Match of the Round
Woongarrah 1 – 0 Killarney
Woongarrah is now just one win away from being crowned the 2024 MPL League Champions after defeating defending Premiers Killarney and ruling them out of finals in 2024.
The start of the game was very tight with end-to-end football, and this lasted until the real first shot on target came in the 20th minute when James Stiffle’s shot looked to be heading into the top corner only to be denied by the goalkeeper’s glove.
It would be another 10 minutes before a shot on target and this time it would be Woongarrah’s goalkeeper Corey Hedges stepping up to deny Killarney from taking the lead.
A free kick was delivered into the Wildcat’s goal mouth, but the clearance landed at the feet of a Killarney attacker just outside the six-yard box who fired his shot on goal but was denied by a brilliant save and the score remained 0-0 at the break.
Just over five minutes of play in the second half the only goal of the match would be scored by Daniel Ott.
A well-worked free kick would see Matty Lewis cross the ball in low and hard to find Daniel who’d strike on the half-volley hitting the back of the net, making it 1-0 in favour of the home side.
Five minutes later Woongarrah could have extended their lead when James Stiffle delivered the ball through for Jacob Melling who would shoot from the 18-yard box with the ball beating the keeper but would be denied by the post and bounced out.
Moments later two Killarney players would combine and with the keeper out, the Killarney players shot would be cleared off the line by Mark Harmsworth.
Ashley Henderson would find himself bearing down on goals with the keeper to beat only for some scrambling defence to make sure he didn’t convert. The last moments of the game saw only half-chances from both teams as Woongarrah claimed all three crucial points.
“Chris and his boys second half of the season has been fantastic, and I know they will be back even stronger next year,” voiced Luke Rogers.
“It was the close game I was expecting with both sides having so much to play for. Pleased with how my whole side stayed committed and focused for the entirety of the match, it was a real team effort.”
With no finals for his side for the first time in over seven years, Chris Ackerley was still proud of the effort of his side. “Proud of the effort of the boys going down to an extremely well-worked goal in about the 60th minute from a set piece.”
“We had a chance about 10 minutes later which we were unable to take. Was a game played in good spirit by both sides with the referee Jason Blackwood letting the game flow from end to end showing why he is one of the best referees on the coast. Good luck to Luke and his boys for the rest of the season in their quest for the league and the grand final should be a good final series.”
Match Official – Jason Blackwood
East Gosford 0 – 5 Berkeley Vale
An extremely young and inexperienced East Gosford side was fielded for their contest against Berkeley Vale this weekend as competition heavyweights Berkeley Vale stay just one point behind league leaders Woongarrah with only one round left to play.
The young Rams side held their own for quite a period of time, the visitors dominated possession but were lacking with their final product until Josh Cairelli broke the deadlock 35 minutes in.
A beautifully whipped cross from Felix Beed saw Cairelli dive and guide the ball home with his head, giving Berkeley Vale a 1-0 lead.
Berkeley Vale doubled their lead five minutes later after a ball from the midfield in behind the backline was met by Beed who this time elected to go himself and finished well into the bottom corner to make it 2-0.
With Berkeley Vale well on top at this point, their next goal didn’t arrive until the second half as a mix-up at the back between two Rams defenders allowed striker John Griffin through on goal as he cooly placed the ball past the oncoming keeper for the games third goal.
Midway through the second period, an East Gosford corner was cleared well by Berkeley Vale as Cairelli looked to break with pace.
Cairelli tried linking up with teammate Griffin, but the ball evaded everyone as Cairelli continued his run and was first to the ball as he tucked home for his second of the evening.
Cairelli finished his day with a hat-trick after another cheap turnover was pounced on by the Berkeley midfield.
The ball was advanced into the Ram’s goal box as Kyle Harvey unselfishly played in Cairelli who shot at the goal which was saved, but the rebound fell kindly as the was able to fire home into an empty net to solidify Berkeley’s victory.
Match Official – Alexander Robinson
Kanwal 4 – 0 Woy Woy
It was a good day for Kanwal who secured all 21 club championship points across the three grades and secured semi-final football in all three grades also.
Kanwal started the game well with early chances to William Kember and Logan Moore, but it wasn’t until the 13th minute that Kanwal were awarded a penalty and Logan Moore stepped up and made no mistake to give Kanwal an early 1-0 lead.
Kanwal were dominating possession and field position and had a number of chances to double their lead but couldn’t and headed into the halftime break with only a 1-0 lead.
Kanwal started the second half where they left the first, having the bulk of possession and were rewarded in the 67th minute with a cross to Logan Moore who was on the spot to turn the ball into the net and get his brace and double Kanwal’s lead.
