MATCH OF THE ROUND
Avoca 4 – Kanwal 2
Avoca got themselves back to winning ways, securing a 4-2 win in the BPL Match of the Round.
In a contest that was labelled a game of two halves, it was Neal Hide’s Avoca side who would come out firing in the first half as the Sharks finished the opening 45 minutes with a 4-0 lead. A very slow start from Kanwal saw Avoca skip to a 2-goal lead in just the first 10 minutes. Avoca dominated the majority of the first 45 minutes as their 4 first-half goals came from Oliver Chippendale, Nixon Jowett, Nathan Baker and Mitchell Harrison. Kanwal slowly started getting into the game in the last 15 minutes but couldn’t capitalise on several half-chances the Bulls were presented.
The second half saw a complete opposite of the first half with Kanwal being the better side as they chased the game and looked to salvage something from the fixture. By the 65th minute, Kanwal had found themselves with 2 goals courtesy of Coach and Player Ryan Walker and Callum Dunkerley who also found himself on the scoresheet. Kanwal was awarded a penalty that Avoca goalkeeper Phil Anderson brilliantly saved which ultimately stopped Kanwal’s momentum that was building. The rest of the game didn’t produce any more goals as Avoca walked away 4-2 victors.
Neal was pleased his team was able to get back to winning ways and credits a strong Kanwal side who never game up despite being 4 goals down. “It was a pleasing result for Avoca, as for Kanwal they can’t be far off their first win.”
Kanwal coach Ryan Walker was disappointed with the performance of his Kanwal side. “You cannot win games if you are not ready from the start, Congratulations to Avoca who showed more desire early in the game which they took full advantage of.”
Terrigal 5 – Kariong 1
4 goals to Terrigal’s Daniel Bird ensured the O’lads remain undefeated after the opening 5 rounds.
It was top of the ladder verse bottom at Duffy’s Oval this past weekend and after 45 minutes with the score locked at 1-1, it may have looked like a shock result was on the cards for Kariong. Top of the table Terrigal were first on the scoresheet when Daniel Bird fired home after teammate Jonah Walker got in behind the Kariong defence on the 12-minute mark to set up the game’s first goal. Stuart Adams’ should have doubled Terrigal’s lead when he found himself one on one with the Kariong goalkeeper Alex Muscat but the shot-stopper came out on top with a fantastic save. Kariong got back on level terms when a long ball into the Terrigal area wasn’t dealt with by Terrigal keeper Riley Batten and he then tumbled over the Kariong striker which saw the Cougars awarded a penalty. Nicholas Trengrove stepped up for his team and stroked home the penalty to give the game a 1-1 scoreline at halftime.
After below average decision making in the first half from Terrigal’s attackers, the O’lads came out strong in the first 15 minutes, which led to Daniel Bird grabbing his second goal of the match when he was left free at the back post to tap Terrigal back into the lead. Moments later, Bird found himself on the scoresheet once again to complete his hat-trick and put his side 3-1 with a well finished shot. That was not it for Bird as he headed home his 4th of the day soon thereafter. Max Vegter secured Terrigal’s win after a Jai McNamara throw-in found the head of Vegter to score Terrigal’s 5th and final goal of the day.
Terrigal coach Martyn Griffiths credited the Kariong side who never looked to give up on the day and battled well. “To be fair to Kariong they defended well and worked tirelessly for the whole 90 minutes. It was just our decision making in the final third that let us down in the first half, but we came out the second half and corrected that and played very well in the second period.”
Wyoming 1 – The Entrance 2
The Entrance hold on to a win after a late Wyoming push for a comeback almost saw the two clubs share points at Alan Davidson Oval.
The match between the Tigers and the Eagles started quite balanced, The Entrance did well to keep early possession and carve out some good attacking raids but could not find that final pass or breakthrough they searched for. Wyoming looked very dangerous on the counterattack, two of which resulted in Entrance keeper Steven Grimmitt having to pull out top draw saves. The game would see its first goal in the 35th minute when Brad Thoseby picked the ball up on the sideline around halfway as he cut inside, dribbling past a few Wyoming defenders, and into the opposition box as he finished his run-off with a neatly curled strike into the bottom corner that gave the Wyoming keeper no chance of saving. Being a goal down, Wyoming spurred but could not find an equaliser as the halftime whistle sounded and The Entrance went into the break 1-0 up.
The second half remained a very even contest, as both teams continued to enjoy positive periods of play. In the 60th minute, a sublime cross-field pass from Michael Dalton found Zac Anastas whose first touch took him inside and past his defender as his low struck shot went in between the post and the outstretched hand of goalkeeper Tom Coventry. Being 2-0 down, Wyoming showed more urgency as they looked to get back into the game. Ian McAndrew found himself out of the backline and into the midfield as he looked to give his side more options going forward as he continued to make dangerous pinpoint passes that would worry The Entrance defence. With 10 minutes to go, Kassidy Lalor put in a great cross into The Entrance box that found a rising Jared Mcnee whose header looped into the goal and took the game to 2-1. The last 10 minutes saw Wyoming continue to put pressure on in search of the equaliser. With the last attack of the game, it looked like Jared Mcnee would once again find the back of the net when he was left unmarked at the back stick but couldn’t not header the ball down and the scoreline remained 2-1.
