MATCH OF THE ROUND
Kariong 4 – 1 Woongarrah
The round 13 match of the round saw Kariong keep their hopes of playing BPL football in 2023 alive as they took maximum points in all three grades against Woongarrah and as a result, relegated the opposition club to Division 1 for next season.
The contest started with Woongarrah starting the game well in the early stages and almost scoring after some quick interplay between their forwards with the ball only going narrowly wide of the goal. The Wildcat’s early pressure saw them have a string of corners which put the Kariong backline under immense pressure. Despite having only two of their usual backline available, Kariong was able to defend well and from that point on would see a back and forth contest. Kariong took the lead after a pin-point ball from Kevin Gallagher found James Draper unmarked at the back post who then cushioned the ball across the Woongarrah goal for Chris Lennon to tuck away his first of the day. Their second of the day followed a short time after when another ball in from Kevin Gallagher found the feet of Nick Trengrove on the edge of the area who smartly dummied the ball to allow James Draper to finish one-on-one and doubled the Cougar’s lead heading into halftime.
After a reminder from their coach at the break stating the importance of coming out with the same desire and intensity in the second half. Kariong picked up where they left off and extended their lead after a driving run from Chris Lennon saw him glide past two Woongarrah defenders and then cut the ball back for Jai Cross who finished under pressure into the bottom corner. Woongarrah continued to try to play balls in behind our defence and push to get back into the game, but Kariong held strong and restricted them to limited chances throughout the whole game. Kariong’s fourth and final goal of the day came when Chris Lennon again drove into the area which saw him fouled and awarded a penalty. Chris stepped up and made no mistake as he sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to extend their lead to 4-0. Woongarrah eventually got a goal of their own back with a well-taken first-time strike from the edge of the area after a defensive scramble fell to Myles Donnelly, but the goal proved to be no more than a consolation as the score finished 4-1.
“The playing surface was atrocious, unfortunately, it put both teams at the same playing level. Both sides gave it their all for the entire match. Now our fate is sealed for next season. We will reset, rebuild and come back stronger next year,” stated Woongarrah head coach Luke Rogers.
After some time away, Ryan Finch was ecstatic with his squad’s performance on his return. “Overall, I am so pleased with my team, we knew how important today was and we produced an excellent team performance. We were able to defend well as a team when needed and were lethal in attack. It was great to return back to the dugout after a few weeks away and see us pick up a nine-point Sunday. I look forward to us taking these results into next week.”
MATCH OFFICIAL – Miles Allen-Scott
Terrigal 1 – 2 Killarney
Killarney keeps their impeccable 17-game winning streak intact and win the annual Ash Grant Cup with a close 2-1 victory over rivals Terrigal.
In a tight first half, it was Killarney who struck the first blow when Ethan Hall rose unmarked at the far post to loop a header back over Terrigal goalkeeper Craig James to give the Terriers the lead 25 minutes in. Mahkye Brownlie went close to levelling but failed to connect when presented with the opportunity meanwhile at the other end Craig James did well to stop amultiple Adam Woodbine chances. After a back-and-forth half, Killarney entered the break with their 1-0 lead intact.
Killarney doubled their lead just after the break when Ethan Hall again found himself free at the back stick from a corner to head home for their second. Even after going two goals up, the contest remained fairly even as Terrigal pushed hard to get themselves on the scoresheet. Stuart Adams and Daniel Bird threatened for Terrigal on occasions, and it was Adam Woodbine and Andy Klijn who also kept the Terrigal rear-guard busy throughout the whole contest. It wasn’t until 85-minutes in when a Terrigal corner caused problems in the Killarney box and Ben Flakus was at hand to rifle home the ball to make it a nervy final five minutes for Killarney. With momentum on their side, a Terrigal attack marshalled by Stuart Adams saw him brought down by Sam Kirk on the edge of the area which saw the Killarney captain receive his marching orders after picking up his second yellow card on the day. Tyson Cosgrove couldn’t make it count from the resulting free kick in the 90th minute as Killarney maintained their 100% winning record.
