MATCH OF THE ROUND
Southern & Ettalong 3 – 0 Woongarrah
In the first BPL Match of the Round for 2022, Southern & Ettalong got their campaign off to the ideal start picking up 3 points in a 3-nil win over Woongarrah at James Browne Oval.
The matchup started in a very back and forth battle with both teams trying to land the opening blow and take the lead. It would be Southern who would ultimately strike first midway through the first half after a good interchange of passes on the counterattack saw Lion’s new striker Jameson Flynn open the scoring on his BPL debut for his new club and give his new team the lead with a well-placed finish. Woongarrah looked to bounce back straight away with chances of their own but were unable to find an equaliser due to a great scramble defence by Southern which denied the Wildcats. Woongarrah’s defence would not be able to do the same down their end as a long throw-in from their captain Todd Balneaves found Jack Ellwood who would capitalize on the opportunity and convert from close range to double his team’s lead.
The second half of the game mirrored the first 45 minutes, the game stayed an even contest throughout, with both sides displaying their style of attack to test the opposition defence. Failure to find the back of the net for Luke Roger’s side would cost them again as Southern would bring on fresh legs in Sam Webb and Dylan Booth who combined nicely for Booth to put away a well timed right foot strike that would seal the game and give The Lions their third and final goal.
“It always tough to take points at Southern and a soft pitch underfoot made things harder. It was a game where you must take your scoring opportunities and failure to do so was what cost us the game as Southern made the most of theirs. I feel like that was the difference between the sides and the reasons Dale and Southern deserved the three points,” stated Rogers when reflecting on the result.
“First game of the year is always important as you start to build the foundation of your season. Seeing the work that the side has put in through the preseason start to unfold and whilst at times it was not quite there, it was positive and encouraging to see the season get off to a good start,” said Eggleton. “Full credit to Woongarrah, they never stopped testing us until the final whistle. Our attentions now turn to prepare for our next challenge which is Avoca at home this Sunday.”
Berkeley Vale 1 – 0 Kariong
Mark Pratt’s Berkeley Vale side was fortunate to take home the three points from Pluim Park as Kariong put up a great fight in a very close encounter.
Berkeley Vale entered Sunday coming off 3 games in the previous 7 days, with this fixture making it 4 games in only 10 days. After the very disruptive preseason, this would always play a big factor in the game as multiple players would feel the fatigue of their bodies heading into Sunday’s matchup with Kariong. As for Kariong, this was their newly appointed head coach Ryan Finch’s first competitive game since taking over the Cougars. Berkeley Vale started the game strong, controlling the majority of possession for the opening 20-minutes before Kariong slowly worked their way into the game. This saw the match become a real arm wrestle as both teams looked to get on the scoresheet first. Both teams had a number of opportunities early but failed to convert thanks to outstanding goalkeeping on both ends. Berkeley Vale would receive a golden opportunity to go ahead as they were awarded a penalty which was coolly converted by their new recruit Nathan Blunden.
The second half saw Kariong force Berkeley Vale to defend for the majority of the half but still, the Cougars were unable to convert any of their opportunities. Both teams looked to catch the other team on the counterattack, Kariong would eventually receive a penalty pf their own and grand opportunity to equalise and take the game to 1 all. Kariong’s captain Nick Trengrove would be the one to step up for his side but a superb save from Steve Grimmitt allowed Berkeley Vale to keep the lead and ultimately take home all points in an outstanding match where both keepers had exceptional performances.
When reflecting on his first BPL game in charge, Finch had nothing but praise for his team and their opposition. “Overall, I thought the game was even for much of the ninety minutes, both goalkeepers pulling off some really good saves. Berkeley Vale is a quality side that has clearly recruited well in the offseason. I can see them being the benchmark this season and probably the favourites to win the league.”
“It was a tough opening game of the season, I thought both keepers had an outstanding game,” voiced Pratt after full time.
Avoca 3 – 4 Terrigal
A late comeback attempt from Avoca made for a very interesting opening game between the two sides as Terrigal were able to hold on and secure the 3 points in a 7-goal thriller.
In an evenly contested opening 45 minutes, both teams created plenty of chances in a very free-flowing game of football. Terrigal would strike first when a cross from the right wing was headed powerfully home by Mark Partridge after 20 minutes of play. It would not take Avoca long to find an equaliser with a header of their own just 10 minutes after conceding from Will Fox that took the game to 1-1. The score looked like it would remain level heading into the break but with only seconds remaining in the first period, it was former Shark’s player Stuart Adams who beat the offside trap and calmly chipped the ball over the opposition keeper, into the far corner to give Terrigal the lead at the interval.
