Set piece superiority sees Bonnyrigg past Wolves
All four goals on the night came from dead ball situations as Mitch Long?s headed first-half opener from a Tynan Diaz free-kick was cancelled out by Ricky Zucco?s confident second-half penalty.
Robbie Younis restored the host?s lead through a spot kick of his own before a trademark Diaz free-kick fizzed past substitute keeper Hayden Durose in the dying minutes after Daniel Collison saw red for a physical last man challenge on Alex Canak.
Bonnyrigg sought control of the match from the outset, holding possession during the opening minutes as they looked to assert their typical home dominance while Wolves absorbed the early pressure and threatened on the break.
The inclement weather of the days leading into the fixture showed early signs of playing a potentially crucial role in the match as players of both sides slipped in the opening minutes.
Former Wolves front man Chris Payne showed Bonnyrigg?s early attacking ambition with a low driven shot from the edge of the box; however Collison was equal to the task, easily gathering the effort.
Ben Spruce took advantage of space created my his teammates, darting in-field out of the right side of defence before looking to put Younis through on goal ? the defender overcooked his pass which evaded Younis in the slippery conditions and trailed through to the goalkeeper.
The host?s plan of attack appeared to be sliding balls in behind the Wolves backline, however Nick Littler and Jacob Timpano stood firm time and time again, either making crucial interceptions or smartly catching Bonnyrigg?s attack offside with their disciplined defensive structure.
The Wolves were given a brief scare when Nikola Stanojevic?s cross bounced skyward off Michael Robinson?s head, yet all danger was cleared by Timpano who was alert to head the ball away for a corner.
Bonnyrigg found the opening goal from the set piece on the quarter hour mark as Long beat his markers at the near post to head Diaz?s inch-perfect crossed free kick past Collison to break the deadlock.
The goal spurred the visitors forward in search of an immediate equaliser as Sasho Petrovski began to control the tempo in the centre of the park and bring his team mates into the game.
Despite being forced to soak up increased pressure Bonnyrigg still looked to double their advantage as Adrian Ucchino skewed an effort high and wide from the edge of the box.
Payne went painfully close to grabbing Bonnyrigg?s second as he beat Collison to a Ken Chun?s through ball, however with his angle of opportunity narrowed he almost inevitably hit the post as shot from just off the byline.
Chun, who did a wonderful job pulling strings in midfield throughout the match, spun his way past Samuel Jacob with an exquisite touch only to release an unconvincing through ball that was gathered by Collison who was quick off his line to intercept.
Petrovski looked to get in on the action at the other end late in the half, running at the Bonnyrigg backline only to slip at the vital moment with Chris Tadrosse seemingly beaten.
While the visitors were gaining momentum in the latter stages of the half it was the hosts who carved out a golden opportunity with the interval looming.
A late cross skimmed off Nick Littler?s head and fell to Diaz at the far post, whose ensuing effort was tipped into the path of Younis who uncharacteristically headed wide with the goal at his mercy.
Trevor Morgan?s half-time team talk appeared to provide his side with added inspiration as they emerged from the sheds with increased attacking intent.
Zucco earned himself a yard of space on the right flank before whipping a dangerous low cross across the face of goal that narrowly evaded all potential goalward deflections.
The Wolves were rewarded for the efforts soon after as Petrovski ran onto Chris Nathaniel?s perfectly weighted pass before smartly earning a spot kick as he drew the foul from Nikodin Matic with a timely touch to take the ball away from the shot-stopper before his ankles were clipped.
Zucco buried the penalty to Matic?s left to restore parity and spark wild celebrations from the travelling fans. It was the former Illawarra Premier League top scorer’s third goal in as many matches.
Bonnyrigg attempted to draw level soon after with a well rehearsed free-kick, however the dummy runners failed to distract Collison as he held Younis? effort on goal.
Younis did however find the host?s route to the lead as he was felled in the box soon after the hour mark, picking himself up to fire home a thunderous penalty to restore his side?s advantage.
Diaz came close to extending Bonnyrigg?s advantage from the free-kick soon after, drilling a powerful effort toward the near post only to see Collison miraculously tip the ball over.
Wolves came close to earning an equaliser midway through the second period as Petrovski played Peter Simonovski into a promising attacking position only to see Spruce shut down the attack with a smart tactical foul on the edge of the box at the expense of a yellow card.