Kanwal would get a third after some nice build-up play saw Rory Rizzi get the ball on the edge of the box and hit a powerful shot into the top corner.
Substitute Liam Hambrook would find the net in the dying stages to give Kanwal a comprehensive 4-0 win against relegated side Woy Woy.
Ryan Walker was satisfied after the game. “We were pretty dominant today and I was pleased with the overall performance. Good day for the Club securing finals for all three teams.”
Match Official – Gerrod Young
Terrigal 0 – 1 Southern & Ettalong
The Round 17 clash saw Terrigal FC host SEUFC at Duffy’s Road which served up very challenging conditions for both these ball-playing sides who like to move the ball quickly around the field.
On a quick bumpy pitch and in blustery conditions, it was always going to be a difficult task for both teams to play their brand of Football.
Both teams knew the importance of getting points out of this fixture if semi-finals football was going to be played in 2024. With both teams missing regular 1st team players, the depths of each squad would play out in this Round 17 fixture.
Both sides flew out of the blocks with an attacking mindset with an early chance in the 6th minute to the Lions youngster Alfie Martin who quickly turned his marker only to see his shot fly past the post.
Both teams traded attacking raids with both defences standing strong, repelling many half chances. In the 34th minute, the Lions after a splitting pass from Jack Jenkins found Charlie Polson in behind the Terrigal defence who calmly finished only to be ruled out for being offside.
Two minutes later Terrigal would create their best chance of the game when Kai Forshaw made a quality run from the centre of mid-field and picked the ball up just outside the 18-yard box and won a tackle to find himself one-on-one with the SEUFC Keeper Alex Wardle who made a great save only to see the ball parry back to Kai Forshaw who second attempt narrowly miss the Lions goal.
Both teams headed to the sheds at halftime 0-0 knowing a result was needed to be in the running for Finals football.
The second half saw conditions get even more difficult with the blustery wind increasing. Similar to the 1st half both teams continued to test both defensive lines. The conditions saw both teams have multiple set pieces however the conditions made delivery of balls into the box lacking quality which made it difficult for both forward lines.
SEUFC on the hour mark introduced the ageless Keith Gumbs into the mix in an attempt to open their account for the afternoon. In the 75th minute, both sides changed formations in search of the goal that would have them in contention for Finals Football in Round 18.
The key moment in the game came in the 86th minute when Preston Daniel released Charlie Polson away down the right flank when Terrigal’s Kassidy Lalor coming across in cover, slid in and was adjudge by the officials studs up and was sent from the field.
SEUFC coaching staff subbed Lions young gun Bailey Holt a set piece specialist to deliver the free kick. With only two minutes remaining Lions pushed more players forward in search of an opening goal. Holt delivered a pinpoint delivery into the box where Matt Page pushed forward and fired his header into the top corner giving the Lions a late 1 – 0 lead.
Terrigal with 9 minutes of injury time to play continued to test the Lion’s defence and in the 97th minute, SEUFC had a chance to close the game out when Brock Van Aalderen broke away down the right wing to deliver a great cross to Keith Gumbs who forced a great save from the Terrigal Keeper Will Turner as the final whistle sounded giving SEUFC a 1-0 away win.
A delighted Matt Page spoke post-match, “I’m very proud of my lads this afternoon. Today we had a number of key players out and a number of lads carrying some restrictive injuries.”
“We knew it was going to be a battle today as it always is playing Terrigal, especially at Duffy’s. Today was a whole squad performance and I’m so pleased at how the young lads in the squad are improving and maturing each week. Conditions today were tough and with the attitude of the squad, I always felt the goal and a result was going to be achieved. We knew a result today and some assistance from the Footballing Gods would assist our preparation in playing Finals Football in a few weeks which we now start preparing for.”
“A huge shout out to Ryan and his lads today. His squad was also lacking some regular starters and fought it out for the full 99 minutes today. I’m sure Ryan is already building his squad to be bigger and stronger in Season 2025.”
Match Official – Trent Dickeson
Golden Boot Standings –
| 16 | Logan Moore (Kanwal) |
| 13 | Jacob Lepre (Southern & Ettalong), Ryan Gibson (Killarney) |
| 12 | Ashley Henderson (Woongarrah) |
| 10 | Jack Ellwood (Southern & Ettalong), Jakeb Brownlow (Berkeley Vale), Josh Cairelli (Berkeley Vale) |
| 9 | Ty Warby (Budgewoi) |
| 8 | Oliver Vanderslot (East Gosford), Mason Lavery (Kanwal), Josh Swadling (Budgewoi) |
Points Table –
Club Championship –
Division 1
Round 17 Results –
Points Table –
Club Championship –