Terrigal came out the quicker of the two teams to start the second half and further increased their lead when Tyson Cosgrove latched onto a free-kick and drilled home to double the O’lads lead. Not long after grabbing their third, new recruit Mahkye Brownlie then finished from close range to give Terrigal an emphatic 4-1 lead. Full credit to Neal Hide’s Avoca side never says die attitude that reduced the deficit after a direct free kick from Mitch Harrison found the back of the net. Will Fox would then find himself on the scoresheet again to take the game to 4-3 and make for a frantic finish to the game. It was a very nervy last 5 minutes for Martyn Griffiths and his players who eventually held on to their one-goal lead as the final whistle blew.
“It was an entertaining, close game as both sides created plenty of chances. A great advert for the BPL competition” stated Avoca’s Hide
Griffiths commented post-game “It was a close first 45 minutes, but we came out strong in the second half and even at 4-1 we missed a few golden chances to increase our lead further. Credit to Neal and his team, they kept going for the whole ninety minutes and left us nervous in the final couple of minutes, but it was great to get three points on the boars as Avoca will be up there come the end of the season.”
Wyoming 1 – 7 Killarney
Killarney put on a very dominant performance to start their year against an understrength Wyoming side at Alan Davidson Oval this past Sunday.
It hasn’t been a great start to the year for Wyoming, their squad has been dealing with injuries and players/coaches going away on holidays. The Tigers started the game with a bare, fresh 11 players consisting of first graders and having to borrow players from their 35s to be able to field teams for all 3 grades on the weekend. In saying that, Killarney came to the field with a game plan and stuck to it well. Killarney dominated the majority of the opening 45 minutes and opened their goal scoring account for the year through Ethan Hall. The Terrier’s lead would be doubled through veteran goal scorer Adam Woodbine as the score remained 2-0 heading into halftime. Killarney had a golden opportunity to head into the second half 3 goals up but Andy Klijn failed to score from a penalty.
Killarney continued their first-half dominance in the second period scoring 5 goals in 45 minutes. The first goal of the half came through Lachlan Wallace who gave Killarney a very comfortable 3 goal lead. Ethan Hall and Adam Woodbine would both go on to find their second of the game, extending the Terrier’s lead to 5. An extraordinary diving header from a Wyoming player that found the back of his own goal gave Killarney their 6th goal of the game before Harry Fountain tucked home his effort to give Ackerley’s side their 7th and final goal of the day. Wyoming was able to find themselves on the scoresheet, thanks to their young gun Conor Fitzpatrick. All in all, it was a very dominant Killarney performance as they set their sights on a sixth consecutive BPL league title.
“The second half heavy pitch took its toll on players, but the standard was still good. We (Killarney) took advantage of a weakened Wyoming side missing a few key players,” said Ackerley when reflecting on his team’s performance.
Kanwal 1 – 0 The Entrance
It was heartbreak for The Entrance side who looked to have held on for a point to start their season, only to concede in the dying minutes as Kanwal stole the 3 points.
After an interrupted preseason and a delay to the start of the season, it was with some trepidation that Kanwal opened the season with a win at home against the Reddies. Kanwal started the opening period of the match by dominating possession for the majority of the first half. The Entrance is a whole different side under new coaches Patrick Zwaanswijk and Josh Rose, and their youngsters don’t have much first grade playing experience. In saying that, The Entrance defence was able to withstand any and all Kanwal attacks in the early stages of the game as the score remained 0-0 at halftime.
The Bulls continued to enjoy the majority of possession to commence the second half of action. Ryan Walker’s side continued to create multiple opportunities but was unable to turn these chances into goals. Kanwal, did not really feeling troubled whenever The Entrance had possession of the ball due to the Reddies barely troubling the Kanwal defence in attack. Deep into stoppage time when it looked like both clubs would share the points, Kanwal was awarded a set piece in a very dangerous area and Kanwal captain Kyle Price stepped up and converted for his side for a much-relieved win on Kanwal’s behalf.
Walker was delighted with the last-minute goal stating “I felt that my team deserved the result. We have been on the end of many last-minute losses over the years, so it was good to be on the winning side of one.”
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