MATCH OF THE ROUND
Woongarrah 1 – 3 Southern & Ettalong
Woongarrah digs deep with only 10 men to come back from a goal down to claim all three points against Southern & Ettalong in the round 12 match of the round.
Southern got off to a fantastic start and was able to grab the lead through what is becoming a trademark goal after a long throw-in from captain Todd Balneaves found teammate James Steer at the back post who was able to convert the chance and give his side an early lead. Things would then go from bad to worse for Woongarrah when their goalkeeper Joshua Masters was shown a straight red card for a handball outside the box as his team was forced to carry on with 10 men. Despite being a man down, Woongarrah were able to hit back to get on level terms before the halftime whistle when Jayden Rogers would beat the keeper from just inside the 18-yard box.
Looking to re-establish themselves in the game, Southern would dominate possession and field position early. Southern’s multiple missed chances would come back to haunt them once again as the tide started to turn and Woongarrah would enjoy a period where they hit the post and narrowly put a few chances just wide of the goal. Woongarrah were awarded a penalty from all of the pressure they bestowed on the Southern side and up-stepped Rogers who calmly converted to grab his second of the day and give his side the lead. Rogers would then get his hat-trick after rounding the opposition keeper and finding the back of the net with 10 minutes left to play. Southern’s struggle to find the back of the net against a disadvantaged side for the second time this season saw Woongarrah pick up all three points in front of a home crowd.
“Same old story, we didn’t take our chances and got punished for our mistake. The 10-men Woongarrah side thoroughly deserved their victory,” voiced Dale Eggleton after the game.
Luke Rogers was ecstatic with the way his players conducted themselves to pick up a win with 10 men. “Very pleased with all my players. To play with 10 men and come from a goal down to get the win was a great effort. The best part was our defensive display as a team. We will be looking to take that same character into next week’s game.”
MATCH OFFICIAL – David Richardson
Terrigal 2 – 2 Avoca
Terrigal let a two-goal lead slip as Avoca was forced to come back against Terrigal once again and this time the Sharks were able to split the points against the O’lads.
Terrigal dominated the early proceedings of the game, and the breakthrough came at the half-hour mark when a great through ball from Stuart Adams found the run of Daniel Bird who successfully chipped the Avoca goalkeeper from just outside the box. Both sides enjoyed chances in the first half, but Bird’s goal was the only difference at the half-time interval.
Terrigal was once again the first on the scoresheet in the second half when they doubled their lead on the hour mark when winger Mark Partridge’s delightful cross was headed powerfully at the far post by full-back Ryan Pearce. Despite going down two goals, Avoca responded extremely positive. Proceedings turned in Avoca’s favour when a run into the box wasn’t dealt with by the Terrigal defender and keeper who was brought down in the box and awarded a penalty. Tyler Wade stepped up for his side and converted the penalty well. Five minutes later, Avoca grabbed the equaliser when Tyler Wade broke down the left flank and cut inside to drill home to take the score to 2-2. Both sides pushed hard for the winner, Mark Partridge was guilty of missing a free header with the goal at his mercy to win it for Terrigal, but it was not meant to be. Overall, it was an exciting game of football between two quality sides.
Martyn Griffiths spoke on how a lapse of concentration saw his side slip up but their focus did not turn to a very important match against Killarney. “I thought we were comfortable for the majority of the game, but a little lack of concentration and decision-making left the door open for an Avoca comeback and we paid the price. We move onto a massive game against Killarney next weekend for the Ash Grant Memorial Cup and a must-win game for us.”
Neal Hide commended the opposition as well as his squad who picked up some valuable points in all grades. “Credit to Terrigal, I’m sure they will be playing finals football at the end of the season and credit to Avoca on a day where all three grades took points off our near neighbours.”
MATCH OFFICIAL – Trent Dickeson
Killarney 1 – 0 Wyoming
An understrength Wyoming squad almost took points away from Killarney, but the Terriers first-half goal would remain the only difference as they keep their perfect season intact.
With five regular experienced first graders out due to injury and another six out of their squad, a number of lower graders got their opportunity in first grade for the match-up against Killarney this past weekend. One of their missing players was also first-grade coach Ian McAndrew who passed the coaching duties onto Scott Snodgrass who was able to claim victories in the lower two grades. Killarney was in a similar boat as their opponents as the Terriers also missed several key players from their side. Wyoming entered the game with a defensive mindset as they looked to hit Killarney on the counter. Killarney enjoyed a majority of the ball, but the game was fairly even until a beautiful through ball from Tim Knight set up Will Hamilton for a quality finish and the only goal of the game.
The second half remained much of the same with Killarney having the lion’s share of possession, but Wyoming defended well and continued to search for an equaliser whenever the opportunity of a counterattack presented itself. Wyoming had very few chances but could have sealed a draw with an injury-time header going just wide of the goals by a U18 stand-in Reegan Cairns who was tireless when he came on and put pressure on the Killarney back-four with his outstanding work rate.
