Despite having two games remaining, the White Eagles claimed the Premiership with a ten-point lead going into the final two matches.
Midfielder Adrian Ucchino scored the only goal for the White Eagles, and his first for the season since joining the club mid-season in the 78? minute with a back heel clip to give them the first piece of silverware on offer this season.
The fans had just gotten comfortable as Bonnyrigg created their first chance in the 5? minute. A diagonal long ball found the Parramatta defence napping with Harris Gaitatzis sprinting past Mark O?Reilly to get to the ball and chip it over oncoming goalkeeper Matthew Nash. As the ball bounced towards goal, O?Reilly got back to clear off the line and out for a corner.
3? minutes later, a failed clearance by Parramatta saw the ball fall to Robbie Younis with the striker half-volleying the ball just wide of the right-hand post.
The shooting practice continued in the 10? minute as Robbie Younis cut the ball back to Ucchino before the midfielder laid the ball to Mitch Long whose shot went wide of the left post.
After being pegged in their own half for the opening 15? minutes, Parramatta finally started stringing passes together forcing the game further up the field.
The pressure led to Parramatta having had their first chance on goal in the 33? minute when a failed clearance fell to Akiyoshi Saito whose volley from 25-yards out was tipped away for a corner by Nikodin Matic
Bonnyrigg quickly cleared the corner and made an opportunity of their own at the other end. Long fought off Domenic Trimboli before creating a three-on-two situation and releasing Ucchino on goal. The youngster?s shot however was saved by the oncoming goalkeeper.
As half-time drew closer, Bonnyrigg started dominating possession again, creating two great chances. In the 40? minute great lead up play between Long and Chris Tadrosse saw the latter cross the ball to Gaitatzis whose clever shot was saved by Nash.
2? minutes later, Tadrosse was again in the action as his curling free-kick was met by Younis only for his header to sail over the bar.
On the stroke of half-time, Ucchino thought he would test Nash, striking a hard shot at goal with the goalkeeper fisting it away to keep the scores locked at 0-0.
Out from the break Bonnyrigg showed their hunger for a goal, opening up the Parramatta defence twice in the opening 2? minutes but failing to get a shot away.
Parramatta?s closing down of the opposition frustrated the White Eagles and they started making mistakes as the game wore on. In the 60? minute White Eagles goalkeeper Nikodin Matic?s failed clearance fell to Soane who crossed the ball to a free Wandi Jajaw who?s first time shot went well over the crossbar.
The League leaders continued to fight hard winning several corners but unable to trouble former Newcastle Jets goalkeeper Matthew Nash.
In the 72? minute Ben Spruce sent a defence splitting ball through to Long but Nash came off his line well to claim the ball.
With 12? minutes remaining Bonnyrigg finally got the goal they were looking for. As Mitchell Long received the ball on the right, the striker got around his marker and sent a pin-point cross to Ucchino who cleverly back heeled the ball into the back of the net for the 1-0 lead.
Parramatta fought hard for an equaliser in the final 5? minutes of the match but it wasn?t to be as they succumbed to the League leaders.
Following the match White Eagles coach Brian Brown said his team could have won the game in the first-half:
?I said to the boys at half-time let?s not panic because we created six great chances in the first-half,?? he said.
?Credit to them they kept going and created another chance and we took it.
?We knew coming here would be tough facing the team at the bottom and battling for survival. The surface doesn?t lend to the way we want to play but we were smart enough to get the points.
?I am very happy to win the competition with almost a new team.??
In the home dressing room Parramatta FC coach Lee Sterrey said he felt sorry for his team who fought hard for the entire 90? minutes:
?After the first 15? minutes we gave away the ball and they could have punished us with three good chances,?? he said.
?They are not where they hard for no reason, they can play.
?But I was really proud with how the boys fought hard. I mean, one moment of madness in the second-half has cost us.
?It?s disappointing because we got rolled out wide, the bloke made a narrow cross to the near post and the scorer came right through the box and realistically our central defenders have to be goal side there.
?But good luck to Bonnyrigg, they?ve been the best team all year.??
The 2012 Premiership trophy will be paraded at Bonnyrigg’s final home match of the season this coming Saturday at 7pm when they face Sydney Olympic.
Match Stats
Parramatta FC 0
Bonnyrigg White Eagles 1 (Adrian Ucchino 78?)
