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MATCH OF THE ROUND

Woongarrah 4 – Kanwal 2

BPL Round 3 Match of the round was none other than the local derby between Woongarrah and Kanwal which saw Woongarrah get the better of Kanwal in all 3 grades.

The match started at a very fast pace and the game would see its first goal within 10 minutes as Wildcats Karl Gavin would give his side the lead with a quality finish inside the box. Kanwal has now conceded first in their opening 3 matches and this would be starting to become worrying for the Bulls side. Woongarrah would go on to double their lead not long after scoring their first after a corner would find the head of Ben Glachan who finished well to put his side 2-0 up. The rest of the half saw end-to-end action and Kanwal had a golden opportunity to level when they were awarded a penalty but unfortunately, they could not convert and went into half time 2-0 down for the second time in two games.

As with the first two games of the year, Kanwal came out strong in the second half and played very well in patches. Unfortunately for the Bulls, they were caught out again as Kyle Harvey would get his first goal of the day with a superb finish catching the Kanwal keeper off his line to give Woongarrah a 3-0 lead. Kanwal were able to dominate possession for long patches in the second half and after some sustained pressure, Brendon Hodges fired a shot into the back of the net from the edge of the box to give Kanwal their first goal. The Bulls quickly followed up on their first goal with a thunderbolt from Ryan Gusse from 30 metres out to keep the derby alive. Having scored two quick goals and only being one goal down a comeback looked on the cards for Kanwal. However, a quick Woongarrah counterattack with great lead up play that would result in Kyle Harvey getting his second for the day and dismantle any comeback hopes for the Kanwal side. Kyle’s second goal saw a massive home crowd on their feet to celebrate as the game finished 4-2.  

Kanwal coach Ryan Walker was again happy with the second-half performance from his side but overall was disappointed with the result. “It’s good to be able to enjoy sustained periods of possession but you need to turn this possession into goals.”

Woongarrah coach Luke Rogers was ecstatic to pick up wins in all 3 grades and a very crucial opening 3 points of the season in first grade in front of a home crowd. “Sunday derby at home was a bit of a different feeling as they are normally a Saturday night game but to both clubs credit the crowd was a healthy one and it got bigger and bigger as the day went on.”

Avoca 0 – Terrigal 3  

A masterclass 2nd half performance from Terrigal saw them keep their unbeaten streak alive as they came out of Erina High School victorious in a 3-0 win.

Terrigal had the majority of play in the first 45 minutes, but a well organised Avoca defence kept Terrigal at bay. Avoca looked to sit back and hit the Terrigal side on the counterattack as the Sharks had the best chance of the first half and should have had gone into the sheds 1-0 up at half time, Avoca striker Nathan Baker should have done better with the goal at his mercy but failed to find the back of the net. The first 45 minutes of play remained scoreless as the two unbeaten sides went into the second half at 0-0.

Once again Terrigal came out and looked to dominate the second period, fullback Ryan Pearce would open the scoring for the O’lads after he found himself on the end of a left-wing cross to put his side 1-0 in the lead. It wasn’t long before Terrigal would double their lead when great play from Conor Wilkinson found teammate Daniel Bird in the area as the striker coolly slotted home Terrigal’s second goal. Substitute Ben Flakus would put the game to bed after Avoca’s goalkeeper parried a save from Antony Pace and Flakus only having to tap the ball into an open net to give the game its third and final goal.

Although wanting to come away with the win, Avoca’s Neal Hide credits his squad on how far they have come. “0-0 at half time showed how much we have improved from last season, but Terrigal overran Avoca in the second half and deserved the win.”

Terrigal coach Martyn Griffiths commented, “A lot has been said about us conceding goals, so it was pleasing to get a clean sheet. We spoke about it before the game and the back 4 were excellent defensively today, and collectively defended well as a unit. A great 3 points against a young team that will learn well under Neal and cause teams problems this year. “

Wyoming 3 – Southern & Ettalong 0

Wyoming got their much-needed opening 3 points of the season with a tremendous 3-0 win over a very competitive Southern side.

The first goal of the game would not take long as Wyoming capitalised on a Southern mistake and opened the scoring within the first 30 seconds of the game thanks to Timothy Hopkins. The game levelled out after Wyoming took the lead as both teams worked hard in defence. Midway through the first half, Wyoming’s veteran Darren Cooper pinched the ball in the midfield and released Lucas Dominello through on goal which he converted with a chip shot over the keeper, taking the game to 2-0. After going down by two goals, Southern looked to pick up the pace as they controlled the tempo of the game and sent wave after wave of attacks at the Wyoming defence, but the Tigers held strong with their 17-year-old centre back Jack Jenkins holding his own against the very dangerous Keith Gumbs and Michael Tawyer. The score remained 2-0 at half time.

