Match of the Round
Avoca 5 – 4 Woy Woy
After a tremendous showing last week where Woy Woy picked up their first MPL win of the season, the Roosters looked to keep that momentum going when they travelled to Avoca’s new home ground Paul Oval which led to a 9-goal thriller in the round 7 match of the round.
Woy Woy snatched an early lead threw a mistimed clearance that was put away with a quality finish by Jayke Browne.
Although down a goal, Avoca maintained more of the ball as Woy Woy found themselves on the back foot, playing patchy football which lead to them conceding three straight goals to go down 3-1.
Woy Woy battled hard to get themselves back into the game and were awarded a penalty on the stroke of halftime after an Avoca defender was deemed to handball the ball inside the box.
The penalty was well converted by Nathan Baker as Woy Woy went into the sheds a goal down at 3-2.
The second half continued in the same vein, it remained a physical contest as Avoca managed to score through a free kick which saw the Sharks take a comfortable 4-2.
However, their lead was soon nullified after some well-worked football from the back saw Jayke Browne slot two more quality goals from outside the box to even up the contest with 15 minutes left to play as he also secured a hattrick to his name.
With the game in the balance, both teams looked for the winner and ultimately all three points as the contest saw end-to-end football being played.
Woy Woy seemed to be gaining the upper hand but a timely substitute for Avoca who made the assist for the winning goal left them with a tense final few minutes which then lead to 10 minutes of injury time.
The Sharks were able to hold on and open their account at Paul Oval with a win in front of a relieved home crowd.
“I feel we had more of the possession and deserved the win yet it was a lot tighter of a score line. Should be an interesting contest when we next meet. A team not to be underestimated especially with some quality finishes from Jake Browne,” spoke Avoca fill-in coach Sean Bermingham.
Neal Morris of Woy Woy also spoke post-match, “It’s not very often you score four goals and lose the game, and you can’t concede five and expect to win either. We need to be much better in a few key areas that let us down today. Something to really look at this week. Man of the match for us was Jayke Browne with his hattrick of quality finishes.”
Match Official – Trent Dickeson
Berkeley Vale 1 – 1 Terrigal
Two of the competition’s heavyweights faced off this past weekend as undefeated Berkley Vale hosted Terrigal with the Wombats looking to secure a win and move seven points clear of the O’lads while a win for Terrigal would keep them within touching distance of the top three.
The game was pretty evenly set in the first half. Berkeley Vale had a flurry of good chances mainly coming from set pieces in which the Terrigal keeper, Josh Ferragamo made a string of impressive double saves to keep the score level.
Terrigal recorded the majority of possession in the opening 45 minutes and also created a number of good half chances which they couldn’t capitalise on.
The best chance of the half came to Terrigal when they broke down the left side through Kassidy Lalor who was brought down in the box and the O’lads were awarded a penalty.
Terrigal looked to go into the second half 1 – 0 up but couldn’t convert the penalty after a great save from the Wombats keeper Steven Grimmitt denied Stu Adams as the score remained locked at 0-0 after the opening half of action.
Terrigal came out the second half confident after their first-half performance, but early in the half, they made one critical error playing out from the back which saw Berkeley Vale press high and win the ball on the edge of our box as the clinical Kane Woolston fired past the opposition goalie to put the Wombats 1-0 up.
Terrigal managed to lift again and get back to the good football they were playing in the 1st half and were rewarded when they found an equaliser after a long throw-in was flicked on by Max Vegter to a free Ben Flakus at the back post who tapped home for the equaliser.
From here the game started to open up a little more and both teams had chances to take the points but neither side was able to convert as the points would be split.
Pete Edwards commended the opposition when reflecting on the close contest on Sunday. “Firstly, I want to congratulate Andre and Berkeley Vale on what was an entertaining game of football with both teams showing some real quality on the park.”
“For us, it feels like a game we should and could have won, but again our lack of clinical finishing in the final third cost us two points from the round. This is summed up by yet another missed penalty and a ray of clear chances missing the target.”