Sunday 19th August, 2012
Melita Stadium, Granville
Referee: Alex Glasgow
Parramatta FC: 1.Matthew Nash; 3.Andy Matloub (6.Graziano Trimboli 90?+2?), 4.Domenic Trimboli, 5.Mark O?Reilly, 7.Patrick Dixon, 10.Akiyoshi Saito , 14.Wandi Jajaw (16.Daniel Gullo 61?) , 19.Daniel Rezo, 15.Masaki Nomoto, 17.Luke Grima, 8.Bryan Soane (13.J. Sotirio 82?)
Substitutes Not Used: 40.Michael Sakowicz, 18.Nicholas Napoli
Yellow Cards: Nil
Red Cards: Nil
Bonnyrigg White Eagles: 33.Nikodin Matic; 2.Alex Mansueto, 6.Nikola Zonjic, 5.Chris Tadrosse, 7.Tynan Diaz (21.Ken Chun 80?), 8.Alex Canak, 9.Robbie Younis, 11.Ben Spruce, 18.Adrian Ucchino (17.Jordan Crighton 90?+2?), 19.Harry Gaitatzis (15.Chris Payne 85?), 23.Mitch Long
Substitutes Not Used: 20.Andrew Bazi, 10.Jordan Simpson
Yellow Cards: Nil
Red Cards: Nil
-By Chris Georges
Archives for August 2012
APIA-Leichhardt hit Sydney United for four in entertaining battle
Michael Hawrysiuk, Adel El-Jamal, Ethan Gailbraith and youngster Nick Taneski scored to secure a fantastic result for Billy McColl’s side, whilst an own goal from Michael West and a header from Mitchell Speer saw Sydney United net twice but not do enough to secure even a share of the points.
APIA could have taken the lead in the 1? minute when a free-kick from Michael Hawyrsiuk found the head of Adam D’Apuzzo, but the APIA midfielder headed wastefully wide.
Sydney United thought they should have had a penalty in the 2? minute when the ball appeared to strike the arm of Brendan Reilly, but referee Kris Griffith-Jones waved play on.
APIA went on the attack immediately, but Adel El-Jamal smashed his long range shot wide.
A series of Sydney United corners in the 12? minute put the APIA defence under significant pressure, but the last of these was too close to goalkeeper Anthony Costa, who claimed easily.
APIA broke the deadlock though, with a goal from nowhere in the 16? minute. Bradley Bartels was set clear down the right hand side but with just Gailbraith to aim for in the centre, he delayed his cross and instead stood the ball up to the far edge of the penalty-area. Arriving with superb timing, Michael Hawyrsiuk showed excellent technique to volley low past Robert Kolak in the Sydney United goal.
Gailbraith was a constant menace up front for the visiting side and his movement behind was proving difficult to deal with for the Sydney United defence.
Hawyrsiuk caused United goalkeeper Robert Kolak some serious problems with a long throw-in from the right in the 24? minute, the shot?-stopper failing to deal with it. A scrambled clearance found its way back to Hawyrsiuk and APIA looked certain to score. All the midfielder had to do was square the ball to Gailbraith, but Hawyrsiuk’s cut back lacked quality and care as Kolak was able to claim.
Gailbraith continued to threaten and only the offside flag prevented him from racing on to a through ball from Stephen Kayes in the 29? minute, as APIA looked the more threatening side in the final third.
The home side were relying on their set piece threat, but APIA were showing great discipline in not conceding needless free-kicks and corners.
On the half hour mark, a half chance presented itself to Luka Glavas. A long throw from Jared Lum was only half cleared by the APIA defence and when the ball came back out to Glavas just inside the area, his first time volley flew over the crossbar.
It was a rare threat from the United striker who was starved of service as APIA shut down the home side’s midfield comfortably. The hard running Gailbraith was proving to be a worthy outlet as the Tigers counter-attacked with panache, with D’Apuzzo, Hawyrsiuk and Bartels all heavily involved.
Sydney United’s hopes were dealt a further blow in the 35? minute when Luka Glavas was forced off with another injury, replaced by John Krajacic. It was a bad piece of luck for the United striker, who had only just returned from a long injury lay off.
Against the run of play though, United found an equalising goal and true to form, it was a set piece that delivered it. Jared Lum delivered a threatening ball from the left hand side and it was APIA-Leichhardt attacker Gailbraith who got the final touch, diverting the ball past his own goalkeeper, much to the delight of the partisan crowd.
