Match of the Round
Woongarrah 4 – 1 Budgewoi
With their season on the line and a chance to play finals still possible, Budgewoi were unable to hold onto an early lead as the home side scored four unanswered goals to record victory and keep the pressure on league leaders Berkeley Vale.
The game started at a fast pace with both teams trying to gain early control. Just five minutes into the contest Budgewoi would earn a corner.
A well-whipped ball from the left foot of Josh Swadling was headed towards goal by Ryan Frame. An attempted clearance off the line would fall to poacher Ty Warby for him to tap in from close range and give the visitors the lead.
Down but not out, the home side started to build some momentum and 20 minutes in a cross into the box would fail to be cleared by the Budgewoi defender and James Stiffle would be the quickest to react, knocking the ball past the keeper from six yards out to take the game level at 1-1.
With only a few minutes to play in the first half, a ball over the top from Jacob Melling would find Aj Henderson who was able to get a foot to it and shoot after the Budgewoi defenders got in each other’s way, but the shot would be saved, only to bounce back to Aj who would get creative and thigh the ball over the keeper to give Woongarrah a 2-1 lead at the break.
The second 45 was only 10 minutes old when James Stiffle found himself open just outside the 18 after a ball from Jacob Melling. Stiffle’s low-driven shot would go under the keeper in his attempted save and give him his second goal of the night as he doubled Woongarrah’s lead to 3-1.
30 minutes into the second half Ty Warby received his second yellow card which reduced Budgewoi to 10 men for the remainder of the contest.
The final kick of the game and AJ’s second goal of the night would come after another defensive error from the visitors saw a failed clearance which fell straight to Henderson’s feet with only the keeper to beat, he made no mistake by putting it in the corner of the net for the final score of 4-1.
A proud Luke Rogers spoke on his side’s victory. “Was great to win at home on a Saturday night in front of our home crowd. I’m really pleased with when Budgewoi went down to ten men with fifteen minutes to go, that we didn’t switch off and played till the final whistle.”
Match Official – Gerrod Young
Berkeley Vale 4 – 0 Woy Woy
This past Saturday night under the bright lights of Mingara Oval was a different story from their previous meeting a few weeks ago as the League Leaders cruised to a 4-0 win to keep them in pole position for the final three games of the year.
After a draw with Woy Woy in their last encounter, Berkeley knew that they would have to be up for this game as they looked to right their wrongs.
The Wombats were up for the fight as they controlled a significant amount of possession in the opening stages as a goal was always going to be needed to break the spirit of a team fighting relegation.
Conor Fitzpatrick opened the scoring for the home side with a cool finish after rounding the Woy Woy keeper.
The game now took on a different complexion with Josh Corelli scoring soon afterwards and from that point on Berkeley Vale had complete control of the game as they looked to add more goals in their favour but were cautious of not leaving themselves open to any counterattack from the Woy Woy attack.
Berkeley carried their two-goal lead into the break as the second period saw much of the same which was Berkeley Vale dominating possession, looking to further add to the scoreline.
Aiden Ellis was able to record his first goal of the season and an own goal from a Woy Woy defender saw the Wombats coast to a 4-0 victory as they now prepare for the difficult task of Killarney District next week.
Match Official – Luke Dunkerley
Killarney 6 – 1 Avoca
It was a must-win match for Killarney this weekend to keep them in the race for a finals spot. Despite being short several players through sickness, injury, and suspension, morale was high as the Terriers recorded their biggest win of the season.
It was a fast start from the home side who could have taken a very early lead in the first minute, only to be denied by a great save from the Avoca keeper.
Although Killarney had good field position for an extended period of time in the opening stages, it was Avoca who scored first with a swift breakaway goal from Mitchell Moody.
Conceding the goal sparked Killarney into action. Continued pressure in Avoca’s half led to a scoring opportunity which was saved off the line by a field player with his hands, leading to a penalty and red card for Will Steenbergen.
As he has done so multiple times this season, Harry Fountain stepped up for the Terriers and scored from the spot, taking the game back on level terms.
Not long after Killarney was awarded another penalty after a good run down the left side, which Harry calmly converted again to give his side the lead.
From there, with the extra man, Killarney were able to keep the pressure on Avoca and were able to secure a third goal through Lachy Mackett who was making his first-grade starting debut.
With the opening period officially in the books, the second half was much the same as the first as Killarney continued to take advantage of their extra men.
Early pressure from the Terriers resulted in a goal from Brock McLean after a good play down the right this time. A free kick from outside the area from Lachy Wallace saw Killarney score a fifth goal before Cameron Brown scored a good individual goal for the game’s final goal.
“A pleasing result for us, which sees us go into the top four for the first time this season,” stated Warren Stephenson.
“Avoca battled well despite playing with ten men for a long period, but we were able to come over the top in the end. We now have A huge three games to finish the year for us and hopefully be there at the business end of the season.”
Match Official – Christopher Robinson
Kanwal 5 – 1 Southern & Ettalong
Kanwal was looking for redemption against Southern after suffering their biggest loss of the season against Southern two weeks earlier. After going down 5-0 on that day, Kanwal were able to put five of their own back on the Lions who now remain out of the top four.
Kanwal would get off to a great start with William Kember being on the spot to turn in a dropped ball by the Southern keeper from a Logan Moore shot in the first few minutes.
Southern would bounce back quickly through Nathan Baker with a well-worked goal to level the scores at 1-1.
The game settled down into an even contest for most of the first half until Mason Lavery broke the deadlock in the 38th minute with a great strike from distance into the bottom corner giving the Southern keeper no chance at stopping.
