PLAY-OFF GRAND FINAL
Wyoming 1 – 0 Gosford
The honour of ending the 2025 winter season for Central Coast Football fell to the Promotion Playoff, which dished up a tantalising derby as the Premier League’s Wyoming Tigers faced off against the side who finished 3rd in Division 1 and their great rivals, the Gosford City Dragons.
This was a winner-takes-all clash with the Tigers battling to avoid relegation, and the Dragons fighting for promotion.
Wyoming qualified for this highly anticipated match by defeating Doyalson 2-1 in an extremely tight Major Semi-final, while Gosford had to beat Woy Woy 7-6 before besting Doyalson 2-1 to earn their chance.
Ultimately, it would be the Tigers who won the day, scoring in the first half and holding off a late Dragons surge to retain their status as a Premier League side.
With the atmosphere electric, the game commenced, and it began with one of the Dragon’s best chances of the match.
It came from a Kevin Gallagher right-side freekick that he played well to the far post, where his centre-back, Mark Johnstone, leapt above his man and headed the ball on goal, only for Wyoming goalkeeper and hero for them against Doyalson, Michael Seaborn, to make a terrific save above his head.
Just 5 minutes in, and Wyoming would test the waters with a set piece of their own when Jacob Gilbert was fouled on the left edge of the box by Gosford’s Samuel Lee. Tigers captain Jared McNee stepped up to take it and sent it agonisingly close as it dipped over the bar.
Another chance would fall their way moments later when Reegan Cairns ran into the right side of the box towards the byline before playing the ball in to Patrick Mills, who was by the right near post and tried to flick the ball on into the far side of the net, but the Gosford defence did just enough to send it wide.
Mills would soon have another chance on the left side of the box, this time hitting the side netting, which convinced some members of the crowd that it had gone in, but not this time, and the scores remained level.
In the 22nd minute, Gosford were under plenty of pressure, but they did muster a counterattack through Emmerson Baratto after Henry Rodgers played him through down the left. Baratto was looking dangerous as he cut into the box, only for Henry Walker to produce one of the best tackles of the evening as he slid in and got nothing but the ball, ending the chance.
Wyoming was playing the perfect game, bar one thing: they needed a goal, and soon enough, they’d get that too.
With a lovely ball through from midfield, Cairns found himself storming into the box and one-on-one with Gosford goalkeeper Ethan Giles. Giles rushed off his line, but Cairns made no mistake, slotting it past him low and into the right bottom corner for 1-0 in the 32nd minute.
Now firmly in control of proceedings, the Tigers looked to double their ascendancy, and they so nearly did when a left side corner found Panashe Mudavose, only for his shot to be brilliantly saved by Giles with an outstretched leg.
Halftime would follow soon enough, and Gosford knew they had it all to do when the game resumed.
Things nearly got off to the worst possible start for the Dragons in the second half when Mills held the ball up well centrally on the edge of the box before sliding it across to Cairns to his right and into the penalty area, where he was through on goal and shot, only for Giles to again save well with his feet.
Not long later, Carins would have the ball in the net, but it was called back for offside as the pass came a fraction too late from Gilbert.
Wyoming kept up the pressure and Carins would again be involved in another chance, this time beyond the 60th minute, as he won the ball with his pressing and played Mills with a classy switch from right to left. Mills controlled the ball wide of the box and deep, but still shot on goal, forcing Giles to tip it over the bar.
Gosford’s few forays forward were still largely only on counters, and they couldn’t trouble the excellent Tigers’ defence.
Rodgers did get one opportunity after a ball came in from the right that he fought for on the left side of the box, but McNee got across and held him off the ball, showcasing great strength to shepherd the ball out for a goal kick.
With time now working against them, Gosford began to kick into gear as things finally went their way.
Baratto sent a looping header on goal that saw Seaborn forced back into the action as he tipped it over the bar. Then, from the preceding corner, Gallagher earned another save from Seaborn low at his left near post.
Now, into the 80th minute, it was do or die for the Dragons, and they threw everything forward to try and find an equaliser.
Harry Vodicka had a long shot from outside the box, but Seaborn saved it, and Gosford had to reset.
They did earn a brief period of sustained pressure in front of the Wyoming goal, but Tigers substitute Tait Johnston blocked a shot and ran away with the ball, sending the Tigers fans into a loud cheer as they began to believe they’d done enough.