Bradley Bartels conceded a free-kick in a dangerous area in the 44? minute after he body checked the flying Krajacic. Lum sent in another swirling delivery that caught Anthony Costa out, his punch going straight up in the air and almost crossing the line before being scrambled clear.
Sydney United kept the ball though and a cross from the right found Daniel Barac unmarked in the area, with the APIA-Leichhardt defence in disarray. Barac was given the opportunity on a plate after a delightful delivery from Petar Markovic, but his header was straight at Costa who reacted well to save.
APIA went straight up the other end in what was a frenetic end to the first-half, with D’Apuzzo finding himself in space on the right hand side but his shot was well saved by Kolak, who made himself big and reacted well to keep the scores level going in to half-time.
Adam D’Apuzzo was proving a constant threat to the Sydney United defence and he again released Gailbraith down the inside right channel, though he was helped by a slip from Mitchell Stamatellis. Cutting back on to his left foot, Gailbraith could only shoot tamely at Kolak.
Jared Lum’s set piece delivery was proving to be a huge threat to APIA-Leichhardt and it proved to be the case again in the 56? minute, when his delivery found the head of Barac, but his header went wide of Anthony Costa’s far post.
APIA’s goalscorer Michael Hawyrsiuk was replaced on the hour mark by Gyu Re-Lee as APIA coach Billy McColl looked to influence the match from the bench.
Although not directly related to the substitution, it seemed to have some effect, as APIA went ahead just 2? minutes later. Adam D’Apuzzo, so influential in this match, curled in a beautiful corner form the right hand side and with Robert Kolak unconvincing under the high ball, Adel El-Jamal rose at the back post to head the ball into the back of the net.
Sydney United skipper Ivo Bosnar tried to take matters into his own hands in the 67? minute, trying an audacious volley from 20-yards out after Bartels half cleared a long throw from Lum, but Bosnar’s effort flew well over the bar.
Night was descending on Edensor Park and with 20? minutes to go the match was very much still up for grabs.
Both goalkeepers Robert Kolak and Anthony Costa were struggling under the high ball. D’Apuzzo’s corners were causing Kolak all sorts of problems, whilst Costa was struggling to deal with Lum’s long throw-ins.
Kolak was found wanting in the 70? minute when he failed to get his fists to an attempted punched clearance, but Gailbraith headed over the bar.
Sydney United found an equaliser in the 78? minute with their second set piece goal of the match. This time it was a Mario Simic corner from the right hand side that caught APIA out, with United centre half Mitchell Speer rising highest to nod home past Costa.
Just minutes later though, APIA Leichhardt went back ahead in what was turning into a classic match. APIA were readying Grade 20s hotshot Nick Taneski to be introduced in place of Gailbraith, when the visitors were awarded a free-kick.
Gailbraith signalled to the bench to hold the substitution so that he could take the free-kick, and he duly delivered, sending a gem of a strike past Kolak and in off the post to restore APIA’s one goal lead. The striker celebrated with the bench before taking his seat on it, as Taneski was introduced.
Danial Cummins replaced the excellent D’Apuzzo with 3? minutes remaining, as APIA looked to shut up shop and take all three points.
Instead, a sensational 40-yard pass from Brendan Reilly released the livewire Taneski who showed beautiful feet in beating the two defenders in his way, before smashing a confident finish past Kolak.
It was the icing on the cake for APIA-Leichhardt, who were able to close out an excellent victory.
Sydney United 58 FC striker Daniel Barac was understandably frustrated at full-time:
?It was pretty sloppy today. There were a lot of long balls and the movement was slow,” he said.
“The boys at the back for APIA gave us a pretty hard time, it was pretty physical and it was hard to match them,” he added.
By contrast, APIA’s ?Mr Fix It? coach, Billy McColl, was elated:
“I thought we played well. I thought we dominated and we played some beautiful soccer today,” McColl said.
“To score four goals away from home is a credit to the team,” he added.
“Every win is important (in terms of the Club Championship) and when I came in the plan was to go undefeated (for the rest of the season). We’re looking forward to playing the Wolves next week,” McColl concluded.