Mason got his double a few minutes later with another nice finish, this time into the roof of the net to give Kanwal a 3-1 lead at the break.
The second half began even as Southern looked to get their foot back in the game and on the scoreline. However, after 12 minutes a Jason Cozens free kick would beat everybody including the Southern keeper and end in the back of the net to give more breathing space to Kanwal.
Southern would get plenty of chances to get back into the game but some desperate defence by Kanwal and some outstanding saves by Kanwal Keeper Kurtis Mahon was able to keep Southern from finding another goal.
Kanwal would go on to get a fifth in the final few minutes with Logan Moore running onto a through ball and calmly slotting the ball past the Southern keeper.
Ryan Walker was extremely pleased with the attitude and effort of his boys today. “I don’t think 5-1 was a fair reflection of how close this game was. It could have ended a lot closer, but my boys put their bodies on the line in a great defensive effort. Special praise to Kurtis Mahon as he was exceptional in goals today.”
“It just wasn’t our day today. Whilst we were a bit off, full credit must go to Kanwal. They were more enthusiastic, took their chances and were outstanding in turning us away,” stated Matt Page.
“We created plenty of chances, but some brilliant goalkeeping and desperate defending kept us to the solitary goal. The amount of goal-line clearances that were pulled off was amazing.
And at the other end, Kanwal were very clinical and had two cracking finishes amongst their goals. Hats off to Ryan and his boys, they tweaked a few things from a few weeks ago and grabbed an important three points.”
Page also added, “With the tight nature of the competition, it’s now left us in a must-win scenario if we want to be playing finals football. The task we have ahead of us is clear but difficult, and that starts with us having to overcome our local rivals in a derby match at home this Saturday night. We will relish the challenge and give it our absolute all.”
Match Official – Anthony Kabbout
East Gosford 3 – 4 Terrigal
A smart Angus Missen goal from distance saw the O’lads clinch a win and claim vital points in the race for the top four in their seven-goal thriller at the home of the Rams.
In a game with different fortunes for both teams, it was the Terrigal who came out fast.
From the outset, Terrigal were on the front foot. East Gosford turned the ball over cheaply and Terrigal pushed the ball out wide on the left. A good run down the line saw Terrigal deliver a good ball into the box only for the Rams to not attack it and get caught ball-watching while Kai Forshaw pounced for the easiest of tap-ins only two minutes into the contest.
It wasn’t too long later before Terrigal would find themselves two goals up after a diagonal ball from Ryan Pearce was launched into the East Gosford box and Callum Macintosh attempted to clear the ball at waist height only to slice it into the top corner for a worldly own goal.
This kicked East Gosford into gear and five minutes later they had pushed the ball forward into the Terrigal penalty area and Max Vegter clattered into Ciaran Simmons to give East Gosford a penalty. Charlie Entwistle stepped up and made no mistake placing the ball into the bottom left corner past the outstretched keeper.
In a return serve, the Rams didn’t have to wait long for their equaliser as they pushed forward again and earned themselves a corner. Charlie Entwistle whipped the ball into a congested penalty area, but it was Dave McKellar who attacked the ball with purpose and buried the ball into the goal.
Terrigal we’re down to 10 men for a short time with an injured player. In this time, East Gosford’s keeper released a good ball finding Aydin Ercan in the opposition’s half of the field.
Lucas Dominello made a great run, and a ball was played over the top for him to run onto for a 1v1 with the keeper, Dominello made no mistake placing the ball past the advancing keeper for East Gosford to take a 3-2 lead.
As halftime loomed, Dean Heffernan took a quick free kick from well inside his own half and scored an absolute bomb. The ball sailed over the keeper into the top right corner to once again level the score at 3-3 after the opening 45 minutes.
The second half was a completely different game, with injuries forcing changes to both sides it became a tactical affair.
It was Terrigal’s super substitute Angus Missen, with 20 minutes to go, in his first game back from injury who took a clearance from outside the box with one touch and finished well into the bottom corner to send the O’lads ahead against his former team.
With five minutes to go, Dean Heffernan with all his experience placed himself perfectly to clear off the line and win the game for Terrigal.
A very pleased Ryan Pearce commented on the win. “Another tough affair for us but I’m thrilled that we came away with the win. They were very lively and caused us issues, but we were resilient.”
“Wins are important no matter how they come. Regaining players back from injury and suspension is vital for the run home. I’m excited for the challenge that’s coming for our group.”
“Best of luck to Terrigal for the last few games as they push for finals football. Even with struggling for numbers, they’re a quality outfit that always manages to dig deep and get the results they need,” spoke Troy Ward.
“For my boys, it’s another game of what could’ve been. If only for the first 15mins of the game we weren’t still in the change rooms and came out switched on and ready to play we may not have conceded those early goals, and the game could’ve had a different outcome but that’s what happens when you don’t come out ready to go.”
“Now we turn our focus to Avoca in what could be the most definitive games for both clubs this year. We are expecting them to come prepared but if we can keep playing the style of football we have been for the last six weeks or so then I’m confident in my squad.”
Match Official – Kyle Hockings
Golden Boot Standings –
| 14 | Logan Moore (Kanwal) |
| 13 | Jacob Lepre (Southern & Ettalong) |
| 11 | Ashley Henderson (Woongarrah) |
| 10 | Jack Ellwood (Southern & Ettalong), Ryan Gibson (Killarney) |
| 9 | Ty Warby (Budgewoi) |
| 8 | Oliver Vanderslot (East Gosford), Mason Lavery (Kanwal) |
Points Table –
Club Championship –
Division 1
Round 5 Results –
Points Table –
Club Championship –
