Match of the Round
Kanwal 1 – 2 Terrigal
Our match of the round contest with high stakes lived up to all expectations as Terrigal entered the home of the Bulls and left with their undefeated record still intact as the O’lads find themselves on top of the MPL summit, sitting in first place to conclude round 9.
From the onset, Kanwal chose to sit deep and allowed Terrigal to have the ball and build play through the midfield.
It was an even game for the first 20 minutes with both teams remaining well-disciplined with strong defensive structures that both attacks found hard to break through.
30 minutes in, Terrigal’s Aidan Bastick looked to have been fouled in the box with the ref waving it away, but the tenacious striker got himself back up, pounced on a deflected clearance and fired into the bottom of the net for the opening goal of the game.
For the next 10 minutes, Terrigal dominated possession and had two great chances with James Lee not able to beat the Kanwal keeper as the O’lads looked to double their lead before the halftime break.
However, on the stroke of halftime, Kanwal’s Rory Rizzi found himself free outside the box, turning and shooting.
Terrigal goalkeeper Will Turner struggled with the bounce of the ball as it snuck into his bottom right corner and the scores were level after the opening period.
The second half started hard and fast with Kanwal looking to make their mark with a few good chances but some great defensive work from Terrigal’s Ryan Pearce, who was strong all day, kept them at bay.
In what was an end-to-end half, with both sides pushing hard for a winner, Terrigal turned to Mahkye Brownlie off the bench, and he didn’t let them down with an almost immediate impact scoring a great header from a corner he won 70 minutes in the contest.
The final twenty minutes became very tense and physical with a few fouls and cards for both teams. Fatigue stretched the game providing great chances for both teams.
Terrigal should have iced the game, meeting some great crosses from Haydn Harris but their finishing let them down.
Kanwal threw caution to the wind in the final moments of the game and sent numbers forward but could not break through the stern Terrigal defence as the O’lads recorded a 2-1 victory away from home.
“It was looking like a tough day for us, Kanwal were clinical in both U21s and Reserves so the win in first grade was particularly important,” stated Ryan Pearce.
“They are relentless with their attacking style, continually turning us around but we managed it extremely well for a large portion of the game. Ryan’s got them working hard for one another, competing on every ball and that’s extremely important in this league.”
Ryan Walker also commented post-game. “It was a tight affair that could have gone either way, but congratulations to Terrigal their defence and organisational structure was first-rate today. My boys tried hard until the last second to get the equaliser, but it just wasn’t to be.”
Match Official – Trent Dickeson
Woy Woy 2 – 2 Budgewoi
Budgewoi failed to hold onto a 2-goal lead as a determined Woy Woy fought their way back to claim a point in front of a home crowd at Austin Butler Oval this past weekend.
The contest started with both teams trying to impose their style of play over the other which made for a very end-to-end opening as neither side was able to control the game.
As the first period went on, Budgewoi got themselves more into the game having the majority of the possession and closing down Woy Woy’s attack whenever they were without the ball.
Despite having more of the ball, Budgewoi struggled to create many goal-scoring opportunities as the Woy Woy defence stood united.
Budgewoi finally got the opener they were searching for twenty minutes in when the Woy Woy defence was unable to clear a dangerous ball.
The ball was only cleared as far as a midfielder Jose Atayde who did well to control the ball and find an open Bayley Appo who hit a first-time volley from outside the box to the bottom right corner giving the opposition keeper no chance at saving it.
On the stroke of half time, goal scorer Appo turned provider as he expertly played a ball over the opposition backline for the surging run of Ty Warby who calmly chipped over the Woy Woy keeper to double Budgewoi’s lead.
Down but not out, a confident Woy Woy took to the pitch for the second half and was able to reduce the deficit just ten minutes after play had resumed.
Woy Woy received a free kick in a dangerous area, Trent Butler’s first attempt at goal was blocked by the wall of Budgewoi as he chased down his attempt and delivered a pinpoint cross into the box which was met by Matthew Jacobsen who did extremely well to bring the ball down and convert pass an outstretched keeper.
With the realisation that the game was within reach, Woy Woy stepped up their assault on the Budgewoi defence, getting into good positions to tie the game.
The game once again returned to an end-to-end contest as Woy Woy searched for an equaliser and Budgewoi did their best to try and restore their 2-goal lead.
With roughly 15 minutes left to play, a ball into the Budgewoi box was met by Josh Swadling who struck the ball with his arm when trying to make a clearance as the official consulted his assistant and blew to the penalty spot.
As he has done multiple times already this season, Ty Daniel stepped up for Woy Woy, placing his shot to the left of the goal which was saved by the Budgewoi goalie.
However, the save which rebounded off the post fell nicely to Daniel who had his second attempt on goal and was able to emphatically finish to take the game back on level terms.