Match Stats
Sydney United 58 2 (Ethan Gailbraith 38′ (og), Mitchell Speer 78′)
APIA Leichhardt Tigers 4 (Michael Hawyrsuik 16′, Adel El-Jamal 62′, Ethan Gailbraith 81′, Nick Taneski 89′)
Sunday 19th August, 2012
Sydney United Sports Centre, Edensor Park
Referee: Kris Griffith-Jones
Assistant Referees: Craig Fisher and Lee Corey
Fourth Official: James Meechan
Sydney United 58 FC: 30.Robert Kolak; 2.Mitchell Speer, 6.Mitchell Stamatellis, 7.Mirjan Pavlovic, 8.Jared Lum, 10.Stephen Hayes (34.Stephen Drewery 74′), 11.Luka Glavas (38.John Krajacic 35′), 18.Mario Simic, 22.Daniel Barac, 23.Ivo Bosnar (C), 14.Petar Markovic (36.Mark Cindric 83′)
Substitutes Not Used: 20.Ian Johnson
Yellow Cards: Mitchell Speer 81′
Red Cards: Nil
APIA-Leichhardt Tigers: 21.Anthony Costa; 2.Mark Byrnes, 3.Adel El-Jamal, 4.Mun-Soo Gil, 5.Michael West (C), 7.Stephen Kayes, 8.Adam D’Apuzzo (6.Danial Cummins 87′), 9.Ethan Gailbraith (19.Nick Taneski 81′), 15.Bradley Bartels, 16.Michael Hawyrsiuk (20.Gyu Re Lee 60′), 18.Brendan Reilly
Substitutes Not Used: 22.David Bradasevic, 12.Paul Galimi
Yellow Cards: Nil
Red Cards: Nil
-By Matthew Connellan
APIA-Leichhardt show desperation and take all three points
After the game caretaker coach Billy McColl, who has covered that same role for the Tigers in the past, spoke with pride about a team he has been involved with for many years.
?It was an important win and a win which we deserved,? he said.
?The field is very bad but the boys battled hard and we tried to play football.
?We had the most possession, created the most chances and I think we deserved the victory.?
McColl is an enigmatic character. His association with APIA-Leichhardt stretches back for decades and many players swear that he is their preferred coach. However, he is officially retired and not able to commit to the job on a fulltime basis.
?There is no pressure on me because pressure is self-inflicted,? he said.
?The talent is here, so I just come in and direct because the boys are certainly good enough.
?We should be in the top five but sadly we?re not. However, we are not going to be relegated and the game plan is to finish the season undefeated. [So far McColl has won both his games in charge].
?I only come in because of Tony Raciti [APIA-Leichhardt President] because he?s the one that keeps dragging me back.
?I have been coaching for 25 years and if I could get a divorce, then I would coach. But I can?t, so I don?t coach.
?My wife calls Raciti ?my mistress? because he is the only one that can take me away from my family. Seriously though, I would rather the club be higher up the table so that I didn?t have to come back.?
On the playing side of things, the first opportunity arrived in the 10? minute when a nice cross from the right found its way to Michael Hawrysiuk who blasted a shot towards goal, but Brody Crane got down very well saving the day for the visitors.
Blacktown City FC replied almost immediately when an accurate cross from the right by Yuchi Yamauchi went across to James Monie on the far post, but unfortunately he misdirected his header from close range.
In the 16? minute Brendan Reilly put in a nice short ball for Adam Casey who finished the move with a shot that brought Crane once again into the action.
In the 27? minute APIA-Leichhardt had a golden chance to take the lead when a delightful free-kick from Hawrysiuk from just outside the box forced Crane into a spectacular diving header.
However, it wasn?t be for the home side and the rest of the first period ended up being played out as a hard fought midfield battle.
The second-half wasn?t too old before APIA-Leichhardt finally struck gold. Brad Bartels played a nice ball through to Casey who then set sail from the halfway line and he didn?t stop until he sent the ball into the bottom left hand corner of the net. It was all it took to separate these two teams in a tight contest.
Mark Crittenden, coach of Blacktown City FC, expressed his disappointment about conceding a goal so shortly after half-time.
?It?s disappointing to lose like that,? he said.
?We made a poor mistake straight after half-time, but we spoke about it at the break and how important it was to us not to cop one straight away.?
A few minutes later Hawrysiuk had another brilliant chance when a corner reached him dangerously in the box, but his spectacular shot just missed the intended target.
In the 84? minute a nasty foul by Travis Major on Adam Casey unfortunately brought out the worst in Casey.
Major was rightly booked by the astute referee Kurt Ams, but Casey reacted with an alleged head-butt and was immediately shown a red card. There was nothing else that could have been done by the referee in the circumstances and Casey unfortunately will have to pay a price for his rush of blood.
