Match of the Round
Wyoming 0 – 5 Woy Woy
In a substantial day for both clubs in regards to the club championship ladder and trying to avoid relegation, it was Woy Woy who took advantage of a subpar Wyoming to claim their second win of the year and a vital three points.
All the chat leading into this game for Neal Morris and his squad was about the key areas that have let them down for several weeks.
Woy Woy started the contest very confidently keeping the ball for long periods of time and putting the pressure on the opposition before Jack Arigho put a lovely ball up to Nathan Baker who cut back in finding Matt Jacobsen on the run who was overlapped by Brady Holmes to score the opening goal with a great finish.
Woy Woy continued to take charge of possession and confidence kept growing as Neal’s side was able to grab another goal to head into the break at halftime 2-0 up away from home.
“It was great to see the lads full of confidence after what they had achieved in the first half, but for well knowing how dangerous it was to sit on two-nil with a crucial 45 still to play,” explained Neal.
The second half started the same with Woy Woy playing with plenty of urgency, disrupting any of Wyoming’s attempts to play while mounting plenty of pressure on the opposition goal every time Woy Woy got the ball.
Woy Woy continued to create opportunities and were clinical in front of goal, scoring another three goals in the second period to walk away 5-0 victors for their second win of the season.
“Full credit to Wyoming, they never gave up till the end, but we were on today,” voiced Neal.
“We played to our strengths and played confident football consistently throughout the ninety minutes to get us home. This sets us up for a great showdown with Avoca at home next week. Special mention to Matt Brooks who debuted for first grade and claimed man of the match.”
A very honest Ian McAndrew spoke after the game as he praised the opposition as well as stating his side must be better if they wish to play MPL football in 2024.
“We were horrible today and Woy Woy took advantage of that, my team needs to learn to take our chances if we want to stay in this league. Woy Woy had three outstanding players, Brady, and Matthew both players who made the south side and Matt Hogan, they made their team tick without them they would have struggled. Credit to Neal for an outstanding game plan.”
Match Official – Miles Allen-Scott
Southern & Ettalong 1 – 0 The Entrance
A big crowd was in attendance on Saturday night at JBO for Old Boys Day when Southern- Ettalong hosted the Entrance. The same two clubs who played out a Division 1 grand final in 2013 where Southern-Ettalong were triumphant.
The Lions were hoping for the same result to continue to press their claims for a finals berth while the Entrance were looking to stay away from the relegation zone.
The first half showed the intentions of both sides with neither team having space or time on the ball and clear-cut chances were hard to come by.
Both sides had goals disallowed and Jacob Lepre struck the post with a free kick, but it was a stalemate as both sides went to the interval at 0-0
The second half began with both sides knowing that one goal may decide the outcome.
It proved to be the case with 15 minutes gone into the second half when the pressure from Southern Ettalong paid off with Jack Ellwood putting his side ahead 1-0 with a well-placed right-foot strike into the corner of the net.
Jacob Lepre again struck the woodwork, this time the crossbar, with another free kick as Southern desperately tried to double their lead.
Overall, it was an entertaining game for the big home crowd who left in a good mood with the Lions triumphing 1-0 and now turning their attention to their mid-week scheduled game against Berkeley Vale.
Match Official – Trent Dickeson
Terrigal 3 – 2 East Gosford
With both teams entering this important round 15 clash coming off losses, Terrigal came from behind to defeat the Rams and secure a vital three points towards their hopes of playing finals.
Terrigal started the game extremely strong and created a few good chances but couldn’t find the back of the net.
In a blink of an eye, the O’lads were caught out after some great work from Charlie Entwistle down the right wing who cut the ball back to his oncoming striker who finished to put the visitors ahead 1-0.
Not to be deterred, Terrigal kept their heads up and for the remaining of the half pressed hard to get an equaliser. This came before the halftime break when a long throw from Jai McNamara was met by the head of Mark Partridge to bring the score level at the break.
Terrigal adjusted their shape for the second half and came out much stronger of the two teams. After a quick switch of play found Erik Riquelme in behind the East Gosford full-back, he delivered a wicked cross that found Aidan Bastick at the far post who fired home to take the lead.
To East Gosford’s credit, the Rams worked tirelessly to find a way back into the game again. And after a counterattack that Terrigal only managed to half clear fell to an East Gosford player on the edge of the box, his shot took a slight deflection and then slipped through the keeper’s hands and ended up in the back of the net to take the game to 2-2 and set up a dramatic ending.
Searching to try and find a winner, the home side made some substitutions, in particular young winger Tahj Werner and returning player Haydn Harris from Europe who both made instant impacts.
Tahj picked up the ball on the halfway line and managed to play a fantastic ball in behind the East Gosford defensive line for Aidan Bastick to round the keeper and fire home for what would be the game-winner.
