MATCH OF THE ROUND
Kariong 1 – 11 Killarney
A dominant 11-goal display saw Killarney crowned League Champions for the sixth consecutive season as Chris Ackerley’s squad extends their perfect season and now set their sights on creating more history by becoming the first team to win all of their games since the ’70s.
Knowing they had the opportunity to solidify 2022 League Champions with only a point this weekend, it was clear for the start that this determined Killarney side wanted nothing but all three points this past Sunday. Kariong was feeling the effects of playing mid-week in a catch-up game against the Entrance that finished 2-2 as the Cougars entered Sunday’s contest with limited numbers. A six-goal haul in the first half saw the Terriers enter the break 6-0 up thanks to a first-half hat trick from Adam “The Pensioner” Woodbine and single goals from Matt Hall, Adam Smith, and also Tim Knight.
A forceful Terriers side continued to push for goals in the second half and Matt Hall was able to add to his tally and also secure a hat trick to his name. Sam Kirk also joined his defender counterpart Adam Smith on the scoresheet with a goal of his own. Woodbine grabbed another two goals to take his total of the day to five and his total of the year to twelve as he rockets to the top of the Golden Boot standings. Kariong was able to find themselves a consolation goal through Lloyd Lightfoot late in the second half as the score finished 11-1.
Chris Ackerley was thrilled to be crowned champions but admits his focus is already on a big game next week as they look to finish the season with nothing but wins. “Kariong to their credit never gave up and scored near the end. Very pleased to have wrapped up the league championship for the sixth season in a row. Now to be ready for the derby against The Entrance next week.”
MATCH OFFICIAL – David Richardson
Avoca 2 – 2 Wyoming
Avoca claws their way back from a 2-goal deficit to pick up their fourth draw of the season and deny Wyoming critical club championship points.
In a tough and closely fought match, Wyoming took the lead through youngster Timothy Hopkins after capitalising on a mistake in Avoca’s midfield. After getting the lead their captain Matt Hall was shown a red card as the Tigers were forced to finish the remaining hour of play with just 10 men on the field. At first, this didn’t seem to discourage Ian McAndrew’s men who doubled their lead thanks to Matt Gravas and entered the halftime break 2-0 up.
However, being a man down soon took its toll on this Wyoming outfit as Avoca entered the second half with a newfound determination to get a result out of this fixture. Avoca grabbed their first goal of the game through an own goal and constant attacking pressure saw Nathan Baker finally get an equaliser for the Sharks with around 10 minutes of play left. It was heartbreak for Wyoming who felt they were on top and in control until they lost their captain and missed out on what could be extremely crucial club championship points.
“Credit to Wyoming for playing with such courage and holding on for so long with 10 players and credit to Avoca for again scoring in the last 10 minutes of the match to grab some points. Avoca left frustrated again to get another draw,” stated Neal Hide.
Ian McAndrew commended the opposition for coming back and getting a result out of the fixture. “It was a good game, credit to Avoca for fighting back to get the draw. They played well with the extra man and dragged us out of shape and got what they earned. Unfortunately, our game was ruined by an unfortunate incident, and it cost us how well we were playing and forced us to change everything about our game.”
MATCH OFFICIAL – Miles Allen-Scott
Woongarrah 1 – 1 Berkeley Vale
A late equaliser saw Woongarrah cap off a big day for the club as the Wildcats managed to pick up crucial club championship points in all three grades.
In the opening two minutes of play, Berkeley Vale would have their first chance on goal when a header from six yards out forced the Woongarrah keeper Corey Hedges to make a fantastic save to deny the Wombats a perfect start. Berkeley dominated possession and continued to create multiple chances inside the opening 20 minutes but was unable to convert a number of one-on-one opportunities and also set pieces that were offered to them. After a very one-sided half, Woongarrah were able to see out all attacking raids from the opposition to enter the break with the score still locked at 0-0.
In the second half, Woongarrah would slowly start to play themselves into the game, gaining momentum in front of their home crowd the more the match played out. However, Berkeley Vale would break the deadlock first after they finally converted on a great team goal that was finished well by Reece Caira. With plenty to play for, Woongarrah continued to push in the hopes of grabbing an equaliser and were eventually rewarded in the 88th minute when Kaleb Langbien would send a cross in towards the far stick only to find the net instead of a teammate. The sun deterred the Berkeley keeper as the ball found its way into the far corner, untouched by anyone for the game’s final goal.
Luke Rogers was ecstatic with his squad’s effort but knows they must repeat this performance for the rest of the season. “Very proud of the effort my boys put in on Sunday. We are going to need the same next week when we face Avoca. I wish Mark and his boys all the best as they fight for finals football.”
Mark Pratt stated that once again missed opportunities would come back to haunt them as they miss out on a valuable three points. “Our game yesterday was very much the same as most others, dominating possession and field position with enough opportunities to secure a win in the first twenty minutes. To be fair, it was a big day for Luke and the club with first-grade players playing multiple games looking to secure valuable points for their club championship and BPL survival.”