Late in the game another great free-kick by Hawrysiuk received a slight deflection and just ended up wide of the target. In the end, it didn?t matter for the Tigers who had secured all three points.
?We said before the game that there would be a lot of desperation from APIA,? stated Mark Crittenden.
?You could see that today and how they put their bodies on the line.
?You can?t come here and play; you just have to get the ball forward and pressure them in the top half. They [APIA] outmuscled us and won all the second balls, so it?s very disappointing.
?We have a tough run home with South Coast Wolves, Sutherland Sharks and Bonnyrigg White Eagles ? South Coast play well, Sutherland is still a good team and Bonnyrigg is the benchmark.?
Match Stats
APIA-Leichhardt Tigers 1 (Casey 50?)
Blacktown City FC 0
Sunday 12th August, 2012
Lambert Park, Leichhardt
Referee: Kurt Ams
Assistant Referees: Christian Mehl and Alex Long
Fourth Official: Jerry Bitas
APIA-Leichhardt Tigers: 21.Anthony Costa; 2.Mark Byrnes, 3.Adel El Jamal, 4.Mun Soo Gil, 5.Michael West, 7.Stephen Kayes, 8.Adam D?Apuzzo, 14.Adam Casey, 15.Bradley Bartels, 16.Michael Hawrysiuk, 18.Brendan Reilly.
Substitutes Not Used: 1.Stefan Giglio, 6.Danial Cummins, 11.Nick Taneski, 19.Paul Galimi, 20.Gyu Re Lee
Yellow Cards: D?Apuzzo 76?
Red Cards: Casey 84?
Blacktown City FC: 1.Brody Crane; 3.Ryo Watanabe, 4.Travis Major, 6.Matt Lewis, 7.Luke Roodenburg, 8.Daniel Bragg (15.Luke Jenner 82?), 9.Ryuji Miyazawa, 10.James Monie (17.Delor Edosomwan 71?), 11.Yuchi Yamauchi, 16.Dillon Vorster (12.David Cain 62?), 18.Keiren Paull
Substitutes Not Used: 14.Nathan Sansom, 20.Luke Turnbull
Yellow Cards: Roodenburg 26?, Watababe 58?, Cain 68?, Bragg 78?, Major 84?, Yamauchi 88?
Red Cards: Nil
-By Joe Russo
White Eagles show Stallions no mercy in Bonnyrigg
The White Eagles were flawless on the night, taking control with some fine possessional dominance throughout the 90? minutes. The goal scoring commenced just shy of the hour as Robbie Younis netted a penalty, before Ken Chun stole the show with a tremendous strike and assist for Aleksander Canak on a tremendous night for the White Eagles players and supporters.
The home side created the first chance of the evening in the 1? minute via a set-piece from the left. Captain Chris Tadrosse whipped in a curling effort that only just missed Younis? head before Adrian Ucchino headed a glancing header wide of the mark.
Marconi responded with some swift ball movement out of midfield as Nathan Elasi showed pace and finesse with some great movement in behind the front pairing of Joey Gibbs and Keith Shevlin. The latter was given a look-in following Elasi?s initiative though the White Eagles defenders were mighty quick in thwarting the danger.
On 7? minutes, Elasi did get an attempt away on goal from the edge of the penalty-area. The attacking midfielder used his body well to create the space to shoot, however his low-driven effort failed to force Nikodin Matic ? the shot-stopper given the start ahead of Andrew Bazi ? into a save.
The home side created a massive chance to open the scoring 1? minute later as Mitchell Long broke free down the right-flank. The playmaker delivered a pin-point cross into the path of an unmarked Younis who, somewhat uncharacteristically, dragged his first-time attempt wide of goal.
Bonnyrigg went close again on 12? minutes, once more via a set-piece by Tadrosse. From a promising position on the edge of the penalty-area, Tadrosse delivered a dipping attempt that only just failed to fall underneath James Chronopoulos? goal.
Bonnyrigg should have taken the lead in the 19? minute via the head of Canak. Ken Chun?s free-kick delivery picked out the head of the attacking midfielder at the back post, though Canak failed to hit the target with his headed attempt.
The White Eagles players? kept their feet on the accelerator as they continued pressing for the opening goal. No less than 30?? seconds later, Ucchino?s attempt from distance took a wicked deflection off a teammate as Stallions? shot-stopper Chronopoulos pulled off a tremendous save to deny the attempt.