The second half proved to be very similar to the first with Wyoming shutting out Southern with good, structured defence while Southern continued to let themselves down by the final pass in vital areas of the field. Southern gave away a free-kick as player-coach Ian McAndrew stepped up and hit a top class strike which Southern keeper Alex Wardle made a fantastic save to keep out. Not long after Southern’s defence gave away another cheap free-kick and this time Ian McAndrew found the back of the net with another great strike. McAndrew’s goal would seal the victory for Wyoming as they pick up their first 3 points for the year.

Southern’s coach Dale Eggleton has nothing but respect for the Wyoming side as he will now look to his round 4 clash next weekend. “A deserved victory for a committed Wyoming side and now the challenge for us is to work hard on the training ground this week to turn things around for our match against Avoca next week.”

As for McAndrew, he credits the tough Southern side as well as his squad. “Southern kept fighting, never giving up and throwing numbers forward searching for goals. Our 17-year-old centre half was exceptional holding his own against arguably the best 2 strikers in the league.”

Berkeley Vale 2 – Killarney District 1

In a rematch of the 2018 BPL Grand Final, Berkeley Vale this time got the best of the Terriers in a close battle which saw the wombats leave 2-1 victors.

It was a tough game as usual between these two BPL heavyweights. Mark Pratt’s Berkeley Vale side would open the scoring first as their new recruit Bailey Garland got beyond the back 4 and lobbed the Killarney goalkeeper from just outside the box, giving Berkeley a 1-0 lead. In typical fashion, Killarney found a way back with some good combination play upfront saw Harry Fountain’s cross find the 2020 BPL Golden Boot Daniel Roger who would make the most of his chance and level the score. In a very back and forth half the score remained 1-1 heading into the break.

It would be Pratt’s Berkeley side who would find themselves on the scoresheet first again in the second half after just a minute of play. Bailey Garland would once again be involved in the goal as his through ball found teammate John Griffin who coolly finished to give his side the lead one again. 10 minutes into the second half saw Killarney’s coach Chris Ackerley shown a red card as the Terriers had to finish the rest of the game without their head coach on the sideline. The rest of the match saw Killarney throw everything at the Berkeley defence in search of an equaliser, but the Berkeley Vale defence which conceded the least number of goals in the 2020 season held firm as they took all 3 points from last year’s League Champions.

Killarney have now lost 2 games in 2 weeks after going down in extra time to Terrigal the weekend prior, something the Terrier side would not be comfortable with. “It was a good effort from our boys, and we were unlucky not to come away with at least a draw, Berkeley took their chances on the day abd we didn’t,” stated Ackerley after the match.

As for Berkeley, Mark Pratt was delighted with his team’s performance, being able to take 3 points against any Killarney side is always a big thing.

Kariong 1 – The Entrance 2

Kariong fell a goal short in their clash with The Entrance as they remain without a point in any grade in their first 3 rounds.

In front of a home crowd, Kariong started the better team as they created some attacking raids and forcing a couple of corners. The Cougars came close to converting from a corner with a near-post header going a yard wide of the goal. The Entrance slowly warmed into the game but were only limited to half chances, apart from a close-range opportunity that was thwarted by the Kariong defence on their goal line. After a very even, though largely uneventful half, the score remained 0-0 at the break.

The start of the second half saw The Entrance gain control of the play and their pressure paid off in the 60th minute when a great 40-yard pass from Dave McPherson allowed Zac Anastas to get on the wrong side of the Kariong defence and unleash a sweet strike into the top left-hand corner. To Kariong’s credit, they didn’t let the goal phase them and hit back with a goal of their own 5 minutes later courtesy of young striker Deevek Raniga. With the score level at 1-1 and only 15 minutes to play, The Reddies took back their lead after Zac Anastas was able to get free from his marker and square the ball for Bradley Smythe who finished well inside the penalty area. The Kariong crowd really got behind their side as the Cougars tried hard to get an equaliser, but the Entrance defence was able to hold strong for a 2-1 win.

 “Kariong proved to be a tough encounter on their home patch. Mark has got his young side trying to play a good brand of football and they played hard for the full 90 minutes. I felt we were not at our best today and we will have to improve to be successful next week. Whilst we are delighted to get 9 club championship points, a mounting injury toll will leave us a bit thin in the coming weeks.” Stated Entrance coach Matt Page after full time.

BPL Leading Goal Scorers –

4Jesse Parnell (Avoca)
3Keith Gumbs (Southern), Stuart Adams (Terrigal), Daniel Rodger (Killarney)

BPL Points Table –

BPL Club Championship –

Division 1

Division 1 Round 3 Results –

Division 1 Points Table –

Division 1 Club Championship –

Written by Adam Blunden.