreb 1 (Lacalandra)
Dulwich Hill 1-1 Blacktown Spartans
Blacktown Spartans were held to a draw by Dulwich Hill at Arlington Oval as they continue to chase their first away win since late April.
The visitors started well, creating early opportunities through a high-tempo style, but were unable to capitalise. Dulwich Hill grew into the game and went into the break level.
The game opened up early in the second half, with the hosts taking the lead after the hour through Jan Schmidt following a scrappy build-up. The lead lasted just over five minutes before Blacktown equalised from a set piece, with Blake Ilitch heading home.
Both sides had chances from there but could not convert, with Dulwich Hill maintaining a six-point buffer over the bottom two, while Blacktown Spartans saw their lead over third cut.
Dulwich Hill 1 (Schmidt 62’)
Blacktown Spartans 1 (Ilitch 68’)
Hills United 0-0 Prospect United
An under-strength Prospect United side secured a point after holding Hills United to a scoreless draw.
Hills dominated possession throughout but frequently ran into a deep defensive block. Prospect United were content to concede possession but remained dangerous in transition, particularly in the second half.
Hills goalkeeper Ryan Wood made a couple of crucial late saves, while the centre-back combination of Daniel-Ray Djurovic and Byron Ginn also impressed. Prospect United coach Darren Camilleri praised the application of his young players.
Hills United 0
Prospect United 0
-By Justin Smith