Their nerves would be further tested, however, as in the dying minutes of the contest, Gosford earned a series of free kicks as tensions began to flare on both sides.
On three different occasions, Giles ran up as an extra man in and around the box for these set pieces, but none would fall where Gosford needed them to. Full-time sounded as Tigers fans and players rejoiced as Dragon’s faithful commiserated their side, who now look to next season to try again at a return to the Premier League.
Speaking to Gosford coach Shea Taylor, he was humble in defeat, noting the quality of the opposition and that he and his side didn’t get it right on the day.
“Slow start, Wyoming dominated 50 minutes, and I felt that we started to come on top once I made a few substitutions. I think we started to get on top, but couldn’t score,” Taylor began.
“Full credit to Wyoming, they’ve played against better opposition all year, and given the severity of the game, they ended up worthy winners”.
He also humorously added:
“I’m humble in defeat, and the tactics probably weren’t as good this week”.
While victorious coach Scott Snodgrass was proud of his side and their performance, especially in the first half.
“Brilliant first half, should’ve been 3, but fell into old habits in the second half and let them back in, but got the win”, Snodgrass began.
“Our goal was to stay up, and we achieved that
“Thanks to all my players, staff and the committee for their support”.
WOMEN’S DIVISION 1 GRAND FINAL
Avoca 2 – 3 Ourimbah
The Women’s Division 1 Grand Final promised to be an instant classic as the Champions, the Avoca Sharks, took on the side that finished second to them, the Ourimbah Falcons.
Avoca qualified for the final by beating Ourimbah in the major semi-final 4-3. A match that saw the Sharks pull off a second-half comeback, which earned them a week off. This left the Falcons to face Gosford to progress, where they won 2-0.
The match was ultimately a tight affair in which both teams scored multiple times, but it was the Falcons who struck the most, and this time they held off the late Sharks’ comeback to emerge as Premiers.
The Sharks went for what appeared to be a set play from the kick-off, as their forwards sprinted up field, allowing defender Shanay Quester to send it long to the right wing, where Isabella De Mayer had progressed. De Mayer controlled the ball before sending it into the box to her striker Gabi Ajala, who looked for space to shoot but was tackled just before she could by the retreating Vanessa Pomeranetz.
Ella Cutcliffe would then break down the same flank for the Sharks, but Ourimbah centre-back Amy Lothian emphatically blocked her ball into the box.
Now, into the 8th minute, the early stages had gone the Champion’s way, but that would abruptly change.
When we covered these two teams facing off earlier this season, set pieces by Pomeranetz made all the difference, and in remarkable fashion, Ourimbah’s captain struck again.
The opening goal of the final came when Falcon’s left winger, Maja Hemmerich, was fouled just inside the left byline, between the corner and the penalty box. This presented a perfect opportunity to play the ball into the box, using the free kick as if it were a corner. However, with a different angle than an actual corner, Pomeranetz had a new strategy. She lined up to strike the ball with her right foot and sent it low and hard towards the near post. Shark’sgoalkeeper Paris-Lily Neilson attempted to clear it off the line with her feet but missed due to the sheer pace of the strike. The result was the ball hitting the back of the net, making the score 1-0.
This was a moment that highlighted the clinical nature of this Ourimbah side, as they absorb pressure and take their chances almost every time they arrive. However, the Champions wouldn’t wait much longer to show their class as well.
In the 10th minute, Avoca struck right back when a rapid move forward allowed De Meyer to play a glorious through ball to Ajala straight through the Falcons’ defence. Ajala ran onto the ball and was instantly one-on-one with Ourimbah keeper Melanie Kirke, where the striker made no mistake, hitting the inside of the right post with her shot and watching it bounce in for 1-1.
The atmosphere was now electric as both sets of fans were loving what they were seeing from their teams, but more importantly, on the field, Ourimbah’s other centre-back, Jasmine Russell, began to become a factor in the contest.
Her first key involvement was a textbook tackle on De Meyer, which came almost directly after the goal. This settled the game somewhat and ensured Avoca didn’t ride their momentum to a second goal.