The Entrance coach Matt Page credits a very tough, young Wyoming outfit. “Wyoming is always a difficult place to take points home from and McAndrew and his young side definitely made us work very hard today to do so. We look forward to another good battle with Wyoming next round.”
Southern & Ettalong 2 – Killarney 1
Southern put the rest of the competition on notice after beating BPL benchmark Killarney 2-1 this past weekend with a last-minute goal.
The opening 10 minutes of the match was dominated by Killarney who looked to be winning most of the 50/50 ball and pressuring Southern as they were rewarded with an early goal as BPL leading goal scorer Ethan Hall added to his tally for the year and put Killarney up 1-0. Being down on the scoreline, Southern finally started to get themselves into the game and were looking very dangerous every time they went forward. One of these attacking raids saw Keith Gumbs rattle the crossbar with a lethal left-foot strike. Midway through the game, Killarney goalkeeper Coby Preston, unfortunately, had to leave the field with what seemed to be a serious knee injury. Southern levelled the score after Jacob Lepre delivered a great cross into the middle of the box which was cleared away by the Killarney defender only to the feet of Michael Tawyer who clinically finished into the corner of the net. A huge moment in the game took place in the 40th minute after SEU captain Todd Balneaves was shown a straight red card. The score remained 1-1 at the half.
The second half saw a determined, committed and disciplined Southern side rise to the challenge of being reduced to 10 men. The game remained a stalemate until well into injury time, Southern’s Ricky Young making a crucial interception off a dangerous pass from the opposition which starting Southern’s attack that found Keith Gumbs make a blistering run in behind the Killarney defence as the ball fell to his feet and Gumbs seized the opportunity as he drilled the ball past Killarney’s Andrew Sheldon, a goal which triggered wild celebrations on and off the field.
“I was very proud of our work ethic in both attack and defence. Adversity is something you have to be able to overcome and as this playing group grows together, I feel they will enjoy meeting the many more challenges that lay ahead this weekend,” Added Southern & Ettalong coach Dale Eggleton.
Berkeley Vale 1 – Woongarrah 0
Back-to-back clean sheets for Berkeley Vale assures another 3 points after a 1-0 win over Woongarrah in Round 5.
Woongarrah were looking to make it 3 wins in a row this weekend as they travelled to Mingara to face 2nd place, Berkeley Vale. The first ten minutes of action saw both sides jostle to gain control of the match and Woongarrah would eventually get the upper hand and put Berkeley on their back foot. Multiple first-half injuries for Berkeley saw Mark Pratt must make some unideal personnel changes early in the match. Berkeley’s leading goal scorer Bailey Garland was able to get himself on the scoresheet for the third week in a row after a Berkeley set-piece was met by the Woongarrah keeper who punched the ball clear only for it to fall to Garland who would half-volley the ball into the back of the net. The Wombats headed into halftime with a 1-0 lead.
Being down a goal, Woongarrah looked to throw everything they had at Berkeley Vale in hopes of getting back on level terms. The Wombat defence stood strong as they limited Woongarrah to only a few shots on goal. Woongarrah thought they were going to be awarded a penalty after one of their players was bought down in the box, but it was judged not to be a penalty by the official. Garland had a golden chance to put his side 2 goals up as he was awarded a penalty for his effort but could not convert the opportunity after a great save from Lachlan Raychaudhuri. Berkeley had multiple chances to finish the game but continued to fail to convert their opportunities which allowed Woongarrah to remain in the competition. Woongarrah thought they had finally got the equaliser after a great cross from Aj Henderson found striker Jamie Bartlett whose effort was cleared off the line by a Berkeley defender. The Berkeley defence remained too strong and saw out the game which finished 1-0.
Berkeley Vale coach Mark Pratt stated after the game that his team needs to be better at making the most of their opportunities but ultimately thrilled with another 3 points. “We had multiple chances to finish off the game but failed to convert, this is an area we must improve but I’m happy with another clean sheet and grit showed by the group.”
“The boys dug deep especially on a day when not much went our way. It was a step in the right direction with another improved performance on the previous and after playing our fourth away game in the first five rounds, the boys and I are looking forward to playing at home in front of our supporters,” stated Woongarrah coach Luke Rogers.
BPL Leading Goal Scorers –
| 7 | Ethan Hall (Killarney) |
| 6 | Daniel Bird (Terrigal) |
| 5 | Keith Gumbs (Southern) |
| 4 | Jesse Parnell (Avoca), Michael Tawyer (Southern), Bailey Garland (Berkeley Vale) |
BPL Points Table –
BPL Club Championship –
BPL Round 6 Fixtures –
Division 1
Round 5 Results –
Division 1 Points Table –
Division 1 Club Championship –
Written by Adam Blunden.