Fill-in coach Scott Snodgrass had nothing but high praise for the way his players conducted themselves today against the top side in the competition. “Veteran Darren Cooper was outstanding in his performance as skipper and the young Wyoming back line were steadfast in sticking to the game plan. Congratulations to Killarney and Ackers on a hard-fought win with many players out in their squad. They are ten from ten for a reason. Couldn’t be prouder of our lads with their commitment to the game plan, attitude, and effort and those that backed up and played near two games during the day.”
Pleased with his team’s result, Chris Ackerley will now focus on their Ash Grant Cup clash with Terrigal next weekend. “Was pleasing to get the result as we had six regular first graders out injured or suspended. Another clean sheet for the boys which is always pleasing. Hopefully, we will get some players back for next week’s big game against Terrigal which will make selections difficult.”
MATCH OFFICIAL – Damien Bury
Kariong 4 – 0 Berkeley Vale
Kariong right their wrongs from earlier in the year with an emphatic performance and win over Mark Pratt’s Berkeley Vale.
Berkeley Vale started as the better team in the opening 15-minuted of the contest and looked likely to score with multiple opportunities. Like in recent weeks, failure to capitalise on their chances would come back to haunt the Wombats as the game swung the way of Kariong. Captain Nick Trengrove opened the scoring for his side after a well-worked free-kick routine saw Nick bury his shot into the bottom corner. Moments later Kariong’s lead was doubled as Kevin Gallagher took the ball down on his chest on the edge of the area and with his back to goal swivelled and unleashed a shot into the top corner that left the Berkeley keeper zero chance. Determined to not let another lead slip, Kariong kept their foot on the gas and through Chris Lennon, made it 3-0 going into the break. Lennon whipped a shot into the top left corner from outside the box to give the opposition goalkeeper no chance once again as Lennon registered his sixth goal of the season. Just minutes before the halftime whistle, Joe Moore pulled off a world-class save with his legs to deny the Berkeley Vale striker.
The second half was much of the same for Berkeley Vale who continued to struggle to convert any chances which would have put some pressure on the Kariong side. It wasn’t until late in the second half that Chris Lennon sprung through to unselfishly square the ball to teammate Daniel Green to put away their fourth goal of the day and to send the Kariong supporters into celebration as they secured their first 9-point Sunday of the club’s history in BPL.
Mark Pratt congratulates the opposition who earnt the win. “A game of opportunities for both teams that were well taken by Kariong and wasted by Berkeley, inconsistency and a long injury list across all grades are both causing issues but also creating opportunities that when offered need to be taken. Congratulations to Kariong on a well-deserved win.”
Also having multiple players out, Ryan Finch couldn’t be more pleased with the way his side conducted themselves this past Sunday. “I am so proud of my team for what we have achieved against a strong established BPL team, considering we had so many important players unavailable to us, we all dug in and played for each other for the whole ninety minutes and deserved the result.”
MATCH OFFICIAL – Hugo Fonseca
The Entrance 0 – 4 Kanwal
A fast start from Kanwal saw the Bulls put the game beyond reach with four unanswered inside the opening 20-minutes against the Entrance.
The departure of Patrick Zwaanswijk now sees both Josh Rose and Ray Seers taking over the head coach role for the remainder of the season for Reddies. The Entrance team however was unable to stop the early ambush from Kanwal. Kanwal would grab their first after just 4 minutes with James Scott latching onto a loose ball in the box to give Kanwal the lead. Kanwal would continue to dominate possession and was rewarded again on the 15-minute mark when Logan Moore tapped in from close range to double Kanwal’s lead. Soon after Kanwal further extended their lead when Zac Johnson would pounce on a dropped ball from the Entrance goalkeeper. Joey Liddle would also get in the action in the 20th minute when his shot from the edge of the box would beat the opposition keeper. Although Kanwal would continue to dominate possession, the Entrance was able to limit any further damage with Kanwal going into halftime with a 4-0 lead.
The second half saw the game open up with both teams creating a number of chances. The Entrance team looked to rally back into the game in front of their home crowd but failed to find the back of the net for a second straight week. The Bulls were able to hold out and keep a clean sheet and take a 4-0 win back to Kanwal.
“Our squad is very young, and they know how to play football, at this stage they need to know how to win matches or at least be more consistent with their approach to the game in front of them. The boys know that we have their best interest and hope to see them bounce back int= training this week and prepare for next Sunday’s games. We have injuries to a few key players and a few un-well players at the moment but it’s the same situation as every other club,” voiced Ray Seers.
Ryan Walker was happy with the result and effort of his boys, especially the first-half performance. “We took advantage of our opportunities early and effectively killed the game off. It was great to also keep another clean sheet.”
MATCH OFFICIAL – Russel Kirkland
Golden Boot Standings –
| 6 | Stuart Adams (Terrigal), Adam Woodbine (Killarney), Mahkye Brownlie (Terrigal), Tyler Wade (Avoca), Chris Lennon (Kariong), Jayden Rogers (Woongarrah) |
| 5 | Jack Elwood (Southern), Andy Klijn (Killarney), Josh Menzies (Avoca), Bailey Garland (Berkeley Vale), Jayden Rogers (Woongarrah) |
Points Table –
Club Championship –
DIVISION 1
Round 12 Results –
Points Table –
Club Championship –