Then, from this point, Russell played brilliantly, determined not to get played through again. She made countless crucial stops, both acting as a sweeper to diffuse through balls and defending on the front foot to rush attackers before the pass. Russell was everywhere the Sharks didn’t want her to be, and that’s everything you could want from a centre-back.
However, Avoca would still find ways to create chances, and the right flank remained a focal point. This time, it was Karla Nicholls who took it down and provided a dangerous cross into the box, leaving the Falcons scrambling. Ajala just barely couldn’t get to it in the middle of danger area, but Sharks left winger Tayla Matkovich got onto it at the back post and shot just wide of the woodwork.
They would then run a blistering counterattack from an Ourimbah corner as De Mayer drove into her attacking half before playing Ajala just on the edge of the box. Ajala attempted to flick the ball to Matkovich, but Russell made a timely interception to stop the play.
Then, in the 24th minute, the Falcons would wrestle back control in the same way they did the first time, with a set-piece goal provided by Pomeranetz.
This time, the free kick came in from the right side and was wider and deeper, towards the edge of the final third. Pomeranetz sent it towards the goal, where Neilson used both hands to push it over her head and onto the crossbar. Unfortunately for Avoca, the rebound was straight into the path of the now unmarked Chloe Warwick, who smashed it home by the right post for 2-1.
The half would then play out very evenly. Ajala sent in a corner that found the head of De Meyer, but her shot went over the bar. While for the Falcons Hemmerich drove to the left byline before crossing into the box, where Brooke Zylmans lunged for it from the penalty spot but just barely missed what would’ve been a tap-in.
Both defences would hold off any further chances, and halftime would be called with the score at 2-1 in favour of Ourimbah.
The Champions knew they had work to do to get things back on level terms, but disaster struck for them as the Falcons extended their lead in just the 50th minute.
Ourimbah’s third came when a ball in from the right was played through to their striker, Tarni Whitmore, who was lurking around the edge of the left side of the box. The ball rolled into the box, and an Avoca defender put herself between Whitmore and the ball to allow Neilson time to rush off her line and collect it. The issue was that the ball was right on the edge of the box. Neilson rushed, but as she did, Whitmore began to slip around her defender, and just before the keeper could dive on the ball, Whitmore threw a foot out and kicked the ball away from Neilson and all the way into the net for a stunning 3-1 lead.
Now, really under pressure, the Sharks knew they had to pull off an even bigger comeback than they did in the major semi-final if they were to be Premiers.
That mountain nearly became tougher to climb as Whitmore was almost through on goal again only moments later, if not for the skill of Holly Firth-Panetta, who showed great technical ability to steal the ball without fouling.
Avoca would now push with everything they had left, and they would get the ball in and around the box, but they were struggling to trouble the keeper.
De Mayer looked their best outlet as she continued to play the ball into the box, but the disciplined Ourimbah defence was determined not to concede again.
As such, time began to work against Avoca, and they needed a spark, and that spark came from Quester.
Defending at left back, Quester began to give everything she had left in the tank to defend on the front foot, and this allowed her, in one instance, to win the ball just past the halfway line. Quester then switched the play perfectly out to De Mayer on the right, who drove into the box and unleashed a shot on goal. Kirke got her hands on it at her near post, but it was only enough to push it into the far side of the net for 3-2 in the 71st minute.
However, Ourimbah would have the next golden opportunity to score and increase their lead.
Mary Tai, on the right wing for the Falcons, was played swiftly downfield and into the box on a counterattack. Tai cut across goal into the centre of the box but hesitated to shoot, allowing another defender to get involved and hassle her into putting her shot wide.
The heat then began to become a factor as Quester was substituted from the field for the Sharks. While the Falcons made a tactical decision to swap out Lothian for Ashley Hunter to play as a striker, allowing Whitmore to drop into midfield and Pomeranetz to drop into left centre-back.
This decision proved to be a master stroke as the tiring Sharks struggled to make any headway against this more defensive structure.
Time began to dwindle as the Sharks continued to apply pressure. De Mayer would have one final shot that had Kirke moving, but it stayed wide of the goal, and full-time was called soon after with this mighty Avoca side falling just short and the fantastic Falcons becoming Premiers 3-2.
Speaking with Avoca coach Mark Beatson after the match he was downcast and kept things short.
“We’re disappointed with how the season finished for us, but thanks, CCF for the season”, Beatson said.
Written by Mark Goodyear