MATCH OF THE ROUND
Killarney 3 – 0 Terrigal
It was Killarney who would come home with the 3 points after a dominant second-half display against local rivals Terrigal in the BPL Round 4 Match of the Round.
In a close first half, it would be Killarney who struck first when a through ball to Ethan Hall saw him outpace the defence and drill home into the bottom corner to give the Terriers the lead after a slip in the Terrigal defence. Looking to get back into the game, Martyn Griffith’s O’lads maintained a majority of the possession but could not break down the Killarney defence marshalled well by Adam Smith and Sam Kirk. Terrigal’s goalkeeper Craig James played a vital part in keeping the score locked at just one goal in the later part of the first half, squandering and denying any of the Terrier’s chances to extend their lead. The score remained 1-0 leading into the second half.
Killarney came out the brighter team to start the second period and Ethan Hall once again continued to torment his defender as he got beyond the Terrigal backline to pull back a ball to the far post for Blake Silvers to finish in the 53rd minute and double Killarney’s lead as the Terrigal defence failed to clear once again. The third and final goal came from Killarney’s Jayden Radford who finally broke his long goal drought with a neat finish after a well-placed through ball in the 74th minute. A third and final goal to seal the victory against a surprisingly lack lustre display from one of the competitions favourites Terrigal. It was a massive win for Chris Ackerley’s side who remain unbeaten to start the season and continue to send warnings to the rest of the competition as they look for their sixth straight League Champions title.
Griffiths commented on his side’s below-average performance as their attention has shifted to next weekend’s home game against undefeated Kanwal. “A thoroughly deserved victory for Ackers side. You must have energy and be prepared for a battle against Killarney, and we didn’t show that in the second 45 minutes. The players recognised that, and we will have a good week’s training and hopefully get it right next weekend.”
Ackerley discussed post-game that it was a great win against great opposition. “A very pleasing result for us against one of the favourites for the title. Next up we have another hard game against Avoca, hopefully, we can keep improving as our match fitness grows. Overall, it was a great effort from the whole squad.”
Wyoming 0 – 3 Kanwal
A well-drilled and organised Kanwal side was too strong for Wyoming as they walked away from Pluim Park with a deserving 3 points.
Ryan Walker and his side set up with a high press from the get-go as they looked to disrupt the Wyoming defence and cause mistakes in the Tiger’s backline which they executed to a tee. With multiple chances created in the opening passages of play, it wasn’t until the 24th minute when Kanwal would grab their first of the day after Joey Liddle latched onto a cross-field ball from Brad Porter, Liddle’s first attempt was saved well by the keeper, but Joey would pounce on the follow-up and calmly convert to give Kanwal a 1-0 lead. The Bulls continued to create chances and worry the Wyoming backline. In the 35th minute, goal scorer turned provider as Liddle picked up the ball in the middle of the park and played a through ball to Brad Porter who neatly finished to double Kanwal’s lead and take them into the break leading 2-0.
At half time Wyoming and their coach Ian McAndrew addressed their opponent’s high block and came out in the second half creating a lot of chances but there was a lack of finishing standard on the day from the Wyoming attack along with the Kanwal number 1 Kurtis Mahon pulling off some fantastic saves to hold on to his clean sheet. Both teams were unable to convert on the many chances created in the second 45 minutes of play. Wyoming pushed very high in search of grabbing a goal but Kanwal substitute Hayden Kendall came on and made it 3-0 with one of his first touches of the game, putting the nail in the coffin for the Bulls.
McAndrew commended Kanwal and especially Brad Porter, who he thought was sensational in the game on Saturday night. “Porter was the difference in the game, he was a class above everyone else. Well done to Ryan and the Kanwal squad.”
Ryan Walker was ecstatic with his team’s performance, along with their attitude and work rate. “I felt the first-half performance was one of the best performances by a Kanwal team in a long time. It was all the more impressive with a number of late withdrawals and positional changes. Praise to Wyoming, their second-half performance put us under a lot of pressure, but I was happy with the defensive commitment shown by my boys.”
Kariong 1 – 2 Woongarrah
Kariong, who are still searching for their first win in BPL, got edged out by one goal again this weekend at the hands of Woongarrah.
This fixture was originally scheduled for Kariong Oval but due to the rain on Saturday the decision was made for the game to be played at the home of the Wildcats, Hamlyn Terrace. Hamlyn Terrace has served Luke Rogers and his side as a formidable fortress in recent years and that reigned true on Sunday. Woongarrah started strong with plenty of positive play but could not find the net. The chances would keep coming for Woongarrah but for the second week in a row, the Kariong goalkeeper would be at his best to deny the Wildcats from taking the lead. Kariong had plenty of clear cut chances of their own but failed to capitalise as the score remained locked at 0-0 after the first 45 minutes of play.