There were opportunities for both teams to win the game with the best of them falling again to Ty Daniel and headed a ball top corner for the Budgewoi keeper to save and then to Mark Smith who picked the ball within a few metres goal, again saved from a quick rushing keeper.
Despite both going for the win, neither side was able to find the winning goal as they were forced to share the points.
“Budgewoi looked dangerous with their quick one-two’s in the first half, their runners had pace and they could easily capitalise on any resting defence with their quick direct play. The game itself was a see-sawing affair and it was an enjoyable and entertaining game. I wish Budgewoi the best for the rest of the year,” voiced Shaun Macey.
Match Official – Jasper White
East Gosford 2 – 5 Woongarrah
Woongarrah handed the Rams their fourth loss of the season as they secured their second win, finding themselves just four points away from the top four to conclude round 9.
The first minute was full of action as Woongarrah showed they were up for this contest, almost scoring from the kick-off with a well-worked attacking opportunity only to be kept out by the scrambling defence of East Gosford.
From there both teams started to settle into the game with both teams enjoying some good early possession. During this stanza, Woongarrah had better opportunities but couldn’t capitalise on these chances.
In the 13th minute, East Gosford got a corner that was whipped in but cleared by the opposition defence to the feet of Lucas Dominello who shot and hit the crossbar and ricocheted back out but hit a Woongarrah defender and went in for the first goal of the match.
It didn’t take long for Woongarrah to find an equaliser, within 5 minutes of conceding the game was on level terms again as a Matt Johnson shot along the ground from outside the 18-yard box would find the back of the net.
The equaliser seemed to spur Woongarrah on and kickstart their game as they started to create more goalscoring chances, but wayward shooting was their downfall.
Jacob Melling was able to give Woongarrah their go-ahead go after a nice cutback from Alex Govorcin found Melling free inside the box who calmly slotted the ball into the roof of the net.
With the amount of opportunities Woongarrah were getting, Troy Ward restructured to a 4-4-2 shape and for a while they started to get back into the game only for Woongarrah to break them down and create two chances before the break, but both opportunities were wasted.
Woongarrah started the second half just as they finished the first and in the opening minute of play a Mathew Lewis ball would put Ridge Mapu one-on-one with the keeper and a tidy finish from Mapu would give the Wildcats a 2-goal advantage.
Woongarrah would continue to run rampant and 5 minutes later James Stiffle would beat his East Gosford counterpart and slip in Aj Henderson behind the defence. Aj would make no mistake to give his side a healthy 4-1 lead.
Woongarrah thought they extended their lead even further when finding the back of the net from a set piece only for it to be ruled out for offside.
The game once again became end to end, a great team play from the Rams would lead to a goal for Charlie Entwistle, clawing the deficit back to only two goals.
This gave East Gosford a lift who were unlucky to not find the back of the net again having one goal ruled out for a foul and possibly another chance when advantage was not played after an attacker found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper.
With less than 20 minutes left to play, Woongarrah got their fifth and final goal thanks to the ball of the day from Robbie Cooper that found Aj who would get his second of the evening and seal a 5-2 win.
An ecstatic Luke Rogers spoke post-match. “Was very happy with the attacking elements of our game after having two weeks off and defensively as a team we were pretty solid.”
“Can see improvements each week in our game and I’m happy with the direction the boys are heading in but still a lot we can improve on. East Gosford played some quality football of their own and I’m sure their next win isn’t far away,” mentioned Rogers.
“Woongarrah turned up to play today and was evident in the attacks they put on. A dangerous team on paper that appears to now be starting to gel. They will do well if they keep that form up,” voiced Ward.
“My team need to put that one behind us and look to move forward to the next game. As we’ve seen there are no easy games this year and the competition is unpredictable week in and week out. We have to go back to basics and trust our processes.”
Match Official – Preston Lorusso
Killarney 1 – 2 Southern & Ettalong
This week’s Round 9 fixture between the Terriers and the Lions saw a swapping of the home and away fixtures after the James Browne Oval surface was awaiting repair after recent heavy rain.
The Lions headed North to Killarney’s home ground knowing they would have to put in a solid performance to come away with any points taking on the 2023 Club Champions.
The playing surface despite Saturday’s heavy rain was in reasonable condition with the Southern half of the field allowing more free-flowing football with the North half of the field serving up heavier conditions that would keep both team’s defences on alert to play non-risk football.
The last time these two teams met, it took extra time and penalties in last year’s Major Semi Final in which the Terriers progressed to the Grand Final.
As expected right from the opening minute the crowd was installed for high-tempo attacking football.
It would be the Lions with the first real opportunity in the 7th minute when Jacob Lepre found some space in front of the Terrier’s goals only to slip in the conditions but managed to hold his feet and lay a ball on for the Lion’s young gun Ryan Brown only to be denied by a sharp save by Killarney’s keeper Declan Drake.