Lively midfielder Ucchino tried his luck again in the 26? minute with a first-time half-volley from distance. A loosely dealt with corner by the Stallions saw the ball fall to the young White Eagles midfielder however his attempt failed to hit the target.
Marconi responded with former White Eagles midfielder Shane Webb trying his luck. The Stallions? number 6 pulled the ball onto his left boot in the 27? minute before firing wide of goal from the edge of the penalty-area.
The Stallions? positive spell continued with some good possession after the half-hour mark. Webb and Elasi combined well out on the right before Shevlin received a square ball to force Matic into a routine save on 32? minutes.
The trio exchanged passes again moments later with Daniel Severino in the attacking third, though some stout defending by the home side denied the Stallions any real look-in on goal.
In the final chance of the half for the visitors, Gibbs and Webb combined as the former released the latter on goal, denied only by the fabulous anticipation skills of Nikola Zonjic.
Following the resumption of play, Webb released Elasi on goal on 48? minutes with a delightful chipped pass over the defence. The intention was brilliant though Matic was alert to clear his line and claim the ball.
At the other end, Canak saw his powerful drive deflect wide of the mark for a corner. The resulting delivery had the Stallions on the back foot as the visitors managed to survive the onslaught.
On 54? minutes the home side was awarded a penalty after Ali Haydar was adjudged to have fouled Ucchino inside the penalty-area. The young midfielder chased down a ball that seemed a lost cause, though managed to win his side a penalty with his persistence.
Despite the protests of the Stallions? players, led vocally by Chronopoulos, Younis kept his nerve on the penalty-spot as he coolly slotted the ball past the Marconi goalkeeper for the lead.
Bonnyrigg kept pressing with Ken Chun coming alive in midfield with an energetic second-half showing. Chun used his skill and pace to create room for Harris Gaitatzis in the front-third, just after the hour, though Wade Oostendrop was well aware with some expert defending.
Gaitatzis brought the home supporters onto their feet in in the 69? minute following his well worked move down the right. The striker showed his pace and strength on the ball as he wiggled past his marker to blast his diagonal effort inches wide of Chronopoulos? right-hand post.
Despite Bonnyrigg?s second-half dominance, Marconi reminded the League leader that they were still in with a fighting chance when Gibbs breached the White Eagles? defence in the 73? minute. A quickly taken free-kick by Webb allowed Gibbs a shot on target ? Matic did exceptionally well to get down quickly and make the save.
On 78? minutes, Bonnyrigg got its second goal via Chun. The attacking midfielder showed an exceptional first touch and poise as he brought down a long searching ball before turning his marker and powerfully driving home for the 2-0 lead.
Bonnyrigg very nearly added a third when Chronopoulos? spilt attempt gave Gaitatzis a look-in. The striker was quick to react though saw his shot from point-blank range saved by the shot-stopper who did a tremendous job to get back into position following the initial fumble.
The third did arrive in the 88? minute via Canak. Once more, Chun was the orchestrator with a tantalising short ball to release Canak through on goal. The Bonnyrigg number 8 had the easiest of tasks to slot home past an exposed Chronopoulos.
Following the referee?s final whistle, White Eagles coach Brian Brown expressed his delight with his side?s showing:
?I am very very happy with the boys tonight,? commented Brown.
?Not only with the result, but the intensity and effort from all the players throughout the match was top class, and the boys thoroughly deserved the result.
?The players were all up for it, Ken Chun and Adrian Ucchino were great though really across the park I could not fault anyone, we have really put together some great performances over the past few weeks and we are looking to continue this over the coming weeks,? ended Brown.
Marconi Stallions coach Luke Casserly was somewhat of a dejected figure as he exited the Marconi dressing room:
?I think that up until the penalty we were just hanging on and then to go behind was always going to be tough ? to come here, it is tough at 0-0, so 0-1 was going to be extremely difficult.
?To be brutally honest, we struggled to get going, we struggled to pressure them and they are the top team on the ladder.
?Our performances in recent weeks have been really good, even though we have been unlucky in-terms of results. Tonight, we didn?t show up to be honest.
?We?ll look to finish the season strongly, our objective has always been to finish in the top-five, we now risk falling out of the top-five should Rockdale City win tomorrow, we?ll see how it goes, though we will be looking to get the results in the final three weeks,? concluded Casserly.