Berkeley Vale’s Mark Pratt spoke highly of the Terrigal goalkeeper as he stated the draw was a fair result. “It was a game of two halves, while Terrigal dominated possession it was us with the best chances only to be denied four opportunities by probably the best goalkeeping seen on the coast for many years.”
“The second half was dominated by Terrigal while Berkeley scored first it was Terrigal that dominated and eventually scored an equaliser, the draw is probably a fair result. Credit to Terrigal who are our toughest game this year and we expect that they will be thereabouts come to the end of the season,” remarked Pratt.
Match Official – Damien Bury
Wyoming 0 – 6 Killarney
Reigning League Champs and current league leaders Killarney put on a clinical display this past Sunday, defeating a young, determined Wyoming side 6-0.
Taking control of the contest from the outset, Killarney got their first goal of the day through Tim Knight. After a delightful cross-field pass from Nic Battershae, Tim was able to capitalise and score his 100th Premier League goal, a truly incredible feat for the Killarney attacker.
Just 4 minutes after grabbing the opening goal, Killarney doubled their lead after a cross from Harry Fountain found the diving head of Ethan Hall who spectacularly finished to extend the Terries’ lead.
It took Killarney until the 54th minute to see their next goal as again Ethan Hall produced a spectacular effort from 25 yards out which beat veteran goalkeeper Tom Coventry as Hall secured his brace.
Another dangerous cross into the Wyoming box saw the Tiger’s defence turn the ball into their own net as Killarney took a 4-0 lead in the 66th minute.
10 minutes later, the opening goal scorer Tim Knight turn provider as his corner found the rising head of Will Hamilton who found the back of the net with his effort on goal.
Killarney’s sixth and final goal of the evening came through substitute Declan Ackerley who tapped home from 8 yards out to score his first, first-grade goal of his career.
Chris Ackerley stated he was happy with his team’s performance as he now focuses on another tough challenge next week. “I’m very pleased with the result and another clean sheet which makes it much better. On to Woy Woy next week which will be a difficult game.”
Ian McAndrew spoke highly of the opposition as he expresses what his team could do better when playing against teams of a higher calibre. “Killarney were outstanding today. They played really well, they know their game in and out and make it hard for teams to play against them. In saying that we need to be smarter when it comes to defending our goal better a few goals could have definitely been stopped with some better communication.”
“I can’t fault my team’s effort, but we need to be more resolute in defence. Well done to Killarney, they are by far the benchmark of the competition out of the teams we have played.”
Match Official – Jasper White
East Gosford 3 – 3 The Entrance
Hoping to get the first points of their 2023 MPL campaign, East Gosford welcomed The Entrance to Hylton Moore Oval as these two sides desperately battled for crucial points.
The game started at a furious pace with both teams creating chances. After 15 mins the home side went 1 -0 up after breaking down the opposition defence with a through ball from Oliver Vanderslot that was slotted home by Mitchell Wilson-Thomas for the lead.
The Entrance then applied some pressure which the Rams were dealing with until a small mistake allowed the Reddies to equalise around 10 mins from halftime.
East Gosford re-gathered themselves and were able to score and reinstate their lead just before halftime when provider turned goal scorer and Oliver Vanderslot finished well to give his side a 2-1 lead at the break.
East Gosford entered the second half using their momentum from the end of the first period and came out firing and dominated for the first 15 mins which resulted in a third goal.
Following some good build-up play and a head flick into the box, Charlie Entwistle was on queue to add a third for his side and extend the Rams’ lead to 3-1.
The Entrance, looking to salvage something from the contest, looked determined and upped the ante and were awarded with a penalty when an Entrance attacker went down in the box.
The penalty was brilliantly saved by keeper Aaron Gunn but unfortunately, East Gosford’s reaction time to the save was second-best and the Entrance hit home from close range to bring the deficit back to one.
A frantic period ensued and with 10 mins to go the ball was picked up on the far touchline by an Entrance player who evaded three tackles and multiple deflections on the way to hit a shot from the edge of the box which went through a crowd of players and found the back of the net for the games sixth and final goal.