MATCH OFFICIAL – Damien Bury
The Entrance 2 -1 Terrigal
Veteran Zac Anastas secured a brace to his name to guide the Reddies to record their third win of the season and put a dent in Terrigal’s top four hopes.
The Entrance hosted Terrigal at Pat Morley Oval for a big day for both clubs at different ends of the table. In a closely contested first half, neither side could muster up any clear chances. Both teams passed and moved the ball around nicely without too many scoring opportunities as both defensive lines proved difficult to break down. Daniel Bird was able to break through on a couple of occasions but failed to trouble keeper Jaleel Combe who was outstanding on Sunday. The Entrance had the best opportunity of the first half to take the lead when they were awarded a penalty, but Terrigal goalkeeper Graig James did well to save the attempt and keep the score locked up at 0-0.
10 minutes into the second half it was Jaleel Combe once again making a fantastic save to deny Stuart Adams shot on goal. The Entrance settled into the second half and look the better of the two teams when going forward. The Reddies opened the scoring after a corner found Zac Anastas who made no mistake of his chance in front of the goal to grab the first goal of the day and put his side in front. Minutes later it was Anastas once again who rifled home from 20 yards out with his weak foot to further increase his side’s lead. Terrigal was able to start enjoying more possession and had a couple of shots on target that were met well by Coombe time and time again. Late in the game, Terrigal earned a penalty and scored through Stuart Adams to make things interesting. Terrigal rallied hard to find the equaliser but left it too late as time ran out and The Entrance secured a deserved 2-1 win.
After a busy schedule of games, Ray Seers knew it wouldn’t be easy but states he is proud of his team who played tremendously this past Sunday. “It was a great game of football and a proper team effort from our boys in red today. We did our homework from the last game and knew where their dangers would come from. Today our defensive midfield and defensive backline did very well, and we were able to build confidence upfront. We have been in good form in recent weeks and with three games in seven days we knew it was going to be tough, but all credit goes to the players.
MATCH OFFICIAL – Sean Lacy
Kanwal 0 – 5 Southern Ettalong
A disappointing performance from Kanwal saw Southern Ettalong take advantage and walk away from Wadalba Sports Complex with three crucial points to keep their finals hopes alive.
The mental strength, as well as the physical condition of the Southern Ettalong players was going to be tested heading into Sunday when they travelled to enemy territory to face second-placed Kanwal. The Lions were entering their third game in seven days after their midweek win over Wyoming last Thursday night. It was important they started well and that’s exactly what the Lions did, a series of passes between Jacob Lepre, Charlie Polson, Josh Lepre, Charlie Polson, and again Jacob Lepre whose shot was turned in by Jameson Flynn to open the scoring after five minutes. The rest of the first half saw both sides trying to gain the ascendency and although Southern dominated, Kanwal was able to limit the damage and go into halftime only one goal down.
15 minutes into the second half Southern Ettalong doubled their lead when Jacob Lepre found left-sided player Calvin Edwards with a great ball from midfield. Edwards in turn found Keith Gumbs unmarked in the box with a well times cross which Gumbs headed into the corner of the Kanwal net. Gumbs was able to get his second of the day 10 minutes later when he evaded the Kanwal defence and slotted the ball past the advancing Kanwal keeper to make it 3-0 to the visitors. The Southern Ettalong crowd only had to wait 5 more minutes to celebrate a Keith Gumbs hat trick after he followed up substitute Jack Wilson’s shot to make it 4-0 in favour of his side. The scoring was complete just before full time when Jacob Lepre’s free-kick was turned in by the opposition to cap off an outstanding display by himself and the team.
Ryan Walker was extremely disappointed with the effort of his squad who succumb to their third loss of the season. “There are no excuses, we were too complacent today and unfortunately Southern wanted it more. You cannot be off in this league and expected to win. Good luck to Southern, they taught us a lesson today and hopefully the boys come out firing next week.”
Dale Eggleton touched on the difference between his squad now compared to the start of the season. “Momentum and self-belief continue to grow and consistency in performance which wasn’t there earlier in the season has been a highlight over recent weeks. Kanwal will no doubt bounce back and look to go into finals with winning form and they certainly have the players to do so.”
MATCH OFFICIAL – Anthony Kabbout
Golden Boot Standings –
| 12 | Adam Woodbine (Killarney) |
| 9 | Chris Lennon (Kariong) |
| 8 | Tyler Wade (Avoca), Keith Gumbs (Southern) |
| 7 | Mahkye Brownlie (Terrigal), Jason Cozens (Kanwal), Stuart Adams (Terrigal) |
| 6 | Jayden Rogers (Woongarrah), Jack Ellwood (Southern), Andy Klijn (Killarney), Daniel Bird (Terrigal), Matt Hall (Killarney) |
Points Table –
Club Championship –
Division 1
Round 1 Results –
Points Table –
Club Championship –