In the 17th minute after some solid hold-up play by Andy Klijn, he laid a ball to Nathan Baxter who played a quick one-two with his attacking partner and found himself in front of the goal outside the box and decided to strike first time from distance giving the Lions Keeper no chance with a quality strike to take Killarney to an early 1-0 lead.
The game increased in intensity with the Lions pushing to try and get the game back to level terms. In the 31st minute, Jameson Flynn found himself one-on-one with the Terriers keeper only to have Declan Drake make a confident save and again it was Drake in the 32nd minute once again denying Jacob Lepre adding to his season tally.
The best chance of the half fell to the Lion’s Matt Page in the 40th minute who found himself at the far post unmarked only to send his close-range volley over the crossbar, sending both teams to the sheds at half time with Killarney Vale holding onto their 1-0 lead.
The second half started with the Terriers defending the Southern end of the field and the early signs of the half saw the Lions attack more comfortably in the dryer conditions of the field.
In the 48th minute, a Todd Balneaves long throw found Ryan Brown with his glancing header goal bound only to be denied by Drake, from the following corner a set play from the Lions saw Jacob Lepre fire a first-time shot to have Drake again flick it over the crossbar.
The Lion’s attack intensified in pursuit of an equalizer and in the 53rd minute Jacob Lepre found some space in front of the goal just outside the Terrier’s box and with a powerful right foot strike cannoning off the crossbar only to hit the diving Declan Drake and finds its way into the back of the net to level the scores at 1-1.
In the 72nd minute, the game was delayed for 7 minutes whilst a Terriers player was cleared to leave the field after a medical assessment. Both coaches spoke to their teams to try and find a pathway to victory in the remaining 18 minutes of normal time.
In the 83rd minute, it would be the Lions who took the lead via a Todd Balneaves long throw that found the ever-present Jack Ellwood with a quality first touch swivel and shot to add to his season tally and put the Lions in front 2-1.
The Terriers pushed hard for an equalizer which saw the Southern defence repel multiple attacking raids, in the 95th minute the Lions came close adding a 3rd goal which saw a defensive header rush past the far post before the final whistle saw the Lions come away with a 2-1 victory.
A delighted Matt Page reflected on the contest. “I’m really proud of the lads today, we had a few last-minute pull-outs today with sickness which created some restructuring, and the ground conditions make it tough to play our normal game.”
“As a unit we defended really well today, limiting Killarneys chances at scoring which is pleasing. Our young lads are improving each week and with Keith Gumbs joining the squad and mentoring these younger players is a real positive for the Club and our season.”
Page also added, “As for Ackers and his lads they are a quality squad and I’m sure they will be making a run for Finals Football in the second round of matches and I’m expecting an even tougher match in the last game of our season.”
Chris Ackerley also spoke after the loss, “Pleased with our effort and for returning players getting miles in their legs. All credit to Southern who never stop and play till the very end.”
Match Official – Miles Allen-Scott
Avoca 1 – 1 Berkeley Vale
Entering the weekend, first-placed Berkeley Vale looked to keep the momentum to their fantastic start to the season rolling when travelling to Fagan Park to face bottom of the ladder Avoca.
However, a resilient Sharks side was able to keep themselves in the contest and reaped the rewards in the dying minutes with an equaliser to secure a vital point.
Berkeley Vale enjoyed enormous amounts of possession and positive opportunities in the opening period but struggled to convert on any goal-scoring opportunities.
Avoca set up with a low block and everyone behind the ball in the hopes of keeping the opposition’s attack at bay and they held out strongly for the initial 45 minutes of the contest.
With the score locked at 0-0, the second stanza started the same with Berkeley Vale enjoying the majority of the ball and Avoca planting numbers behind the ball.
Just five minutes into the second half, a corner by Berkeley Vale found the back of the net thanks to Matthias Palmqvist who recorded his first goal of the season.
With the deadlock broken, the game naturally opened up for both teams who threw everything at the game with the Wombats looking to extend the lead and Avoca looking for an equaliser.
Eventually, some scrappy defending and a strike from Mitchell Moody through a crowded Wombat’s defence saw Avoca equalise with just minutes remaining to snatch the draw.
Not the result we wanted but a tough game against a very determined and resilient Avoca team on a bumpy but dry Fagan’s Park,” spoke Mark Pratt. “Congratulations to Avoca for their dogged performance in securing a point”
Match Official – Alexander Robinson
Golden Boot Standings –
| 7 | Jacob Lepre (Southern & Ettalong) |
| 6 | Ashley Henderson (Woongarrah) |
| 5 | Mason Lavery (Kanwal), Ty Warby (Budgewoi), Jack Ellwood (Southern) |
| 4 | Logan Moore (Kanwal), Matias Paz (East Gosford), Oliver Vanderslot (East Gosford), Nathan Baxter (Killarney) |
Points Table –
Club Championship –
Division 1
Round 9 Results –
Points Table –
Club Championship –