“With full credit to my guys, we went searching in the last ten and had maybe three chances to take the game but unfortunately it was not to be.”
“Good Effort and a point and an example of how physical some teams will be at this level, still on the learning curve but making progress,” voiced East Gosford’s Ricky Sansom.
Match Official – Miles Allen-Scott
Southern & Ettalong 3 – 1 Kanwal
Winter conditions welcomed the players at James Brown Oval on Sunday with the wind, a noticeable drop in temperature and a bumpy surface which made it an extra challenge for both teams to contend with.
Kanwal tried to take the game to Southern early and this nearly paid off with a scramble in the box cleared not once but twice by Southern after just 4 minutes.
The home side started well, and Keith Gumbs was causing the Kanwal defence problems from the outset, and it was only desperation and lack of finishing that was denying the home team an early goal.
But 12 minutes in it was the Kanwal side that took the lead when a pinpoint cross from Brad Porter found the head of Jason Cozens who had got between the Southern central defenders and finished with a wonderful header to give his side the lead.
Kanwal was playing a physical game and attacking Southern Ettalong with speed and numbers on the transition from defence to attack with effect.
Twenty minutes into the contest, a surging run from midfielder Jack Ellwood into the Kanwal 18-yard box was fouled and Southern were awarded a penalty and a golden opportunity to equalise.
The ever-reliable Keith Gumbs stepped up, but an out-of-character miss from the spot kept the score at 1-0 which despite some more good chances from both sides, remained the score at halftime.
The second half began evenly, but Southern would soon begin to gain the upper hand and dominate possession.
Rising to the challenge in the second half, the Lions started their comeback in the 51st minute when a ball from a Jacob Lepre free kick saw Jack Ellwood rise above the Kanwal defence to head home a thundering header to put his side back on level terms at 1-1.
Southern Ettalong was starting to get more rhythm in their passing game and causing all sorts of problems for the Kanwal defence.
66 minutes into the game the possession and territorial advantage saw Southern rewarded when another Jacob Lepre free kick found Jack Ellwood who put his side in the lead this time from his right boot whilst on the ground.
Kanwal tried to hit back, but just couldn’t convert any set pieces of their own and in the 78th minute a poor defensive decision by Kanwal saw Southern convert and take a 3-1 lead and ultimately close out the game.
Southern Ettalong got in behind the Kanwal defence with Charlie Polson delivering a well-timed cross to Jacob Lepre who scored his seventh goal of the season.
“I was very pleased with our belief, resilience and hunger. The squad is determined and are working hard for each other,” voiced SEU’s Dale Eggleton.
“Kanwal proved why they are threatening again this year as they play an unsettling physical style that suits them and are dangerous going forward and certainly were a tough opponent the entire ninety minutes. We now have to prepare for our next challenge which will be Wyoming under lights Saturday night at the Den.”
Ryan Walker was again frustrated after the game. “I think we are capable of competing with everybody this year, it’s just poor decisions that are ultimately killing us. Today, it wasn’t so much the decisions of my players but some poor decisions from others that allowed Southern to take advantage of.”
Walker also stated, “At the end of the day, we still need to deal with the cards we are dealt with and good luck to Southern, they are a very strong team and I think they are one of the favourites for the title this year.”
Match Official – Christopher Robinson
Golden Boot Standings –
| 7 | Tim Knight (Killarney), Jacob Lepre (Southern) |
| 6 | Keith Gumbs (Southern) |
| 5 | Andy Klijn (Killarney), Jakeb Brownlow (Berkeley Vale), Cooper Ebrington (Avoca), Nathan Baker (Woy Woy), |
| 4 | Matt Caisley (Southern), Logan Moore (Kanwal), Shane Littlehales (Berkeley Vale), James Scott (Kanwal), Ethan Hall (Killarney), Kane Woolston (Berkeley Vale), Ben Flakus (Terrigal) |
Points Table –
Club Championship –
Division 1
Round 7 Results –
Points Table –
Club Championship –