Petrovski & Co. appealed for handball after he drilled the ensuing free kick into Bonnyrigg?s wall, however their calls were waved away as the contact was correctly deemed unintentionally.
Harris Gaitatzis was introduced into the match as a late substitute by Brian Brown, and the move almost brought immediate reward as the enigmatic midfielder skipped past Collison only to see his chance denied by a crucial intervention from Jack Keating.
The match took a sour turn late on as Collison was shown a straight red for an overly physical bodycheck on Alex Canak on the edge of the box.
Substitute goalkeeper Hayden Durose?s first job on the pitch was to pick the ball out of the back of the net as Diaz launched a screamer of a free-kick, inches inside the top corner to seal the win for his side with an obvious contender for goal of the week.
Bonnyrigg White Eagles coach Brian Brown was delighted with the win, believing it to be no less than his side deserved after their efforts tonight:
?I thought it was going to be a tough game and am very happy to get the win,? said Brown.
?We?ve had to make a few changes in recent weeks which unsettled us a little bit but credit to the boys who worked hard tonight.
?Last week when APIA scored I was worried we would lose the game, yet tonight I didn?t as I actually thought we would come back.
?I think we created enough chances early to put this game away but the decision making wasn?t spot on.?
With his side collectively playing so well Brown found it hard to pick out players that stood out above the rest, yet did take time out to praise Mitch Long and Tynan Diaz for their roles in tonight?s win:
?It?s hard to pick any players out tonight but I thought Mitch Long had a very good game,? said Brown.
?He makes a real nuisance of himself and makes it hard for defenders while Diaz also had a good game.
?We were talking to him before he hit that free-kick and he hit it real well.?
South Coast Wolves coach Trevor Morgan was left frustrated by the result:
?It was similar to the first round at our ground,? said Morgan.
?I think we were very competitive and had nothing to fear against Bonnyrigg.
?Again it was three fouls that decides the game ? a free-kick, a penalty, and another free-kick given away ? so I think that was the difference.
?(After going down 1-0) I don?t think we panicked, up to the point where the penalty happened I felt neither side was dominating and we were playing comfortable and decently dealing with what they were doing.
?After the penalty I think when we?re chasing the game and starting to think about time Bonnyrigg then brought on experienced players with fresh legs off the bench and I guess that?s where they got the edge.?
The Wolves will now look to put the loss behind them as they seek to get back on track against Sydney United next weekend:
?We?re 100% looking to bounce back,? stated Morgan.
?I think in total we had eight players out this week, next week we should have five back which gives us a lot more depth.
?We?re looking forward to the next big game against Sydney United.?
Match Stats
Bonnyrigg White Eagles 3 (Mitch Long 15?, Robbie Younis 65? (pen), Tynan Diaz 90?)
South Coast Wolves 1 (Ricky Zucco 53? (pen) )
Saturday July 7th, 2012
Bonnyrigg Sports Centre, Bonnyrigg Heights
Referee: Alex Glasgow
Assistant Referees: Grant Smith and Thomas Lee
Fourth Official: Danny Horstead
Bonnyrigg White Eagles: 33.Nikodin Matic; 23.Mitchell Long, 11.Ben Spruce, 13.Nikola Stanojevic, 18.Adrian Ucchino, 21.Ken Chun (8.Aleksander Canak 66?), 9.Robbie Younis (19.Harris Gaitatzis 83?), 5.Chris Tadrosse, 15.Chris Payne (10.Jordan Simpson 72?), 6.Nikola Zonjic, 7.Tynan Diaz
Substitutes Not Used: 20.Andrew Bazi, 16.Andre Gomez
Yellow Cards: Adrian Ucchino 68?
Red Cards: Nil
South Coast Wolves: 1.Daniel Collison, 2.Jack Keating, 26.Jacob Timpano, 4.Michael Robinson, 5.Samuel Jacob (7.Cameron Littler 76?), 6.Nick Littler, 8.Chris Nathaniel, 15.Jack Madgwick, 10.Sasho Petrovski, 13.Peter Simonovski (16.Daniel Munila 76?, 20.Hayden Durose 89?), 17.Ricky Zucco
Substitutes Not Used: 11.Joseph Lavalle, 3.Dusan Kolonja
Yellow Cards: Cameron Littler 78?
Red Cards: Daniel Collison 88?
-By Mike Shoolman