Match Stats
Bonnyrigg White Eagles 3 (Robbie Younis 54? (pen), Ken Chun 78?, Aleksander Canak 88? )
Marconi Stallions 0
Saturday 11th August, 2012
Bonnyrigg Sports Club, Bonnyrigg
Referee: Strebre Delovski
Bench: J. Woods, Z. Elrich, W. Angel, V. Rigoli, I. JohnsBonnyrigg White Eagles: 44.Nikodin Matic; 6.Nikola Zonjic, 5.Chris Tadrosse, 11.Ben Spruce, 18.Adrian Ucchino (15.Chris Payne 89?), 19.Harris Gaitatzis (17.Jordan Crighton 90?+1?), 23.Mitchell Long, 8.Aleksander Canak (10.Jordan Simpson 90?+1?), 21.Ken Chun, 2.Alex Mansueto, 9.Robbie Younis
Substitutes Not Used: 20.Andrew Bazi, 27.Nikola Todorovski
Yellow Cards: Ben Spruce 90?+4?
Red Cards: Nil
Marconi Stallions: 22.James Chronopoulos; 2.Andrew Mailer, 3.Ali Haydar, 6.Shane Webb, 9.Keith Shevlin (42.Brendan Cholakian 81?), 10.Joey Gibbs (19.Damien Travis 81?), 11.Nathan Elasi, 15.Wade Oostendorp, 16.Daniel Severino (7.Sean O?Connell 46?), 23.Christopher Nunes, 26.Nahuel Arrarte
Substitutes Not Used: 50.Hamish McLean, 8.Trent Barton
Yellow Cards: Ali Haydar 52?, James Chronopoulos 52?, Andrew Mailer 57?, Christopher Nunes 90?
Red Cards: Nil
-By Joseph Carlucci
Special Feature: Tynan Diaz: ‘Bonnyrigg feels like home’
?I?m a Wolves junior, I spent a long time there up until I was about 17 years old,? Diaz said.
?I had a season in 2004 at Marconi Stallions and then after that I went overseas and tried my luck in a few different leagues and then I went over to France for a couple of months, but it didn?t work out,? he continued.
His attempts at an overseas career were not solely restricted to Europe, but after traveling to Canada and the US, that particular chapter of Diaz?s story ended there. Although that door closed, another opened back home and the gateway to a successful state league career became apparent.
?I travelled to Canada and from there I went a signed a short term deal with Austin Texas in the US,? Diaz said.
The midfielder continued, ?I came back home and had a season with South Coast Wolves and then I got picked up by Bonnyrigg White Eagles.?
For someone as much travelled as Diaz, there is always the suspicion that the next move might not be far away, but he insisted that he is very much settled at Bonnyrigg Sports Club.
?I had high A-League hopes a few years ago, but I didn?t have the maturity. I had the fitness and ability but I just didn?t have the maturity to play at that level,? he started. ?I?ve trialled at a few clubs including Perth Glory, but nothing really eventuated,? he continued.
He has, however, made a name for himself at Bonnyrigg White Eagles as one of their most consistent performers and he has been outstanding over the past couple of weeks.
?I haven?t more comfortable at a club for a long while,? Diaz started.
?Bonnyrigg definitely feels like home at the moment and it?s where I plan to stay for a very long time, as long as they are happy to keep me!? he said.
With 6 goals and 5 assists from 15 appearances so far this season, Diaz has been a pivotal figure in Bonnyrigg?s rise to the summit of the league and they are heavy favourites to wrap up the Premiership, as they are seven points clear with four rounds remaining.
He is keen to emphasise the spirit and unity within Brian Brown?s squad, with Diaz saying that it has been a major factor in Bonnyrigg?s success so far this season.
?It?s been a great year and it?s good to be winning games,? he said.
?You enjoy your football most when you?re winning. We?ve got a great bunch of guys at Bonnyrigg this year and the morale of the team is really high. There are some great friendships that have formed here and a real togetherness in the squad that has brought us through a couple of games when we?ve needed it,? Diaz continued.
?The weekend was a perfect example. It was 0-0 at half time against Blacktown Spartans on a freezing cold Saturday night and we walked away with a 2-0 victory and three points. I believe it was the heart of the team and it?s a good sign at this stage of the season when you don?t play that well but you come away with three points,? he said.
Performances such as that have Bonnyrigg White Eagles well on course to become NSW Premier League Premiership winners, as this enthralling season enters its final phase and Tynan Diaz is right at the heart of their title charge.
– By Matthew Connellan