“It was a big three points for us, with the fight for final football so tight, every point is so important,” declared Pete Edwards.
“This was always going to be a tricky game for us. With East Gosford picking up some impressive results of late and us requiring a strong bounce back from the loss last week. I’m proud of the effort the boys displayed today and spoke at full time of the never give up attitude and fight amongst the group.”
Pete also spoke extremely highly of the fantastic job Ricky Sansom has done as East Gosford. “I have to commend the great work Ricky is doing at East Gosford and his presence was clearly missed from the sidelines this week after a suspension kept him away from the game. East Gosford are one of the most improved teams in the competition and showed why they deserve to stay up this season.”
“It was a great game for the natural supporter and I’m glad we managed to get the points today and keep us in the hunt for second and finals football.”
Match Official – Jasper White
Kanwal 1 – 1 Killarney
Old Boys Day at Wadalba Sports Complex saw a big turnout as league leaders Killarney made the trip north to face a Kanwal side looking to claim crucial points and keep their spot inside the top four.
In an even start to the game, it would be Kanwal who had the better of the chances, but a lack of composure in front of the goal stopped Kanwal from taking the lead.
Logan Moore had the first chance but miss-hit his shot straight at the Killarney keeper from right in front, then Mason Lavery would dribble into the box but would also fire his attempt directly at the Killarney keeper.
Logan Moore would miss again a few minutes later as the opposition’s attackers also squandered their chances in front of goal, with the game remaining in the balance at 0-0 after the first half.
The second half began like the first with neither team dominating and both teams missing some half chances, but it would be Killarney who would take the lead through Cam Brown in the 75th minute with a well-taken shot.
Kanwal was still right in the game and were rewarded in the 83rd minute with Logan Moore being brought down in the box and Mason Lavery stepping up and converting the penalty.
Scores all locked at 1-1 it would be an interesting last few minutes with both teams looking for the winner. It would be Brad Porter who had a chance to win in the last minute of the game and send the old boys home happy, but his shot failed to trouble the Killarney keeper who made an easy save and the two sides were forced to share the points.
Ryan Walker was happy after the game with the effort of the boys and their ability to concentrate for the full 90 minutes and not make any errors that Killarney could capitalise on.
“I felt with a bit more composure in front of the goal we could have walked away with a victory today, but still happy to draw against Killarney. Gives the boys confidence leading into an important three games for the club which will define our season.”
“All credit to Kanwal who had a plan and executed it well to get a point,” said Killarney’s Chris Ackerley.
Match Official – Anthony Kabbout
Avoca 0 – 8 Berkeley Vale
In a scoreline that says it all, Berkeley Vale produced their most complete and compelling football of the season as they scored an impressive eight goals against mid-table Avoca.
In what would be a very tough day for Avoca, who couldn’t cope with an excellent performance from Berkeley Vale, The Sharks found themselves down 2-0 after 10 minutes and went into half-time trailing 4-0.
The second half saw a further onslaught leading to another four goals for the visitors Berkeley Vale as they secured the biggest win of the MPL season thanks to goals from Kane Woolston (2), Jakeb Brownlow (2), Tristan Bellemore (2), Ashton Hurley (1), and Daniel Rojas (1).
To their credit, Avoca tried hard for the entire contest and created a handful of half-chances in the second half but couldn’t convert on what was not their day as they look to pick up the pieces next weekend.
Post-match, Neal Hide had extremely high praise for the opposition, stating they could be the team to bat come the 2023 finals series. “No excuses from Avoca, we were comprehensively beaten by an excellent team. I would like to pay credit to Berkeley Vale, they played great football at a very high tempo, and we couldn’t cope with their pace and movement up front.”
“They are a credit to Mark and Andre. It was the best performance against Avoca this season, if Berkeley Vale plays like this in the Finals, they could be the team to beat!
Mark Pratt also spoke after the huge win as he now sets his sights on a very tough run of games in the coming week. “The score says it all, probably our most complete victory of the season so far with goals shared amongst the group and most importantly no goals conceded.”
“A ruthless improvement on the week before where we scored two early goals and failed to go on with it today was a different story, 4-0 at halftime and a further four in the second half. Two hard games this week with SEU midweek and Terrigal on Sunday which will be a greater test of where we are at this season.”
Match Official – Mark Roberts
Golden Boot Standings –
| 11 | Tim Knight (Killarney), Logan Moore (Kanwal) |
| 10 | Kane Woolston (Berkeley Vale) |
| 9 | Jacob Lepre (Southern), Andy Klijn (Killarney) |
| 7 | Keith Gumbs (Southern), Cooper Ebrington (Avoca), Jakeb Brownlow (Berkeley Vale), Nathan Baker (Woy Woy) |
Points Table –
Club Championship –
Divison 1
Round 15 Results –
Points Table –
Club Championship –