Terrigal coach Martyn Griffiths commented “Congratulations to Ackers and his Killarney squad on a remarkable season again and winning the Ash Grant Cup in a contest where we always remember Ash and his contribution to football here on the Coast. They are the benchmark for the rest of the league to try and emulate and we have just fallen short today but went toe to toe with them. A couple of defensive lapses was the difference, but we know what we need to do in the coming weeks for finals if we are to maintain our status of Premiers.”
“It was an extremely hard game against Terrigal who were desperate for a win to secure a top-four spot. I’m very pleased with the win now for Avoca next week to finish the season before finals,” stated Chris Ackerley.
MATCH OFFICIAL – Trent Dickeson
Berkeley Vale 3 – 4 The Entrance
Berkely Vale missed out on a golden opportunity to jump back into the top four as the Entrance come from behind to claim their first 9-point Sunday this year and guarantee themselves safe from relegation.
The pristine field of Pluim Park hosted these two clubs last Sunday as the match started with Berkeley Vale taking control from early proceedings and troubling the Entrance defence. After Bailey Garland was fouled in the box, the Wombats were awarded a penalty. Ex-Entrance captain Nathan Blunden stepped up against his old side but was denied by Jaleel Coombe who made an excellent save that resulted in a corner. Fortunately for Berkeley Vale, Scott McGinley scored off the resulting corner to give his side an early 1-0 lead. Again, Berkeley continued with some nice passing phases and a powerful, well-placed shot from Alex Arbelo from outside the box found the bottom corner, leaving the opposition goalkeeper with zero chance of making a save as he extended his side’s lead to 2-0. Berkeley Vale looked unstoppable in the early stages of this match as many expected them to run away with the result after two early goals, but the Entrance responded in terrific fashion knowing their season was on the line. Starting to enjoy more of the possession, the Entrance were awarded a penalty of their own after Ashton Hurley was fouled in the box. Mitch Landini stepped up for his side and successfully converted to get his side back in the game. Entrance speedster Ashton Hurley continued to terrorise and cause havoc against the opposition’s defence and got a goal of his own after some individual brilliance and a tidy finish into the bottom corner to sqaure the game at 2-2. With the Entrance now well in control of the game, it was only a matter of time before Ashton Hurley again had his hand in a goal, this time turning provider after beating players down the left side again and shooting on goal only to be parried by the Berkeley goalkeeper into the path of the oncoming Zac Anastas who tapped home to give his side a 3-2 lead at halftime.
The second half started more evenly as both teams searched for the ever-important next goal in the fixture. Berkeley Vale would not make the most of their chances early in the second period and it would hurt them immensely when Ashton Hurley was able to pick the ball up and drive into the box, this time his shot went through the legs of the defender and goalkeeper to find the back of the net and extend the Reddies lead to 4-2. The Wombats continued to work hard and finally got back into the game when Troy Mumford was able to poke the ball past the opposition goalkeeper after being played through by a commendable Corey Atkinson pass. This made for an extremely nervy finish for the Entrance, but Mark Pratt’s side was unable to find the equaliser as the Entrance secured the victory and as a result of picking up a win in all three grades, the Reddies now find themselves clear from relegation.
Missing out on reclaiming a top four spot, Mark Pratt commented how again it was their missed chances that would let them down. “It’s the same as every other week, missed opportunities at crucial times and conceded soft goals against the run of play. Congratulations to the Entrance, they were hungrier than us for the win and survival in the BPL.”
“We are extremely happy with the win and very proud of the players to showcase their ability to get back into the game at two-nil down. Early in the season we would have rolled over and got beaten by a lot of goals, but we have worked very hard in mental strength and working hard for each other and to get the win was a huge success for the club. Both Josh Rose and I couldn’t have asked for any more out of the team. Berkeley is a very good team, I think based on their chances up front if more clinical with their finish product they could have won by a goal, but our defence put pressure on the strikers and didn’t allow the time or space to find the goals,” spoke Ray Seers from the Entrance.