The second half saw much of the same action as the first, it would be Woongarrah who would break the deadlock first through Jayden Rogers whose effort from 25 out rocketed into the top corner to give his side the lead. It would not take long for Woongarrah to double their lead as Ashely ‘AJ’ Henderson would score for the Wildcats, opening his goal-scoring account for the season. A well-coached and well organised Kariong side would not lay down as they looked to grab a goal back in hopes of a possible comeback. Kariong, after multiple attempts and opportunities, would go on to grab their goal after some nice link-up play on the edge of the area resulted in a tidy finish from James Draper. With Kariong pushing hard to find an equaliser, time would run out for the Cougars as Luke Rogers and his side would pick up their first win of the season in front of a home crowd.
Kariong coach Ryan Finch felt his side was very unlucky not to grab points from that fixture. “We were the better team who created the more clear-cut chances but failed to capitalise.”
Rogers on the other hand felt that his team’s win was well deserved as he explained how good it felt to be back at home. “It was great to play at home in front of our fantastic supporters. We dominated the game and created a lot of good goal scoring opportunities but we need to convert these to not undo all of our hard work.”
The Entrance 2 – 3 Berkeley Vale
A late Nathan Blunden penalty against his former club was the deciding factor once again for Berkeley Vale who keep their unbeaten start to the season.
The Entrance entered the game losing a key player in Bailey Hosford during the warm-up. Mark Pratt’s Berkeley Vale started the game in control, looking to test the young Entrance side from the first whistle. Berkeley looked very dangerous whenever they received a free kick or corner as the towering Berkeley Vale defenders came extremely close to opening the scoring more than once, however, The Reddies’ defence remained composed as they dealt with the attacks accordingly. After some relentless pressure, Berkeley finally found the opener after a scramble from a corner, the ball made its way to Alex Arbelo on top of the box whose effort on goal bounced off an Entrance defender into the back of the net to give his side the lead at half time.
Berkeley Vale got their second half off to a perfect start when a great team goal saw Reece Caira beautifully set up teammate Bailey Garland who struck well in the bottom corner to double the Wombat’s lead. The Entrance could have folded after going two goals down but the home crowd of Pat Morley played a big part in the Reddies’ effort of getting back into the game. A defensive error from the Berkeley Vale backline saw the ball end up at attacker Jack O’Callaghan’s feet who did exceptionally well to slot home at the near post to give The Entrance their first of the day. Confidence rose within the young Entrance side who started to take control of the game as they searched for an equaliser. With the crowd ushering on their team, a well-played through ball from Oscar Perricone made it’s way to Ashton Hurley who found himself 1-on-1 with the opposition keeper as he remained calm to slot home the equaliser for The Entrance. The game remained very back and forth as both teams looked for the go-ahead goal. With 10 minutes to go, Alex Arbelo found himself beyond the Entrance backline and through on goal only to be brought down in the box as Berkeley Vale was awarded a penalty. For the second week in a row, Nathan Blunden stepped up for the Wombats and coolly slotted home against his former club to hand Berkeley Vale a 3-2 win.
Pratt had nothing but positive words for his opponents who battled hard against his side. “I have to say a huge congratulations to The Entrance on their performance, compared to the game that we played in the Association Cup recently, they are young and enthusiastic and will cause a boilover or two before long.”
Southern & Ettalong 2 – 1 Avoca
Southern edged out Avoca in a 2-1 win to cement their position on top of the Club Championship as the only club not to drop a single point over all three grades after the opening 2 rounds.
Heading into the fixture against Avoca, Southern knew how important it was to build on their win from last week and be ready for an always enthusiastic and talented Avoca side when they travelled to James Browne Oval. Southern started similar to the week before, looking to be positive when in possession, whilst the fluency in their attack isn’t quite there just yet, the Lions still continued to create multiple chances. In the 20th minute, one of these surging attacks saw Jack Ellwood slip a well times pass into the path of Jameson Flynn who showed for the second week in succession the marksmen he is by finishing in style for Southern to take a 1-0 lead. Southern’s lead only lasted about two minutes after Avoca equalised through Tyler Wade who clinically finished to restore the deficit. Five minutes before halftime, a long throw from Todd Balneaves found of Keith Gumbs who directed his header to the feet of Jack Elwood who finished well to give his side a 2-1 lead at the break.
The second half saw both teams create some good chances, but desperate defending and stray finishing combined to keep the score as it was. There was some late drama when Southern’s goalkeeper Alex Wardle was shown two yellow cards by the referee. Southern however remained strong and saw the game out 2-1.
Neal Hide had high commendations for his opponents as he insists Southern will be a hard team to beat for any team this year. “Credit to Dale and Southern, they appear an improved side from last season and will provide a stern test for any opponent.”
Once again, I was impressed with the way Neal Hide coached Avoca who always plays a good style of football and was pleased to see the boys get the result and build on a good start to the season. We realise we still have plenty of improvement in us and we need to continue to get better at all aspects of our game if we want to challenge this year,” stated Southern’s coach Dale Eggleton as his focus now turns to next weekend’s challenge. “We now turn our attention to an ever-improving Kariong next week for our first away game of the season.”
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