Round 17 Review – League One Men’s
There were eight games and eight winners in Round 17 of FNSW League One Men’s action across this weekend.
A weekend which saw plenty of movement up and down the table, with seven of the top eight in the standings following the round of action winning their games.
Match of the Round: Hurstville Zagreb 1-0 Rydalmere Lions
Hurstville Zagreb continued their mid-season upturn in form with a narrow 1-0 win over Rydalmere Lions, who now haven’t won in six games.
An early Alessandro Lacalandra goal gave the hosts the lead before they held on for the three points despite being put under pressure in the second half.
Two sides determined to attack from the outset set about getting the ball forward quickly during the early stages, with multiple final-third entries.
A couple of half-chances fell for Rydalmere Lions before the goal, but neither really troubled Hurstville Zagreb goalkeeper Jacob Botic.
That first goal proved crucial to the direction the game would take. Alessandro Lacalandra scored in his fifth consecutive game on 20 minutes. The lead-up to the goal was scrappy, with an initial chance for Michael Neil saved before it fell to Lacalandra for a powerful finish.
The hosts had a chance to double their lead in the 23rd minute through Michael Vakis, who forced a tidy save from Luke Del Vecchio after cutting inside from the left on a narrow angle. Lacalandra had another chance in the 42nd minute, winning the ball high before his shot missed narrowly wide to the right.
Rydalmere Lions, for their part, struggled to land a blow on the hosts despite plenty of effort. That changed after the break.
With the emphasis now on the visitors to find an equaliser in the second half, Hurstville Zagreb goalkeeper Botic was called into action early to deny Isaac Cunningham in the 49th minute.
Their first clear-cut chance came right before the hour mark, when Dimitri Kostopoulos delivered a corner which saw a Lomeo Nicolello shot blocked on the line by a desperate Hurstville defence.
Cunningham remained a key influence in the Rydalmere attack after the break as they continued to create chances. With that sustained pressure bringing substitutions for the hosts as they looked to cling on, Zagreb were restricted to half-chances throughout the second half.
One final Rydalmere Lions chance came in the 87th minute when a header at the back post from a corner went narrowly wide as they chased the game.
Hurstville Zagreb held on for a third straight victory to move into 10th position in a game of few chances, while defeat for Rydalmere Lions saw them fall into the bottom half of the table for the first time in a while.
Hurstville Zagreb 1 (Lacalandra 20’)
Rydalmere Lions 0
Elsewhere
Blacktown Spartans 4-1 Western City Rangers
League leaders Blacktown Spartans compounded the woes of Western City Rangers with a comfortable 4-1 win in Friday night action.
After a competitive start to the contest, the hosts were able to establish control as the first half went on. Darcy Ellem opened the scoring with his 11th goal of the campaign in the 25th minute, followed by a Sulleyman Bangura brace in the 29th and 40th minutes, sending them into cruise control. Austen Booth completed their first-half dominance with a stoppage-time goal.
With the result beyond doubt, there was a lack of rhythm in the second half before Thomas Lopez scored a late consolation goal in the 89th minute. Spartans coaching staff also gave particular mention to Milos Jankovic, Christian Nascimben and Maksim Kasalovic post-match.
Blacktown Spartans 4 (Ellem 25’, Bangura 29’, 40’, Booth 45+’)
Western City Rangers 1 (Lopez 89’)
Hakoah FC 1-2 Bankstown City
Bankstown City temporarily moved into a top-two position with a 2-1 away win over Hakoah FC at Hensley Athletic.
Getting revenge for their first-round meeting, they emerged from a physical encounter with a narrow win, the first under new head coach Panni Nikas.
All three goals came in a short period around the half-time break. Jason Cakovski gave the visitors the lead in the 37th minute with a strike that made its way through a crowded penalty area.
The lead lasted just four minutes before the hosts responded through Ben Fuchs, with Benjamin Cook picking up the assist. Scores were level going into the break before Jonathan Grozdanovski restored Bankstown City’s lead early in the second half. Both teams created further chances, with Bankstown ultimately claiming a valuable three points.