MATCH OFFICIAL – Anthony Kabbout
Kanwal 1 – 0 Wyoming
Bailey Appo’s goal was the only difference between these two sides this past Sunday as Kanwal successfully locked in their spot in second on the competition ladder.
It was a relatively frustrating day for Kanwal against an understrength Wyoming team that came with a specific game plan and was able to hold Kanwal out for most of the afternoon. Wyoming sat back and allowed Kanwal to dominate possession throughout the game and if it wasn’t for some fantastic goalkeeping and a desperate Tigers defence, along with some poor finishing on Kanwal’s behalf, the game could have been over at halftime. However, the two teams entered the break at 0-0.
The second half was much of the same but after 54 minutes a Kanwal corner would fall to Bayley Appo who calmly converted to give Kanwal a 1-0 lead and some much-needed relief to Kanwal coach Ryan Walker. Unfortunately, Kanwal would continue their poor finishing in the second half and keep Wyoming in the game. Time and time again Kanwal would miss great opportunities to finish the game off and this allowed Wyoming to push for an equaliser in the last ten minutes of play but luckily for Kanwal they were able to hold Wyoming out and keep another clean sheet, walking away with a 1-0 win and second place secured.
Kanwal coach Ryan Walker had extremely mixed feelings after the game. “I was happy with another clean sheet and locking down a top two finish but was extremely frustrated at the lack of composure in front of goal. We need to be better in front of the goal if we are going to have an impact in the finals. Good luck to Macca and the Wyoming boys, they came with a plan today and were able to frustrate us time and time again.”
MATCH OFFICIAL – Anthony Kabbout
Avoca 3 – 1 Southern Ettalong
Southern once again drops points against a side lower than them on the competition ladder as Avoca secure their sixth win of the league with their 3-1 result over the in-form Lions.
Southern Ettalong’s first half against Avoca was very pleasing. The Lions controlled possession, created chances down the left and right and pressured Avoca into mistakes. The only ingredient missing for the Lions was goals. Avoca grew in strength the longer the half progressed with their keeper Phil Anderson coping with numerous corners and long throws in the first half. Due to superb goalkeeping and a desperate defence from Avoca along with an inaccurate finishing on Southern behalf, the score remained locked at 0-0 after the opening 45 minutes of play.
The second half was completely different with Avoca controlled and precise in their counterattacks and catching Southern out time and time again. The Shark’s confidence and hunger to get a result grew they capitalized on their chances and had the Southern scrambling and unable to keep them out as the Shark’s scored three unanswered goals. Tyler Wade recorded a double to his name and Nathan Baker also got himself on the scoresheet for the third week running. Southern Ettalong still couldn’t convert any of their numerous chances in the second half until Jamo Flynn slotted one away in the dying stages to make the full-time score line 3-1.
Dale Eggleton had high praise for the opposition but admitted his team must work on consistency. “Full credit to Neal Hide and the Avoca side who worked hard for each other and again showed that any side can beat any opposition in this league. We now need to work on our vulnerable areas and concentrate on making sure we are consistent over the ninety minutes.”
Neal Hide commended the opposition as well as his team who secured back-to-back wins. “It was a really good, open match with numerous opportunities for both teams. Congrats to SEU who played some highly intelligent football and credit to Avoca, who won for the second week in succession.
MATCH OFFICIAL – Damien Bury
Golden Boot Standings –
| 13 | Adam Woodbine (Killarney) |
| 11 | Tyler Wade (Avoca), Chris Lennon (Kariong) |
| 9 | Chris Lennon (Kariong), Mahkye Brownlie (Terrigal) |
| 8 | Keith Gumbs (Southern), Stuart Adams (Terrigal), Daniel Bird (Terrigal) |
| 7 | Jason Cozens (Kanwal), Ethan Hall (Killarney), Jameson Flynn (Southern) |
Points Table –
Club Championship –
Division 1
Round 13 Results –
Points Table –
Club Championship –