Hakoah FC 1 (Fuchs 41’)
Bankstown City 2 (Cakovski 37’, Grozdanovski 50’)
Macarthur Rams 1-0 Central Coast Mariners
Macarthur Rams returned to the top four with a single-goal victory over Central Coast Mariners at Lynwood Park.
With the hosts happy to play without the ball, it was the Mariners academy side who controlled possession in the first half, though they were restricted to half-chances. The Rams’ best opportunities saw an Alex Gollan header saved well, while Jaidyn Dunn and Michael Martin both went close.
The second half played out in similar fashion, with both sides having one-v-one opportunities before the eventual winner came for the hosts. Chan Yelchan scored, cutting inside onto his left before curling an effort home in the 86th minute.
The Rams held out under heavy pressure in the closing stages to secure their second straight win.
Macarthur Rams 1 (Yelchan 86’)
Central Coast Mariners 0
Canterbury Bankstown 4-2 Inter Lions
Canterbury Bankstown continued their winning run with a high-scoring victory over Inter Lions at Jensen Park on Saturday evening.
Momentum swung after half-time, with Inter Lions the better side in the first half before Canterbury Bankstown responded in the second.
Inter Lions took the lead twice in the first period through an early Owen Duke goal and a James Khoury header after the half-hour mark. The Berries stayed in the contest through a Dennis Jang strike from outside the area just before that.
After the break, it became a one-sided affair on the scoreboard, with the Berries scoring three unanswered goals. John Fotopoulos equalised in the 47th minute before Peter Kostopoulos gave them the lead in the 73rd minute. Patrick Savor completed the turnaround with a 91st-minute penalty to seal a 4-2 win.
Canterbury Bankstown 4 (Jang 29’, Fotopoulos 47’, Kostopoulos 73’, Savor 90+1’)
Inter Lions 2 (Duke 8’, Khoury 32’)
Dulwich Hill 0-6 Hills United
Hills United cemented themselves as a team to watch during the second half of the season with a 6-0 win over Dulwich Hill at Arlington Oval.
Despite the scoreline, it was the hosts who had the first chance inside a minute, with Ryan Wood making a save to deny an early opener. But that was a rare moment of inspiration in an otherwise tough night.
Hills quickly applied a stranglehold, not allowing the hosts to play out of their half. Sepping scored his first in the 27th minute before Cameron Philp doubled the advantage with the pick of the goals. Max Hately added a third from a set piece three minutes before half-time to make it 3-0.
Sepping then added two further goals to complete his hat-trick in the second half, after Yuki Kanai scored the fourth. A dominant display from the visitors, who could well have a say in the battle further up the table.
Dulwich Hill 0
Hills United 6 (Sepping 27’, 69’, 73’, Philp 36’, Hately 42’, Kanai 65’)
Bulls FC Academy 1-0 Newcastle Jets
Bulls FC Academy took academy bragging rights with a 1-0 win over Newcastle Jets at Sydney United Sports Centre.
It was a closer game than their first meeting, with little to separate the two sides throughout. Both teams lacked sharpness in the final third.
An improved second-half performance from the hosts eventually delivered the three points through a penalty, with Zane Helweh converting in the 68th minute for his fifth goal of the season.
Bulls Academy coach Nicolai Muller singled out Sebastian Krslovic and Trypp McLachlan, while Jets counterpart Chris Zoricich left encouraged by the performances of Kaiden Walshe, Nicholas Badolato and Archie Brideson.
Bulls FC Academy 1 (Helweh 68’)
Newcastle Jets 0
Prospect United 0-3 Northern Tigers
Northern Tigers proved too strong for Prospect United, winning by three goals on Sunday evening.
After briefly losing second spot over the weekend, they responded with a complete performance ahead of a highly anticipated Round 18 clash at Jensen Park.
Jesse Spang did the damage in the first half with a brace, scoring in the 28th and 42nd minutes. His first came from outside the box before he headed home a Connor Rose cross to double the advantage.
Rose then sealed the win with an 87th-minute free-kick. The visitors started and ended the month of May with a clean sheet.
Prospect United 0
Northern Tigers 3 (Spang 28’, 42’, Rose 87’)
– By Justin Smith
